We decided to make and early departure from Yowah so we were on the road at about 8.30. The drive was another one of those roads where it was single lane tarred road where you would have to move half off the road to pass any opposite direction traffic. Fortunately we didn’t see another car coming towards us for over 100 km – or any cars going the same as us either. The quality of the road was fantastic.

Eventually the road widened out, then narrowed again and it went on like this for most of the trip. Animals were everywhere and we had to stop or slow down for cattle, kangaroos, emus, foxes and birds and once again the trees and browned off knee length grass was everywhere. The roads are pretty good on the whole except for the width. Even the narrow ones are OK till you get to a rise and you don’t know what’s over the hill (move to the left). Numerous, and I mean numerous, signs telling us that there is a floodway ahead, and signs warning us flooding with indicators showing the depth. This is channel country and when it rains the land is so flat that the water just goes everywhere and the numerous rivulets drain across the road. We have seen no water across the roads at all. In saying the land is flat the seems to rise gently and today there were some magnificent views of ridges, stone hills and trees.

About 90KM from Quilpie, where we are for the night, we stopped at a place called Toompine, the only pub in Australia with no town.  On the way in to this town there were signs saying be careful of pets for the next 5 kms.Just down the road (100KM) is Eromanga, the town in Australia the furthest from the sea. Aren’t these facts scintillating!!!!!!!!!!!

Toompine is a pub and a couple of other buildings, 2 toilets/showers, a large refectory (for the bus trade calling in),The idea is the camping is free with free power and hot showers. You might be then inclined to buy a meal from the pub.There is also a large a penned area for the pets. When we pulled up there were 2 donkeys and a horse outside the pen. Inside the penned area there were goats alpacas and birds. goats around a large dam. Apparently they open the pens at night and many animals come in for the night. They are safe here. Apparently five dingos have been killed in the area recently. Some of the goats were a day or two old. We stopped and had a cuppa and talked to some people who were free camping there. They have been on the road for 4 years and have never been to the coast roads. These people have only been to the eastern states and criss- cross so as not to miss anything.

While we were talking to them one of the pet horses wondered up to Fanda and stuck its head in the window to have a look around. Then it and the 2 donkeys keeping it company, wondered up to us again and we had to pat them (again).

One of the signs on the pub fence said, “Angle parking – any angle” see the photos for details.

We eventually arrived in Quilpie, a very clean and tidy town, if very brief. We stopped and did a bit of food shopping then drove a couple of km out of town and down 4km of dirt road to have lunch at a dam.

We thought about free camping there but changed our mind and now we are sitting in the caravan park in Quilpie. Well I’m sitting here and Fay is in the hot springs having a spa.

On our way through town we stopped at St Finbar’s Catholic Church. This is one of the sights you must see in Quilpie. It has an opal encrusted altar, lectionary and baptismal font. There is no mass or communion service this weekend.

Things we forgot to mention previously. Around Cunnamulla Houses are moved from properties into town sometimes. Also at Yowah there are artesian baths planned similar to those at Moree. Amazingly this will be funded by Jupiters casino to the tune of $250,000. Apparently they support rural local things.
We are travelling on the Matilda Highway from bourke to Karumba and the detour we have taken is The Channel country.

All is going well and will probably be off to Charleville tomorrow – horses and goats permitting.