HUGHENDON, PORCUPINE GORGE, WINTON OUTBACK FESTIVAL

Stopover number three on my way to the Winton Out back Festival. Hughendon. A town of around 1100 people, it is situated on the banks of the currently dry Flinders River and is renown for it's dinosaur fossils. By road it's 383 km west of Townsville and 216 km northeast of Winton. Drought and flood are the norm for this region. Clearly it is in the drought cycle at the moment so it's dry and dusty. Very. The council appear to be pushing tourism and offer a large free camp adjacent to the showground. It's a flat, gravel area with water and a dump point. Across the road works on the Hughendon Recreational Lake are nearing completion. The 22 hectare body of water can be kept permanently full via bore water when the river cannot feed it. With a wide variety of aquatic activities planned including boating, swimming, fishing, sailing etc, it will certainly add some tourist appeal to the town. James and I settled comfortably at the free RV park amid half a dozen other vans and motorhomes. 

HUGHENDON RV PARK is a true asset to the town and a credit to the council. It's flat, large, clean and safe as well as being walking distance to the town and pub. It has drinking water which you can fill the van with, a dump point and rubbish bins. I score it 5

Porcupine Gorge National Park is a 45 minute drive out of town. After speaking to another couple at the camp I decided I had to do it. To go to the lookouts and walk down into the gorge would apparently take at least half a day, but James could not go. My neighbors kindly offered to look after him Sunday so I could do it. Great! I spent Saturday afternoon doing a recce of the fairly nondescript town (clearly it would be much prettier with a flowing river and less dust) before a short drive to Mount Walker. It's only 478 meters above sea level but does provide, from a variety of lookouts, 360 degree views of the surrounding countryside. I thought it was great.

When I woke up Sunday I didn't feel great. Probably just a cold coming on - sneezing, runny nose, headache etc, so I took a couple of cold capsules and around 6.30 headed off to The Gorge. Wow, was I glad I did that! The views from the first lookout were absolutely stunning. The view from the free camp area of the national park was also spectacular. It would be a perfect spot to lob for a few days and really explore the gorge, but not an option for me with James. I wouldn't be without him but he does limit my options when it comes to national parks - and some other top spots around the country. 

The walk down into Porcupine Gorge was 1.1 km of steps, mostly uneven natural rocks with occasional sections of dirt track and pretty steep. But once at the bottom the permanent spring fed river and beautiful sandstone rock formations made me feel like I had stepped back millions of years. It was magical, all the more so because I was the only one there. I could have explored forever, but with my dog sitters leaving that day, I needed to get back. 

That return 1.1 km walk up all those steps had me totally stuffed by the time I got to the top.

Back at camp James was beside himself with joy to find that I hadn't given him away. Laurel and Gary said he was pretty sad and had watched intently as every car came in. I was so grateful they delayed their departure so I could experience Porcupine Gorge. With symptoms of my cold once again emerging I took a couple more cold capsules at lunchtime, but when the headache persisted I took two Ibuprofen about an hour later (a chemist had said they could be taken with Paracetamol a few months previously). That, as it turned out, was a bad idea. Within 30 minutes I felt my face beginning to swell. Shit! The swelling moved up to my left eye pretty quickly, so I went to the nearest caravan that was occupied and asked for a favor. Could they keep an eye on James while I drove myself to the nearby hospital? They obliged, we exchanged phone numbers and I gave them a key to my van.

The staff at the hospital were  fabulous. Within no time at all they had assessed my condition, given me an adrenalin injection, then followed up with prednesilone. I was monitored regularly for about 3 hours by which time the swelling had reduced massively so I was allowed to go with instruction to call the ambulance if it came back. Dr Cathy also insisted I return in the morning at 8.30. Back at the van I was something of a celebrity, not only getting much attention from James for the second time in one day, but all the surrounding travellers had heard what happened and came out to check on me. Once again I had to thank my fellow nomads, Di and Col this time, for helping out.

With the all clear from the doc and a bottle of 'just in case' prednesilone tablets I was Winton-bound by nine next morning . The countryside was flat, flat, flat and dry as a witches tit. Definitely time to continue with my audio book Absolute Power, by David Baldacci. It was riveting listening which chewed through the miles as though they didn't exist. With a short break at Corfield we arrived at the Winton Showground, where I'd prebooked for six nights, at lunchtime. Given I had an unpowered site I could set up pretty much anywhere I wanted on a huge expanse of red dirt inside the racetrack. I picked a spot backing onto some stock yards with easy walking access to the main gate. From there it was just over one kilometer to the main street where most of the festivities were scheduled to occur.

