Australian Census Day

We have completed our Australian Census Form, which we got from the caravan park office.   Luckily we are 'pensioners' so it is relatively easy to complete.   Still a pain to do though.  I hope the government use the information wisely.

Other than that an expensive day.   We noticed before we left Roma that our back tyres were looking a bit thin so took the risk and made it here, thank goodness.    So today we found a tyre place (Dunlop tyres) where we bought two new tyres plus organised a wheel alignment.   $1000 gone, just like that.   

We bought the back tyres in Griffith two years ago when a bolt went through one of the old tyres.   We have covered huge distances since then, often on rough roads, but still two years is not long.   However, today the tyre person asked if we towed a caravan.   Apparently the car needs thicker and tougher tyres if towing, whereas we had tyres for passenger only cars.  

So now we have the new tyres on the front of the car, and tyres that we bought one year ago on the back wheels.   When we get home we will change them over to sturdier tyres too.

We have learnt two things in the past week.    Grease the tow ball and put sturdier tyres on the car when towing a caravan.

While waiting for the tyres to be changed we went for a short walk to the main street of Charleville.

There is definitely no water in this creek.

The main street, with normal angle parking.    I was getting pretty good at the reverse angle parking, but definitely not needed in Charleville.    Most people on this street were in the bakery, or eating delicious pies, pasties or sausage rolls outside.    We were very good, and only bought bread.   It was tempting.

The very long verandah outside the large hotel.   Walter went inside to check out the toilets and reported back that the staircase inside was very grand.   

The council buildings, 1920s style.

The School of Art, built in 1924.    I wonder if it is still used for this purpose.

Tomorrow a visit to the Observatory to check out the sun and a look at the sky during daylight hours.   No doubt it will be filled with satellites.

Cobb & Co Caravan Park, Charleville

Another great find!    At $45 per night.    A place where we do not feel as if we are paying for an over priced caravan park with mediocre facilities.    Great atmosphere too.

The caravan park is spread over four areas:  1 for cabins, 2 caravan/camping sites, plus a green area for camping.   There are two camp kitchens, two sets of fairly new ablution blocks, plus an entertainment area with a fire pit.   Not to mention a doggy area, and kitchen garden.

And plenty of shade.   Luckily we are not under any gum trees.   I love gum trees, but not to camp under.  The limbs can suddenly fall off.  

Plus people are very friendly, just like at the St George caravan site.    Lots of offers to help set up, discussions about our dog, and details about where people are from.

Then, at 5 pm we were entertained by a singer, rolling out his repertoire of country and western songs for two hours.   We listened to him singing as we drank our drinks.    

Our camping spot is just behind the large tree.

Smoke from the fire pit covers the singer.   I hope he wasn't too affected by it.

Our drive today was only 260 km but it felt like 500 kms.   I was extra tired due to being awake this morning for about two hours (2.30 to about 4.30) due to rain.   This was predicted but I seriously thought it would not happen.   But it did.    A good test for the roof repairs that I carried out just before we left, and there were no leaks but that could have been due to the angle of the caravan.   We were seriously leaning to one side.   I guess the water ran straight off the caravan roof.

And why were we leaning to one side.   We tried to put one wheel on a ramp but then could not get the caravan off the tow bar.   A man came over to help and he could not do it either.   It seems to happen when we try to put a wheel on a ramp.    So we took the caravan off the ramp.   We were advised that we should be putting grease on the tow ball, as the dust and vibrations on the ball cause an enormous amount of friction.    He duly creased the tow ball and the corresponding connection on the caravan.

And when we arrived in Charleville we put one of the wheels on a ramp, and guess what, the caravan came straight off the tow ball.      We are very happy campers.

We stopped at a town called Mitchell for lunch.   An historic town but, lovely atmosphere, although many empty shops.    There were caravans and motorhomes parked whereever they could find a spot.    So very busy.

I took a photograph of a truck loaded with huge tyres, travelling through the town.   In fact there were three trucks loaded with giant tyres.    I wonder where they were travelling to, a mining town perhaps.

A very large hotel, and then I counted two more.   Obviously plenty of thirsty customers in this town.

Tomorrow we will explore Charleville.

Sunday in Roma

A lazy day, with much sitting around doing nothing.   My excuse was that it was hot this afternoon, 30 degrees, with a nasty hot northerly wind.  The forecast is for rain tomorrow, and a lower temperature of 22 degrees.   However we are travelling west to Charleville where there is no rain.

Adelaide is very cold, very windy and very cold.   So pleased I am not there.

Another bottle tree.   I found out today there are broad leaf varieties and narrow leaf varieties.

