Jimbour Station was where Leichardt set off from when it was the furthest west sheep/cattle station by the 1840s. He headed further west into the unknown to find a route to Darwin.
Jimbour Station
The start/end of the Dingo Fence was in between Jimbour and Jandowea. 5614 Km long, the longest fence in the world, was built to prohibit Dingos into south eastern Australia to protect sheep, beginning in the 1880s. We hope to discover the other end when we cross the Nullabor Plains next year.
The only Community Hall to be named after a moth .... Boonarga Cactoblastis Hall near Chinchilla. The Prickly Pear Cactus plant was brought to the Western Downs in 1848 near Chinchilla for its red cochineal used for the British Red Coats but by 1870 the authorities recognised that the plant was out of control and by the 1920s there were 24,250,000 hectares of Australia covered with prickly pear, this is larger than the area of the United Kingdom.
In 1924 a biological control was found in Buenos Aires - the Cactoblastis cactorum and the moth bred with enthusiasm and at the height of the operation Chinchilla was sending out as many as 14 million Cactoblastis eggs a day.
By1931 the much-loved Cactoblastis had brought the prickly pear under control and the land around Chinchilla was being opened up for settlement. Still the odd Prickly Pear trees around
Roma is home to Australia’s largest livestock sales yard, and also Australia’s first discovery of oil and gas, but it was the abundance of bottle trees that caught our eye on our walk around town.
Reality is though, that we left Brisbane in the middle of a dust storm, and strong winds and dust prevailed for 3 days. We tried to sit it out at Chinchilla Weir, and by the end we had an inch of red dirt over the van and car, we had travelled less than 300 km and had not left the bitumen. So straight to the car wash in Chinchilla to start again all nice and clean. It is definitely getting drier and the drought more evident the further west we go and long hot showers are becoming a luxury.
Stories of unscrupulous cattle rustlers and bush rangers the Kenniffe Brothers murdering and causing havoc, over this region
Folklore says one of the Kelly Gang, Steve Hart, reportedly escaped the “fire” and capture in Victoria and fled to Queensland to live out quietly the remainder of his time as alias Harry Thompson, died 1943. He was said to be the same build, age, accent, and used pistols not rifles. We discovered this story after walking the 1km Harry Thompson Walk from the Wallumbilla Showgrounds into town. One can only imagine pioneering life back in those days.
Could this be the same person?
We are finally moving along at a slow pace, staying longer if we want to, and camping amongst dried up rivers, creeks, and weirs, although we have managed to camp alongside some picturesque and peaceful waterways too. Have spotted a few birds of the Rosela family that we haven’t seen before. Derek is worried I may turn into a “birder”.
We meet many like minded souls who are all on their own adventures..some short and some very long. Swap stories, listen to seasoned travellers who offer a wealth of tips, and was invited to play Rumeo game with a couple of travelling single ladies as we caught up with them in a few different campsites.
Neil Turner Weir at Mitchell
We try to keep active and walk around the larger country towns such as Dalby, Roma, Mitchell and Charleville. It is surprising how the quirky characteristics of locals is evident as you walk through their surburn streets. You see things you would miss from the highway. Our motto is “ unless you walk a place, you really haven’t experienced it”
“Revenge is Sweet” says the Kangaroo in Wallumbilla
Branding Board in Morven celebrates the re-enactment of Harry Redfords cattle drive. In 1870 he stole 1000 head and drove them 1287km from Longreach to Adelaide. Local landowners burnt their brands on to this bloodwood board in 2002 as the drive travelled through Morven
Visited Tregole National Park and discovered remnants of an ancient (1.6million years old) rain forest on the edge of Mulga country at Morven. The Ooline tree species is now endangered.
Note to self, get to small country towns before 12.00pm on a Saturday as everything closes. We spent a peaceful and restful afternoon in Charleville, Derek still trying to shake a bout of chest cold.
UHF came in handy today as a road train approached behind us, the driver was lovely, and considerate, glad we thought to switch it on!
No comments:
Post a Comment