LEODESTRAVELOZZ

20250709 Our next stop is the town of Blackbutt to hopefully watch the State of Origin at the local Pub.  Blackbutt earned its name from the abundance of dark-barked eucalyptus trees (E. pilularis) that were extensively logged, leading to the development of sawmills and the establishment of farms. The town saw growth with the establishment of farms in the 1890s, a primary school in 1896, and the extension of the railway line in 1912 today, it's a gateway to the South Burnett and a hub for avocado production. Like most Murals this one is depicting the towns history of the timber, railway and farming. Loading the wagon up with logs in the 20th century. The Hotel Radnor and the only pub in town We were keen to watch the state of origin at the local pub and didn’t feel like walking too far so we parked on the footpath outside the front of someone’s home and within walking distance to the local drinking hole. After dinner everyone from the bar adjourned to the dining room to watch the g...

20250703 After a few days at Cracow we packed up and left for Eidsvold passing sites we’ve seen many times on our travels to Cracow, even passing an old camp spot that brought back some good memories of our stay. There were many vans heading towards Cracow, get in first or you will miss out on the powered sites. Arriving in Eidsvold hungry and the pubs shut on Mondays so we parked up and I grabbed my bag, don’t forget to lock the van Des. As we cross the road, on the corner is a Cafe/ Motel, the only cafe in town, we walked in and a young aboriginal lad took our order. I remember him well, because he had a big smile, well mannered and very polite which was nice to see in our youths. After we finished our lunch and we were leaving, the young lad said, have a great trip, it was such a pleasure to be served by a lovely polite lad. If you’re ever in Eidsvold this is a great cafe with good food and lovely service. Very neat and clean and it even has a bar if you’re after a cocktail or three...

20250626  Arriving at another of our favourite Hotels, the Cracow, she still stands tall and proud over a town that was once a thriving community in the 1800’s when the mine was at its peak until the closure in the 1970’s, which saw a decline and many houses abandoned. The mining of gold has since reopened and although the town has little left to offer there’s no going past the historical old pub. No longer owned by Fred Brophy, icon of the Australian tent boxing scene, but is now in the hands of another tent boxer who worked with Fed in his youth, who went under the nickname of "Kid Goanna". Stuart and Nikki Burke, his wife, meet at the Cracow over 20 years ago when she was working behind the bar. When the pub came up for sale the Burkes family decided to buy the Pub, in the hope of containing the Cracow story. Now! With their children,  Brophy and Chilli at there side a new chapter of their life begins, in the town where their parents meet. Chilly, the new barmaid who serve...

20250625  Following the Mountain Range to the left of us along the A7, Carnarvon Highway towards Rolleston, Rough Surface as the sign says. It fascinates me how the council go to the trouble of driving to these places to put a sign up, don’t kill two birds with one stone and fix it while their, that might make sense. Loosing reception just out of Roma and passing many cattle trucks headed towards Roma  Saleyards, the country's largest cattle selling centre and Australia's marketplace of choice with 223,984 cattle sold through the yards in the 2023/24 financial year. We camped  at a truck stops and the cattle’s head peaks over the top of the carriage, their big black eyes staring straight at me, let me out of here.🐄. We were woken buy the tucks starting their engines so we continued our journey to Rollestone,  it certainly gets a bit creepy as the road trains head towards you on some narrow parts of the road as I squeeze my eyes in anticipation. Getting  closer ...