Roadtrip to Southampton (via St George, Qld) Part Two

Roadtrip to Southampton (via St George, Qld) Part Two

30th October 2015 - 1st November 2015

Following on from Part One (sorry it took so long - work, life and Yr 12 Formal got in the way)

I had the alarm set for stupid early to check out the sunrise.  There was some discussion the night before as to what the sky would look like in the morning but being the eternal optimist I was up before the sparrows started flatulating ie very early to see if I was going to get lucky (remembering I missed out on the sunset the previous afternoon due to the glorious and much need deluge). 

When I peeked out the window the sky was showing a teeny tiny sign of promise and then by the time I got my jeans and boots on and grabbed the camera, any glimmer of sunrise was replaced with dull grey...but not to worry, the sun came up somewhere!

The only sunrise photo of the trip worth looking at.

While waiting for all the other troops to wake up I amused myself with the
lil princess's boots.  

 Everything to do with the old quarters oozed character and the boots just topped it off.

The birds up in the jacaranda tree caught my eye while I was wandering around looking for things to photograph.

The Cruiser made some groovy patterns in the jacaranda flowers on the track.
I love the contrast of the purple flowers on the red dirt.

Everyone emerged from their beds and a big cooked breakfast was soon underway. There were a couple of willie wagtails flitting around the funky fence while we were sitting on the verandah chatting and eating. While we starting packing the car the kids jumped on the quad for one last ride through the puddles.

Willie Wagtail

New Mates

Our visit to Southampton was over way too quickly but we knew it would be a flying visit as my family all had to get back to work and school on Monday and the Southampton crew had to do the same. 

We discussed the possibility of returning next year for a longer stay when the muster is underway. It is pencilled in. I just have to see how life pans out between now and then. We entered their home as strangers and left as friends (there is a sign in their kitchen that says something very similar - funny how things work out).

With a long journey home we hit the road. Waving "See You Later" to our new mates, we settled in for the trip home. My long suffering husband actually stopped a few times on the way home for be to grab a couple of photos. I will wear him down. Hehe!

I was adamant that I wanted to take photos of the pretty yellow flowers (weeds according to him) that we had seen on the way out. We found them and a couple of other little treasures.

Can't travel without these

There were two of these balls at the entrance to a property.
They would have been used with a huge chain to clear scrub some time ago.

Coming onto a mob on the stock route.  I would have loved 

to pull up for more photos and a yarn with the Drover.

A funky lil weed

Paper Daisies 

"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" - Eeyore

It took us nearly 8 hours to get home, the travelling does my soul wonders. I get to sit and look out the window at our beautiful countryside. I don't have to do any chores or solve anyone's problems, I just get to sit. 

I often marvel at the fact that there are actually some people who live in SE Qld that think that once you get past Toowoomba you hit the desert. I encourage everyone once in a while to look on a map and find somewhere you have not been and head there for a weekend (or longer). Meet new people, see new sights and maybe even learn something new.

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page"
- St Augustine

My 15 mins of Fame (originally published last year)

This is a piece I wrote for the Horse Downunder Magazine after Thelma and I did the the Harry Redford Cattle Drive last May. 

I am hoping to get back out there one day, I am also hoping they get enough rain to end this awful drought.

A day in the life of the Guest Drovers on the Harry Redford Cattle Drive 2014

With wide-open rolling plains, natural lakes, and a sky that stretches from one horizon to the other - spectacular by day and glowing with stars by night – this is how the website starts to explain the Harry Redford Cattle Drive experience and they were true to their word.

My good friend and I set off on a round trip that ended up covering nearly 3000km.  We travelled from South East Queensland to Aramac and back stopping in at nearly every town in between.  Two mums, a ute, swags, bags, driving tunes and a week away from home.…let the adventure begin.  It was an adventure that was years in the making.

The Harry Redford Cattle Drive is an annual event organised by Barcaldine Regional Council who are assisted by a troop of amazing volunteers.  This year drive was nearly cancelled due to the ongoing drought conditions but was saved at the 11th hour by some much needed (yet not drought breaking) rain.

On the drive approximately 600 head of mixed breed cattle are driven along the stock routes between Barcaldine and Aramac over 19 days.  Guest Drovers can choose to ride from 3 to 19 days (and any number in between).   These stock routes are some of the very same stock routes that the Australian folklore legend Harry Redford was said to have moved 600-1000 head of stolen Bowen Downs cattle along in March 1870.
  
