Day 41 and 42 - Bus around to Collinsville

27th and 28th May, 2021

0 walking km

The plan was in place. But having seen the amount of plans I have thrown out so far my confidence wasn't high.

There was a real heavy dew last night and the tent fly was saturated. The ticket booking people said the bus leaves Charters Towers at 8 so be on the side of the at 8.10am. As Mingela is 48 km away I think he would take longer than 10 minutes. But as I wanted to hang my tent fly out for a bit I walked down and did it while waiting. The bus arrived at about 8.50 am.

I didn't move the age average on the bus at all. If I did it would have been down. Looks like Eventide emptied for a bingo run. It was pleasant to sit and look out the windows at the road I had driven so often. Not much had changed except the amount of traffic.

I was dropped of at Stockland Shops. Had a quick Pork roll for breakfast. Then took the long way on a bus into Townsville proper. It has certainly changed here but still quite dead. Wandered down to Reef HQ only to see the reef wonderland has gone derelict.

I walked out to the ferry terminal and sat waiting for the greyhound bus.

It arrived on time.... left about 4 minutes late then slowly got later as we hit all the roadworks. There should be a rule, you can only set up one roadwork traffic light every 200k. On the trip we had to stop for 5 of the things.

Arrived in Bowen 15 minutes late but I had a 30 minute leeway. There were only 2 of us on the Collinsville bus so we set off 5 minutes after I arrived.

On arrival in Collinsville I checked in at the Opal. Bit flash. Then raced down town to see what grub was on. I was a little disappointed. The Opal has a restaurant but top dollar, the pub I used to stay at has shut down. I wasn't impressed with the other so went to foodland and bought some crackers and cheese, a bottle of port and some lemon crisp biscuits. Still under the $38 for the steak dinner.

Day 42

Got up with a slight hangover. I was able to wash and dry my clothes in the motel laundry and watched some mindless television until I could walk to the post office. I picked up my parcel,went back and made the Pharmacy lady excited as I was the first electronic prescription they have had after installing the equipment and software. A curry pie for breakfast, then sorted my pack ready for the next leg.

Once I went back to the post office and sent forward my excess it was about lunchtime and I decided to do nothing for the afternoon. The next book is from Collinsville to Kabra and is mainly walking on roads through cattle country. I expect to speed up a little and will try and get as far south as I can before Belinda and Isabelle come visit in the July school holidays. That's the plan. Had many of them before.

Collinsville Main St West

Collinsville Main St East

Collinsville lodgings (Opal)

Day 40 - Back to Mingela

Wednesday 26th May, 2021 (back tracking to Mingela)

The actual walk back into Mingela isn't that long after yesterday's effort so I wasn't in a hurry to move.

I was determined this morning to boil myself up a brew of tea. This I did and then I started pulling the tent down and promptly knocked the cup over when folding up the tent poles. I cursed loudly at the responsible diety and boiled up a second brew (Lucky I carried the extra water last night). I finished packing and sat down, enjoying every sip of the tea.

Normally I would be gone before 7 am and breakfast would be around 9. It was a little different to sit in the tent and watch the day come alive. During the night there are a lot of noises. Sounded like a galah was getting eaten by a snake last night. But you can't see anything. Watching the different birds come through the trees as the light changes was interesting. One of the earliest birds to move was a hawk. At last light went yesterday it was in the trees above me scanning around. Then this morning at first light it was back scanning around.

I could here some galahs coming then a flock of black cockatoos came and chased everything away. They looked to just pick and drop small branches. As the sun came up nectar birds arrived. A willy wagtail landed on the wire beside the tent and picked a few bugs off the tent. Some birds came through with a different way to fly between trees, like a couple of beats of their wings then they fold them back and move through the air like a missile and then another couple of quick beats and fold back again.

None of that dawdling gets any kilometres under the belt so eventually I lift the pack get back to the road and start north.

One lady stopped for a chat this morning. She had seen me plodding yesterday and even picked up that I was wearing Scarpas. Her husband's favourite brand until his last pair a goretex upper that was falling apart. Goretex is another industry fabric I'm not a fan of. I like good old leather. (Sorry Vegans)

I dropped in on the Mingela cemetery and looked at the couple of graves here. I like cemeteries. I am a believer that when I stand there and read their stone for that instant I bring back a relevance to their existence. When you read a stone with words from a mother who lost a 3 year old I can empathise even though it was over 100 years ago. We all have a story. We all don't get into the history books. For those I like to spend a couple of seconds imagining.

