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Today, I learnt the virtue of 'patience'! It was either that, or die...
When we left Mt Isa, and continued our easterly direction along The Overlanders Way, there's about 120km of road which not only has corners, but goes up and down as well. It travels through the hilly, mountainous area that exists between Mt Isa and Cloncurry, and provides a nice change of scenery from the flat grasslands and pastures of yesterday. It also breaks up the long, straight sections of road we're used to... It's used extensively by road trains coming and going to and from Mt Isa, in both directions, and there's very few overtaking lanes provided. So, it's not only difficult to overtake, it's suicidal. You just can't see around the next bend, or over the crest of that hill, to know if there's another road train coming the other way. When you do get an overtaking lane, you have to pray it's long enough to build up the speed you need, to get you past the truck in the distance provided by the left hand lane. Cause believe me, he's going to merge with you, one way or another! Once you're past him, it's smooth sailing again... until the next one... And here's a tip, I'll give you for free. When you're following a road train, don't sit too close behind, or be too anxious to get past it. They're not carrying white goods! Most of these trucks are cattle trucks, and are carrying 120 - 150 head of cows in double decker trailers. The cows will go to the toilet when and where they want, and they don't care who or what gets covered in their mess... We learnt the hard way (or the messy way), and I went through the entire windshield washer bottle trying to get a clear view again. And the smell coming through the air vents was none too pleasant either! And so, I was learnt the virtue of 'patience', and was quite happy to sit behind, well behind, the road train, until the opportunity presented itself to get by... As it turned out, the trucks all disappeared after Cloncurry, and we worked out that somewhere in the area, they'd deposited their load onto 'cattle trains', and rail took over...
We'd left Isa at our usual time, about 8.15 to 8.30, and our day began shrouded in grey, overcast skies. The forecast was for rain, and it didn't look too promising. We stopped briefly in Cloncurry for a cuppa, and it seemed a little bit cool as well as grey. Nothing we could do about it though... After Cloncurry, we left the hills behind, and the scenery returned to the flat grasslands and cattle stations we'd become accustomed to. The road also returned to it's very long, very straight, very boring status, but just to add insult to injury, it deteriorated quite badly as well... The bad road from yesterday became the horrible road for today. As a highway, it's really just a country road, very narrow in parts, lots of potholes, irregular surfaces and bumpy. The floodways and creek crossings don't meet level with the road surface, so that when you cross them, you either fly over the top, or drop into them. Some of them are quite severe, and it's handy to be following someone else, so you can see where they are. I think the guy on the grader when they made this road was drunk... However, we are tourists, and on holidays. We don't have to be anywhere in a great rush, and we'll just take things as they come, no matter how bumpy it is getting there...
We arrived in Richmond in time for lunch, and went straight to Kronosaurus Korner, the dinosaur fossil museum and information centre. We had lunch there, and did the self guided museum tour. This place is awesome, and if (like me), you thought fossils were just a bunch of dead boring things in rocks, think again!! The displays here are amazing, and I mean complete skeletons of entire dinosaurs brought out of the ground and put on display. Exact and life size! Cleaned up and arranged so that we could understand what we were looking at, with a palaeontologists explanation of what things meant. The highlight is a complete skeleton of a Pliosaur, a marine dinosaur that ruled the oceans for over 16 million years, and was discovered right here. It ate everything else, and is massive. The boys loved it, and were totally absorbed in what they were seeing and learning. Definitely add this place to your list of things to see and do if you're passing through Richmond, it's well worth it...
The park is only 300 meters down the road from Kronosaurus Korner, and we checked in determined to have a quiet afternoon relaxing from another big day driving. We went to our site, saw the layout, and set up in a way that suited us best. We wanted to stay hooked up, so we could get an early start tomorrow, and because our caravan doesn't sit totally level on the car, we turned around to face downhill, and level the van out a bit. Great idea! Until we'd set up, and I read the park map, and it states very clearly that all vans are to face the same way to allow easy access from the park if required. I look around, and we're the only ones facing the other way. Out of twenty vans, ours is the only one looking away from the highway! I hadn't noticed that until now... I wonder if it'll really matter? I know I don't mind if people set up however they like in our park... (Not a word! Don't say a word!!) It's only one night, they won't mind... (Funny, I hate tourists like us!!)
There's a water playground along the edge of the lake, no more than 400 meters from the park, so we went and spent an hour letting the boys play in the water, getting rid of some energy. The day has turned out quite hot and sunny, no rain in sight, regardless of the forecast, and it's nice to be able to just sit and relax for a while. When we returned to the park, more vans have arrived and set up the correct way, making us feel more self concious, and more noticeable in our difference, but noone has come and said anything to us, so we're not going to worry.
We're tourists! We're carefree and living life our way. On our terms. It's good to be on the other side of the fence...
- comments
Ginny Don't say a word? Don't say a word? You b*****! When you get home and you come into the office complaining about our tourists and the way they set up you might find yourself talking to the hand Jackie style. Still loving the blogs and still read them every day. Did you see your message from Russell Coight? Once again have fun, stay safe and hugs to all. Love T&G
Aimee Eslick thats pretty s*** pete about your windscreen hahaha
Aunty Min You rebellious little devil you!! Do you know nothing about OH&S requirements & council regulations. Pmsl. They're probably shaking their heads saying "tutt tutt, you'd think they'd know better hey, bloody Parkies". Too funny. Good luck getting the cow dung off, mmmm nummy nummy. So YOUR job Pete. Jo does the inside!! :-P