So we took off from Mary Kathleen, I got a flat tyre on way into Isa and Mike got one on the way out! after stopping to change two flats, managed to plug mikes one but couldnt find leak in my one so plan was to drop it in the creek when we found one with water in! Its bloody dry out there, they really need some good rain, we pulled up short that night and camped overnight at Peak Creek north of Boulia. Next day on way thru we had a bit of a look around Boulia, before heading off to hamilton hotel ruins(our planned stop the night before). this is the remains of an old Cobb & co staging post, one of many spread about out there.
sunset at peak creek.
hamilton hotel ruins.
we also stopped at Cawnpore Lookout, as we approached I called Mike on the CB and said I thought the track on the right looked the easier of the two ways up, I almost, got to the top and it all went to shit! Had to back up, grab Lo range and have a second go, fortunately mike had stopped at the bottom to see how we went, so they walked up, view from top was fantastic.
view from the top, with Mike safely parked at the bottom!
and the last little bit of track that caused the grief!
We pulled up short again that night and spent the night at a rest area called Poddy Creek, got a really good sunrise next morning.
we travelled on up to walkabout creek hotel, for an overnight and than back dow to Macsland rest area about 24k north of longreach, spent a few nights there as I had the ute serviced in Longreach. we were set up back away from the main camp area, I had the nudist sign out. first night there, we had an overhanging branch scraping on the roof of the van, so next morning I got up on the step ladder and did a bit of pruning, whilst I was there, in the nudity, a mobile home drove passed, sprung again! They stopped on the way out next morning, and asked if they could take a photo of our sign, so couldnt have been too offended. From there it was back west again out to Cooper Creek, now, this bit of water goes by several names, Coopers Creek, Cooper Creek or as the locals call it, the Cooper. it was named by an early explore whose name escapes me at the moment, in honour of the Chief Magistrate(?) of S.A. at the time, or some other big wig that the explorer obviously wanted to impress. It had flooded twice recently, however, neither time it broke the banks, so the farm/grazing lands along the banks got very little advantage of either flood, she all just ran on down the lake eyre.
we carried on thru quilpie, thargomindah and left Mike & Jill at Cunamulla.
