Week 3

We began the week with the long trip to Longreach, which in itself was an experience. Aside from the odd termite mound, (ref pic, there were paddocks of them, some as big as a car, and the next pic of the internals of one of them we dissected), there were barren paddocks for as far as the eye could see and a road that stretched into a mirage of heat waves. Even “Eye Spy” became pointless as there was nothing new to include in the inventory of things to spot. Then, on the horizon, an interesting shape emerges; something quite different to all else we had seen.

It was tall and looked even bigger as it sat surrounded by the flat countryside, and then the familiarity began to emerge as we made out the distinctive kangaroo on the tail of the massive QANTAS 747 as it sits alongside the Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services (QANTAS) Museum. This is an interesting place, documenting the passion and vision of 4 men who 87 years ago began (arguably) the most successful airline in the world.
Two of these men, McGinnis & Fysh, were ex-WW1 pilots who saw the need for an airline to service this remote area of Australia. The third man, McMaster, was the businessman who enabled it to occur and then guided the company as Chairman of the Board for many decades. The fourth man was Baird, an expert aeroplane mechanic who was clever enough to redesign the planes they purchased to meet the harsh conditions of the outback by taking measures such as increasing the sizes of the plane’s radiators so they did not overheat. These four very capable and immensely determined men not only founded the airline but changed the paradigm of the public at the time to have people consider flying as an alternative to coach or rail travel. What a massive feat that must have been! We took the tour of the 747 which covered items of interest such as where the orange “black box” recorders reside on the plane, where the safest seat on the airplane is, (last row, aisle seat), and how the wings can flex so much when they fly. The airplanes were not as technologically advanced as those of today and I was surprised to see that cables controlled the wing flaps and very little was computerised. Have a look at the pic of the flight deck and just think of how challenging it would be to keep track of all of those switches and buttons! We learned a substantial amount about the history of aviation in Australia and some of the planned activities for the museum in the future, such as the return of the first QANTAS 707, built in 1959, to Longreach.

The other major attraction in Longreach is the Stockman’s Hall of Fame. I had heard mixed reports about this before we left, but I must say it was outstanding in the amount and quality of information offered. The Hall of Fame is in 5 sections and begins with the break up and migration of the continents, followed by the archeology showing the further formation of Australia, then to the information on the Aborigines who resided here for tens of thousands of years before a number of explorers from various lands identified it over a period of a few hundred more years before the Europeans migrated here.
It then follows the period of settlement, land ownership, the gold rush, etc. There is a significant amount of information on the development, operation, and transformation of many of the major cattle and sheep stations throughout Australia. What a terrific insight into Australian history!
Longreach has a great distribution of bike paths and the caravan park we stayed at had nightly entertainment from none other than Tom McIvor, noted singer, songwriter, comedian and ex-rodeo legend. This compensated for the dismal park operations, cold showers, etc. which reflected the ineptitude of the management. It never ceases to amaze me how in an area of low water supply and inadequate water heating capabilities one would have high flow shower heads that would spew out 20 litres a minute! I won’t get on the soapbox but the waste is so disappointing to see.
Upon departing Longreach we stopped at Winton to visit the Matilda Centre, Corfield and Fitzmaurice Building (Dinosaur Museum), and Tatts Hotel, where we had lunch.
The Matilda Centre offers an art gallery, quite of bit of information about the history and life of a swagman, a couple of holographic presentations with Australians of significance such as Slim Dusty, John Williamson, and Tommy Emanuel. Also featured was an audio presentation from Banjo Patterson re the song Waltzing Matilda and its history, as well as a brief biography about the life of Banjo Patterson. (Did you know that Waltzing Matilda has been recorded in over 500 versions by a very wide range of artists, including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir? How ‘bout that Banjo Patterson was a solicitor, journalist, war correspondent, and radio announcer?)

There is also an extensive array of exhibits from yesteryear, including a steam train, old tractors & equipment and 1 of only two “Jeffrey Quads”, a truck with 4 wheel drive, 4 wheel steering, and 4 wheel brakes. Pretty clever for its day…





The dinosaur exhibit was very interesting with the Winton area boasting the largest collection of dinosaurs in Australia, including Elliot and Dave. Elliot was a sauropod, the largest species found in Australia, (ref photo), while Dave was a sea dwelling creature with a very long neck that could have plucked a fisho from a boat with ease. (Wouldn’t that put you off deep sea fishing?) These critters were huge, with the part of the thigh bone in the museum shown next to a cow’s thigh bone and dwarfing it!



Lunch at Tatt’s was as terrific as the rumours say and filled us up for the long trip to the Blue Heeler Pub in Kynuna, where we spent the night, met some lovely people, and had a great meal. They still serve steaks that are platter sized and the atmosphere was very entertaining with the thousands of names penned on the walls over the decades, now including ours. This can be done for a small donation to the Royal Flying Doctor’s Service, so it goes to a great cause. (The next time you are through, you will see our names on the dining room wall about chest high.)
From there we went to Cloncurry, where the hottest weather in Australia has been recorded, guaranteeing us a warm welcome. This is where the rail head is so there is a lot of traffic in and out of there as it supports much of the freight traffic from Mount Isa.


Mount Isa is only a short hop further and it is a bustling town of about 27,000 residents. The area is booming since Xtrata took over the mine there and the residents there tell us that house prices have tripled there in the past two years! There were a couple of highlights in Mount Isa. Please see the pics of the crew at the Hard Times Mine and the sunset from the lookout on top of the hill. Shame about the smokestack in the pic but it wouldn’t be Mount Isa without it. We had dinner at the Buffalo Club (now just called Buffs) at the recommendation of a friend of mine who was just there 15 or so years ago. They also have an underground hospital in Mount Isa, in preparation for the attack from the Japanese that never came. (Ref pic of Mariah & Christian inside.)

From Mount Isa we headed further West, landing at the Barkly Homestead for the night. This is a long way from anywhere, 400+ km’s from Mount Isa and 200+ kms to Tennant Creek. That is one of the reasons they can charge $1.65 per litre for diesel and get away with it! It is a busy place with an interesting saloon adorned with a variety of "artwork", including a motorbike mounted on the wall! They also had a number of beautiful caged birds, including a "little corella" that Christian befriended. (Ref pic of him waving.)

Next week we are moving on to Tennant Creek, then to Alice Springs and are quite looking forward to seeing the “red centre” in person. Will be back to you then…