Outback ride to Cloncurry 5th October 2012

Just a short one today so we have a chance to look at Cloncurry. Trish flew past there in 2004 without a stop to look. Even though we have been travelling in some outback areas we are never bored with the scenery. From open dry pastoral grasslands we were now getting into gradual winding roads through low hills. There had been some recent fires and the regrowth on the grasses and trees was a luminous green against the red soil. Still plenty of Square Tailed Kites hanging around the road verges feasting on the fresh road kill, so after Trish hitting one on the way to Cooktown we are even more cautious. At first sign of them whoever is in from starts tooting the bike horn to get them airborne before we get there but there is always one that insists on not giving up its road kill and hangs on to the last bit. These are the problem ones as being big birds they take a bit to get up and away. Also whoever is following behind has to watch out for the eager ones who start to return to the feast early so another lot of horn tooting is required.

Being cheat skates we had booked a $50 no ensuite cabin at Cloncurry but to our delight on arrival we were told we were being upgraded to one with ensuite for the same price. The guy started to explain why then said " too difficult to explain" and left it at that. Lucky Intrepids! We were there very early, before 10am but they hurried around and got the room ready and let us in earlier. Even luckier Intrepids.

We had plenty of time to explore the Mary Cathleen Museum, the town and the John Flynn Museum. John Flynn was the founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The whole RFDS, Quantas, School of the Air thing has been centred on Longreach, Broken Hill and Cloncurry so this pulled the whole story that we had been exploring together into a complete package.

With temperatures now up in the mid to high 30's we are always looking for caravan parks with swimming pools and that was where we spent the rest of the afternoon. Wallowing like cane toads on a pond. Cloncurry or Curry as the locals call it was certainly worth a visit.

Up graded Dave