Wrap up and stats

What a fantastic experience and what a country we live in, we saw the inland at it's best, travelled 11,500km's in 4 weeks and visited 24 pubs along the way.  In our travels we met some great characters and had a laugh on a number of occasions and more importantly we still mates after 4 weeks on the road and we and the truck made it back in one piece (Matt you done your doe on the truck needing to be recovered).

The trip was originally based on outback pubs and although we visited 11 of the those listed in the book, we went to a number of great pubs that were not all in the book.  After each pub we rated the service, ambiences, service, food and beer.  While I have a table of scores to share in person and the reason why, I won't list them here.  However our top eight were (in no order) Toompine, Noccundra, Nindigully, Blue Heeler, Wellshot, William Creek, Mungerannie and Muckadilla.  All fit the image inside and out of an outback aussie pub in our view.

We achieved more than a pub crawl, we saw some great country in very good condition.  Found some rocks and climbed and explored canyons and country.  Saw THE rock and had the opportunity to camp on the cooper with water and see Lake Eyre full.  We may never see the inland country like this again in our lifetime.

Special thanks goes to our wives for allowing us to go (lol) and a special thanks goes to our consultant on solar energy Matt.

Western Qld

We crossed the border and again experienced better roads (flood money used for roads).  Travelled through the Jackson oil fields on bitumen again.  We visited the Dig Tree and headed for the Noccundra water hole and pub.  It was just as I recall, great pub, great atmosphere and great evening session with the publican and fellow travellers.

Threw the swags down by the waterhole and slept like a baby.  Up early and headed east, stopped in at Thargamindah for a pie and then headed for the Yowah opal fields, visited a a shed and saw some great opals, had a scratch around but found nothing.  Headed for St George and on to Nindigully.  Got to the Nindigully pub around 4.00pm, set up camp and headed for the bar.

Great pub and again good feed and company, We had arrived right on happy hour and took the opportunity to quench our thirst with a few quick beers at $2.50 a pot, I'm sure we only had three beers all night!  One highlight was the storm that hit around 5pm, first the dust storm, then the squally rain and then the sunset.

It turned out to be our last night on the road.  We had planned to drop into Neal's on the way home, but he was leaving for Cape York for a couple of days with work.  I contacted Paul and while we had organised to stay the night, Prue was having to go to Toowoomba for a couple of days, so we dropped into Warwick to see Paul and headed home.  

Up the Birdsville and into Qld

We arrived on at the Cooper just before dusk, we set up camp and sat back with a couple of beers and a bottle of wine, to watch the sun go down over the water.  The creek is normally dry, but due to the rain earlier this year is in full flow in to Lake Eyre.  The level is so high, the SA govt. is running a car ferry to cross the creek.  So after a good sleep and a great dawn with all the water bird life, we caught the ferry and headed up the track.

An hour north of the Cooper is a roadhouse at Mungerannie, we arrive around 8.00am and thought we would have a cuppa coffee. 

Went to the door and rang the bell, the Publican opened up and asked if we wanted instant or expresso, we said 1 white and 1 black.  We sat at the bar with our coffe and the publican came and sat with us and reached back and cracked an Tooheys Old stubbie.  I said if I knew the bar was open I would have joined him.  I finnished my coffee and we started on beers.  What a great morning, the three of us just hit it off on a range of subjects, it was the only publican we came across know who shouted us beers.  By 11.30 Kevy is saying it's time to go, I had lost count after 4 beers and it was time to continue north again. 

We got to Birdsville mid afternoon, set up camp and headed for the pub.  The Union final was on and we had a few beers and feed.  The pub had been painted and has become commericial from what I remember, I did ask if anyone had handed in my hat that I left 10 years ago and the barman said it would check the lost property box lol.  All the bar staff had RM Williams uniforms with name badges and while there was memorbilla about, neither of us took any pictures inside.  Given our morning session at the Mungerannie, the Birdsville is definately a tourist mecca now.

   Had a couple more beers at camp and I slept pretty good, Kevy not so good.  We headed for Innaminka and drove through Cordillo Downs.  Saw the shearing shed, however all the old photo's and history was gone, very disappointing.  The road was the roughest yet we travelled (expected) and after passing through sandstorm and burnt out country, made the Innaminka for lunch.

