Wednesday - 18th July

Hitched up the van and took to the road again, destination Blackall.  On the way we stopped at Tambo for some lunch at Fanny Mae's and spoke to some rally drivers obviously having a great time on the "Great Endeavour Rally".  The people up here don't seem too keen on the council amalgamations and there are numerous protest signs plastered up all over.  Arrived at Blackhall Caravan Park and it was lucky we had called ahead to book our site as they were turning vanners away in droves.  We set up on a spacious site with running hot water (from the bore) and went into town to do some shopping.  It's a sizeable and prosperous looking place.

Thursday - 19th July

This morning we caught up with some chores, washing, updating the web site etc.  In the afternoon we toured the local attractions.  The first call was at the "Wool Scouring Plant" at the edge of town.  This has been fully restored with all the steam driven machinery including shearing line, scourers etc restored to working order.  It  is well worth a visit and the volunteer tour guides are a wealth of information.  Elsie, the pet sheep, will follow you anywhere for a potato chip.  The water needed for the wool washing came hot and steady from a still operating bore.  Later we visited the "Black Stump" which was used as a solid base for the instruments of early surveyors, the "Jackie Howe Museum", the "Bore Baths", but it was a little chill for swimming, the petrified tree stump and the "Ram Park" with its' collection of old machinery and the railway station.  They certainly take care of their history around here. I bought a "Jackie Howe singlet in case I go shearing.   We listened to the park's Bush Poet and had their "Camp Oven Dinner". Delicious, and huge, meal and the poet was a gem.  The sky was clear and the moon shone brilliantly.