WA trip winter 2011: Nardoo Station and Charleville

Sunset at Nardoo Station.

Late afternoon campfire.

Hotel Corones in Charleville.

Artesian hot tub.

Bilby Centre.

Traveling from Bourke to Nardoo Station we encountered flocks of emus on the Matilda Highway. We must have seen close to one hundred. We entered Queensland at Barringun, our driving time allowed for a morning coffee stop along the 300klms to Cunnamulla, which turned out to be a parking spot 60 klms out from the town. No nice rest stops on this highway. We spent a bit of time looking at the Warrego River in town and the weir, 5klms out. We hit an emu but luckily he wasn’t hurt and ran off into the bush, the silly bird turned straight out on the road in front of us. Syd and the emu both survived.

We were told Nardoo Station, a working cattle property and caravan park was the place to stay and see. It is 40klms north on Cunnamulla. We found out from the tourist info centre that in fact it is ceasing to be a caravan park in two weeks. The vast property has been sold and already the cattle have been removed. The new owners aren’t continuing the holiday park. We booked in at 2.30 and John had a swim in the artesian bore. The bore is an underground spring of hot water, running beneath large areas of outback Australia. The mineral content in the water is supposed to be soothing on the body. Both of us managed to try it, surprisingly the water was hotter than what I had expected.

John did see a few cattle on his walk around the property. The weather was warm during the day and cool morning and night. The sunsets were terrific. We met our fellow campers around the campfire each evening at “happy hour”.

There was no mobile service at the farm so we had to do without television, internet and mobile phone for two days.

Wednesday morning we were up early and drove the 160klms to Charleville, saw more emus and kangaroos on the way. We booked into Bailey Bar CP, noting they were having yabby races and a camp dinner on our first night. Paying $5 a yabby, half proceeds go the Royal Flying Doctor, the lifeline of the outback. The rest are for the people with the winning yabbies.

Thursday.

We had a great night, lots of fun betting on what yabby would win, the winners collected over $130. The meal was beef stew in red wine sauce on mashed potato, followed by apple crumble. The hosts kept us amused, they must do these evenings all during the winter tourist season, but you would think we all were their only audience.

Today John and I visited the native parks and wildlife centre and had the place to ourselves. We saw little rock wallabies in an enclosure sunning themselves, also a little bilby, who are nocturnal; but this one was going to an education display so we had the chance of seeing her up close. The NPW run a conservation program as bilbies were becoming extinct in Australia, pleased to say they are breeding well in captivity.

A quiet afternoon at the park talking to our neighbours. Tomorrow a longer day on the road, 409klms to Barcaldine on the Capricorn Highway.
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