go-see-do guide for adventurous travellers
Note to overseas visitors: DON’T PANIC! This ISN’T a standard Australian road sign. In fact, it just MIGHT be the only one of its kind in Australia! Let me know if I’m wrong … Other than consistently having the coldest minimum winter temperatures in Queensland, the town of Tambo on the Matilda Way is also on the map as home of Tambo Teddies, a[…]
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Well OK, it’s not actually a ‘paddock’ as such. And it’s certainly NOT just a plane! It’s a fully operational Qantas 747 Jumbo Jet (aka 747-200 VH-EBQ for those who care about such things!), the centrepiece of the Qantas Founders Museum – today celebrating 90 years of Qantas. It’s parked on a fenced off section of of the Longreach Airport grounds,[…]
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After a wet and windy flying flit from Cairns, we arrived in Bowen intending to set off early the next morning. Why the rush? We’d foolishly dallied in Cairns for too long, so had limited time to meet pre-arranged commitments in Ballina. As it was 12 years since our last visit, we shook off the travel-weariness of the 600-odd km drive, and[…]
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Medical emergency, but too far from the nearest doctor or hospital? Never fear! Help is at hand from the Blackall Ambulance Train!! Or possibly could have been if your emergency had been a) last century; b) in Queensland’s central west and c) within cooee of the train line to or from the town of Blackall in the Queensland Outback. Sadly,[…]
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Readers who enjoyed ‘Signs #2 – Huh???’ will appreciate these photos from the Cowley Beach Army base, sent to me by reader Russell Constable. Russell is a keen conservationist, and his blog ‘Ella Bay Forever!’, details some of the issues this wonderful area faces. The more observant will note that Russell and I also share a passion for exclamation marks (so[…]
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While it’s not quite a replica of Captain Cook’s vessel when he explored the north coast and disembarked where Cooktown (geddit?!) now stands, the musical ship is completely landlocked in the linear park along the mouth of the Endeavour river. Perhaps the kindest way to describe the array of noise making apparatus (apparati??) lining the interior would be ‘found percussion instruments’, however the[…]
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It’s amazing how the public toilets in the superb Cairns Botanic Gardens are a match for its visual delights! Set on a rolling green lawn, surrounded by lushly growing tropical plants and flowers, it’s a delight to do business there!! In addition to the setting, the amenities have a superb view over the expansive and relaxing lawns, dotted with chairs,[…]
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The third-hardest part of a Daintree River dawn cruise is selecting one. The second-hardest part is rising well before dawn to get there. But the hardest part of all is getting off the boat when it ends over 2 hours later! Yes, it really is that good! Although now you’re thinking the pictures look a bit dull, right? Well …[…]
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You gotta love a town that puts its money where its mouth is! This sign, at the Barcoo River crossing into Isisford, Central Western Queensland, leaves visitors in no doubt as to the town’s allegiances. Regular readers will already know Isisford as not only the historic site where Isisfordia Duncanii was discovered, but also a massive embarassment for me – read about[…]
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Did a double-take while wandering down Mount Molloy’s main street after a burrito at the Mexican cantina! Maybe we’d had too much chili? Was that REALLY a dinosaur in the trailer?? The most logical explanation was, of course, that we’d somehow strayed into a parallel universe … But no, the dinosaur was apparently the centrepiece of the ‘Christmas in July’ street[…]
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