August 13, 2014 Off to Marian, home for Peter and Val.

Still dry from drought

Old tractor at Capella

Drag line Bucket

painting on train in Clermont

trees dead due to lack of water

Capella

We are heading back to Marian to spend a week visiting with Peter and Val.  We will be staying in Capalla tonight and then be going to Clermont and the on to Moranbah to visit Andrew, Peter and Val,s son on the way home tomorrow.  

Roma to Carnarvon Gorge National Park August 3, 2014

Very nice van park in Roma, have meet some very nice people here who are also camping, but unlike us the are from Southern Australia, here to escape the winter down there.

In the morning we were up early and went down to the stick yards to have a look at the largest stock sales yard  (largest cattle selling Complex ) in Australia.   Very interesting but when we arrived was two days before the sale day on Tuesday so there were not a lot of cattle in the yards.

Later on inn the morning we drive to the Carnarvon Gorge National Park . We arrived in the early afternoon so had time to go on a trek up to the Aboriginal paintings and to trek in part of the gorge.

We are camping at the Takarakka Bush Resort. Meet up with John and Kathy  who we had meet in Roma and spent a very enjoyable evening enjoying dinner with them and talking.

Up early so that we could go down to the river to see the Platypus but were not at all blessed with a sighting and then it is off to Emerald as we have to be in Rubyvale by the 5th of August ot meet up with Peter and Val. 

Stock yards on Roma

still dry

Aboriginal art at Carnarvon Gorge National Park

Sunflower painting at Emerald

Sulfur crested Cookatoos

Wallaby

Rubyvale

Some photos from Rubyvale

Sign in toilet Block

Kookaburra

Peter and Val digging for Sapphires

Albert Digging for stones

Lorikeet

Fireworks on Saturday night at Gem Fest

Market selling stones at Rubyvale

Rubyvale hotel and Pub

Warwick to Goondwindi and on To Roma Aug. 1,2 2014

Cold in Goondiwindi overnight, stopped in a good van park, went for a walk in the evening just to see what the town was about. We are driving through the outback, it is very dry, drought for past 18 months.  They could sure do with a good rain. In morning headed out for Roma. Will stay here overnight.

Emu

Very dry

Cranes - some green grass that was planted in early winter 

A small village along the way

Glenmorgan

Dry Drought

Arrived in Brisbane after a 17 hr. layover in Taipei, need to get some sleep.  Had a bit of a scare on our approach to land was just about to set down the plane when we were diverted because another air plane had pulled out on to the runway we were about to land on, the pilot made a steep climb and then we had to wait about 15 minutes before we could land.
Had a very early night and then was up early to have breakfast and to walk through the botinical park and walk over the bridge and do a river walk on the other side, must have walked about ten miles, started at 8:30 and got back to the hotel after one.
July 31.2013. Picked up the camper van, not exactly what I had expected, not very clean
and the person in charge did not show us how every thing worked.  But it is what it is and we are able to manage with a little cleaning .  First drive was a bit of a stressful day, driving out of Brisbane on the MI and then finding our way to Warwick, even the GPS was against us , did not work that well as I had not programed it right.  Was very cold in Warwick and with wind blowing just about froze.  Have you ever had to microwave the towels to put in the bottom of the bed to warm your feet, well you can and it will heat your feet up. In the morning it was off to the shower block to have a very long hot shower to get fully thawed.
 Today it was out into the country side, very warm but a very strong wind blowing all day.  Albert saw his first live Wallaby , but as usual lots of one's how had tried to beat the traffic with dire consequences.  Seen lots of birds and animals. Tonight we are in Goondiwindi, the Macintyre  River runs through the town one side is Queensland the other is New South Wales

Walk along the river in Brisbane

From hotel window

 Dukin the botanical park, with attitude

Botanical Park Fountain

Albert and the Banyon Fig

Flowering tree

Freeway that runs long some of the river which is built over the river on pilons

reflections on the glass windows of the highrise across form our hotel.

Will add some more photos tomorrow - time to get ready for another adventure filled day tomorrow.

Large cactus many along road

Pelicans there was avery large flock at the lake

old house in Warwick

Galahs

Old tractor in museum at Warwick

Church in Warwick

Gum tree by the river.