Open Writing

The sun had set and the perfect blue sky softened slowly to an azure beauty reflected in the still water beneath us. Only the line of coolibar trees silhouetted against the horizon separated the water and sky.

Slowly and with infinite detail the colours changed. The gradations through mauve, purple, red and deep orange happened first where the sun had set but gradually spread out to the rest of the sky until at last the light was gone and the eternal stars took over. The motor started very slowly and we drifted imperceptibly back to our starting point. It was as if a fractious world had decided to end the day peacefully.

We were on the long reach of the Thomson river (no ‘p’-very hygienic) about five kilometres from the town of Longreach aboard the ‘Yellowbelly’. We had been treated to a cruise downriver for a couple of kilometres before stopping near the bank for a three course meal and entertainment provided by our coach and boat drivers.

Two other boats passed us - Longreach is a busy place. The Thomson river joins with the Barcoo to form Coopers Creek which then flows through Innaminka (where explorers Burke and Wills died when they did not find the Dig Tree) to Lake Eyre where its waters evaporate.

Our group consisted of my Australian wife Margaret, her cousin Lois and myself. We had arrived in Longreach by silky smooth Fokker F100 turbo-jet on a perfect Monday morning in mid-winter at about 9-30am. from Brisbane. The two-hour trip gave a feeling of enormous space with little in the way of human habitation.

I looked around for transport but could see no bus or taxi. I asked one of the group of bystanders how to get to town.

‘Hold on - Wait by that four wheel drive with the radar scanner on top. I’m going back and have no appointment until 10-15 so I’ll take you in and show you round.’

We had little time to wait and he introduced himself as a Telecom employee on a roving commission which covered an area about 500Km radius of Longreach. Casually dressed and well spoken he was obviously well suited to his responsibilities.

It was only a couple of kilometers from the airport to the main street. The town was on a grid pattern about 5 streets wide by 10 streets long aligned roughly NW/SE with an extension north of the station. First impressions were sunshine, delightful warmth (23 degrees), lots of people - and bouganvilleas of many colours from white to purple. Our host recommended we call in to the Tourist Bureau and took us to the motel which proved to be convenient but of a minimum standard. We thanked him for his welcome introduction and he went on his way.

Our first call was a gentle stroll back to the Tourist Bureau passing on our way an imaginative sign which showed that Longreach was on the Tropic of Capricorn. The Bureau was an unimpressive structure which was the domain of a very capable middle-aged woman with no time for trivialities.

‘How long are you here for? - until Sunday. Good, we can promise to keep you busy! Most people expect to see everything in a day but we have much more to offer.’

With that she gave us an excellent thumbnail sketch of Longreach and its attractions including coach tours within a radius of 200Km. After offering her personal preferences she checked for availability with people she obviously knew well and we fixed our itinerary on the spot.

After lunch we decided to visit the Arts and Crafts Centre and began walking but on passing a jovial looking local with a horse and buggy struck a deal for him to take us there. The two horses knew the way and he entertained us with his and Longreach’s story. He grew up in the town and went away for many years but had come back to retire.

The Centre was in a double storey Trust building and after a cursory inspection I left the party and went round the corner to see the old Power Station. This had unusual equipment made in Melbourne to cope with high salinity water but was no longer used as power now comes overland from near the coast.

Tuesday morning we walked almost 2 km. along the garden planted with indigenous trees on either side of the path leading to the Stockman’s Hall of Fame. An unusual building set in the flat vastness stretching to the horizon it reminded one of the Opera House with its semicircular roof. The architect who won the design competition was said to have used the colours of the sunset for decoration. Inside one was introduced to the explorers who discovered Australia, those who explored the interior and those who changed it to what we know today. Stockmen and pioneers, cars and planes, rodeos and shearing were all there and I found myself thinking of a wet afternoon in a London cinema where I had first seen ‘The Overlanders’ Here I was at last!

After an exhausting morning we walked back to lunch and a snooze and at 4-30 were picked up for the river cruise mentioned earlier. A great end to a glorious day.

Wednesday was ‘free’ in the morning but at 1-30 we were picked up by the coach to visit Oakley Station. This turned out to be only 10 km. from town and we drove in about 5 km. from the main road to the homestead. A modest but spacious building it was surrounded by gardens - healthy looking vegetables with a careful irrigation system and profuse flowering bouganvilleas

They specialised in Brahmin cattle and the lady of the house came on board to show us around. Many dams were evident but they were overgrown with an imported thornbush which needed regular drastic treatment. Several wild pigs including a sow with a litter dashed off as the coach approached. Back at the homestead we patted the Brahmin bull who then lay down to encourage further attention like a domestic animal but needing a wide berth. The domesticated calf came up then for her share of the attention. Afternoon tea and a further look around ended the trip.