Then it's only a short walk back to the pub. Ivan likes to grow Desert Roses and is working his way up to just not growing them but to graft different colours on each plant. It may be worth coming back in a couple of years to see how he is going - as long as he looks after himself. He has lost a toe already and looking at his legs he is not on a merry future. But this evening he asked me if it was alright if we just had a roast chicken dinner. I know I paid for it but Ivan and Moana have looked after me when I have been here.

I stayed up late to watch the lunar eclipse but couldn't get a photo of it, then had a good night's sleep. I don't have to get up early as the bus leaves Charters Towers at 8am and we are 48km away.

Ivan's Desert Roses

More Desert Roses

Mingela Pub

$18

Mingela

Cemetary

Mingela

Mingela

For Sale

I love these compression socks Mal gave me

Day 39 - Back tracking to Mingela

 Tuesday 25th May 2021 (back tracking)

Up early and had a continental breakfast and then wandered up the road.

The diversion walk that ended on a mine road and a locked gate.

I was following the book out of town, this time from the south and about 3 kilometres in I come to a gate with all the warnings and a locked gate. Checked and rechecked the notes looked around a bit but had to admit defeat and retrace my steps back into Ravenswood.

A couple of hours later and I'm back to where I started. So onto the main road, a quick stop up the top shop for a ginger beer and a picnic, then the slow plod north. I had to remind myself it was the shorter option.

Out the front of the top camping area

Miners Hut

A couple of kilometres in and the local Policeman pulls up. He is on 4 week temporary transfer to Ravenswood. He has also done a few walks and was interested in a chat. I accepted the lift of 8 or so kilometres to Kirk River an official camp on the trail. I wanted to check it out for the couple following me. Also I don't get the bus to Townsville till Thursday and getting to Mingela too early won't help.

Old and New. You can see a mine truck dumping tailings and the dozer.

The farmers here on most large waterways are fencing right to the bridge. Same at Kirk River and I couldn't find water within the road confines. I have been told there would be water east up the river at the abandoned homestead and yards (Didn't check it our though). I did check the two mentioned dams .

The first dam, just near Kirk River was very close to a house. May as well go into the house and ask. The second one I didn't see. Further up the road at a turn-off to Silver Valley and Pandanus was a dam down in the paddock but all I got from that was mud and tadpoles. I still tied the dirty water to my pack and kept walking just in case. I finally came to water at Little Oakey Creek where I could see water overflowing a tank in a nice steady waterfall. These yards are part of a horse place. I had to climb the locked gate twice to get the water I wanted. Filtered 3 litres and carried another 3 litres in the dirty water bag for the evening camp. I walked a couple of kilometres looking for a good camp spot and decided to go up a creek just off the road. A long day over 30 kilometres covered with about 25 walked.

Beside the road. Penny Silk died in her boyfriend's arms after swerving to avoid a kangaroo. 23 years old just trained as a teacher and working at Ravenswood school.

The set up. No fly on tonight.

Picture taken from road. You can just see my set up. Drivers at 100kph have less chance.

Full Moon

Settled in and watched a full moon rise, a couple of hot drinks then sleep was easy to come by.

Day 38 - Burdekin Dam

Monday 24th May, 2021 42.4km

Ravenswood Coffee Shop. Not open Mondays or Tuesdays

There was a little discussion last night about the Burdekin Dam. The sign says the road is closed but I really want to visit Ravenswood. It's a 2 day 40 kilometre walk or one day if I got my butt into gear but I'm just not feeling it this morning. Wonder why?

However, I do hit the road at 6.30am and get a couple of hours in when Ivan (who also does the post run) rolls up. He is going all the way to the dam with mail and I am welcome to go along. It will finally answer the question by talking to the man in charge out there.

So we head of first to Ravenswood to drop off and pick up mail. Then head out towards the dam dropping mail at the properties on the way.

The Road I didn't want to take

Ravenswood Post office and general store

I get to meet the Sunwater man and under no circumstances will he take me through the wall (unless I was dying apparently) and since the water is still overflowing the road is out as well. To get that into context the water is 30 millimetres over the wall and the road has three dips in it which looked like they would be no more than ankle deep. But the book says... and he follows the book. Doesn't matter that I forded creeks and rivers up to waist deep to get here. There were people at the dam but I couldn't speak to any boaties that would be around for the next week. It's at least a 3 day walk from Ravenswood. So this path is a bust and the alternate is a 100 kilometre walk to Home Hill and a 200 kilometre walk back.

My plan involves Ivan to dropping me back at Ravenswood and I wander around there for the rest of the day. Then I will spend the next two days walking north back to Mingela. Thursday 8.10am I am booked on the Douglas coach to Townsville where they drop me at Stockland. Then I catch the local bus to get to the city to get the Greyhound to Bowen to arrive at 3.45pm, then in Bowen I jump on a bus leaving at 4.15pm to go to Collinsville. About $90 in fares.

