20190807 Qld Linville, Quinalow, Dalby to Condamine

20190807 On the road again as Des sings as we head off for a short trip before summer hits, heading towards Nanango we turned off at Caboolture stopping at Kilcoy for lunch at the Exchange Hotel. As we enter Kilcoy there’s big changes happening with a new bridge underway and a new road which will eventually divert around the town eliminating the many trucks only rout. Next stop is Linville so Des can catch up with and old mate at the Hotel who was an x cop from Cleveland. After a few coldies the guys had a good old yarn followed by many laughs about the good old day but the publican wanted to shut shop so we were sent packing and it was only just after 6pm, gee I’ve never been kicked out of a pub early before.

08-08-2019 Heading to Cooyar to camp only the winds picked up and there's to many widow makers so we drove onto Maclagan but there's no camping so off we go, this time stopping at Quinalow where there's free camping behind the pub.

This sign a pub and a school are the main attractions as Des and I walk the streets.

Lucky for us we arrived on the  special night of crumbed steak and vegies at $12.50, not bad for a country pub I have to say.

This poor farm had lots of cattle but there was nothing but dirt covering the land, not a spot of grass, how do they survive.

How cool, a back yard full of old Morris's, I know someone who would love to get his hands on these babies.

09-08-2019 Heading to Dalby we decided to phone Sue and spend the night so once we got the all clear we stopped for a roast then headed to Sue’s and was greeted by Richard on arrival. 

We had a great catch up and as usual Sue cooked a yummy meal then we sat back and chatted over a few wines, well I had a few wines. As usual I made Sue and Richard pose for a photo, but I haven't done my hair say Richard.

10-08-2019  Des encountered a problem with the gears so before leaving he tested it out and unfortunately the problem was still there so Sue phoned her mechanic and after a bit of tweaking we were on our way, heading to Condamine to camp on the Caliguel Lagoon and wait for these bloody westerlies to clear.

Driving into Condamine as I yell at Des, "Look Out" and just as well because his eye's certainly wasn't on the road.

Allan Cunningham crossed the river in 1827 and named the river De La Condamine after aide-de-camp, a personal assistance. Condamine is a small town with just a Pub a caravan park and a Post Office, the town’s only attraction is a large Bullfrog or Condamine Bell which a blacksmith named Samuel William Jones invented in 1867-68. It was made from either a cross cut saw of pit saw and tired around the neck of cattle or bullock to ensure the stockmen could locate cattle and determine the distance by the sound of it’s bell, it is said the bell could be heard for seven miles (11.2km), the bell was so successful that it actually made the cattle deaf. 

The Bells were made in 16 graduated sizes and weight from 1 to 7 pounds, they were named Bull Frog, as they sounded like a bullfrog holed up in a hollow.

13-08-2019 With not much to do we sat on the river in our van waiting for the winds to clear watching my favourite series, The Outlanders, while drooling over Jamie, (Sam Heughan) the spunk in the series but today the wind has eased so for the first time in months I went for a long, well shot walk, to get out of the van, and on my return collect wood, I’m going to have a fire and a few to many wines tonight, because I can.

This was my photo of the moon rising over Caliguel Lagoon just out of Condamine

Des took this photo with my camera and recons it could win an award.😏

This tells the story of a man eager to go shearing and his beloved Nancy who wants to go with him

The Banks of the Condamine

’O hark the dog is barking, love, I can no longer stay;
The men are all gone mustering, and it is nearly day,
And I must be off by morning light before the sun does shine,
To meet the Roma shearers on the banks of the Condamine.
To which the sad reply is:
‘O willy, dearest Willy, O let me go with you!
I’ll cut off all my auburn fringe, and be a shearer too;
I’ll cook and count your tally, love, while ringer-o you shine,
And I’ll wash your greasy moleskins on the banks of the Condamine.