Well it is you know. For the same reason that Cairns etc is Far North this area is deserving of its 'Far'. I think I last left you in Lightning Ridge so there is a lot of catching up to do but I am struggling to get to the internet even when there is one and a lot of places I've stayed it is just not available at all (nor mobile phones for that matter, it was a real blast from the past putting coins into a phone box the other day to check in with my dad after a few days of no contact!) But hey, it was Outback Queensland I wanted to see and this should surely come as no surprise.

A quick summary of my route before I fill in the highlights of the journey.

We left The Ridge on August 17th and headed for St George running from big, black clouds all the way, a few days in St George and then out to Charlotte Plains for 4 nights before a night in Cunnamulla. From there we stopped in Eulo over night and then 3 nights at Noccundra and tonight finds us in Quilpie (and I hope to get this to the library tomorrow so that should bring us up to date).

Right, I will start out with a couple of shout outs - the Crocodile Caravan Park in Lightning Ridge is right in the middle of town and is probably the friendliest caravan park I have stayed at so far with the owners hosting happy hour every evening in the big camp kitchen (BYO of course). If you head out of the Ridge towards the Qld border about 20kms north is a little town called Angledool - pop into Angledool Opals and be charmed by the hospitality of the fella who makes the jewellery if nothing else. Also the café in Hebel is a lovely place to stop.

We arrived in St George just before the storm and set up in the St George Caravan Park right near the Balonne River and the signs of its fury earlier in the year when the floods came through.

We spent a few days in St George wandering the riverbank, getting the van serviced (all good!) and meeting lots of friendly people. On the Saturday we decided we had done St George and after topping up the supplies we hit the road hoping to get to Charlotte Plains that night, a sheep and cattle station about 50 kms East of Cunnamulla. Lunch was a stop in Bollon where emus where wandering the main street and there was a brolga in the river opposite the general store - what more could a girl ask for? Well there was a rodeo on which could have provided a bit of eye candy and thrills but I arrived too late for that so I hit the road again making for our station stay.

The next 4 days were bliss. Charlotte Plains is about 15kms off the road and the camping spot is about 2km from the homestead and when Jude and I had the place to ourselves we really had it to ourselves! To add to the joy was Charlie, the 3-year old grandson of the owner, who made a great playmate for Jude and really helped to make up for the lack of child interaction Jude had had in the preceding weeks. If you ever get the opportunity then I highly recommend that you take the time out to stay somewhere like this. We got to see some sheep brought in to be drafted (look it up! I had to ask) and were lucky enough to be there for a free dinner of lamb shanks all cooked in camp ovens and put on by Pieta from Out the Back Tours when she brought a tour group through and the family and neighbours of the station came down too.

Now I can't promise that something like that is going to happen every time but the stars will always be there and there are more kangaroos and emus than you can poke a stick at and to top it off an artesian bore down the track a bit which is like stepping into a warm bath. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Jude and I could easily have become permanent fixtures.

Into Cunnamulla on the 24th August and first stop was to say hello to the Cunnamulla Fella. Jude was very impressed and sounded so gorgeous saying 'Cunnamulla Fella' every time we drove past him. Naturally a stop at the playground as Jude had been playground deprived at Charlotte Plains (and was the only thing that made him consider leaving!) Topped up on supplies and then checked into the caravan park which kindly backed onto the sand dunes so the next morning started with a 1.5hour traipse about and up and over them.

On to Eulo where instead of emus there were cows wandering the streets and after a look in the art centre and a coffee in the café we spent an hour or two in the playground before checking into the caravan park behind the pub. The pub owners had their 4-year-old granddaughter there so more play time for Jude - how spoilt he is!

Next morning we hit the track again with our first stop being Lake Bindegolly which is rarely full but is at the moment and is teeming with bird life but the highlight for us was seeing 2 emus having a bath - definitely something one should witness just for the laugh of what they look like when they stand up and shake themselves off.

Into Thargomindah for lunch by the river and then a last drive westward to Noccundra which is just a hotel and a river 20km down the road to Cameron's Corner.

I have to add here that when you leave Cunnamulla you think to yourself, gee these roads are narrow and then you leave Eulo and you think, wow these roads are narrow and then you leave Thargomindah and you realise that the road isn't narrow it is seriously 1 lane only and there are signs up warning you that this is road train country! Ouch. Suffice to say I have a definite policy of pulling over completely off the road and to a halt when a semi looms in the distance. You would have to be stupid (or another semi) to do any different.

Well we kinda got stuck in Noccundra for a few days (and I would recommend it to anyone). My initial plan was to head to Innamincka the next day but I found out the races were on and I didn't want to get there and have nowhere to stay and I didn't really want travel that road with a lot of other traffic particularly as about 70kms of it is dirt. Then I met a woman at the river (The Wilson) who had just come from there in a van somewhat like mine and she warned me that the corrugation was really bad in some places and so when we left today and got to the turn-off I parked up to think about it (I was really just driving 240kms out of my way (and back again) so I could say I had been to Innamincka! Tho I had reports that it was really pretty out that way) and as I couldn't make up my mind I asked Jude which direction he wanted to go and he pointed to Eromanga so Innamincka got scratched from the list.

Which is how we have ended up tonight in Quilpie. The caravan park is absolutely chockas and I imagine that this has a lot to do with people on their way to Birdsville for the races but for Jude and I our heads will be facing East for the next little while as we make our way towards Roma before heading North again.

The weather is already heating up out here and I know it is only going to get hotter and hotter so that will be a test for us. But then I could be on the Gold Coast where it still seems to be raining cats and dogs!

Thought for the day:

Big long empty roads in the middle of nowhere are only boring and empty if you are rushing through them to get somewhere else - when they are why you are there they have a beauty and diversity you don't notice at other times.

Jude update:

New terminology - long drop (and disappointment if we stop at a regular toilet)

New skill - spotting dead animals on the side of the road

New teeth - 3 out of 4 back molars

New skin colour - brown from playing in the dirt with his cars at every opportunity (but generally only his hands, feet and face)

New excuse - because I'm a boy (??)

New rule - tells me that he is the king (generally by climbing up on something high) and then he is allowed to do anything

He seems to be loving the travelling life so far and he gets really excited every time we arrive somewhere (We're here mum! We're here!! - holding his arms out wide to encompass the new place we have found) And now of course instead of just being happy that he sees a truck he wants to know whether or not it's a road train (surprisingly few of them so far, mostly only 2 trailers) Oh! And he can spot a playground at 500 yards and is learning to tell if they are ones he is allowed in or school playgrounds.

Love love love the travelling life, the travelling life for me.