20260712 Qld Capella, Emerald to Alpha
20260712 So here we are in the town of Capella and it looks pleasant enough, there’s a free camp opposite the Hotel and you can use the hotels washing machines, so on goes the washing while we wonder to the pub for a quick bit to eat and watch a bit of the boring UFC world champion that lasted 52 seconds, now thats the sort of match I like to watch, over and done with in under a minute.
Capella is only 50km north of Emerald on the Gregory Highway, it was founded in the 1860s as a pastoral outpost to a booming agricultural and of cause a mining town. It amazes me how these small town’s keep going with just a pub and a small convenience store not to mention, the amazing memorial's they have on display. It was after WW11, grazing land was converted for broadacre grain production but due to poor seasons it was unsuccessful, but it paved the way for sorghum and sunflower cultivation. Then in 1979 the mining boom hit and the Gregory coal mine was opened transforming Capella into a bustling service centre for the mining industry. Today it still services the surrounding areas, but it’s not the bustling town that it once was although the pub is much more modernised these days.
Capella is only 50km north of Emerald on the Gregory Highway, it was founded in the 1860s as a pastoral outpost to a booming agricultural and of cause a mining town. It amazes me how these small town’s keep going with just a pub and a small convenience store not to mention, the amazing memorial's they have on display. It was after WW11, grazing land was converted for broadacre grain production but due to poor seasons it was unsuccessful, but it paved the way for sorghum and sunflower cultivation. Then in 1979 the mining boom hit and the Gregory coal mine was opened transforming Capella into a bustling service centre for the mining industry. Today it still services the surrounding areas, but it’s not the bustling town that it once was although the pub is much more modernised these days.
CAPELLA AND THE AUSTRALIAN LIGHT HORSE EMU PLUME
The Great Shearers' Strike started north of Capella on 5" January, 1891, at the Fairbairn owned Logan Downs roll call. While no conclusive evidence exists on where the emu plumes tradition began, Sir George Fairbairn's family history story is that a detachment of Mounted Infantry troopers guarding a gang of 'non-union' shearers at Peak Downs rode down to Capella Creek one day when things were quiet and shot an emu. Each took a handful of feathers and placed them in the band of his hat. From then on it became, tradition for troopers to wear the emu plume.
Take a stroll along the Avenue of bottle trees to the end to see the Light Horse Monument.
Why is it that almost every hotel in Queensland at sometime has been burnt down and rebuilt into modern pubs and the Capella Hotel is no different. It was in 1943 the old pub burnt down and a new one erected in 1955.
The interior of the Capella Hotel
There’s always a mural or three in these towns depicting the history of the town and this is off the early pioneering history and settlement days of the Central Highlands region featuring a large team of horses hitched to a huge wool wagon loaded with wool bales, along with a horse-drawn buggy and early homestead structures.
A newspaper articleIt in 1903 described CAPELLA as a township, post, telegraph and railway station on the Clermont Railway, 32 miles from Emerald and 197 miles W. from Rockhampton. It is in the electorate of Peak Downs, and situated on the Capella Creek. It has two hotels, Royal Mail and Exchange, a provisional school (No. 410), and two stores. The school-house is used for divine service. The Catholics have a chapel. The surrounding country is fine open downs, suitable for all kinds of agriculture. Coal has been found in the neighbourhood, and a shatt is now down upwards of 100 feet.
Population, 83 (census 1891).
GrainCorp receiving depot and grain silos The site primarily handles local commodity crops such as sorghum, wheat, chickpeas, and barley.
Sunset over the Mill
I spotted this logo on a truck in Capella and curious me had to check it out, they specialise bulk transport of livestock across Qld, NSW, and NT and the logo features the horseshoe cursive font, "Lovin' It All," is the company's motto of a family’s philosophy of enjoying every single day to its fullest, often seen on the beautiful Kenworth prime movers. The company is recognised within the Australian trucking industry and has been operating for over 50 years.
We couldn’t camp under the bridge this time as there’s repairs going on but don’t worry we still had the sound of trains and traffic passing by.
14/07 $250 later our electrical problem was solved, thank god now we just need some water and we’re on the road heading towards Barcaldine, bonus we found hot showers at the Showgrounds when getting water. There’s been some road upgrade along the Capricorn Hwy so it was smooth driving for a change. Remind me to boil eggs he said, again.
The hay baling process turns standing grass into dry animal feed through four main steps: mowing, tedding, raking, and baling and they just make for a great photo.
This is the first time we’ve seen roadwork lights unmanned, usually there are at least two people sitting there watching the lights go from green to red while on their mobil phones, in some cases they drive your through, what a waste of taxpayers money, and they wonder why Australia is going to shit.
We’re travelling along the Capricorn Hwy and just hit some really bad bumps in the road, OMG the van shook like shit as we were bounced out of our seats, no more please. Our plan was to camp at Bogantungan but we missed the turn so it’s a roadside stop for us tonight, which we don’t mine, most times we’re on our own and can have the music pumping.
Our roadside camp for the night where I walk around with my trusty tongs picking up rubbish.
Check this out, not a house in sight, just the sky, land and the odd cattle roaming through, love it.
15/07 Down the road heading towards Alpha is a camp spot we stayed at a few years ago and where Des caught heaps of yabbies, so let’s see if can find it, from memory it’s about 15 to 20 kms before Alpha, we just passed Pine Hill Creek 41ks from Alpha and there it is, turn around Des.
Remind me to boil eggs, OMG just boil the bloody eggs😡
We stayed two day watching Des walking back and forth with his empty bucket hopping to return filled, with the occasionally big one but not like he’s caught in the past, but the trip isn’t over yet. More campers turn up today, one a keen fishermen, Dan who was also hunting yabbies for bate so Des gave him the small ones.
He’s a master at throwing yabbie pot but not so good at Net Fishing.
Done
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