We arrived in Aramac the afternoon before our droving experience was to begin and were mini bussed to Mildura Station near Barcaldine.  Our mob of guest drovers were given the run down on how things would work whilst on the Drive, we were allocated our horses for the next morning and pointed in the direction of where to unroll our swags.   We found a seat and settled down to enjoy a natural horsemanship display by a local horseman, followed by a delicious dinner and some karaoke by the campfire before we turned in for the night.  We all tucked into our swags underneath a chandelier of stars knowing that when we woke up our lives for the next three days would be like nothing we had experienced before. 

The each day for the next three days went something like this…..

At 5am when it was still dark we rose, got ourselves dressed, rolled our swags up and put them and our bags into the horse float that would transport them to the next camp.

Breakfast was served at around 5.30am and this consisted of everything from steaming, creamy porridge to a full cooked breakfast with every ingredient imaginable washed down by your choice of billy tea or coffee.  After breakfast you washed and dried your dishes and grabbed your apple and muesli bar for morning smoko which was eaten on your horse while you were droving.

By 6.30am we made our way over to the horse break to be paired up with our allocated horses. My first horse’s name was Lisa – a 15hh Chestnut mare with a slightly jumpy disposition.  We got well acquainted and by the end of the second day we were best of friends (without incident I might add).  (I had a beautiful little black mare called Whitney on my final day while Lisa enjoyed a well earned rest.)

Once all the riders had mounted their horses (with the assistance of the helpful volunteers and a milk crate) the Boss Drover David “Chook” Hay and his trusted assistants got the cattle moving in the direction we were heading, the “guest” drovers fell in behind to keep the cattle moving along.  This gave the riders a chance to have a bit of a chat and get to know the others in the group.  The experience levels of riders varied from people who had ridden in their younger years, to people who had 4 lessons before they left home, to people like myself and my friend that have our own horses and ride at home (but not as much as we should).  At 41 I was the youngest “guest” drover in our group.

We moved the cattle throughout the morning towards our lunch camp where the chuck wagon would be waiting for us with our lunch (and cameras) on board.  We travelled over sweeping plains of golden grass and cracked soil all of which was desperate for rain.  We pulled up for lunch during the middle of the day for an hour or so.  The cattle were yarded in a temporary yard and the horses were hobbled and rested while we dined on sandwiches, cakes, slices and fruit.  Some riders took the opportunity to rest up whilst I went crazy taking as many photographs as I could!  I became quite proficient at being one of the first in and having my horse hobbled so I could capture images of the cattle coming into water.

Once everyone had had their fill and a rest we saddled up for the final leg of the day.  The process of starting out was the same as it was earlier that morning with the Boss Drover and his people getting the cattle moving and us “guest” drovers falling in behind.  We averaged about 12kms each day on horseback getting back into camp about 5pm.  This gave us enough time before dark to grab our bags and swags out of the float, find an even, rock free area of gravel and roll out our swags for the night.  Bathing consisted of a packet of baby wipes and the dunny was a “long drop” with three sheets of corrugated iron as the walls (no door!).  No room for princesses out there that was for sure.

Dinner was cooked and served by the army of volunteers that take time out of their lives each year to feed the masses and what an amazing job they do.  No one ever went hungry and the quality of the food was second to none.  Complete with several types of desserts all served with custard or icecream every night.  Camp cooking at its finest.

After dinner and a chat by the fire our swags were calling so we took our weary bones off to bed to snuggle down under the stars to reflect on the day that was and the day yet to come.

One of the most memorable quotes from this trip was…..The pain will fade but the memories will last for ever….ain’t that the truth!

In the words of A B “Banjo” Paterson….For the drover's life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know. 

KA

Roadtrip to Southampton (via St George, Qld) Part One

30th October 2015 - 1st November 2015

At 4pm on 30th October three quarters of the family (Mum, Dad n the Lil Princess - the Man Child had to work) set off from Beaudesert to deliver a bunch of calendars to a lady who I was yet to meet IRL (in real life) near St George - near is a term used rather loosely.

