North Queensland - 24 Aug 2021

Packing up to leave we found some of the clips holding the lid down had broken so we were holding up the rest of our group as we sorted a work-around with a ratchet strap.

Along the Sculpture trail were more brolgas, sheep, tumbleweed and pools of water beside the road from the rain the previous night.

It was pretty annoying in Aramac to get fuel. The Government site showed the price was supposed to be 149.9c but it cost us 157c per litre. I was not impressed.

Along the road to Muttaburra we started to see lots more tumbleweed, brolgas and big flocks of budgerigars. Muttaburra seemed a lovely little place, with more sculptures, the new Muttaburrasaurus Interpretation Centre, and the excellent, and free Hospital Museum.

Locally known as a Moon Rock, these big boulders are plentiful

Fossilised shells

Even "I' remember being in wards that looked like this

The museum also had other displays

Of course I was impressed by large family trees of local pioneers

This path is a timeline (see the detail below) and the log fence indicates the rainfall each year...brilliant!

Middle of the day, in the hot sun, and John decides it's time to exercise!

After lunch at a park Al and Dell left for Barcaldine, and the rest of us went to the Cemetery. I was amazed to see that the council lets you put up your own memorials for free. I found the grave I was looking for, and beside it a child of the family I hadn't known about.

John wanted to go north to Tangoorin, a place he had camped once before, and on the way there were plenty more birds with brolgas, budgies, galahs, emus including a male with chicks, and lots of kangaroos. It's harsh flat country.

We  found the place using the in-car GPS which showed the streets but almost no signs of the buildings that once stood there. 

We were able to scrounge around and saw piles of broken bottles and lots of old garbage. John couldn't find his missing utility knife (which he lost last time), and we set up camp down near the creek, to try and escape the wind. Budgies were flocking, and a lovely sunset was accompanied by flocks of swallows, followed by an excellent view of the milky way.

The light from the setting sun catches the trees