The Winton Out back Festival ran from Tuesday through to Saturday night. Most of it took place in Elderslie Street with patrons of the three pubs spilling out on to the verandah covered footpaths from 10am onwards. Not surprising given the temperatures were in the high thirties. A stage strategically situated equidistant from each of the three pubs hosted musical entertainment at various times both day and night. Wednesday night Innocent Eve and Adam Harvey performed. They were fantastic. There were lots of other activities along the street as well, food stalls, competitions, comedians etc. 

Thursday morning, after a huge gust of wind almost destroyed the awning on my van, I checked out other site options around town. The showground was just too exposed and it was a bit of a hike to move to and from the main street multiple times daily. The Winton Hotel was two blocks from Elderslie Street and had a site available at the rear for $5 per night. It was close to the action and much more sheltered. I relocated that afternoon. To cap it off, the van I was directed to park beside was that of Pete and Annie, a couple I had camped beside at Hughendon. They recognised James immediately. It was good have some company.

 THE WINTON HOTEL gets a 5 from me. For $5 pppn (which goes to charity) you get to park on flat gravel close to the main street, a great pub with a green grassy beer garden and good food, the best showers known to man and a place you feel totally safe at. Good on you Jo and Kev.

Friday evening the jewel in the crown of Winton Out back Festival, the Australian Dunny Derby, was run at the nearby sportsground. What a crackup! I walked there with my chair at 3pm and ended up sitting beside a lady on her own. We got talking and I discovered that Sue was traveling on her own as well. We shared a few wines and enjoyed all the entertainment together. The day's festivities ended in a concert in which Wilbur Wilde and Frankie J Holden performed. They put on a great show.

Next morning during an early walk with James I heard the stunning voice of a female performer singing at the nearby Bush Poet's Breakfast. I had to go. She was with the RAR band and just amazing. And surprise surprise, Sue was there too! My $22 also got me a huge brekky. Excellent. I met with Sue again later in Elderslie Street where we watched the Grand Parade together. 

I didn't stay long, however. The AFL Grand Final was on and there's no way a true blue Victorian could miss that! Early afternoon I joined Pete and Annie in their annex to enjoy an afternoon of footy. Pete was pretty big on his football so there was a fair bit of armchair umpiring going on - as you would expect. It was a shame to see GWS get slaughtered but hey, Richmond were bloody good. The afternoon's drinkies and entertainment set my mood perfectly for the final night of the Winton Out back Festival. At 5pm I headed up to the oval, joined Sue, and once again saw some rockin' concert performances, a monster truck show and a fireworks display. Well done Winton!

Winton is a real mid Queensland outback town. Old iconic pubs, wide, wide streets, artesian town water that has to be cooled down to 44 degrees before it's distribution to the townsfolk (there's no such thing as a cold shower in this neck of the woods), a beautifully rebuilt (following fire) Matilda Centre which is a huge tourist drawcard and a palpable sense of community. I like the place.

TOWNSVILLE (TAKE 2), MACROSSAN PARK/CHARTERS TOWERS & PRAIRIE PUB

Brian, James and I arrived back in Townsville mid-morning Sunday and drove into the caravan park closest to the airport. Brian was booked on a flight back home Monday. After setting  up we went back to The Strand, had a lovely walk and  revisited the Surf Club ordering the same lunch as the previous Sunday - a shared grazing plate with Pinot Gris. It was just as yummy as the first one.

Back at the van late Sunday the wind direction put us under the approach path of large RPT aircraft on short final. The sound and sight was amazing (to Brian and me as pilots) but exacerbated a developing issue with James. A few days prior he had freaked out for no apparent reason while we were fishing off the jetty at Balgal, started shaking and tried to clamber up on to my body. The only thing we noticed was that a large seabird had landed not far away. In the following few days the behaviour persisted and he seemed to feel vulnerable when outside. He insisted in being in the van or car most of the time which was so very unlike him. Well, the large, low and loud 'birds' overhead totally freaked him out. He was a mess. Fortunately it all stopped a bit after dark and he settled for the night tucked up in bed - but he sure didn't want to go outside in the morning.

