Back on track.......

We hightailed it out of town as quickly as we could and headed for the hills.  Passing through Toowoomba at school pick up time is not much fun and we kept on driving until we were well away from the traffic. 

Our original destination had been Dalby but as we approached Bowenville we saw a nice little camp ground beside Oakey Creek and decided we had found a home for the night.

A lovely large reserve with flushing Loos is available for campers and we had a quiet night there.  The next morning we took a walk along the creek and Bill enjoyed the birds as we walked.

Back on the road we stopped at Dalby for a walk around town.  A very large Main Street and shopping area gave us plenty to look at and we found it to be a very tidy looking town.  I loved the old St Johns Anglican Church.

A little further along the road we did 'the old truck stop park' to make and eat lunch before stopping at another free camp at Westmar.  Another very tiny dot on the map that provides toilets and showers for truckies and travellers.  It was very much appreciated I can tell you.

Leaving here the next morning the forecast was deteriorating once more with another huge weather event coming towards us but we continued on stopping to have lunch beside the Balonne River in St George.

After lunch we had a walk around this little town and were interested to read that the Australian Hotel was the first one in the town opening in April 1864.   With five hotels in its heyday we could only find four today.

We continued on from here driving to Bollon where we stopped and camped for the night at Wallam Creek Rest Area.  Bill went in search of birds and was thrilled to see this Spotted Bowerbird.

Once again this small town encourages travellers to stay by providing this beautiful camp ground free of charge.  There are flush toilets and free artesian showers a short walk away.

The next morning we had a walk along Wallam Creek already starting to flow over the spillway at the little weir.  We had a look in the excellent Heritage Centre where Bill was fascinated with this old machine called a Delve.  It was used to clear the channels of the artesian bores.

We left at midday and not far up the road the rain started and it continued for two days.  With this whole area having had an earlier drenching just two weeks ago this rain was just adding to the mud and swollen creeks and rivers.  It was a very wet and soggy drive to Cunnamulla where we had been intending to stay for a few days at a bird sanctuary just out of town.

We rang during the afternoon and were told the road in was impassable and would be for a few days so plan B became a caravan park for the night.  Our first for 12 days.  Our power upgrade was working well even in this inclement weather.  

It continued to rain all night and the next morning one almost had to swim to the shower.  It stopped for a short while as Bill packed up and we were soon on the road again this time to Charleville.  Surely it must stop raining soon.  

We know the whole area needs this rain but to get so much to the point of flooding can't be good, can it?  It was a long slow drive that day as the roads were wet, shoulders soft and water lying everywhere alongside the road.  

Our next stop was at the Angellala Bridge Memorial just before Charleville.  This was the site of the most powerful explosion in Australian transport history when a truck carrying 50 tonnes of ammonium nitrate crashed and exploded.  It completely demolished the road bridge and destroyed the railway bridge beside it as well.   The new bridge has just been completed and this memorial is an interesting place to stop and learn all about the road and the rail line next to it.

As we arrived in Charleville the skies lightened and the rain stopped.  We had a look around the town but being Sunday it was very quiet.  We made our way out to the Bush Camp ($5 pp a night - bring your own loo) and checked in.  The sun actually made an appearance during the couple of hours left in the day and at 4.30pm the camp hosts lit a big camp fire and we all enjoyed a couple of hours telling our tales of the big wet!

We left the next morning, had a look around a working Charleville before heading up the road again.  The old Classic Queenslander Historic House is said to be the oldest in the area and is now a museum/heritage centre. 

Our next stop was off the highway at a Augathella, a lovely little town whose main attraction is the Giant Meat Ant in the centre of town.  The local football team has adopted the name now and usually referring to the meat ants means you are talking football/rugby rather than the pesky little creatures themselves.

There are also a few murals along the main street and I loved this one of Smiley which was shown at the old cinema in 2008 to celebrate the 50th anniversary since the original movie was released.

Soon after we were arriving at Tambo where it was time to address the washing so we booked into the caravan park for two nights and set to work.  We'll have a look around tomorrow.

until then.........