This too has really changed from the last time I came through.  The the license had been through 5 publicans in 10 years and no more pig DJ.  Most of the walls were bare, accept for flood photos.  We a good feed of burger and chips (that hadn't changed) and a couple of beers.  We headed east toward Queensland and the famous dig tree.

SA continued

Set off for the Flinders, stopped in at Beltana roadhouse for a coffee and a chat with locals about the old copper mines in the area.  I had read about them in an old book on the history of the Flinders and was keen to get a sample (not more rocks says Kevy).  The owner of the road house directed us to an area that was being used to top the dirt roads in the area and it proved very lucrative with some "nice rocks".

My brother had told us about the hotel at Parachilna and the road kill menu, so we keen to see what it was like.  Others had mentioned about the Prairie hotel and all had rated it. 

From the outside it looks great, however inside the atmosphere and interaction of the staff was very "goochie".  It set up to serve those from Adeleaide who want to experience the "outback" complete with staff dressed in RM Williams gear.  Not much character inside with space devoted to selling everything from T shirts to dips and the like.  While the food was fine and the menu worked as a "Feral theme" (someone needs to explain to them that neither Kangaroo or Emu is feral, they are native) the roo burger was tasty.  Kevy was not impressed either when he was charged $18 for two stubbies, while they were their local brew Fargo lager, it was a bit steep.  We finished a feed and a couple of normal beers and went for a drive through some gorges in the southern Flinders.

Camped at Wilpena Pound, there was a bar there as part of the resort, but given our experiences so far with resort style bars, we gave it a miss.  This trip is about exploring bush pubs!

Early start as we head into the northern Flinders, very good country and picturesque, my camera does not do it justice and I am sure you can see pictures on the net.  We followed a track into the Gammon ranges and finished up on an old property called Arkaroola.  It was one of the last of the pioneer pastoral properties in the roughest country.  It is now a wilderness sanctuary and the centre of a major dispute this year on anti mining.  The SA govt. ended up revoking the mining lease of the area (high uranium and lots of other stuff) and paid the company $15 million to cover expenses, funny thing is , they could have bought the property for that I reckon, instead the private property is a resort. 

We entered the info centre building which has a bar and lounge.  Great display of minerals and lots of paraphernalia about "No Mine".  I went up to the bar and stood inline to order. Was surprised to hear one female patron concerned that decaf was not available and then a male patron ordering lunch enquired if his "bagel could be toasted".  It was all I could do to keep a straight face I ordered 2 beers and a bowl of wedges. We had a couple of rounds and ate lunch, great history on show in photo's on the walls. 

We decided to head back north and Maree.    On the way we saw a car on the side of the road and being a remote area stopped to see if they were right.  Two women on there way to collect their husbands who were sitting in Lynhurst pub after breaking down, had hit an Emu and wrote their front end off.  The accident had occurred at 10.30am and 5 hour later they were still waiting for the tow truck.  It was still hot and they were out of water, so we gave them a couple of bottles and a few bickies just as the tow truck arrived.  We called in at Lynhurst and checked out "Talc ALF" who turned out to have an affinity with Kevy, but I will leave that for another time.  We got Maree around 5.00pm and saw the weather coming in.  The forecast was for rain south of Maree, so we decided to go north and get north of the rain and headed up the Birdsville track to Cooper creek. 

Travels into South Australia

Down the Stuart Highway to Coober Pedy, we decided to stay in an underground hotel, great place and so big inside.  Went down and got a Pizza and had beer on the "roof" at sunset (note the row of air vents).

After a great night's sleep we headed to Kingoonya, a pub in the book and located on the old highway at the junction of the rail line to Perth.  There was a sign for the pub at the turn from the new highway down the dirt track, but when we got there it was closed.

Nice looking pub, but a ghost town.  When we travelled back to the new Highway and stopped at the Glendambo roadhouse we learnt why.  The bar maid explained that one of the licensee's had recently past away and there was a funeral.  Glendambo was the new "Kingoonya" with the town being relocated to the new highway back in the 1980's, they moved the houses and anybody who wanted to go.

 

The Glendambo was a large waterhole for a pub, I didn't mind the place with exposed beams and a great fire place.  We enjoyed a couple of beers while playing pinball (Kevin wanted to see me show the same form I had with the washing machine in Alice).

