On day 11 we drove from Longreach to Winton. It’s roughly 180km and there is little human habitation between the two. Winton Banjo Patterson wrote the words to 'Waltzing Matilda' on a property near Winton. rams ewes nice bin cutouts nice 'footprint' groovy chairs!
Day 10 was still in Longreach - with a visit to the Stockman’s Hall of Fame in the morning and a wander through Longreach’s town centre in the afternoon. Stockman’s Hall of Fame In the town In the tropics. Apparently the Tropic is currently many metres north of this because the Tropic moves each year. Interesting tree carving near the Council building. On Duck St, no less.
Day 9 was spent in Longreach walking part of the linear Longreach Botanic Walkway and visiting the cemetery in the morning; and seeing the QANTAS Founders Museum in the afternoon. The QANTAS Founders Museum at first light A couple of shots along the botanic walkway Longreach Cemetery A 'reliquary' originally containing physical items in memory of the deceased. Another reliquary. They are also known as 'immortelle houses'. Nun's graves. The crosses were originally marble, but have been replaced by tin.
Day 8 was the drive from Emerald to Longreach: A cup of coffee in Alpha and a break in Barcaldine to view the Tree of Knowledge. I don’t know when the tree was so named, and if the biblical half-reference was intended or not. This was our second tree visitation of the trip. One more to come! Alpha street view. A bit early for much. Barcaldine and the Tree of Knowledge
Day 7 saw us heading west towards our primary destinations of Longreach and Winton. Our overnight stop about half way was Emerald, but a little before Emerald is the small town of Comet which houses the Dig Tree carved by Ludwig Leichhardt in 1847. The tree was originally at the intersection of the Comet and Nogoa Rivers some seven kilometres north of its current location. Leichhardt’s Dig Tree The Emerald City (Town)
Day 6 was spent in Gladstone - spending time in Spinnaker Park in the morning and the Botanic Gardens in the afternoon. In and around Spinnaker Park From what I can ascertain, this is the site of the original 'Gladstone Pier' The Queensland Alumina Limited alumina refinery Botanic Gardens Brush Turkey 'friend' Oops. Corrected on the other side!
Day 5 saw us driving from the Sunshine Coast to Gladstone. It was overcast most of the day with frequent rain. We stopped for a morning coffee in Childers (opposite the site of the infamous Backpackers Hostel fire of 2000 when 15 people were killed). After our arrival in Gladstone we stopped near Matthew Flinders bridge (a ‘bascule’ bridge) in Port Park and took some photos in the light drizzle.
Day 4 began with a trip to the Eumundi Markets followed by a look around Coolum and an afternoon stroll around Noosa Heads. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to do it! Eumundi Markets Coolum (Wilkinson Park Lookout) Noosa Heads Noosa Architecture Classic
Day 3 of a recent holiday saw us take in Maleny, the Glasshouse Mountains and Caloundra. The Men's Chair in Maleny. I didn't need it. Glasshouse Mountains from a distance through some fog Caloundra 'friends' Caloundra boardwalk at the 'Happy Valley Foreshore Reserve'
And how did April shape up? Poorly. The total was 393 comprising about a third from my daily Bible reading and devotionals with the other two thirds being a couple of short Christian books (Worthy by Sinclair Ferguson, and Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray). May is a holiday month and I have a couple of new books lined up: How to Think, and Breaking Bread with the Dead - both by Alan Jacobs.