Outback

We left Brisbane on May 6, 2013.  We headed north to Rockhampton which runs along the eastern edge of Queensland.  The scenery was beautiful with lots of greenery and trees.  The roads were two lane highway in good condition.  At Rockhampton Carl stopped and said "I am tired of looking at all these trees, lets go inland."  So we turned west and the country opened up. It reminds me of eastern Montana and Wyoming, the trees and animals are different.

  Carl is liking the Outback! 

 

 

 

 

 

 We got hung up in Longreach, had planned on staying there 2 nights so that we could check out the Qantas Founders Museum and the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre and ended up staying there for 3 nights.  The hotel owner, Roly, took us for a tour of the town (approximately 3700 people) one afternoon. 

 

 

The first morning we were in Longreach, we went to the Saddle shop because the engineer who designed the seats for those VStroms must be saddistic animals.  Needless to say our bums were sore and could only do about 100KM's before we were skirming and needing to get off the bikes.  The folks at the saddle shop, Phil and Jayne, were a great help. 

 

 

 

Between the 4 of us we came up with a plan to use a gel pad and top it off with some good Australian sheep skin.  Phil sewed some velcro straps on to the sheep skin to hold it in place.  Well, the results were better, we can now go about 200KM's before we are howling in pain. 

 

Jonnie and Jayne at the saddlery shop

 

Phil

 

The Stockman's Hall of Fame had many exhibits detailing the settlement of Australia, the pioneers, the outback properties, stock workers and a display of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.  This is a wagon of display that hauled the wool.

 

Carl at the Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach

 

The road into the Outback are narrow, 2 lane roads and have these huge road trains on them. The truck drivers do not hesitate to make sure you know they are King of the Road.  They get right on your hiney and follow very closely and that "bull bar" in your rear view mirror looks enormous.  They are pulling 3 heavily loaded trailers.

After leaving Longreach we went to Winton and toured the Waltzing Matilda Centre.  There were a surprising number of exhibits there devoted to the song.

 

 

 White Mountains National Park

 

 

 

 

Not quite as high as the mountains in Wyoming.