Ok, so I'm going to Australia. Is this a cultural tour? A desire to tour the world & discover it's mysteries? No, There's a Champ Car Indy Race in Surfers Paradise on October 24th. So while I'm there I might as well check out as much of Australia as I can. Click on the highlighted names on the map for local information. |
Ok, so I'm going to Australia. Is this a cultural tour? A desire to tour the world & discover it's mysteries? No, There's a Champ Car Indy Race in Surfers Paradise on October 24th. So while I'm there I might as well check out as much of Australia as I can. Click on the highlighted names on the map for local information. |
This page was last updated on: April 19, 2008
We planned a three week visit. Start out in the Outback @ Longreach, take a 24 hour train ride back to Brisbane and then fly to Cairns and stay @ Silky Oaks Lodge in the Daintree Rain Forest. Then we would transfer to Dunk Island for some relaxation & visit the Great Barrier Reef, then fly to Surfers Paradise for the race. Next we would rent a car & drive north to Maryborough where I could meet a friend and then fly to Sydney for a visit. |
This a typical view of the terrain of the Outback, nothing, nothing & more nothing with occasional not much. This is a view of the road to Longreach. Longreach gets their rain usually once a year in February, the rainy season. The rest of the time it is dry & barren. We would wake up early in the morning, the temperature was chilly & by 2 P.M. it would be about 90 degrees. |
Our tour guide Heather, raises orphaned Kangaroos. Here she took us to her house for a visit. That's Heather on the left and Louise on the right holding a baby. Heather has 6 or 7 Kangaroos living with her right now. We just walked around & petted them. What an experience. |
Downtown Longreach. The tallest building is the local hotel, two stories. Both sides of the street have covered sidewalks. You need it in the afternoon & we're here at the beginning of their summer. |
We were treated to Banjo's Outback Theatre. (a tin shed in the middle of nowhere). The entertainment was great, educational & entertaining. They put on a short play which included some of the audience & portrayed a scene from the Outback past. At the end we watched while they sheared a sheep. |
Longreach is the home of The Quantas Museum where the airline got it's start. Quantas stands for The Queensland and Northern Territory Airoline Service. This is a picture of the 747 Quantas donated to the museum. We got to tour the airplane & the large museum & original hangar. Photo on the right is one of their first airplanes. |
We arrived in Brisbane about 6:30 A.M. local time and rented a day room to freshen up after the long flight. Our next flight was to Longreach and didn't leave until 5:oo P.M. so we had the day to walk the city. Brisbane is beautiful. We walked to the river & along the promenade. This is a picture of a riverboat we found there. |
We toured the Oakley Station (read "ranch"). They raise goats and cattle. It is so dry out here they have to manage their water. It rains usually once a year. Picture on the right; Louise found a cat. |
The is the Stockman's Hall of Fame Museum. We spent several hours here & could have spent more. The history of the Outback & the culture of it's people is interesting to say the least. I would say that what the early settlers here endured makes our western settlers look like they were walking in a park. |
This is probably a tyical house out of town. Built on the flood plain the entire area floods each February in the rainy season. |
Our last night in Longreach we took a river cruise. Notice the bottle of champagne. |
This is a picture of a large lizard. He was approximately 5 ft long. |
Dinner under the stars. After a lovely cruise we landed for a genuine Outback Bar-b-que. That's Alan Smith the owner of Outback Aussie Tours. |
Louise & Me with friends @ dinner. |
We were treated to the wonderful music of Grant Millar. He played & sang numerous songs depicting the Outback experience & character of it's people. Thanks Grant! |
