We were excited to head off for the Bilby Experience this morning. (We did have a slight detour to the hardware store to buy a windscreen squeegee thingy – not sure if Gaz is planning on leaning out the window and manually wiping the rain off as I drive!) Anyway, we were greeted by our guide, Lisa, who must surely be described as the Steve Irwin of the Bilby world. She was knowledgeable, excitable, animated, and passionate … and gave a fabulous presentation explaining to us about the plight of the Bilby and the emergence of a breeding program and Save the Bilby Fund that supports it. There was also a showing of the 60 Minutes interview in 2005 when they released 6 bilbies into a protected breeding area – this population has now grown to about 800 so they are very successful.
We set off on the Matilda Way and our first stop was Augathella where we grabbed a coffee for Gaz and had a stroll down the main street. There was a big area of free camping near the Barcoo River there and I reckon at least a dozen caravans were there. Good to see some dollars being spread through these small towns. We also found a stunning painted water tower – I love these.
Back on the road and it wasn’t too far to Tambo, our lunch stop. We viewed the famous Tambo Teddies – they are gorgeous but a bit pricey at about $145 each. Fannie Mae’s Café was next door and we had a fabulous lunch there – chicken salad wrap for me and toasted sandwich for Gaz. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay for the infamous chook races at the pub which start at 5:30pm as I hear they are a classic experience. It was back in the car and back to our audio book. We have finished The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan (4/5 stars from both of us) and have now moved on to Personal (Jack Reacher #19) by Lee Child which is also great so far.
There were a few really long Road Trains on the road today, going both ways. A sign said that they’re up to 53m long – that’s over half a football field – freaked me out a little, but I did pass a couple of them. The road has been pretty good, no overtaking lanes but mainly flat and mainly straight so passing is not too risky. We arrived in Blackall at about 2pm and went straight to the van park to check in. The first cabin we were directed to had a broken toilet so the owner said she’d swap us with someone who hadn’t yet arrived … which I felt a bit bad about. (No need to worry though because apparently the plumber turned up promptly and fixed it straight away and they got a bigger cabin anyway lol.)
After unpacking the car, we hightailed it for the Tourist Information Centre to get the lowdown. Armed with a map and information we then crossed off a few of the selected attractions we wanted to see. We started at Banks Park where we checked out the life size elephant placed their in homage to the Perry Bros. Circus that sort of started here. This is one of many displays that’s part of a Sculpture Trail.
The Black Stump is also here – we are actually beyond the black stump! It was the point that early surveyors of Queensland used as a reference point and has become synonymous with the edge of civilisation. The fact that both our phones don’t work here and my pocket wifi as well is cactus backs up this. Just as well Gaz insisted we buy an el cheapo Telstra phone as that is our only working communication device at present. There is a very weak public wifi that helps out occasionally.
We also checked out Ram Park which had some fabulous old buildings and displays – very interesting stuff. We took a drive around and found the Wool Scour and Aquatic Centre, both things on our list for tomorrow along with some more sculptures. A brief stop at the IGA and we were back at the cabin, settling in for the evening, fending off an onslaught of mozzies that are crazy big and very prolific.
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