4. Longreach Q - Winton Q - Hughenden Q - Charters Towers Q

We have fallen in love again with the Australian Outback.  The big sky country with stunning sunsets, awesome clear starry nights and beautiful sunrises.  Not to mention the fantastic bush poets we have heard at some of the parks we have stayed. No-one is in a rush and we love talking with the locals.  We have enjoyed many a yarn around a camp fire under the stars with fellow travellers – the list goes on and on! What a marvelous country this is and how blessed are we to be living here and able to travel around and enjoy it.

Winton-Hughenden-Richmond is Dinosaur country and we saw huge dinosaur bones at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs at Winton.  A local farmer had sent some strange “rock” for testing in the late 1990’s and discovered that they were dinosaur bones. Many volunteers came forward to dig and clean up many shattered bones.  Most of these bones are like 3-D jigsaw puzzles.

George made a very interesting and entertaining guide.  Here are the bones discovered so far for Diamantinasauras Matildae, a new category named after the property name Diamantina station on which the bones were found.  Naturally, the anticipated discussion about possible ages & whether a river could form such a vast flood plain occurred gently & in private.

Arno’s Wall in Winton shows how to build efficiently whilst cleaning up the backyard junk in a way that enables you to keep an eye on it!

Each sunset we have seen at Winton has been spectacular.  Tonight was no exception.  Afterwards we enjoyed bush poetry & yarns by Mel & Suzie, two excellent performers.  Mel’s rendition of Rolfolfo the Dolfog was very, very funny and had the audience in continual stitches.

You’ve seen the sunset and now here’s the sunrise. 

Here is Rhonda belting (literally) out a tune at the Musical Fence at Winton

This is the almost complete skeleton of Muttaburrasaurus in Hughenden Q - no prizes for guessing that it was found near Muttaburra Qld.

Porcupine Gorge National Park is 63k from Hughenden and is often referred to as Australia’s Little Grand Canyon.  It was spectacular.

11k further up the road, we discovered the Pyramid.

We’re guessing that this rock structure helped name the Pyramid in Porcupine Gorge.  The walk down wasn’t too bad . . . . . the 1.2k vertical(ish) walk back up was much more trying!  The effort was worth it though with beautiful scenes greeting us wherever we looked. Also, Rhonda was in bed & asleep by 8:30pm that night.

Here’s Rhonda in Hughenden Q with an artist’s impression of what Mutt might have looked like with skin & bones.  The Hotel Grand in the background must have been impressive in its day!

On to Charters Towers for our third visit.  Each time we are impressed by the beautiful architecture of the period, represented in the dozens of buildings which have been very well preserved.  This one is City Hall.

and the Telegraph Office

and the Royal Private Hotel.

Spen was fascinated with this single skin (the inside wall) construction with the studs painted & exposed.  Would save on external wall sheeting or bricks I guess.

May God watch over you until we meet again. 

Best wishes from Spencer & Rhonda.