Committed Travellers

With the overnight drizzle the dust and gritty sand stuck to our shoes and Bluey's feet. We had to keep cleaning his feet before letting him back into the Bushtracker.  As we were about to drive out of the Columboola Country Veterans Retreat we were approached by Colin the owner of the property. He said that normally the camping fee for veterans is reduced by 25%. As they didn't know our group included veterans the discount wasn't applied. Instead they gave us some coasters and stubbie coolers advertising the property. Colin's brother is a Gulf War veteran and his neighbour served in Vietnam. He doesn't get any government funding for providing assistance to veterans because he owns the property as an individual, not on behalf of an organisation such as an RSL. The facility needs a lot of improvements and regular maintenance. One of our wheel hubs on the Bushtracker was running warm, but it doesn't seem to be an urgent issue. The bathroom extractor fan sucked in

The internet was virtually non existent last night so this is a belated post. We stayed at the camp ground for the day. I spent time training Blue to walk wearing a halti over his nose. He keeps pulling on his lead and I can't give him the treats needed to train him to walk properly with a loose lead until we understand what has been making him sick. He is much better and eating enthusiastically. In the afternoon Bec Hance gave us an overview on CPR and using defibrillators, followed by a lesson on applying snake bandages. I kept Little Fancy quiet on my lap for some of the time. I took some photos of the campground under gathering clouds. Beccy put on a fantastic show with help from Libby and the Hussy Hicks. There was a little light drizzle but not enough to stop the open air performance. The risk with rain is damage to the sound and light electrical equipment.

After leaving our farmstay we stopped at the Roma Showgrounds to fill our water tanks. We parked in a back street of Miles to get coffee and lunch. Some of the locals were surprised to see a group of Roadies with eight small dogs and Blue close behind. People who live out here are more accustomed to larger dogs and they would rarely be walked along the main street. For two nights we will be at the Columboola Country Veterans Retreat, about 20 minutes from Miles. There was 10km of gravel road to get here, and the facilities are basic. Beccy had organised a tasty dinner for us cooked by locals - lasagne with vegetables followed by apple crumble or sticky date pudding. They provided plates and cutlery so we didn't even have any washing up.  There is a series of small rock pools and a much larger one near our site. Our friends put in their yabbie nets but no luck so far. I was playing with our youngest Roadie Little Fancy who spent time in Blue and T

It was lucky we got out the winter doonas as the minimum temperature last night was 2.7°. After the sun has been up for a while the days are pleasantly warm. We went to town to buy some dog and cat food from the local vet, and visited Roma's largest bottle tree. This was a mature tree when transplanted to Roma in 1927. It is well over 100 years old. Back at the campground the cows, goats, Bentley the pig, and Dolly the alpaca were active. Blue was curious until Dolly spat at him. We had a clear sky to enjoy the full moon rising as an orange ball on the horizon. The sunset followed soon after the moon had risen. The concert tonight was performed by Roadies singing, playing musical instruments, and telling funny stories. Most were hilarious!

It was a moving day today so we packed up before breakfast. We drove through Charleville and turned onto the Warrego Hwy. Just before Morven a large herd of cattle was being moved by drovers.  In Mitchell the supermarket was open so we bought some fruit. The Charleville butcher opened exclusively for Beccy to buy meat and sausages to feed us for dinner tomorrow night. The butcher happens to be the local Mayor. The temperatures are getting cooler as we head further south. We are camped at a farmstay just outside of Roma. We are parked near an overgrown paddock where there is at least one large pig, a cow and an alpaca. It is basic but spacious - we are not connected to power or water. Our tanks were full until Tilly turned on the bathroom tap and it took us a few minutes to realise what she had done. The plug was in the sink but fortunately there is an overflow hole.  Our guest artist tonight was Brendan Walmsley who we have not seen before. He was brought up in

We were awake at 5am to be on time for the ARC ANZAC Day service. Kelly organised the whole service and managed it superbly wearing her full ceremonial uniform - she is still serving in the Army. There are close to 20 veterans on this tour and it was a huge success. Libby sang Danny Boy and Beccy performed Poster Girl. Roadie Ron played the "bugle" using his mouth harmonicas. Beccy's crew cooked early breakfast - toasted egg and bacon sandwiches which we ate around the camp fire. Most Roadies went by bus to the Charleville ANZAC Day commemorations and marched with the locals. They adjourned for lunch at the RSL. I drove Anita into town in time for lunch, then walked around the empty streets of Charleville with Bluey. I didn't go to the local ceremonies or lunch as I didn't want to leave him in the caravan for several hours. I walked a couple of the other dogs left at camp. He seems to be over his sickness but we saw how skinny he is when I washed him late this aft

We were packed up and hooked on before breakfast. I helped with the dishes then we hit the road back tracking towards Tambo and Augathella, where we stopped for a break and snacks. Blue wanted to play with one of the Roadie dogs, a seven month old border collie. There is nowhere to let dogs run safely as most town parks that are fenced prohibit dogs. Only roadhouses were open after midday as most shops shut Saturday afternoons in country areas. Shops will stay closed Sunday as it is ANZAC Day and Monday for the public holiday. Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania declare the Monday to be a public holiday only when the 25th of April falls on a Sunday. Our campsite for the next two nights is near Charleville. We parked the van, unhooked, and put Tilly and Blue into their playpen where he immediately vomited. He had not wanted to eat all day but we tempted him with a little bit of banana and a small piece of a greenie. Not long after being sick he was looking for food so w