Kylie has been following my Facebook page (KAddy's Collection) for the last few years and has been a regular liker, commenter and purchaser of my calendars (by the bundle).  

When I was asking for suggestions of places to visit she commented on the post and suggested I "pop" out to her place, Southampton near St George (more about Southampton here at Central Station).  I thought I would take the opportunity to save her some postage and "run" them out to her (I was also in desperate need for a break away from the hustle and bustle of home/work life and I was also searching for my mojo and was hoping to find it out there).

This map fibs a little - all up we travelled just over 1100km there and back.

We travelled to Goondiwindi on Friday night and stopped over at the Comfort Inn - super helpful staff, comfy accommodation and a hot shower - what more do you need?

Luckily Macca's were open when we hit the road just after 6am - hot choccie fix - tick! (I did make sure everyone else got fed too!).

After a couple of hours we arrived in St George - what a cute lil town.  We refuelled at the bakery and then had a quick look around town and down by the river.  The Jacaranda trees were in full bloom and just gorgeous.

Our final destination was still 1.5hrs west nor west of St George.  Kylie had given me some awesome directions which meant we did not end up in Mitchell.  

On the drive in from the main road we came across this beauty.  While I was out snapping away the boss let down the tyre pressure to help the tyres with the rocky road.

We arrived at Southampton and were greeted by Kylie, T.J (her partner) and two of her three kids (the eldest is away at boarding school).  It instantly felt like we were catching up with old friends (not totally brand new ones).  The Lil Princess hit it off with her "new big sister" - there were puppies to play with and cats to pat - she was in heaven.

Spot the Wonderdog - he is cool!

Julie digging to China

After a chat and a cuppa Kylie and T.J took us out for a look around and to put some lick out for the cattle.  Given the dry conditions and lack of sufficient feed on the gound, lick is fed to the cattle to help sustain them. While driving around feeding the lick out storms could be seen brewing way out.  Decisions had to be made whether to put the rest of the lick out because if the lick gets wet it can make your cattle pretty crook.  Kylie was convinced that the storms would go around them so the rest of the lick was fed out....then...the thunder and lightening got closer...and...the fat raindrops started to fall.  We got back to the house just in time.  

What are "ewe" looking at!

  Cantankerous old ewe

 Penny getting into the lick

 Cute lil baldy calf (who did not want a photo taken)

 Check out the "old man" ear hair on this cow

 Kylie giving Penny a scratch

 Nice rack ;)

 A couple of the old girls getting into it

Heifers enjoying the lick

The skies opened and the rain fell...more rain than they has seen in a while.  The gauge read about 30ml after the two storms had past but I think some of the sideways rain missed the gauge and it was probably more like 50ml.  Watching the kids catch glasses of rainwater straight from the downpipes and seeing the smiles on everyone's face made up for the non existent sunset.  I'll take a storm in the bush where they need it desperately any day.

 My only lightening shot - well underexposed but I got it

 Pigeon was less than impressed with the rain

The whole time I was sitting on the verandah sipping my rum, eating nibblies and watching the rain, I had Ganggajang floating around in my head (I had to change a couple of the words as there were no cane fields in sight) This is Australia

Seriously "the" coolest front fence and an awesome outlook

 Storm clouds - a welcome sight in this part of the world

The kids were itching to get out into the puddles, even the cat got in on the action.  We went for a little walk when the rain stopped and there was water EVERYWHERE!  

Even the cat enjoyed the puddles

After a beautiful home cooked dinner of home grown meat we retired for the night to the workers quarters for a much needed sleep (and once we found the Aeroguard sleep came easily).  Bloody mozzies!

Part Two to follow....

Daffodil Day

Heading to the Cape? Here are our helpful hints….

Over three weeks we travelled from SE Qld to Mackay, Cairns, Laura, Archer River Roadhouse, Bramwell Station, Up OTT, Elliot Falls, Punsand Bay, down PDR, Moreton Telegraph Station, Weipa, Hann River Roadhouse, Cooktown, Cairns, Charters Towers, Comet, Roma then home to SE Qld

But before I start my leg by leg blow of our trip to Cape York (with info and photos) I thought I would share a couple “hints n tips” that our crew came up with along the way.  I am sure there are a million more and I will cover them as I think of them but this is what we have so far.

