Winton cleared out pretty quickly Sunday morning. I did too. My plan was head to an old favorite spot, Isisford, some 300 km southeast. My new friend Sue decided to join me for a bit. There was no rush and with limited free camping at Longreach I decided to stop for the night at Darr River, about half an hours drive before Longreach. There were ample spots along the river to choose from, some well in from the Landsborough Highway and away from traffic noise. It would be a great spot if not for the drought. The river was quite low and it was windy, hot and dusty. Sue and I kicked back with a few drinks and spent the afternoon and evening sharing our life stories.
DARR RIVER gets a 3.5 freecamp rating from me. It is relatively flat, plenty of room to stay hitched and be beside the river and it has rubbish bins. The bonus is it's off the busy highway.
We both needed fuel and shopping so next morning we spent quite a bit of time in Longreach. I had to do a big stock up with potentially no supermarkets for a couple of weeks. It was well after lunch by the time we got on the road again, and on Sue's suggestion we checked out the Wellshot Pub at Ilfracombe. It was very well rated by WikiCamps. We both loved it from the moment we walked in, paid $10 each for the night and set our vans up out the back of the beer garden. I must say, James, Sue and I had a bloody marvellous time there!
There's not a lot of space in the fenced back yard of the pub. There ended up being four rigs in for the night with space for perhaps three more. For a Monday the bar was surprisingly busy. Aside from a few through travellers, a couple of locals and the other campers, I was greeted (actually James was greeted) with a delighted squeal of "oh it's James" as we walked in. It was Sharon, another solo l had met at Winton. Not long after an old bloke (80 he said) came in and made arrangements for he and his troupe to stay. We got talking over a really nice, cold beer (unusual for me) and he too had been at Winton. Pete was joined soon after by his buddies, all old musos. They had been playing at the North Gregory hotel at Winton as Texas Rose and the Raiders. (Rose was not with them) and they talked of their early days playing with the likes of Rod Stewart and Johnny O'keefe. Alan, the guitarist, was the son of Chad Morgan (looking at his teeth there was no doubt about that!).
The hospitality and atmosphere in the pub were fantastic, as were the meals and amenities. Even James was allowed in the bar. Not surprising given a goat was being ushered out of the dining room when I first arrived. It was shut in a pen out back with a calf and a sheep.
WELLSHOT PUB at Ilfracombe scores a 5 out of 5 from me. For a solo traveler it's ideal. The camp area is flat, fully fenced and safe. James could wander at leisure anywhere inside or out. The owners and staff are incredibly friendly, the pub is full of character, the amenities are very good and $10 per person is a bargain. I had a huge, delicious roast lamb dinner and several drinks and spent $50 all up.
Sue and I headed south the next morning, arriving at Isisford in time for lunch. I paid $15 at the cafe/tourist information centre which allowed me to stay a week down on the Barcoo River, a short walk out the back of town. I was amazed when I got down there to find that it was totally devoid of any other travelers. When I was there in 2013 it was packed with dozens of grey nomads, though this time it was a lot drier and hotter, being later in the year.
ISISFORD (BARCOO RIVER) gets a 4.5. I love the spot though out of season it feels lonely and a bit isolated. There's heaps of room, shade, a toilet, dump point and water is available. You can have a fire and there's piles of wood on the outskirts of town. The town and pub are a couple of hundred meters away and you can fish and redclaw in the big nearby dam, in the river or take a drive down the road to Oma Waterhole.
I planned to stay a week, Sue a few days, but next morning Sue got a call from her daughter to say a notice to renew her driver's license had arrived in the mail. She had only just opened it and Sue's licence was due to expire the following day. Bugger! Not happy Jan. Unfortunately Sue could not sort it out online or at Isisford, so had to pack up and hightail it back to Longreach. We said our goodbyes and I was left all alone. James and I spent the next couple of days fishing, redclawing, visiting the pub and sitting by a fire at night. Not a soul appeared and I had no luck with my hunting and gathering, so Friday I pulled the pin and hit the road again, this time to a tiny little place called Yaraka.
The Yaraka Pub gets rave reviews on WikiCamps, and not without reason as I discovered. It's not an easily accessed place unless you approach from Blackall. From the north or southwest there are long sections of gravel and dirt road. Of the 100 odd kilometers between Isisford and Yaraka there's around 30 km of it. It was pretty lumpy so I kept my speed down to 60kmph. I had left early so arrived in time to snaffle one of the four sites with power and water. The council managed camping area costs $3 per night (or $15 per week) regardless of whether you have power/water or not. It's pretty much behind the old pub and local hall with a small pristine swimming pool adjacent, a tennis court and beer garden area.
I went to the pub as soon as I arrived and was warmly greeted by Gerry the publican, a truly delightful lady. She showed me around the place, invited me to morning tea and booked me in for the free sunset bus trip up to nearby Mt Slocum. After parking the van and getting a diesel top up ($1.78 litre) James and I wandered back to the pub where Gerry poured me a large glass of French prosecco insisting it was her shout. James was also made to feel welcome and as people came and went he managed to get a lot of attention sitting in the bar.
Friday night at Yaraka Pub is pizza night. Everyone in town - all eighteen residents as well as all the travelers - order their custom made pizzas. Those of us who did the sunset tour with Gerry's husband and ex town cop, Chris, placed our orders before leaving on the mini bus at 5.20pm with the promise our pizzas would be ready on our return at 7.
The Sunset Tour of Mt Slocum was sensational. The commentary by Chris was really interesting, particularly as he spoke of the politics of farming, transport and communications in the area. And when we got back the pizzas and red wine were to die for.
Next morning I got up as the sun rose to get some photos and was greeted by the three local emus and the town maremma dog who then hung around till I left. James was surprisingly chilled about it all.
My next destination was Quilpie. It was a pretty hefty drive - some 340 km, much of which was on dirt and in a pretty remote area. I loved it. I listened to an audiobook, enjoyed the outback scenery and took it very carefully and slowly. Six hours later we arrived in Quilpie.
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