Our day started early as Anita wanted to be at the Blackall Acquatic Centre at 6am when it opened. I walked Blue several times and his diarrhoea seems to have resolved. People often ask why I have him sleep in a crate - there have been several times recently we would have needed to change our bedding if he had been sleeping on our bed! We wandered along the main street eventually spending $4.20 at the butcher buying meat for Tilly. There was a morning tea for a Roadie's birthday where we were force fed chocolate cake before adjourning to Hawthorn Lodge for lunch with Roadie friends. We were successful in the bidding for a pair of ARC placemats made by one of our talented Roadies, with help from her mother. The auction raised money for Support Act, a charity helping out of work musicians. The pool opened at 4pm so we went for some exercise and sunshine. The nights are much cooler so the pool isn't as hot as it was when we were here a couple of weeks ago. The shower i

Late last night Bec Hance was attending to one of the Roadies who had a suspected snake bite. Anita sent me across with the snake bite bandage I bought at the first aid course I did a couple of months ago. Bec's other job is paramedic. I helped load the patient into a friend's Landcruiser as that would be faster transport than calling an ambulance. The bite turned out to be from a poisonous centipede. I found a September 2020 report on the ABC news site of two people being admitted to Longreach Hospital with suspected snake bites within 10 minutes of each other - one from Longreach and the other from Ilfracombe. Both were found to have been bitten by these poisonous centipedes. The pain is apparently excruciating so our Roadie had three local injections into her foot and spent the night in hospital. We have noticed her friends are back wearing shoes or boots instead of thongs! My snake bite bandage was returned this evening and it came in handy as a toy to keep Little Fancy occ

This is the lovely Amber Joy Poulton with me and Anita taken early this afternoon. We stayed in the caravan park all day talking to other Roadies and doing chores. It was Rosemary's ladies champagne afternoon so the crowd listening to Alison Forbes this evening is raucous. The undercover area where she is singing is small and too crowded for my liking, so I am sitting outside listening with Bluey on my lap. He seems to be recovered from his ailments, and has being playing with Tilly. He even met Rosemary's cat - they touched noses a couple of times and the cat didn't fur up. The dog that inspired me to get a small poodle is with us on tour. Bindi is a beautiful small cavoodle. I was talking with her owner only to learn Bindi can be as fussy as Blue about food and she also has a sensitive tummy. The first photo is Alison with Libby and the second photo is of our friends Chris and Ann Marie, both lifted from Facebook. We haven't seen mu

A Facebook post let us know Alison Forbes was stuck in Winton with a damaged caravan. Beccy announced she was paying Alison to perform for us as she is not that far away in outback terms. Beccy is both flexible and generous considering that will be an extra cost to her budget.  We spent the morning in Longreach where the visiting optometrist adjusted my glasses. I damaged them walking into the Bushtracker awning arm. This sculpture of drovers is in the main street. This old car parked in town is advertising a local tour business. Some Roadies have tried to get on tours only to be told they are booked out. Our ARC program, lanyards, and stubby holder came in a stiff paper bag. Tilly loves playing in bags, especially ones that make a noise.

Our Aussie Road Crew tour officially started at 2pm today when we were given our goodies bag, including our program for the next two weeks. We had drinks at 5pm then greetings from Beccy and Libby at 6pm where they handed out Regular Roadies badges to those who have done more than one tour. We had a lovely surprise being presented with a bottle of Moet, two glasses engraved with Gold Roadies, and a special ARC bag. This is our tenth tour and we have special Gold Roadie name tags. Three other women are also Gold Roadies. This is the first time I have been given gifts for having a wonderful time! We also have special name tags. Our entertainers put on a fun show after roast dinner prepared by caravan park staff. Our favourites are back - Bec Hance, Pete Wilson, Amber Joy Poulton, and Anthony Taylor. Bec and Pete have their two year old daughter with them. She is known as Little Fancy as her mum is called Fancy Pants for her great jeans. I spent most of the morning in Longreac

Bluey whimpered in the night so we put him on our bed so we could get a bit more sleep. In the morning we discovered the problem - he had vomited in his crate. Fortunately we have a vet appointment tomorrow as he hardly ate all day. We had a leisurely start this morning packing up for the 80km drive back to Ilfracombe. Lots of our Roadie mates are already here. One group of friends have two dachshunds, two cavoodles and two small poodles between them so have set up a low fence where the dogs can all commune. Blue met them and was not intimidated by any of them. There are some big dogs and we are glad they are not nearby. We went to the local pool where these Roadies demonstrated unsynchronised swimming in the artesian spa. The water in the main pool is warmer than at Barcaldine so we will go each day we are here. Two triple road trains pulled up opposite the Wellshot Hotel to check their loads of cattle. There is no roadhouse around here for drivers to buy meals

This is our last day in Barcaldine so I headed to the Australian Workers Heritage Centre. This venue covers almost two blocks with several historic buildings dedicated to specific displays about the labour movement. The history of working women is the largest display here, located in the old Barcaldine State School.  Louisa Lawson and her son Charles are to the left of this photograph. They are standing with Louisa's sister outside Phoebe's dressmaking shop near Gulgong in the 1870s. The buildings are essentially timber humpys with bark roofs. Louisa fought for women's rights and was a writer and publisher, and the mother of Henry Lawson. The Torrens Creek State School was renovated by the Department of Education and donated to the Centre in recognition of the dedicated workers educating Queensland children. It opened in 1891 and was closed in 1991. The tiny town of Torrens Creek is 337kms north of Barcaldine. The population o