0042 Barkly
Homestead to Mt Isa 2nd Aug
Happy birthday to me...........
Lazy morning getting packed up and having breakfast, and
GREAT showers !! We then set off up the
side road to Sophie’s – It was black top, but there was only one lane, which
meant you have to put 2 wheels off into the dirt when you pass oncoming
traffic. And there was a surprising amount of traffic because this road north
leads to the Gulf of Carpentaria where there is a lot of good fishing, so lots
of people go up there camping. And they
all seemed to be coming back !! Also
lots of cattle on the road, and quite a few dead ones too – Bad road for
livestock out there. Lot of nothing too,
as you can see from the photos.
Anyway,
we eventually came to Alroy Downs, and as we pulled in there was Sophie waiting
for us, Jack Russell in her arms. Fairly
typical big bush property with the main homestead, housing for staff, a school
room for School of the Air learning for the kids, and lots of cattle trailers
and machinery and helicopters and horses for working the stock, moving it, and
mustering etc. Sophie’s boyfriend
Rob is basically a contract stockman who
moves from property to property with his team and they muster the cattle, bring
them all into the central yards and then brand, dehorn, deball (yes !), and tag
and drench all of them (as applicable !) so they can survive another year on
their own out in this very sparse landscape. It was fortunate for us that they were
currently working in the homestead – Usually they have to go out into the
country side (for want of a better word !) and set up camp and do the work out
in bush. They have mobile trailers (with
kitchen, showers etc,) and bikes and horses and just move around as required –
And Sophie cooks for them all. Watching
them (where I could – I had to cover my eyes half the time as it was all a bit
rough and bloody for this little old city boy !) you realise what a hot, dusty
and dangerous job it is. There is not a
lot of money in this work, and with the mines offering so much more money nowadays, it is
getting harder and harder to find good people to work out here. It really has
to be in your blood to do this. Anyway,
just fascinating to have the opportunity to catch up with Sophie, meet Rob,
and see them at work.
And when we went back over to the trailer for a cuppa,
Sophie came out with a Birthday Cake for me !!!! THANK YOU !! She had also baked a delicious apple pie –
So we had a piece of each ! Very good,
thank you Sophie.
After a quick look at the rest of the homestead, it was
time for us to hit the road and for Sophie to get lunch ready for the guys
working in the yards. So after driving the 50 kms back to Barkly Downs, we
turned south towards Three Ways and the turning east to Mt Isa. We made a short
detour into Tennant Creek to refuel and then headed east. Camooweal was the only place we passed
through, and this wasn’t exactly jumping !!
We parked outside the (closed) museum, where even the sidewalk was
historic, made out of enormous flagstones.
After a quick ice cream, we carried on towards Mt Isa, passing an old
Southern Cross windmill beside the road that is just so evocative of the Australian
bush. We had been told that due to a
Festival and Rodeo in the Isa, campsites might be at a premium, so we bush
camped in a great off road camping area about 50 kms before Mt Isa. And with no towns anywhere nearby, and no
camp ground lights on all night, the stars in the sky were just amazing – After
eating we sat outside in the dark with a glass of wine, and just gazed at the
heavens in amazement – There are a LOT of stars up there !!
Pics here :- https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0043BarklyHomesteadToMtIsa?authkey=Gv1sRgCPGqmf_c1J8T#
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