15 January 2000
Well, we finally made it: got into Thargomindah (thar-go-MIN-da)
- Thargo to the locals - in far south-west Queensland late this
afternoon, although after some changes to our plans. After
leaving Walgett at about 7:40 this morning we set out for
Tibooburra, but after driving 434 kms to Wanaaring (the
second-last town before Tibooburra) we were thwarted from going
any further by impassable roads due to recent floods. So we
back-tracked a few kilometres and drove 87 kms north to cross the
border into Queensland at a tiny place called Hungerford (a
former Cobb & Co coach stop on the Paroo river - and the pub is
still all that's there); 146 kms nor' nor' west further on we
drove into Thargomindah, just in time to find a motel, walk
around the town (a street a couple of hundred metres long) and
have some dinner.
There has apparently been a lot of rain all out around far
north-west NSW and far south-west Qld (one chap in Bourke told us
they had had 30 inches around there - three years worth of rain
in one year), and the country everywhere we have been is
unbelievably green, which is great for the farmers and graziers
and all those dependent on the land but gives an untypical view
for those coming to see the "real" outback.
Driving conditions are very variable and you can be on tar, dirt,
stones, gravel, mud, sand, dust and back on tar again all within
the space of a few kilometres, although you are generally able to
sit on 90-110 kph off the tarmac. The 4WD is really good in these
slippery conditions and makes the car drive really stable without
the tendency to "skate about" like you get in 2WD. Also, if you
hit a mud or sand patch, the car just keeps driving through
instead of bogging down and stopping.
We've seen a bit of wildlife, but not as much as I thought we
would. So far we've seen foxes (dead 'uns), kangaroos and
wallabies (dead 'uns) and emus (dead 'uns), but we've also seen
live wedge-tailed eagles, lizards, kangaroos and wallabies, emus
and a wild pig, plus a really good look at a magpie that Lorraine
banged the car windscreen into when she was driving part of the
stretch from Bourke to Wanaaring (I think it is now also a dead
'un).
There are quite a few interesting places within a reasonable
driving distance of here and I think we might stay around this
area for a few days and maybe even venture across into SA (South
Australia) before we head back to the eastern and north eastern
parts of Queensland.
Cannot send or retrieve e-mails at the moment - this motel
doesn't even have a phone let alone one that will connect to my
ISP.