We followed the creek (dry at the moment) until we came to an area with a large pond.     Not sure where the water came from but it was very pleasant.   

This morning we drove to the stock yards to have a look, and as it was Sunday the display room was closed.     These are the largest stock yards in Australia.

I managed to get a photograph of some of the runs and pens.   Plenty of metal railings and ramps.

We also visited the Sculptures Outback exhibition.

It was a very impressive collection of sculptures, with many of them prize winners.   No doubt there are plenty of scrap metal lying around in the properties around here.

The Highland Cow.   This was made up of small pieces of metal salvaged from a piggery floor.

I loved the little dogs.

A tropical scene.

A rotary clothesline put to good use here, as the helicopter blades.

This eagle was made by a 14 year old boy.   He used old metal forks and knifes for part of it.

And that was our day.   Ever onwards tomorrow, 267 km to Charleville.

Another day in paradise - Roma

Yes, another day in paradise, blue skies and very warm days, temperature around 26 degrees.

Now I know that people in the northern hemisphere are sweltering in a heat wave, but it is winter time here, and leaving the cold behind down south has been good for the soul.    Also outback Australia is very dry and dusty, other than when there is a down pour of rain, and then it is mud, and more mud.

Roma's largest bottle tree.

A close up of  the trunk, which has a circumference of  9.62 m, a height of 15 m and a crown of 23 m, this tree is certainly a big one.

This morning we drove 16 km out of town to visit a nursery, called Moorelands Bush Nursery.   The land around is dry and dusty, with a gravel road leading to the nursery.    Walter was very dubious about this trip.   Who would want to build a plant nursery away out there.

We arrived to find twenty cars in the car park, and a busy cafe serving coffee, cake and brunch (eggs and bacon rolls).    Sadly we already had our coffee.    We spent a pleasant hour looking around the plant nursery.

Walter standing at the front entrance.

                                       

The Murray family who run the nursery are now the seventh generation of Murray's who have lived here since 1898.   They mainly produce premium Angus beef cattle, however in 2014 they decided to diversify by opening a plant and tree nursery on their property.    As well as the cafe, they also use the venue for weddings and parties.

There were plenty of sculptures for sale, as well as plants..

A beautiful arbour, with Walter posing in the centre of it.

More sculptures.

And plenty of healthy bedding plants.   

I can now understand why people have more plants and lawns around their houses here, compared to St George, who did not appear to have any plant nurseries.    There are in fact two plant nurseries here, who also stock the necessary soils and fertilisers.   

I had a little mishap when parking the car at the nursery.   Unfortunately I backed the car into this small, thin bottle tree and removed a bit of its bark.   Thankfully it will survive.   Luckily it was not the old tractor behind the tree.   Not sure what I was trying to do!   There was plenty of room.

The Big Rig!   It is 40 metres high with a lift that goes to the top, which saves having to walk up the steps.

I decided not to venture up, even if there was a lift.   Just too high and flimsy looking.  There is a museum there also, so perhaps I might give that a go tomorrow.

Apparently Roma is the birthplace of Australia's oil and gas industry, as natural gas was first struck by accident in 1900 when they were drilling for water. Roma then became known for its oil and gas strikes during the 1920s.  

The slab hut was built by hand in 1893 and housed a family of 11.

The work room which led into the kitchen.

The one bedroom.   How did they all manage to sleep in one bed!

I also spent an hour and a fortune doing a big shop in Woolworth's supermarket, which was very busy with people loading up the extra large shopping trolleys.  Shopping for the week or month or ?.   What with the extra large trolleys and people stopping to talk to friends it was quite a feat to navigate the aisles.

Another day of exploring tomorrow.

Roma - a bustling town

St George is a genteel town, whereas Roma is a bustling town, full of energy and activity.   It has a population of around 7000 people.   Roma was named after the wife of Sir George Bowan, Queensland's first Governor, around 1867.

The original people who lived here were the Mandandanji who lived here for thousands of years before European settlers came to the area.    They managed and lived off the dry woodland and grassland plains, and maintained a deep connection with the local landscape and water sources.

Roma is part of the wider area of Maranoa, which is also a river west of Roma, and which also flows into the Darling/Murray River basin.

The Bungil Creek which runs through the town is part of the Balonne River catchment area.   This creek can rise quickly and cause local flooding, and in 2010, 2011 and 2012 there was considerable widespread flooding from the creek.

The narrow bridge over the creek.

The beautiful park that runs along the side of the creek. 

                                          

The primary underground water resource in southern and inland Queensland is the Great Artesian Basin.   It is one of the largest ground water basins in the world and provides fresh water to Roma, Charleville, Toowoomba as well as for agriculture and stock.   And I can imagine the cotton farms tap into this water source too.