If I thought the noise was loud Sunday....well guess what....the RAAF had heaps of jet operations happening all day Monday and Tuesday. OMG poor James was terrified, so much so that at one point he bolted in a blind panic while waiting for me to put the lead on. I couldn't find him and as we were beside a major road I  absolutely shat myself. Luckily a couple of nearby campers had cornered him before he escaped the van park and I met them trying to find me with him in their arms trembling like I had never before seen. Poor baby. It was as though his personality had changed. That was it - off to the vet. He was almost due for his annual vaccine so I  killed two birds with one stone and he had a very thorough check up. We walked out with a clean certificate of health and some doggy sedative.

Brian left Monday (which probably added to James level of insecurity), but before he went we did catch up with our friend Christine for breaky at The Rockpool on The Strand. What a beautiful spot! She invited James and me to come and spend a couple of nights with her and Bruce in their gorgeous apartment overlooking the sea to Magnetic Island. That turned out to be the best idea ever cos James instantly settled, made himself at home and pretty much returned to his normal, laid back old self. Thank God!

With the Jeep booked in at Ultra Tune for it's 110,000 km service on Wednesday, my plan was to leave Townsville Thursday so I could take my time getting to Winton by Monday for the Outback Festival, for which I had pre-booked. That gave Christine, Bruce and me time to do some really cool stuff.

We had leisurely mornings on their terrace:

Lovely strolls along the foreshore:

An absolutely stunning walk to Jezzine Barracks and surrounds on Kissing Point headland:

And a ferry ride across to Magnetic Island with a delicious lunch and Sav Blanc at the beautiful Peppers Resort while there:

It was a fantastic couple of days and actually quite nice to have a break from the van!

Bruce drove me to collect my car early Thursday. I was supposed to pick it up Wednesday arvo, but I drank too much wine at Magnetic so it had a sleepover at Ultra Tune. And, I must add, I was truly impressed with them. They had thoroughly checked everything, new air and oil filters, oil, coolant etc, replaced hard to access globes, given a full detailed report with nationwide warranty on the work, a roadside assist package and washed the car. All for $317. And my tyres had shiny black on them. Nice one! Back at the van park I was all hitched and ready to go by 10.30.

We had a short run west stopping for the night at Macrossan Park some 25 km before Charters Towers. It was a huge free camp area with toilets beside a very sad looking Burdekin River. Lots of the rivers in the area are completely dry and while the Burdekin had a bit of a flow it was way down. The whole space was a dust bowl, though I can imagine it would be lovely with a high river and green vegetation. It was also blowing a gale, as it had uncharacteristically been doing for most of my time in Queensland.

MACROSSAN PARK scores a 2.5 but if the river was up it could be a 4. Plenty of space, toilets, fire pits and tables. It's well off the highway but does sit below a railway bridge. I heard 4 trains go through in the night.

We were in Charters Towers before nine next morning with the aim of doing a bit of sight seeing. Our first stop was a rest area before town where the workings of an old gold mine were on display. While taking James for a wee wander I noticed a car with a van on tow displaying a pink number. Ahh, a fellow Roller. I introduced myself to Annette who was heading across to Exmouth for the Rolling Solo annual gathering, SITMEX. We had a chat and I grabbed a snap.

After a visit to the supermarket to stock up and a drive around the historic old town we walked up Towers Hill Lookout. CT has a fascinating history dating back to the 1800's when it became famous for it's gold mining. It also played a key role for Australia in WW11 when thousands of American Airforce personnel were stationed there. The history of CT is well covered on the hill with storyboards, original bomb shelters and the ruins of the Pyrites Works. There's also and interactive display about bomber aircraft. The view from the deck at the top takes in the township and surrounding countryside. It's very well done.

After a lot of research I decided to make my next stopover at the Prarie Pub a couple of hundred kilometers further West along the Flinders Highway. Camping out back was free if you went in for a drink and/or dinner. A bit of a one horse town so bugger all there except the pub, and it's an icon in it's own right. Tom, the owner, is an affable bloke, the bar and front verandah are full of character and the dinner is something else. Everyone sits together on one table and there is only one meal on the menu...steak (medium) mashed spud and four veg. It costs $18.50 and is served at 6.30. It's not the best meal I have ever had but it was plentiful and fun. With drinks (I had a few) I spent $51. Not exactly a cheap night but needs to go on your 'must do' list.

PRAIRIE PUB gets a 4. The area out back is not huge and has a tin she'd and hose for a shower. It's flat and dusty but the pub is a gem and the hosts are great. Pub camping may be free but by the time you've had dinner and drinks you're quite a few buck lighter. It's a good way to meet people.

