Introducing Milo from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Introducing Milo. And owner Laverne. At Dagun railway station, Mary Valley, central Queensland. Incidentally, Milo is an Australian drink similar to Horlicks in the UK. Ken’s yet to find a pet called ’XXXX’.
All aboard in Dagun from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Ken stumbles on a restored railway station in the Mary Valley, southern Queensland
Few prospectors ever made their fortune actually looking for gold. Rather, the real money lay in the service industries, the infrastructure, that sprang up. Purveyors of tools and equipment. Hotels. Today, nothing has really changed in these parts. Apart from the commodity sought. No longer gold.
Emma. The bicycle. Skippy. The kangaroo. Wallace. The wallaby. To which I’d now add Queenie. The tent. She’s free-standing – no need for pegs to hold her shape – and so can be pitched on concrete slabs or inside camp kitchens. In Queensland, during the wet season, the difference between a dry night’s rest and waking up in a swimming pool. A muddy one. Hence the name "Queenie". Inspired stuff.
Flood waters subsiding. Especially at low tide. Rain easing. The road south from Bowen now open. As far as Proserpine certainly. A day’s ride away. And a chance to track down "Two Bob". Runs a really decent campsite there I’d been told. Reliable sources. Then on to Mackay. Shown on the sketch map below. Couple of days riding. Time to press on whilst the going’s good.
Wet and windy from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Early morning scenes in Bowen, north Queensland. And again. Quite a bit later.
Bowen. Small town on the north Queensland coast. Two facts. Much of the 2007 Nicole Kidman film "Australia" filmed here. Pretending to be Darwin. And the place festooned with murals.
Pleased I’d ignored the tempting signs for the "tourist village" on the edge of town. Sounded a bit expensive. Choosing instead to ride the gentle incline into town. Curious to see how big the place actually was. Glad I did. Beyond the rise the heart of Bowen. Coastal town in north Queensland. Besides, I’d plenty of daylight left to explore. Despite a pretty testing headwind pretty much all the way from the previous night’s stop at Gumlu. Grinding along in the lower gears.
Spotted a small hostel towards the seafront. I’d intended to camp but, pretty spontaneously for me, thought I’d enquire as to how much a room might be. Low season still. Until Easter. A few bucks more than some campsites. Decided I’d take it. Chance to catch up on domestics, update the blog in the dry, wander around a bit.
All of which proved to be a particularly wise move. As you’ll see. When the rains really arrived….
Trapped! from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Trapped by heavy rains- even for the wet season – flooding the highway south, Ken debates whether to remain in his dry hostel room, or push on and sit it out in the tent….
Clue: Like the film "Titanic", you can probably guess how the story ends…