After lunch we headed to Woomera and then on to Roxby Downs and Andamooka, we didn't check out any of the pubs as we wanted to get to the Oodnadatta track.  We camped on the banks of South Lake Ayre.  Early start and headed north following the the old Ghan line, it was easy to find rail spikes they were everywhere along the way.  Just south of Williams Creek was the turn off into Lake Ayre a rough 63 km track, but well worth the trip.  I doubt I will ever see that much water inland again.  On the way out we stopped for a look at a dingo and Kev got up close and personal.

Got to William Creek for lunch, very impressed with the look and feel. 

The publican is a funny bugger with some classic lines during phone call bookings and questions answered over the bar (German back packer comes in and asks do you have a toilet, barman said yes and continues reading.  German just stands there for a long period, we are all pissing our self's, finally the barman says, do you have another question? and he says can I use it?).  Kevin decided to pick on the Irish and retold the story of a guy running through King's Canyon, suggesting that he can only be Irish, not knowing that the barmaid is from Ireland.  I tried to recover but did not go over well.  After a few beers and a toasted cheese and beetroot sandwich, we headed for Maree. 

Got in around 4.00pm and just in time to sit down and have a few beers with some tourist group who thought we were local workers (probably because of the way we looked and dressed).  Nice pub and a great looking double story building, had a laugh and a few more beers, before we headed for a camp site at Leigh Creek.



Mt Isa to the NT

Above shots are of Mt Isa by night, the mine sits beside the town and is lit up at light like a city.  We stayed a couple of nights had a beer and steak at the Isa hotel and headed for Urandangi to get to the NT via the Plenty Highway.  At Urandangi we stopped for a couple of beers at the Dangi pub.  The pub was in caretaker mode while the owner had go to buy some antiques.  The couple standing in were from Alice Springs and we had a chat with a few locals.  Kev met with the old guy pictured drinking at the bar and he gave Kev the history of the place including when Christine Arnui came to visit.

Cross the border and on to the plenty highway, got to Jervious and there were fires burning at Harts range and the road had been closed.  Threw the swag out and camped at a rest stop  and had a chat and a beer with a grader driver from SA.  Nearly left Kevy there as he liked the idea of working the grader in central australia.  Due to the fires and a lack of a spare tyre (we blew 3 tires going across) we headed for Alice Springs.
Got to Alice and restocked, 4 new tyre's and a bag of clean clothes and headed for the rock.  On the way dropped into the Meteor craters and then to the Mt Ebeneser roadhouse for a couple of beers.  Nice spot with heaps of passing trade.  It was lunch when we arrived so order a bowl of chips and headed for the bar.  Barman from Maroubra, doing a bit of time in the bush after some strife down south.

The roadhouse also doubles as an art gallery for local community, whose resident artists sit out back while their wears are displayed.  After having a look, we headed off again.

Got to Yulara around 4.00pm and setup camp and headed to see rock at sunset, everyone seen heaps of photos of that, so on to the pubs.  In Yulara there are a number of five star hotels and only really one bar/pub, the pioneer.  We went and had a look and I noticed that they had NT draught on tap and so that Kevin could experience the feeling of drinking cats piss (This was what NT draught was always referred to, when we lived in the NT during the Eighties), I order 2 handles (standard measure in NT), I was charged - wait for it $12.60 for 2 drinks.  That was the last we had there and headed to camp to drink our own.

After a couple of days and a couple of walks we headed back to Alice via the Merinee loop track which took us through the West Macdonald ranges and on to the northern road.  Stopped in to Glen Helen and had a couple of beers.  Years ago this roadhouse had a great reputation as a place to come and eat, new chef now and a older looking.  Nice water hole.

This turned out to be the last pub we had a beer at in the NT.  We did go east over the MacDonalds along the Ross Highway, but the pub at Arltunga closed down about 2 years ago, so we were left to lament a drink at this old pub on the old gold mines.  We spent a couple of days scratching around on the gem fields and bought back some nice "rocks" as Kevin calls them.  Back to Alice to restock and then we head over the border to SA.  We were going to follow the old Ghan track, but reports are that with the current state and the number old rail spikes, tyres are usually sacrificed and given our new treads and the tracks we will be doing, we decided to travel the Stuart Highway down and cut up the Oodnadatta track from Roxby downs.