The underground water resource also lies under parts of the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales and it naturally rises up in many springs.  The problem is the underground water is a finite resource and much has been wasted over the years with poorly constructed bores, for example, and can become salty.  Since 2019 there has been a tighter management of the underground water usage.

Other interesting aspects of all the underground water are the thermal springs that abound in various areas, with a large number of them around including Moree, Lightening Ridge, St George and Cunnumulla, to name just a few.   Unfortunately we forgot to bring our swim suits, although we have been to the pool in Lightning Ridge which was a little too hot for comfort.

The bottle tree, native to this area, abounds in Roma, and I believe more than 2000 were planted along the streets.    93 of them were planted between 1918 and 1920 to honour the soldiers killed in World War 1.

I find them fascinating.

Walter enjoyed his lunch outside the bakery.  A hamburger for him and a quiche and salad for me.  He is not having a post lunch nap in this photograph!   

The main street of Roma, which was bustling earlier on, but quiet after lunch.   Walter bought a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a pair of shorts, and I found a lovely jumper for $20.   Then I bought two blouses in Vinnies (charity shop).    The temperature today reached 25 degrees and we mostly had winter gear with us.

I don't think this is a hotel anymore, but it is a lovely old building.

Golders clothing store, where Walter bought his shorts, and I resisted buying a blouse for $100.    This shop had all the country style clothing you may need here, all very pricey but also of a very high standard.  Lots of hats and boots.

And tomorrow looks to be another lovely sunny day here.

A drive in the countryside - St George

Yesterday we decided to drive along the edge of the dammed river, where there was mostly bush and small  pastures, a couple of vineyards and two very large cotton plantations.  

But first, two photographs taken on my early morning walk with Piper. 

The beautiful reflections on the river water.

The metal statue of a ram outside the motel.   The curls of wool were made with old horse shoes, and the curls on the head were made with chains.   I could not work out the rest of the metal used in the statue.  An impressive statue.

This photograph was taken late in the afternoon.    One should never take photos when looking directly into the sun, unless you are clever or change the settings.   I did neither.   If you look closely you can see a road train, consisting of a cab and three trailers.

                                         

But back to our drive yesterday.  At first the road running beside the river was bitumen, but after a while it became a gravel road, well maintained, and with plenty of dead kangaroos on the side of the road, and in many cases in the middle of the road.   I made sure I carefully drove around them, not wanting to end up with kangaroo meat sticking to the car.    I did feel sorry for them though.   Obviously this road has many large vehicles using it, and travelling at speed.   It was also a 'no through road'.

And no wonder, as the huge dams and cotton fields eventually appeared, and finally we reached a sign which stated that you could not drive any further unless you had prior permission, 'for bio security reasons'.

So we stopped, turned around and took a few photographs.  

A cotton field, with balls of cotton in the foreground.    Crops are planted in September, and harvested about April.    Sometimes other crops, such as peas are grown during April to September.    

I consulted Google, as you do, and every article was positive about growing cotton.    Apparently the crop uses no more water than an orchard, the genetically modified crops do not need huge amounts of chemicals, each farm is given an allowance of water, and most cotton farms are family run.    

Most farms use flood irrigation methods, so the furrows below are filled with water.

Interestingly most of the cotton farms are not visible from main roads, but their infrastructure is immense.  Enormous dams with long deep channels, filled with water,  running for kilometres.  The machinery to put the infrastructure into each farm, most cost a fortune, which is why, I think they are owned by huge corporations.

This trench was very deep, however there was not much water in it.     

Another deep canal.    All the water comes from the Balonne River or rainwater (does not rain often).   We drove through Dirranbandi on the way to St George and apparently Cubbie Station is the largest single irrigated property and cotton farm in the Southern Hemisphere, spanning roughly 93,000 to 96,000 hectares with nearly 20,000 to 22,000 hectares developed for active irrigation.   This huge property operates as CS Agriculture with the majority ownership held by Shandong Ruyi.   All sounds very much a foreign owned corporation.   The Balonne River was but a tickle in Dirranbandi. 

These areas are extremely dry, with very little rainfall.    Cotton growing also involves the vast clearing of scrub, which is there for a very good reason.

The Balonne River on the other side of the weir, is at this point a trickle of water, but it fills out further down the river.

A beautiful old Queenslander homestead, with lovely gardens and threes.   

We all love wearing cotton clothes, and use cotton linen, but until recently I have never really thought much about how and where it is grown.   And the long term effects it may have on the environment.    India and China are the main buyers of Australia's cotton, however, they are also the main growers of cotton.  

I find it interesting but scary.