Tiny taste of Outback Queensland

Although we have lived here in South East Queensland for more than two decades, we had not been further west than Toowooomba despite making plans to do so many times. Our exciting camping trip in Yellowstone and elsewhere along the way in America got us all enthused about that holiday style again. When we came home we converted our long wheel base van that had sat in the garage for five years waiting for just that, into a camper van and promised ourselves that we would definitely follow our dormant camping dreams to see the western part of our State. We accordingly made plans with the family to clear our diary for a long weekend and one Saturday morning in October we set off, destination for the long weekend, Roma.

Distances on Warrego Highway from Brisbane CBD

 From where we live the distance is more like 490 km to Roma, about 6 hours driving time. 

When we awoke early Saturday morning we heard the crash and banging of an irate thunderstorm and the lashing of rain on the roof. A look out of the window confirmed that this was indeed the "Mother" of all storms. The radar map of the region was consulted and we learned that the storm was coming, and therefore clearing, from the west which was where we were heading. Breakfast was quickly organised and the last minute things stowed in the van. These storms don't last for long . . . except that this one did! Eventually there seemed to be a lull so we thought that the end was near and set off heading for Ipswich, a city on the western outskirts of the greater Brisbane region and about 55 km from our home. That would take us a bit more than an hour. Except that the storm got renewed strength and lashed furiously at the van and progress was very slow. Two hours later we stumbled into a Mc Donalds outlet in Ipswich to have a coffee while we discussed our predicament. A phonecall to a camping ground in Miles reassured us as to the viability of our journey. The storm had passed over mIles early in the morning and there was not a  cloud in the sky!

 

Along the Warrego Highway

The storm lessened as we drove and after Toowoomba we were driving along a soggy road with the skies bright and blue. This area was badly hit by the tremendous flooding early in the year [2011] and we came across a lot of major roadwork sites where the whole road was being dug up and reformed.

Warrego Highway between Miles and Roma

We took our time driving, enjoying the food farming areas around Toowoomba and Dalby. everything was so green and lush, an unusual thing for the end of the winter months. As we went further west, the red soil and gum trees dominated the environment. We watched hopefully for kangaroos without luck. We have seen them on our travels only a few times in more than twenty years.

By early afternoon we arrived in Roma and found a spot in one of the Caravan Parks. Our stay there for four nights was quite interesting as we met travellers from Holland, Germany, Switzerland and Austria and had pleasant discussions about where they and been and so on. The most common observation they made about travelling in Australia was about the great distances between places and how they set their navigation thingy and it spoke to them only after many hours or even days. In Europe the distances are so small that they said they are used to hearing navigation instructions every minute or so! These travellers had all hired massive motorhomes and stayed only a night. Pity about not staying long enough to look around Roma as we found it an interesting place and the Caravan Park comfortable and relaxing.

Kids on the steam train at the Big Rig Park

Outdoor display at the Oil Patch, Roma

We spent half a day at the Big Rig where the area's oil and gas history is recorded with an outdoor display called the Oil Patch. A tour here begins with information about the aboriginal group that lived in this area then goes on to the accidental discovery of oil and gas while drilling for water on Hospital hill and takes you through the trials, efforts and successes in finding oil and gas, refining it and making ithem taken for granted fuels of today. Engineer Sam found the push the button see and hear display which explains how the earth was formed over the ages with the gases being trapped very interesting,  

Oil fields machinery display at The Big Rig, Roma

The Oil Patch, Roma

 The outdoor area is very pleasant with native bushes, bees and  a few monitor lizards that can be seen on sunning themselves during quiet spells.

The above picture is that of Lenroy's Slab Hut which was built from rough hewn cypress pine in 1893 and later moved, finally to this site where it served as the Information Centre until the present one was built gives a reminder of the reality of bush life in the 19th and early 20th centuries.  The hut now has a galvanised iron roof which replaced the original Box tree bark just a year after it was built, according to an inscription on the ceiling.

Inside Le Roy's Hut, Roma

Life for women would have been extremely difficult in the early days of the oil and gas fields. The heat and its variations would have been very trying - no aircon or easy heating - but to have to cook, wash and do the other labourious household tasks would have been back breaking. Life definitely was NOT better in the past!

Oil drilling Machinery, the big Rig, Roma

Roma town stretched along the highway and has nowhere near the number of pubs it had in the past. But there were still a few, considering the population. Oil is big business and we noticed a lot of young mothers with their children having a social get together in the park. They looked quite well off and we couldn't help overhearing conversations that revealed their spouses were in the industry and were doing quite well even in these current difficult economic times. As none of them had family living within several hundred or even a thousand plus kilometers they had formed strong supportive bonds, akin to family. Quite a necessary thing for survival in unfamiliar remote and difficult environment, I thought as I watched.

Queens Arms, Roma, Queensland

Roma, Queensland

As we relaxed in Roma we began to rekindle our idea of going further to explore Western Queensland and up through Injune and through the Carnavon Gorge to the Dawson Highway and on to Biloela and Rockhampton on the Capricorn Coast. This trip will need to be done in the dry winter months as the rain in summer makes the roads almost impassable. Trouble is, winter is really cold! We are now working on this dream! Again!

Further up the Highway towards Injune

Outback Queensland

Our tiny taste of Outback Queensland was soon over and we turned for home, relaxed and planning for a come back and do more trip in the near future. We were only an hour back on the Warrego Highway before we felt the need to dally longer with a coffee break in the bush.

Outback Queensland

 Next time . . . we'll stay longer and go further, travelling together through this surprising and ever changing land that is our home.