Departed King Ash Bay and heading to Lake Eyre via Mt Isa and Birdsville. Took the Tablelands Hwy, with a short cut on the Ranken Road to the Barkly Hwy. The Ranken Road in resonable condition the last 30k's hard rock country.
Brunette Down's rest area on the Tableland Hwy, use Highway in very lose term's. It's a one lane strip of bitumen. Thus if a road train is coming you get off the HIGHWAY!
Just before we got to the Barkly Hwy, the road trains dusting off!
Yep! taking the Ranken Road to the next fuel stop at Cape Crawford is a long haul.Not a whole lot in Camooweal, except three Bushtrackers in convoy past us heading west. Refueled and camped out of town at Inca Creek Rest Area. Several other canavans and a camper van pulled during the evening.
Next day checked out the road conditions on the Birdsville track - closed 0930hrs, as Cooper Creek was flowing over 80cm, the punt would be operational on Tuesday 8th June, however no towed vehicle permitted on the punt. After checking out our options decided to head to the flowing Cooper Creek as a rare occurrance. Then camp at Cowie Station to fish and trap some redclaw!
Why the MAP?
After re-stocking at Coles, topping up with water at the Mt Isa tourist Info Ctr, we hit the Diamantina Development road to Boulia. Once again this is a one lane strip of bitumen. Approx. 100k's down the road we pulled over to allow a vehicle approaching from behind to pass. Once he passed called up on the UHF " I see your off camping with all the mattress and fuel on board" Response - Yeah! Actually we are going mustering, how would you like to care take the station for a few days? I will pull over and have a Yak!
Needless to say next morning we ended up at Alderley Station, and stayed a week. Care taking the homestead, which involved feeding some poddy calves, feeding the chooks and dogs, watering the lawn, and maintaining the generator which just entailed switching it off for a few hours during the day and again at night.
Station hands at morning tea, station owner Frank right bottom of photo
Sue's charges - Rodney & Bess
Veggie garden had a great crop of these! As there are no bee's in the outback desert you have to hand pollinate.
The station Mitre 11 had a great collection of treasure's
One of the station hands was also a pilot, sure made mustering easy
43KVA Generator, cheaper to run this on a yearly basis than replace the battery bank required for the solar cell system that had been installed
Screened butchers shed!
Bikes ready for the muster. Bikes serviced by Terry Bryant - OUTBACK MOTORCYCLE SERVICES. Frank introduced us on arrival at the station as Terry had just come up the Birdsville Track a couple of weeks earlier.
In Terry's word's 'if you don't have to drive the track don't do it" Track is very wet and boggy in places plus badly rutted - hence we changed plans! Along with the fact it was going to be a 1,600k round trip as we could not proceed south past the Cooper Creek!
Once Franks wife Rahda knew I was brought up on a poultry farm she had two request's!
1. get the chooks to lay eggs!
2. and the chooks to stop eating the eggs!
Bess in action while Rodney looks on!
Jess the station cook, off on the Muster with the 'BULL BUGGY'
Franks off with the cattle truck
The chopper soon followed
These guy's could sure drink in a hurry!
Rodney's a bit weary after Sue put him thru his paces all day. It get's cold in the outback!
A healthy breakfast required working on the land!
Sunday we took a trip into Boulia, how ever most places closed so will return another day. We did what the sign said!!
Well behaved!
No problem getting the chooks to lay! It was the condition of the nest, this was soon sorted out, cleaned and lined with hay. With the eggs landing on the timber they had a tendancy to crack, once that happens the chooks will break them open and eat! Only the black Australorp was laying and had produced 4 eggs by the time we departed.
The Australorp is an Australian chicken breed. It is a large, soft-feathered bird with glossy black feathers and a lustrous green sheen. It is hardy, docile and a good egg-layer as well as meat bird. The bird's single comb is moderately large and upright, with five distinct points.
Couple of the station hand PIG hunting dogs we had to check up on, and feed at the old wool sheds
The old machinery still intact and this winch tower system to load wool bales
No RED CLAW in this dam!
This calf was feeling a bit poorly and hung out at our camp
Another trip into Boulia to check out the site and Sue to ring the Kid's in Thailand. Hell of a shock if this phoned worked!!
Now here's a collection!
Incredible stuff, that really worked
Dick Suter is the Stone House Museum caretaker and fossil aficionado, currently working on some prehistoric ribs. Fascinating bloke to talk to, the stories and history of the Boulia region.
Now this is the stuff of NIGHT MARES!
As kid's our local dentist in Port Lincoln, Dr Thover had the exact same equipment. The belt driven drill - Ahh!!
The STONE HOUSE - Boulia
Steve the postie - covers 160,000k's a year on his rounds
Bess in action and trying out her repaired jacket!
Off to feed the pig dogs and checkout Mitre 11 again. Yep! it's cold out!
The dogs enjoyed the bike ride also!
Truckie from Roma delivering a compressor for the drillers, drilling exploratory wells out on Franks property! Neat way to offload the trailer off the trailer. As it was early, we cooked up a hot breakfast for the truckie, as no place open when he came thru Boulia in the early hours.
Bess has nearly chewed her toy tire to death, so I made her some new toy's from rope found on the rocks in Lincoln Nat. Park. You just never know when it will come in handy!
Buggered if I could find out how the pigeon's were getting into the Chook house!
Early morning start to Roxbough Downs Station.
Frank had arranged for us to drop by and camp on Roxbough Downs at a permanat water hole (Lake Katherine) with FISH & RED CLAW!