TOWNSVILLE, ROLLINGSTONE, BALGAL BEACH & TOOMULLA BEACH

Brian, James and I left Ayr Sunday morning after doing a fairly extensive tour of the town. It was bigger than we both thought and very much a sugar cane community. It was not far to our destination, a farm stay called Lazy Acre Plantation forty kilometers south west of Townsville. We were one of only three guests there and after collecting an information leaflet from the box at the driveway entry (as per the sign) we plopped ourselves in the midst of an old mango orchard. It was flat, shady, private and quiet. We both quite liked it and given it was as close as we could get to Townsville without going into a caravan park, it would suffice for a couple of nights. After setting up I wandered up to the old farmhouse hidden behind the mango trees and paid Estelle, the owner, $20 for two nights. 

LAZY ACRE PLANTATION is a good cheap spot not too far from Townsville. There are no amenities but it is flat and shady with fire pits and wood supplied. Cost is $10 per night. I rate it 3.

It was early in the day so we drove into town and parked along The Strand. The place was alive with people enjoying their Sunday with friends and family despite the thick smokey haze that, due to burning off on Magnetic Island, completely blanketed the entire area. It was still late morning so we were lucky enough to snag a table right on the water at the Surf Life Saving Club (don't know why the word 'surf' is used, Magnetic Island just 8km off shore makes for dead flat water) where we enjoyed the best luncheon share platter I have ever tasted, washed down by a very nice Pinot Gris.  After lunch we met up with Bruce, a friend from Yarrawonga who (along with his wife Christine who was on a cruise at the time) spends his winters in an apartment on The Strand. We shared a few drinks at his 'local' while listening to live music. Nice!

Next day we spent sightseeing. The smoke had cleared a bit which made the nine kilometer steep and windy drive up Mount Stuart to the lookout worthwhile. The views over Townsville and across to Magnetic Island were fantastic though I must admit I found the loop walk around the summit a tad hair-raising in parts.

Ross River Dam was our next port of call. We were hoping to fish in it but the only access appeared to be via a climb up the dam wall and then there was no way to the water. It seems the authorities haven't opened it up for recreational use as yet. To finish off our day we paid a visit to the casino but sadly, didn't have a win.

Christine was due back from her cruise on the weekend and I wanted to catch up, so we decided to kill a few days on the beaches north of Townsville. We checked out the Big 4 caravan park at Rollingstone about an hour north. It had great reviews with beach front pet friendly sites. Sounded good. And it was. Except for the wind which was absolutely howling, and the $54 per night price tag!

We stayed two nights and did a bit of sight seeing in the area. The Jourama Falls in the Paluma Range National Park was supposed to be good but when we got there the walking track was too long for Brian's dicky knees. I headed off alone but not long down the track a snake, slap bang in the middle of the path, reared up at me. Wow, did that scare the crap out of me! I hightailed it back to the car real quick. We did enjoy the crystal clear creek crossing on the access road however.

Thursday we repositioned a couple of k's down the road to the much more sheltered free camp at Balgal Beach. We had stayed a few years earlier and knew that with limited space it was a must to arrive early. We got there at 10am and scored ourselves a prime position backing onto the park and beach under a shady tree. It was sooo much nicer than the caravan park....and free.

BALGAL BEACH scores a 4.9 from me. I absolutely love it...The fishing, the kiosk, dump point, toilets, electric barbecues, great park and beach etc. It really has everything going for it - and for free. It does have a 48 hour stay limit and, sadly to say, SANDFLIES!

Balgal beach, aside from having a beautiful long stretch of golden sand to walk on, has an inlet, boat ramp and kiosk which does fantastic fish and chips and is licensed. Yay! We had a great lunch on Thursday with a nice little savvy and VB. Later in the day we took our rods, chairs and drinks down onto the floating jetty and caught ourselves a delicious feed. Brian even caught a legal size male mudcrab on a line. The one down side of Balgal is the midges. Fuck me....did we get eaten alive!

Our friends, Marie and Ross were due to head back from Cairns on Saturday so we planned another catch up. With no space for them at Balgal, we pulled up stumps and did another short move to Toomulla Beach freecamp some 15 km south. It was a nice, open, flat grassy spot with shade and no wind. They arrived late afternoon so we spent a second consecutive Saturday night enjoying their company.

TOOMULLA BEACH is a good overnighter. It's a big space with toilets, barbecues, water and boat ramp, but is beside an inlet and not on the beach as such. It's lovely and quiet. I rate it 4.