On Thursday morning we walked back to the Hall of Fame but on the way called in at the Qantas museum hangar on the airport. This was the original hangar from which Qantas began its services. It housed a replica of the original wood, wire and fabric machine as well as more recent planes with an excellent pictorial history. Over at the Hall of Fame we continued our tour in more detail ending our visit in the comfortable library.

Friday was a 12 Hour Day. We were picked up at 7-00am and did not return until 7-00pm. We were destined for the ‘next’ town Winton which was 175Km. to the NW. As we drove through the soft early morning light our driver/guide described the types of trees we were passing. In his soft Queensland voice he pointed out gidgee, coolabah, bora with the correct botanical names of these and several others. The country was generally flat but we came closer to a range of hills as we neared Winton.

The Australian folk song ‘Waltzing Matilda’ was written at a station in the area and first performed in the local pub - the one where the original directors of Qantas met to set up the airline. Across the road was a newly erected visitors centre with a full-size tableau depicting the swagman, the policemen and their horses by the billabong. With a commentary and music it was a good introduction to the town.

From Winton we drove to a lookout on top of the range. The countryside was changing with the Flinders and Mitchell grasses giving way to spinifex in the drier sandy country. Carisbrooke Station was about 80Km. from Winton and our host came on to the coach to offer grace for the meal he and his wife had prepared. While they seemed isolated they managed twice weekly trips into town and seemed to lack few modern amenities. Guest accommodation was available and there was a plaque at their landing strip commemorating the forced landing of a plane carrying L. B. Johnson who was later the American President.

After lunch we travelled a further 90 km. to Lark Quarry. Here two opal prospectors had stumbled across animal prints embedded in horizontal rock strata. The Queensland Museum was called in and verified they were dinosaur footprints and further excavation showed scores of small prints running in one direction and several large prints in the opposite direction. The explanation offered was that small herbivorous animals were grazing by a lake when a large dinosaur attacked. These prints are protected by a substantial enclosure pending the investigation of further sites.

We travelled back to Winton with time to walk down the main street, call in at interesting shops with minerals and opals, investigate Arno’s wall and the pub with its plaques to ‘Waltzing Matilda’ and Qantas. The trip back to Longreach was through the magnificent sunset to the accompaniment of recorded music.

On Saturday morning we had to move to the Jumbuck Motel and realised what comfort we had been missing previously. We went into town and decided to look for the cemetery. Four blocks led us to the edge of town and an open area. Asking directions from a local resident it was pointed out in the distance.

‘If you don’t mind bushwalking its straight ahead. No snakes there. I’m off the hook today - the Diamond Shears Ball is on tonight. Come in all your finery. I’m the local masseuse.’

With this she grabbed us each in turn by the shoulder and pronounced
‘You’re both O.K. but he is pretty uptight and needs a massage.’

And with that she left us. We plodded across the tussocky wasteland and arrived at the cemetery but it revealed little except that the oldest graves were in the late 1800’s when many young children died.

Back in the town we made for the Council Hall a very modern building where the competition for the Diamond Shears was being held. The stage was set up as four shearing booths and the open heats were in progress. Older men with obvious experience were judging the newcomers. It was well run and visitors as well as local people formed a sizable audience. Interest was keen as people took particular interest in their favourite shearer.

After the lunch break the serious heats began and the afternoon passed quickly. Our friend the masseuse was beavering away in the corner of the hall probably operating on young men entering the competition - I’m afraid I kept well away! That evening was our last in Longreach and we made the most of the facilities of our new motel eating in for the first time.

On Sunday morning we woke early and were driven to the station to catch the 6-45am train back to Brisbane. It runs twice a week and is a social occasion. It proved to be a great way to see the country in contrast to the overall impression obtained from the air. It stopped at Ilfracombe long enough to get out and walk the main street and notice the amazing difference from its namesake in UK.

Next important stop was Emerald a sizeable community set like Longreach in the vastness of central Queensland. The train then had snake its way over the Great Dividing Range with both ends clearly visible on the slow climb on the sharp radius track.

The rest of the trip was in darkness through Rockhampton to Brisbane. Through some unkind quirk of fate our carriage was unheated and we unlike other younger passengers had no protection from the almost zero temperatures. We arrived in Brisbane at 7-00am on Monday morning feeling like the proverbial block of ice but fortunately were able to thaw out in a hotel room before proceeding.

Our holiday had proved to be interesting and revealing and we saw the reason for the publicity of the Hall of Fame. Australia’s cities dominate the headlines and are where most migrants are found but behind the Dividing Range is another Australian way of life famed in ballad but practised by few.