Sunday 1/8/2010 Yowah to Bourke

(Yowah to Bourke)
Up at 0800hrs and left by 0910hrs! Wow, how good is that?

Took a short cut on a dirt road that was 23km in place of 100km by tar.
Saw emus, 3 kangaroos and hundreds of goats. There were 2 goats and a kid on the road. The 2 adults jumped the fence leaving their baby behind. The kid was screaming it's little heart out.

Col caught it and put it over the fence with it's mum.
Jordan was crying because the kid was crying so loud from being left behind and from being chased by Col and Jack. It was so scared.
Saw lots of kites. Passing Lake Bindegolly saw galahs, ducks and large white water birds.
Our next stop was at the Bulloo River at Thargomindah. A couple we met at Quilpie told us about the pelicans here.
Lots of water in the Bulloo of course.

We saw our pelicans, in the outback breeding. This is one of their stopping points on their journey back to the coast. There were lots of different water birds here. Had lunch by the river.

After getting fuel, we headed east across the river, then south on a dirt road (closed) to try to get to a lake area where huge flocks of pelicans seemed to be landing. There was an emu with 8 babies right next to the road. I guess it has been closed for some time.

So cute! Apparently it is the male emu that sits on the nest.
Had to turn back. It was too muddy. Clay slide. Like driving on ice. Therefore heading back towards Cunnamulla as the roads to Hungerford are closed from all directions.
We stopped for a while at the newly huge Lake Bindegolly. The locals had never seen it this large. Again, such a haven for birdlife. Even swans.

Just passed a bearded dragon on the road.
There is a property for sale, 127 000 acres. Doesn't have the price.
Drove through a cute little town, Eulo, right on the river. There were three trucks set up for boar shooting, and passed a dead boar on the side of the road (road kill).
Just drove through Cunnamulla. It is a big town on a very wide deep river, Warrego River.
As we can't go to Hungerford, we're going straight to Bourke instead to stay 2 nights. We've also decided to skip Lightning Ridge (similar to Yowah) and stay 2 nights at Peter and Anthea's in Tamworth. "Yay!!!" say the kids.
Left to their own devices, Jordan and Jack are playing "comprehension". Jordan is reading anything (for example the info off a chip packet), then testing Jack with questions.
They are also studying the ingredients on everything.
It's been a very educational trip.
I think they now have both the travel and 4WD/adventure bug.
They're now playing spelling test.
Seeing emus, galahs and lots of kites.
Arrived at Bourke at 1830hrs, then turned back to North Bourke to find Kidman Camp. Booked in for 2 nights and were setting up by 1900hrs.
The kids cooked tea (rehydrated some pasta and 2 minute noodles). I downloaded photos and checked emails and the bank account. We have a powered site.
Off to bed late. Freezing. Slept with a beanie on.

Saturday 31/7/2010 Cooper Creek at Windorah to Yowah

(Cooper Creek at Windorah to Yowah)
It poured overnight.
Up at 0700hrs, leaving by 0900hrs.
I am wet, covered in mud, all our gear is covered in mud, and the last part of our adventure washed out!! Great way to end the trip.
There is no escape from the mud. I got as much off my boots as I could and am now sitting in the car with a plastic bag on each boot to protect my gear.

Yes I lost it this morning. Strange. I usually love playing in mud. Either it's hormonal, or the dreading of our trip finishing and having to go back to work.
Hmm. I think we should head north from here. Sooo hard to go back home!!
We're aiming for Yowah today, near Cunnamulla, via Quilpie. About 400km.
It's a single lane tar road. It's all swampy with water lying everywhere. There are a lot of dead kangaroos, 3 dead cows and a dead boar. Roadkill from the roadtrains. Several powered through yesterday evening. The kites are having a feast!
I can't believe there is still the occasional red sand dune ridge.

Almost hit a flock of galahs.
Just passed our Birdsville neighbours.
Only just left the Simpson desert for real at Quilpie where the ridge is now rock and covered in trees.
Stopped at Quilpie for lunch where we had the rudest person serving us!
It is a town of cattle, opals and famous for a dinosaur dig site. Col says Peter was here for training in the army as well.
Apparently they discovered bones to a new species of dinosaur: Titanosaurs (26m) discovered on a property near here in 2006. Cool! The pictures in the brochure show red desert fields. Looks a bit greener and wetter at the moment.

Crossed the flooded Bulloo River, heading south to Toompine (only half a metre above the road but flowing strongly). It was blue sky from Toompine onwards.
Lots of emus and kangaroos, 2 frilled neck lizards, 1 wedgetailed eagle and 1 ferral cat (ginger with a big head).
At 1600hrs we ended up at a strange hicklety picklety town called Yowah with falling down shacks. We're staying the night at the "campground" for the night for $10.

First we borrowed a sieve and pick from the very funny and friendly guy from where we are staying, and went fossicking for opals. We have a bucket of rocks we are cracking open and are getting rich (just kidding) with a little bag full of opally rock pieces.

Then we had a nice long soak in the baths.
There are concrete cubicles with no roof and two bath tubs in each, with hot artesian water piped to them. It is 58 degrees celcius, bored from 850m bellow ground, with 1 million L/day pouring out into the town.
There is a warm creek running past our campsite that Jordan and I had a little walk along before sharing one cubicle while the boys shared another. What a beautiful relaxing soak while looking at the stars! The minerals really do a great job of relaxing those muscles.
Even better. I'm now sitting here writing my diary with a glass of wine, while Col's cooking tea. Aahh!