"The Melbourne Cup is the day before we sail for Papua New Guinea"  I observed out loud perusing the map and calendar balanced together on my lap, as we bumped along the Plenty Highway. "Highway" is a rather ambitious name.The unsealed road begins at a turnoff from the Stuart Highway 68 kilometres north of Alice Springs, and finishes at Tobermorey Homestead 498 kilometres later on the Northern Territory/Queensland border. It then continues for another 249 km to Boulia Queensland, as the Donohue Highway. Tongue in cheek it is called 'the longest shortcut".

 "Lets plan to get to Brisbane in time and watch it at a pub then" said Avan.

So our journey now becomes a little better mapped out. We have a date with Frida our Swedish friend to meet up in Brisbane, we have a plan for the Melbourne Cup and then the next day the beginning of our voyage to Papua New Guinea, Now we also can make a date for a trip to Wooroolin (near Kingaroy of peanut fame) to visit family and to leave our vehicle in a safe place for our cruise.   

Out in the middle of no-where between Boulia and Winton we came across the Middleton Pub. We had been stopping at various markers that had been telling the story of the Cobb & Co. days but mostly there was only a few rocks or a chimney left to tell the story. At Middleton we got the story in person! We drank a beer as we were regaled with stories and jokes. A handwritten list on the wall had stupid questions and answers. Here are a few:

Q "how do you live out here?" A "by breathing in and out"
Q "'what do you find to do out here?" A "repair fishing trawlers and whale watching"
Q "What is the monument across the road?" A "It is a plug for the artesian basin"
Q "Where do you get your supplies from?" A "Early morning Road kill"    
 
We spent a pleasant hour or so breaking our journey and being entertained..

 We hadn't planned to stay in or even go to Winton. How is it that sometimes an unplanned place can grab you, hold you and even give you the feeling of regret you cannot stay longer? It is the happy nature of travelling!

Winton is the "home" of Waltzing Matilda, Qantas and also the centre of Australia's Dinosaur country. A triple claim to fame. It is also one of the friendliest and cheapest outback towns. In fact entering Queensland meant the tight budget could now be tweaked a little, as overall Queensland is much cheaper for everyday groceries, eating out, camping fees and fuel.

After our first night, when we had enjoyed a pub special of huge steaks cooked perfectly with a glass of wine included for $11 each and chatted to some other travellers, we decided to splash out and buy the Visitor Centres Gold pass allowing us entry into all the towns attractions which would require at least another 3 days. We also, on advice from fellow travellers, moved to the camping area behind the Gregory Hotel, a bargain at $10 a night. At least 3 huge historic Winton pubs offered nightly specials, so for a reasonable priced evening meal we just had to stroll the street and choose our special. 

 First we enjoyed the sights of the town itself. The Waltzing Matilda Centre is the only attraction in the world dedicated to a song. Written by A. B. "Banjo" Paterson in 1895, Waltzing Matilda has played a significant part in defining the Australian character. Banjo lived in Winton and it is believed that the first ever rendition was at the Gregory Hotel. On site too is the fascinating Qantas museum. The original outdoor picture theatre and some other museums formed part of our ticket.

Next on the agenda was learning about how Winton became the Dinosaur capital of Australia and how it is fiercely protective that the bones remain in Winton, creating jobs and tourism. A first class interpretive centre is about 20 minutes out of town where we undertook a guided tour of the bones of some exceptional and unique dinosaurs and then another guide took us through the work shed where volunteers and paentologists painstakingly work on bone fragments teasing away the centuries of dried mud. On our last day we went to Lark Quarry Conservation Park where, perfectly preserved, is the evidence of a dinosaur stampede.

Leaving Winton behind, we travelled dusty outback roads camping at Junda and Morwen then finally hitting civilisation, we spent several nights at a gorgeous mountain spot close to Toowoomba. Car servicing, windscreen repairs and other items required some time spent in Brisbane and then it was the 27th October our date to meet up with Frida again. A day trip to Stradbroke island was the perfect catchup place for the three of us. We caught the car ferry as passengers only, paying, on a special deal, $10 return. Hiking on the headlands and a gorgeous seafood lunch made the day go by all too soon as we caught up on each others adventures since we had parted 3 weeks before.

A final goodbye to Frida and we headed off out of Brisbane making our way Northwest for a family visit at Wooroolin where we had planned to leave our camper. 

On Melbourne Cup day we took a bus from Wooroolin to Caboulture, then a train into Brisbane City Centre. A short walk from the station found us just in time to hurriedly check into the Roma Street Backpackers (recommended by Frida) then race out and find a suitable pub to watch the Melbourne Cup. A fabulous lunch, good atmosphere and a third place successful wager - life's good!