Good plan but I've had many of them turn to dust so far.

The good news is the new boot wobble I experienced last night has disappeared

Mondays are not the best day to visit Ravenswood as it is their weekend but it was a joy to wander around town. The bloke next to the Railway Hotel has a few old Mustangs and a couple of El Camino Ute's. I hope they don't rust away.

Post office and general store

Free camping is either beside the hotel in town if you can find a bit of grass. But there is also free powered sites about 300 metres east of the post office at the showgrounds with showers apparently but I didn't walk down there to find out.

I did some washing, had a good feed and will leave for the walk back to Mingela.

Ivan is due to do his run again Wednesday and I won't say no to a lift back to Mingela that afternoon.

Railway Hotel

The hallway to guest accomodation

Ambulance Station

Dining Room at the Imperial Hotel

The free campsite beside the Railway Hotel

Mustang and Corvette ?

Old Courthouse

A collection of muscle

Behind the Imperial Hotel

Day 38 out to the Dam

The free campsite beside the Railway Hotel

Day 37 Mingela

Sunarise bring in the morning.... fluttering her skirts all around

Sunday 23rd May, 2021 28.6km

807.4 / 4291.5km

Another day of walking the Dotswood Road with a goal of getting to Mingela this evening.

Not much has changed, with the walk continuing through the training area. It was a little warmer than yesterday until some cloud cover came over. I knew I was in for a longer day as I have to cover nearly 30 kilometres.

Finally through to the other side of the training ground

I filled up with water at a cattle trough. 5 minutes later a car stops and we have a chat and they offer me some bottled water. I had to say no as I was looking forward to my filtered cow snot water.

Someone had been drinking Pepsi Max and throwing the cans out just to torment me. If any one is driving past I invite them to take a shot at me with a Pepsi Max tin. Just make it full and cold.

This patch of walking is where the discipline to get up and move comes in. You know there is not much interesting to take your mind off things. I let my mind wander and think of conversations I wish I had and conversations I want to have and conversations I should have had. You can beat yourself up a bit but I realise I can not be perfect so mistakes were made. Learning is a big thing. Also wandering alone on outback roads tends to minimise the mistakes I can make.

Too shy to stay in the photo

I shared the cows trough water

I finally get to the Mingela Hotel and meet Ivan and Moana in person. They are Kiwis who bought the pub 21 years ago. Whilst I am there there would only be two other customers.

They agree to make me a parmi dinner. Whilst the parmigiana is out of a box there are a lot of fresh vegetables and I scoff broccoli and cauliflower with a couple of good sized potatoes and the obligatory beans and carrots. Topped with some bread and gravy you may get the impression this was the most exciting thing for the day. Well the four beers I consumed and then Ivan offered me a complimentary shot of his port was the topper of the day.

Instead of making me set-up the tent next to the public toilets across the road. Moanna who had mowed the lawn out back of the pub offered me the grass free of charge. The pack seemed heavy and the new boots a little wobbly as I went out to set up in the dark.

Soundly asleep not much later.

I resisted the temptation to pick it up and see if there was any left in it

Civilisation. If Mingela can be classed as such

Mingela Hotel

Day 36 High range

I was looking out the tent and then noticed the debris up the tree

Saturday 22nd May, 2021 23.2km

778.8 / 4320.1 km

Early start today. There was a lot of traffic movement last night. The road winds it way south between the army training range at High Range. I'm restricted to the road reserve with signs on the fences every 50 metres reminding me.

Some of the findings on the track this morning. The toilet paper was the most needed.

I eat the dust of a few convoys of army vehicles which still seems like a pack up phase.

Sometimes the trail provides and today was one of those days. In the shuffle of my car south, I haven't filled my toilet bag. This consists of soap, baby wipes and toilet paper. I was contemplating what I need to do, when I come across a part roll of toilet paper. There was also an army condiment pack from their ration pack, a long zip tie (which will come in handy), a little bungy cord and a 100 millimetre shifting spanner.

Another convoy coming and some more dust to chew on

The day is cool and overcast with some drizzle occasionally. Not a day for the Solar recharge but not a bad day for walking. Whilst there is not much to see, except for birds, I haven't seen any other animals. I cover a lot of ground quickly and arrive at Fanning River just after lunch. There is no water between here and Mingela so I stop for the day and will tackle that tomorrow. I set up camp in the river bed after checking the weather forecast and have a nice long rest.

More of the same tomorrow.

The view. These signs are on both sides of the road every 50 metres.