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Planning a trip of a few weeks around mid-year to the Channel Country and there-abouts - out of Brisbane.
We do have some things we want to do, but nothing is set yet so we are looking at possible routes and side trips, etc.
Any tips on where to go, where not to go, what to see, what to avoid???
It doesn't have to be a 4WD challenge, just those great places or things unique to the area or worth seeing.
We spent a couple of months in the Channel country in 2017.
Check out my blog, go to Posts/Previous Posts' & look at approx August & September entries.
This link is to a map of the trip up there & back from Victoria. You can zoom in for a closer look. http://cuppa500.com/Blog/map-queensl...annel-country/
Channel country is something else and lots of places to go and visit ,we did it as a short cut home from Alice Springs via the Plenty highway .
And ended up at Eulo ,we missed some great spots like Noccundra etc but will be back .
Done a few trips to the channel country out of Brisbane, last one been last September .
Left Brisbane Friday Arvo for Bowenville .
Bowenville to Nindigully pub for the night ( great pub and food )
Went on to Charlotte Plains Station for a few Days , great place to relax by the bore and just unwind , it's a working Station .
Then into Currawinya national park , one of my favourite out back parks as it is made up of old sheep stations with plenty of relics and old buildings and Hungerford ( great pub ) for a few days .
Back to Eulo for supplies ,and another pub lunch , and on to Yowah a fantastic opal mining town for a couple of days ( no pub though )
Then up to Quilpie with a stop at Toompine pub for lunch , we spent a couple of days in Quilpie ,
Then in to Charleville ( plenty of camping options , but the Evening star caravan park is fantastic, and has a bar and dirt cheep feeds , Bilby centre and cosmos centers are fantastic
Then to Mitchell great little town with great free camping ......and pubs and Bakery [emoji106]
Onto chinchilla free camping out at the Weir
Then back to Bowenville for our final night
If you have more time or travel a bit faster , Bolon is another great little town with free camping on the river .......and yes ....another great pub .
Also Nockundra great camping by the river , and another great pub .
And yep love a outback pub .... and chatting to the locals , can get ya into some other amazing locations !
Should add we towed our 19 ft van
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Really no fuel at Hungerford ? Was the year before .
Yes, I believe it is available at the pub - both diesel & petrol.Quote:
Originally Posted by GQtdauto
Yeah... brain fade moment.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brissieboy
Post edited
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If you go into Currawinya, check out Boorara Station, it was our main reason for another visit, as national parks had not long opened up access , allow a day to do that bit alone , heaps to see with , out station buildings , wool shed , shearers quarters etc , we couldn't access the home stead it self as it was not open to the public at the time , there is camping up there , but we just set up on the Billabong opposite the rangers station , and do day trips around the place , mainly because the track up around Boorara wouldn't be a relaxing drive with towing 3t , no worries with a camper trailer though .
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The new dinosaur exhibition at Eromanga is a must see. Caravan park is a dump but the pub is good. Worth a visit.
Hungerford have a secret fishing / yabbie hole out of town I'm told if you can get the publican on side .
About ten years ago we were put onto that secret yabbie spot. Between us and the publican we feasted on then for two days.
We had a couple of our sons with us that could drive, so while we enjoyed an ale they kept driving out setting traps, collecting yabbies, for hours.
Those were the days
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When there is water in the Paroo River at Wanaaring there are more yabbies than you can possibly eat! Under the first bridge heading out of town towards Bourke. We were there for about 90 minutes and collected four buckets full. I usually boil them in water with salt added, then tail them and then saute the tails quickly in a pan with a bit of olive oil and garlic.
Ohh yess! I havent been yabbying for over 25 years but we. Did what you did except sauteed in orange and lemon juice. :) Younger taste buds back then. Garlic and olive oil sounds superb now.Quote:
Originally Posted by BillsGU
We camped on a waterhole on the southern side of Wanaaring, about 10'ish kms out of town. Didn't try for yabbies but got a good feed of 'Yellowbelly, which contrary to their name are all white in the Paroo.Quote:
Originally Posted by BillsGU
Yellowbelly are white when the rivers are running as it cleans out the mud in their system which gives the yellow colouring.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cuppa
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I wonder if it might take them a while to get the yellow colouring when the river stops running. The Paroo was definitely not running when I caught them, in fact we had been told when in White Cliffs that we might as well forget fishing as the Paroo had all but dried up. However we got lucky & met a station owner in the Wanaaring pub who invited us to camp at his waterhole. We were expecting a 'duck pond', but his waterhole was several kilometres long, part of it on his station, & part in the Nocoleche Nature park. I'd reckon anyone spending an evening in the pub would likely run into the chap. A few pics of the place in the following link to the blog entry I wrote.Quote:
Originally Posted by shakey55
http://cuppa500.com/Blog/2017/08/02/...-to-wanaaring/ We enjoyed Wanaaring & the waterhole & went back a second time when we drove from Tibooburra To Bourke on our way back from the Channel Country 2 or 3 months later & were remembered.
Been to Wanaaring many times and love the place. There is talk that the road from Bourke to Wanaaring will be fully seald by the end of this year. The locals have heard this before - but if it does happen it will be a great boost for the town. The only thing stopping a lot of grey nomads from going there is the many k's of (often not so good) dirt road.
https://bourke.nsw.gov.au/wp-content...3/mr190308.pdfQuote:
Originally Posted by BillsGU
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I am astonished! Much as I like Wanaaring it is a tiny place with a tiny population & very little there. Hard to justify the cost on the basis of need. Doubtful it will increase tourism by any great amount unless the road west, south or north is also sealed. I certainly do not begrudge those living there the good fortune of the road getting sealed but am gobsmacked that it is to occur when I have little doubt that there are other larger centres of population in greater need. I guess there was/is a strong political need to keep the National party happy & provide some employment in Bourke.Quote:
Originally Posted by shakey55