Ready, set, go

Toilet paper – have it handy, ready to go especially for the women and children.  We came across a few of the “public” loos that were out of stock.  Also if you need to cop a squat then bury your paper.  So many grubs out there just leaving their loo paper lying around for the world to see. 

Wet Ones AKA Baby Wipes AKA Bum Wipes – have them handy too for hand wiping and freshening up when there are no showers or waterfalls. 

Hayfever Meds – you are a long way from anywhere if the dust gets up your nose, so if you suffer from sinus then stock up before you go.

Vacuum Packed Food – this is seriously my new best friend.  For 12 out of the 13 camping nights we ate pre-cooked vac packed meals. Curries, Strogs, Spaghetti, Chilli Con Carne etc.  We vacuumed and froze them all before we left, defrosted them in a fridge bag in the car during the day while we were driving and then popped them in a big pot of water to heat the meal through.  We then dished the meals into plates straight from the opened bag and served them with microwave rice (heated in a frying pan – instructions are on the rice packet), pasta n sauce or frozen veges.  The empty vac pag went into the big and the hot water from the pot went into the washing up bucket – bugger all mess and meals as delicious as the day they were first cooked.  I have now started doing this at home so I have some meals on hand during the week when I have to work.  Winning!!

VacPacked Meal

Ziplock Bags (all sizes) – these are just handy for everything…fish, wet clothes, rock and shell collections….

Fresh fish in ziplock bags

Dry Bags – Due to limited storage room inside our vehicle we purchased dry bags/sacks to carry our clothes in.  A little packing expertise was required to make them as functional as possible but they certainly kept everything clean and dry while travelling up on the roof racks.  We also took some cheaper (lesser quality) ones to cart our dirty clothes around and to put the rubbish bags in until we got to a dump site.  They all worked a treat – not dust, water or mess.  Winning!!

Dry Bags

$1 Coins – We washed at every possible opportunity and all the machines took $1 coins.  Prices ranged from $4-$6 per load for both washers and dryers (if using dryers clean out the lint filters – this will help the dryer work more efficiently)

Driving Safety – HEADLIGHTS – put em on when you are on the road especially when travelling on the dirt and UHF –invest in a UHF, this will enable you to talk to other travellers and warn of any issues ahead ie cattle, bull dust holes, breakdowns etc.  We wouldn’t leave home without one.

Maps – We took the good old Hema Cape York Map which was great but I also purchased the Hema 4WD Maps App for our iPad which was super handy as well – for us it was $100 well spent.

 4WD Accessories – we had max trax, winch, tow straps, big D shackles on the tow bar,  yellow towing bits under the front, water bras, compressor, generator and probably a heap of other stuff I had no idea about. (please excuse my 4WD accessory ignorance but this stuff wasn’t on my list of things to “give a toss” about – I worried about food, money, clothing, destinations, accommodation, kids etc etc.  The boys worried about the vehicles)

Anyhow we used the tow strap once to help out our travel buddies and we used the water bras a couple of times and that was about it.

We had a 60l ARB fridge/freezer in our vehicle (which died day 7 and was resurrected  on day 10) and our friends had an 80l Waeco which we used as a freezer and a 35l Waeco which we used as another fridge.

We both carried extra water.  We only had one spare tyre and our friends had two.

Last of all take your rubbish with you when you leave…only leave your footprints.

Rubbish at Cockatoo Creek

If there is anything specific you think I can help you with please let me know.

 

Days 3 to 9

Day 3 to Day 9

Day 3 

Left Cairns for Laura at 8am.  

Stopped in Mareeba for some last minute shopping (mainly a long sleeved work short for me because somehow I managed to leave behind the 5 I have at home).

The road to Laura looks a lot different now to when I travelled on it 13-15 years ago.  It is all bitumen now.

Leg stretch (aka long walk) up to the rock art at Split Rock which was very interesting.

We got into our camp at Old Laura Homestead at about 3.30pm.

Our campsite was perfect.  After we got set up we went for a look around the old homestead - tonnes of interesting stuff there too.

Dinner eaten and into bed by 9pm ready for the next leg of the journey.

Old Laura Homestead 

Cape York 4Real

Day 4

Left Laura at 9am heading to Archer River Roadhouse

Stopped at Musgrave Roadhouse for an early lunch of hot chips which luckily for the man child lived up to their reputation.  He kept telling everyone for days that they were the BEST chips - according to those who at them, they were.