  

Longreach to Mt Isa

Arrived in Longreach and off to the Stockmans hall of fame, Kev went mad with the camera see below -

Stockmans Hall of Fame very interesting.  Unbelievable that men, woman and children could live and work out in these remote conditions.  Need at least two separate days in the museum to take it all in.  Your ticket does allow you to come back over two days. 



On the trip between Longreach and Mt Isa we had to stop at the Walkabout Creek hotel (Grants icon - The pub where Crocodile Dundee was filmed) and the Blue Heeler hotel.  What a contrast, The Blue Heeler was very inviting and we could have settled in for the day, the Land lady and Barmaid were chatty and a range of things.  The Publican at the walkabout was hard to engage with and we didn't spend much time there, just done the tourist things. Pictures below.

 Walkabout Creek Hotel - Mackinlay

 Blue Heeler - Kynuna

Blue Heeler is definitely one of my favourite hotels.  Over 100 years old and a historical site.   Very large pub compared with some pubs we've visited.  Great atmosphere for weary travellers.  Finally got a shot of Nick (See Above)

Now that we're in central QLD we've attempted to find where Steve was working.  So far, no one knows anything about him.  Until next time

North by North West

We decided to head to Barcalldine and visit the Tree of Knowledge, great what they have done with it, but at the same time sad that it's ended up a dead trunk from a live tree.  We then headed to the Well Shot pub in Illforcombe (pictures above), John at Muckadilla had told us about it, again not in the book but a great pub.  Had a collie that wants you to throw a frisbee constantly.  Friendly staff and cold beer on tap, great atmosphere.  Off to Longreach and the stockmans hall of fame. - until next time

Going west

We have travelled 1000km so far since leaving and continue to travel west to Charleville made a sandwich down by the river and headed south to The Gladstone Hotel the first in the book.  Our first impressions were amazement to view a street lined with bra's!  It turned out to be a fund raising effort for breast cancer, but with over a thousand bra's lining the street which only went for about 50m it was a sight. 

The pub is as the book says, a plain pub without all the banter on the walls.

Inside and out of The Gladstone Hotel Wyandra

 when we arrived a lady told us of a road across to Toompine, our next destination.  We had a couple of beers and spoke to a property owner who got out his truckie maps and showed us the roads out to properties, we checked in with the local police who confirmed the roads and explained some had been closed 20 years ago and which way to go.  So to the disappointment to the lady serving, we decided to head off and camp by the Parro and head directly west across property tracks.  Great camp site down by the river and a great trip out, heaps of wild life around.  Headed off the next morning, met a couple of cow cockies along the way and they told confirmed the way to travel.  We stopped off at Duck creek for lunch it's an old opal mining area, had a bit of a scratch around, but came up empty.  Got to Toompine hotel around 3.00pm, great set up, free camp, showers and the bar lady told us to throw our swags in the hall as there might be a bit rain (which there was over night).  What a contrast as a pub, good atmosphere, talked with a local property owner and fellow travellers, had a great feed and shower (much to Kevin pleasure).  

 The place has all the history of the pub and surrounding district and samples of bolder opal found in the region.  The beer was cold although no tap beer.  We had to be out of the hall early as they were running a craft class in it.  We took off at 7.00am after having a cuppa with a couple of donkeys and headed north to Quilpie.  The plan was to travel to Blackall via Yaraka, but Kevin suggested that we go via Adavale, although the Yaraka pub was in the book, the write up was not inviting and Adavale had a pub we were told about in Toompine.  So we headed to Adavale, the trip was 150km shorter and as it turned out was a wise move.  The pub at Adavale is a nice looking bush pub run by a lady who was born and bred in Coffs, a member of the local Jorden family.  Is was a good choice on Kevin's part, we had a beer, a mars bar and read the walls.

We needed to get going as it was becoming overcast and given we were still on dirt roads, did not want to get caught.  We left around 11.00am and drove north as the clouds came in from the west, the road was pretty good until it went to black soil with about 80 km's to go and it started to spit.  We got to 25km's out and the rain started to fall, luckily we got to the bitumen strip before it got too heavy and made it to town around 2.00pm.  So been to the Wool Scour great place, full of history, now thinking about what to do with the rain, heading further north or staying put, we will probably toss a coin. - until next time.

Note to Matt - The solar setup working brilliantly and no need for a recovery vehicle yet.