Winton – 466 km

As it is Saturday and a school holiday to boot we decided to make an early start to the day with the intention of stopping early to help insure we were able to get a campsite. We followed the Landsborough Matilda Highway and made good time. It is another sunny day but the temperature was a bit chilly last night – 11 degrees. It did warm up to 25 by the afternoon.

Our mission this morning was to find internet as the free site at the campground did not work. We stopped in Cloncurry at the information booth where they had free access and checked emails and posted another blog entry. We seem to be finding that is the case at most of the info centers so are getting in the habit of looking for the blue “I” signs. At the information center we were able to take part in the annual Gem and Rock Festival, which uses the large front lawn area to set up their many booths offering a range of gems, opals, amethyst, garnets, and other items. We wandered around looking at all the booths, enjoyed the roving singers and even made a few purchases.

Norma bought the cockatoo at the top!

Entertainers

The drive today featured more road kill but this time amongst the many kangaroos we saw many cows and sheep. Both sides of the highway were fenced but the livestock seems to still make its way to the road. You can be sure if we were ranchers we would be keeping the fences in prime shape to avoid all these losses. Must add up after a while you would think. There seemed to be better access to water and in some places the grass was a bit greener. This is also the first day we have seen sheep herds.

Also we saw several camels in the scrubland. We remember seeing them 10 years ago and reading there were something like 3,000 wild ones roaming central Australia. They stood chewing their breakfast as we stopped to photograph and watch.

Our intended stop for the night was here in Winton as it has lots to offer, including dinosaur adventures. There was supposed to be a Waltzing Matilda center and after walking form the campground back to town and wandering around with the town map we decided to ask at the info center only to discover it had burned down. No wonder we couldn’t find it! We did enjoy the little town’s main street and watched as everyone drove along and backed into the angle parking spots from the “wrong” side of the road.

Back-in angle parking

At the campground they have silkie chickens as well as an alpaca who seems to love drinking pop from a can or pop bottle. Unfortunately we didn’t have the camera ready when he was indulging but he kept nudging and begging for more.

Tonight there was live entertainment at the campground. It was two ladies, Susie and Melanie reciting poetry, most of what they had written themselves. It was pretty funny. They apparently tour around and have entered and won some poetry competitions. Not the best way to make a living as they busk every night at this campground throughout the tourist season, then move south to do the same thing when the weather warms up there.