LEODESTRAVELOZZ

20190612 Heading to Gin Gin we stop for bread when I heard a strange noise coming from under the van and Des recons it was the truck going down in gears, then he said it was my computer so I let it go. Ya! we're going to Bucca to camp behind the Bucca Hotel where my sister and I camped once and had a ball, so I'm a tad excited.  Des found this message in the men’s loo and was so intrigued he was even happy for me to take a photo. The Bucca Hotel is one of those landmarks in Bundaberg that’s a must to visit, established in 1897 this 120-year-old Pub sits on the Kolan River and is what country pubs are all about.   I want one, this hand carved XXXX man stands in the Bucca for all to see.  Pool night tonight only I didn’t want to put the guys to shame so I opted to watch and drink. 13-06-2019 We only stayed the night at the Bucca and as we have never been to Woodgate, so why we not check it out.  Woodgate is one of thos...

20190612 Mount Perry was once a prosperous copper mining town that sprang up overnight and at the turn of the century and was larger than Mackey and Cairns, with a population of over 30,000 and was home to 21 hotels but today it’s just a quiet little town with no more than a few buildings and an old copper slagheap where the old smelter used to be. All I need is the black suit and the sailors and I Could Turn Back Time, I certainly have the  voice for it. 😊 Today Mt Perry is just a quiet little town with few buildings left standing. The statue was erected to give recognition to those people who have lived and died in mining in this region and the contribution of mining to the economies of Mt Perry and Queensland. This is what remains of the old smelter in Mt Perry, it was in 1862 the presence of copper ore was first noted, but it wasn’t until 1869 when copper was discovered leading to a rush of prospectors to the area and by 1871 there had been 1500 tons of cop...

20190606 Our next stop will be Baralaba to camp at the weir for a couple of days, passing Duaringa we turn inland onto a long winding road until we reach our destination, well, their sure isn’t much in this town but at least there’s a Pub, Post Office and a small IGA, now what more do you need.  Baralaba came from an Aboriginal word meaning “high mountain” referring to nearby Mount Ramsay. It was coal mining in 1901 that first established the town but hard times has seen the town struggle. It is said that old fashioned values and friendly townsfolk are the hallmark of Baralaba, those traits and a stubborn streak for sticking around for more than a century of economic upheaval has threatened the town on many occasions, but from what I can see there is really nothing in this town to make you want to stay, but as the saying goes, home where the heart is. The scene along the way can be a surprising change after nothing but grazing land then you pass through this rich red soil that jus...

 Des wasn't going to stop here when I said why not, so we turned off when  he noticed a BOQ that he needed so while he did his business I strolled the town. Alpha describes itself as ‘The Gateway to the West’ today it a small town serving the surrounding rural area which is known as one of the riches cattle raising areas in the state, a quite stopover now known for its display of 26 Murals around the town. Many shops are closed including the old Hotel, but there are some novity shops to bourse through and one of the best pie shop we have come across this trip. A group of local artist started the mural trend in 1991, there are now 26 murals in total throughout the town. A Mural of the baker and his cart. Fossilised Forest of Alpha The sculpture represents a boulder, opened to present its mysteries and treasure – a fossilised tree. Like a thunder-egg, the inner beauty of the earth and stone is revealed, while the rough outer crust stands in contact. ...

20190602 Travelling east along the Capricorn Highway heading to the little town of Jericho to meet up with Dick for a couple of days. Jericho is a apparently an elaborate joke, coming from an early settler in the 1850's a man named Harry Jordan, after whom the Jordan River was named then some wit, noticed that a settlement was developing on the banks of the Jordan River, decided it should be named Jericho. Arriving in Jericho we stopped at the pub for lunch and thought, I might phone Dick to join us, and bugger me dead there he was sitting on the pub veranda having a beer. Unfortunately there were no meals today even though the sign out the front says 7 days a week. T he mural on the pub wall depict the early settlers on the Jordan River. Our first night we sat around the fire on the Jordon but I was a good girl and went to bed early, only because I was fallen to sleep in the chair but Des and Dick stayed up listening to Dick's 6 or so CD's, and even then they ...