Lotus Creek, Qld

Ratings: CP * Surroundings *

Lotus Creek.... the most isolated place we've stayed in!  An interesting overnight stop on the dry, western side of the Great Dividing Range where the caravan park / service station owner and his dog are the only permanent residents.  Ours was the only caravan and we had to hunt around for an electrical point that worked.  Mobile and internet services are non existent and the only deliveries made to Lotus Creek are fuel supplies.  All other supplies are brought in by the owner who must travel more than a total of 200 km to the nearest towns, either Sarina (north) or Rockhampton (south). Wide open skies, a stunning sunset and the quietness of night added to our memorable experience!

The sun begins to set over this dry land where no substantial rain has fallen for 3 years.

Gracemere, Qld

Ratings: CP ** Surroundings **

Darter

An overnight stay in Gracemere allowed us time to stands astride the Tropic of Capricorn! The tropic marks the most southerly latitude at which the sun can be seen directly overhead at local noon. This occurs at the December Solstice on the 21st or 22nd December.

Pay attention, class!  It's time for your lesson.  A sacred ibis seems to be supervising these plumed whistling-duck.

Lake Awoonga, Qld

Our corner of the caravan park

Ratings: CP **** Surrounding ****

Pretty-faced Wallaby

Barramundi for supper?  Lake Awoonga on the Boyne River is framed by the Mount Castletower ranges and is the main water supply for Gladstone.

The picturesque and beautifully maintained recreational area at Riverstone Bay.

Childers, Qld

Idyllic setting for two peaceful nights in Childers but sad memories of a terrible fire at the Palace Backpacker Hostel in 2000 and the death of 15 backpackers still haunt this pretty town. The building has been renovated and restored to become the Palace Memorial Space. It contains a glass mural of "memory boxes", each one dedicated to each of the victims and a memorial portrait created by the artist, Josonia Palaitis.  Moving and poignant tributes to "The Palace Fifteen" can also be seen.

Joey is staying in mum's pouch....respect to marsupial mums...imagine carrying this little one around!

Ratings: CP *** Surroundings ***

Lake Boondooma, Qld

Ratings: CP **** Surroundings ****

Blue-faced Honeyeater

Waking to morning mists and water birds. Lake Boondooma is used for recreational activities but is actually a dam built across the Boyne River to supply water to a power station. The closest town is the village of Proston.

May I have a bite? A noisy miner decides to share my sandwich!

Millmerran, Qld

Morning light after an peaceful overnight stay on the edge of this lake, our first stop in Queensland.

Black on white as a raven glides towards the great egret. 

Time to move on. As in many parts of Australia, the climate defines the type of homes built in Queensland. This is a typical Queenslander house in the rural town of Millmerran.

Moree, NSW

Ratings: CP ** Surroundings *

We had an overnight stay in Moree, known for its artesian hot thermal baths and fertile soils. It sits above the Great Artesian Basin. It was also one of the destinations of the 1965 Freedom Bus Ride through New South Wales highlighting discrimination against Indigenous Australians and led by Charles Perkins. After some confrontation with the council, it was agreed that the Aboriginal children could swim in the Moree public swimming pool outside school hours.

For those of you who don't recognise the words, they are basically Australian for "Lock up your valuables" but with more embellishment!

Camp kitchen in the park where people gather to discuss pressing issues such as where to travel to next!

Coonabarabran, NSW

Ratings: CP ***  Surroundings ****

Siding Spring Observatory perched on top of Siding Spring Mountain, which is part of the Warrumbungles.  The 3.9m Anglo Australian Telescope is the largest optical telescope in Australia and is one of 12 telescopes on this site.

Inside the Anglo Australian Telescope dome.

A view of the Warrumbungle National Park from Siding Spring Observatory. The Warrumbungle Range includes two extinct volcanoes:  Garrawilla Volcano which finished erupting about 45 million years ago and the younger Warrumbungle Volcano which finished about 14 million years ago.  Fossil leaves, petrified wood, agates and volcanic opal can be found in this area. The National Park is regenerating after the catastrophic fire which raged for one week from 13th January 2013.

The fire burnt 54 000 ha, 53 homes and some infrastructure at the Siding Spring Observatory. (Coincidentally, the Stoneville fire which destroyed 56 homes started on 12th January 2014 and burnt for two days).

Clear skies and a starry night provided us with an opportunity to spend time with astronomer, Peter Starr at his Warrumbungle observatory.  We peered through telescopes at Jupiter with four of its moons, Saturn with its rings and moons, some of our neighbouring stars, galaxies, binary stars, nebulae, star clusters, and nurseries where stars are born. We used the telescope on the right and Peter provided us with fascinating astronomical information about our universe. The cluster of domes on the left house telescopes owned by international astronomers who operate them remotely from places such as the UK and Hong Kong. 

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap111220.html

The Silvercoin Galaxy photograph by Angus Lau in Hong Kong is an excellent example of images being captured at Peter's Warrumbungle Observatory.

Parkes, NSW

Ratings: CP ** Surroundings****

Parkes is home to "The Dish", a 64m diameter parabolic dish used for radio astronomy.  Built in 1961, it has been upgraded many times and is now ten thousand times more sensitive than when first commissioned.   The pointing accuracy is 11 arcseconds which is about the width of a finger seen 150m away.  The moving part of the telescope above the concrete tower weighs more than two Boeing 747s - 1000 tonnes.  The telescope works day and night and is used by 300 researchers each year, more than 40% of which are from overseas.  It receives signals from space but never sends them.

Source: Information sheet compiled by Astronomy and Space Science, CSIRO, Australia.

Cootamundra, NSW

Ratings: CP *** Surroundings ***

Golds, reds and browns....the joys of autumn!

In 1861, a village called Cootamundry was constructed. The name changed to Cootamundra in 1952 and it is widely accepted that the name came from the Wiradjuri Aboriginal word " Gooramundra". It is a thriving, friendly town and the birthplace of the cricketer, Sir Donald Bradman.

The Cootamundra Aboriginal Girls Home is now referred to as Bimbadeen, This is where Aboriginal girls, some infants, were placed after being taken from their parents under the Aborigines Protection Act of 1909 between 1911 and 1969. They were not allowed contact with their families and were trained to work as domestic servants. The well cap to the left of the building was where the girls would sometimes sit hoping for family visitors (the original well cap was destroyed). The poignant words on the replica cap are "Standing on our wishing well....wishing for family to come and take us home".

Darlington Point, NSW

Ratings: CP ** Surrounding **

An old photograph showing the original bridge crossing the Murrumbidgee River at Darlington Point.

Part of the bridge has been erected at the entrance of our caravan park.  The bridge keeper would climb to the top of the tower to turn the wheels which would roll the weights down and up the tracks to open and close the drawbridge to allow the paddle-steamers to pass.

Gilly in her Red Gum tree house.....