Onto Coen for a quick bevvie at the (S)Exchange Hotel and then we pulled into the Archer River Roadhouse at 3.45pm.

We were greeted by a lady who looked a little familiar and upon enquiry we found out that she (and her travel buddies) hailed from our home town - it is always nice to see a familiar face when you are a long way from home.

We had a shower - yay! and a special dinner with a frozen cake found in Coen for the other man child's 17th birthday then hit the sack ready for another big day on the road.

Exchange Hotel Coen

Fellow Beauy locals on their way back while we were heading up.

The dodgiest birthday cake ever but a cake nonetheless.

Day 5

Left Archer River Roadhouse for Bramwell Station just after 9am.

We stopped at the Moreton Telegraph Station for a look - very pretty and may camp there on the way back.

We arrived at Bramwell Station by lunch time (our shortest travel day so far).

Booked in for the dinner and entertainment and were treated to a delicious meal and a great show by The Bagman (not sure of his real name - will put that in the big blog when I get to it).

Checked out the pet Brolga that took a disliking to the lil princess and took a million photos of their "Cape York" cattle.

It rained a bit overnight - dry in the tent but a little damp everywhere else.

Giant ant mound

Bramwell Station Entrance

Day 6

Left Bramwell Station for Eliot Falls (a trip of approx 100kms)

We had a quick stop at the Bramwell Junction Roadhouse before we hit the Telegraph Track.

Well - what a day - took us 6hrs to travel approximately 100kms through creek crossings and some pretty rugged terrain (I will elaborate on this in my big blog once I get home and on my laptop).

We got in, set up camp and then went down to the falls - AMAZING - we were swimming in the waterfalls at 5.45pm - yep that is correct - in the middle of winter.

That was our shower for the night.

A relaxing night in camp know that we didn't have to get up, pack up and move on the following day - just a trip a few km's back down the Tele Track to Fruitbat falls.

Twin falls

Day 7

Relaxing start to the day as we didn't have to move on today.  Some dramas going on with the fridge but for the minute it is still going.

After breaky we jumped into the vehicles and made the trip back to Fruitbat Falls - OMG - what a treat.

Back to camp for lunch and then a very slack afternoon of swimming, blog drafting, reading and sleeping (for some).

Another bath in the waterfalls, dinner and then bed - the rest of the Telegraph Track to be done the following day then over the Jardine River on the ferry and onto the Tip of Australia via Bamaga (a quick shop stop).

Fruitbat Falls

Fruitbat Falls

Day 8

Departed Eliot Falls at 8.25pm for "The Tip" (Punsand Bay)

Several beautiful (yet potentially treacherous) creek crossings (will elaborate in the big blog).

Crossed a dodgy log bridge, made it through Nolans Brook with relative ease, followed the map to the Jardine River - then turned around and went back to turn off 1km past Nolans Brook (make sure you turn LEFT 1KM PAST Nolans Brook - although the wrong turn we took was super interesting and led us to the Sth Jardine camp ground.)

We went for a ride on the Jardine Ferry (all 1 min of it).

Arrived in Punsand Bay at 3.45pm after a quick stop in Bamaga to stock the pantry.  We did pass police checking cars for grog - we didn't get pulled over which was good.

We had a beach front campsite with great views, the sunset was AMAZING and we were also treated to a turtle laying her eggs that night.

Turtle nesting

The view from our tent

Day 9

We awoke to a gorgeous sunrise, it was a little blowy overnight but the weather was pretty good.

The boys did a spot of fishing but only caught a toad fish, the lil princess swam in the pool and the other man child was treated to a helicopter ride for his birthday day earlier in the week.  

We made our way to "The Tip" via the Croc Tent for souvenirs. The most northern point of the Australian continent was worth the trek up and over the rocks.  We sat and took it all in for a while and then made our way to the Sommerset ruins which we found rather disappointing (we later found out we had not gone far enough).

Late in the afternoon the locals came by in a boat selling fresh crayfish.  The boys bought a couple (one was huge) and our travel buddy enjoyed fresh cray for dinner (I wasn't game to try it given my prawn allergy.)

It was our last night at the top of Australia before making our way back down.

Huge cray

The Tip