Wednesday 6 September - Charleville - evening

We had again booked our meal at the park.  Tonight was country style chicken with rice and dessert.  We had been assured that they would be able to feed us in time for us to leave for our final tour of the day and we did just make it although we had to take our sticky date pudding back to the van for after our observatory visit.  Back to the Cosmos Observatory for a study of the night sky.   The guide pointed out different constellations with a laser pointer and we also looked through the telescope at Alpha Centauri - binary star, Albireo - double star and Jewel Box - a cluster of 150 - 200 stars.  Next was the planet Saturn and its rings made of ice and rock.  We finished the night taking a closeup look at the full moon.  You could see the surface craters caused by meteorite impacts.  Ian asked our guide if he could line the telescope up to look at the Sea of Tranquillity where man landed on the moon, which he did.  So our group were the only ones that got this added bonus.  Well worth the visit.  Back to the van after a full on day.

Wednesday 6 September - Charleville - afternoon

After lunch we went to the Cosmos Centre for the solar presentation.   The guide gave us a brief introduction and facts about the sun.  It is 150 million kms from Earth.  To rotate once the sun spins at different speeds, 25 days at the equator and 35 days at the poles.  We then were handed glasses to allow us to look directly at the sun before we all had turns of looking through a specific telescope made for looking at the sun.  We were able to see the surface of the sun which looks similar to orange peel and to see some solar flares coming out the sides of it.  The guide then attached something to the telescope to allow photos to be taken on our phones.  There were 8 people, including us.  Back in the car we headed for Vortex Rainmaking Gun.  Designed and used to downscale hailstorms over vineyards in Italy, a meteorologist thought these guns could also be used to create rain.  Charleville was in the grip of drought so an experiment was carried out in 1902.  Six, 18ft conical candle snuffer shaped guns were placed at various locations around the town.  The guns were filled with gunpowder and blasted into the sky to hopefully change the atmospheric pressure and trick the sky into raining.  Of course this didn't happen.  Next port of call  the Bilby Experience.  The Greater Bilby is an endangered species with as few as 400 to 600 remaining in the wild.  We had a PowerPoint presentation on the Bilby and how the save the Bilby foundation was established before we went in to watch 3 Bilbys in a replica of their natural environment.  The guide tipped out some live bugs and the Bilbys ran around the enclosure sniffing out the bugs to eat.  They were larger than I expected.  I expected them to be rat size but they were more rabbit size.

 
 

Wednesday 6 September - Charleville - morning

Breaker, breaker, ten four big buddy we've got ourselves a convoy.  First tour this morning was the WWII Convoy Tour.  We meet at the information centre, the guide, us, another couple and a man by himself.  We all went around in our own cars, following the guide, stopping at the points of interest.  The American soldiers arrived in 1942 and commandeered the airport and set up a top secret base.  Covering an area of 25 sq km they constructed 101 buildings and stationed up to 3500 USAAF personnel at the base.   There were also 160 aircraft camouflaged by the Mulga tree scrub.  Australian citizens employed to work on the base had to sign oaths pledging never to reveal it's existence.  The base still has the classification of top secret and Charleville cannot obtain any information or photos about it from the Americans.  Most of the structures were dismantled soon after the servicemen left in 1942.  A hanger remains which is used by the flying doctor.  There are some concrete slabs left of a mess hut.  A couple of bitumen wholes which were filled with water that the servicemen had to go through weekly to delouse themselves.  A concrete bunker still remains which housed the Norden Bomb Sight.  This was the first mechanical device for accurate bombing.  It was placed in the aircraft for each flight and when the plane returned it was removed and stored back in the concrete bunker which was guarded all the time.  The serviceman operating it had to make sure it was destroyed if the plane was hit and going to crash.  The other crew on the plane knew nothing about it.  This piece of equipment is why the base received the top secret classification and Charleville were eventually able to purchase one to display off ebay!  
 

Tuesday 5 September - Charleville

After a peaceful night we are off again.  About 100 km later we are setting up at our farm stay caravan park.  A little bit dearer than last night at $33 and a bit closer to your neighbour.  After lunch we drove the 10km into Charleville and visited the information centre and booked some tours for tomorrow.  Headed back to the town centre and had a meander around the town itself.  Much larger than we have been in since Mount Isa (the amount of shops not necessarily population wise).  Grabbed a few items at the supermarket and back to the park.  They have their own bar here and as a consequence happy hour goes for 2 hours and they supply damper.  We didn't go to happy hour but went over for the roast pork rolls with sweet potato mash and dessert.  There was a country and western singer to entertain us during the meal.  Although it had been mid 20's throughout the day the evening had cooled right down and I had to wear a cardigan.  Also had to resort to the winter pj's!  A real shock to the system.

Monday 4 September - Augathella

Uneventful drive to Augathella where we set up at the free camp costing $5 per night with an honesty box system.  There are toilets but no showers, water or power.  Walked up and down the main street stopping at the butchers, then supermarket for bread and we then passed the hairdresser who comes from Charleville on Mondays and Tuesdays and Ian was able to be squeezed in for a cut.  There are 2 murals to be seen painted on different buildings, wrought iron sculptures of a horse, dancing brolga's and the giant meat ant which is over a million times the size of an actual ant.   The local footy team is known as the mighty Augathella meat ants and the town is nicknamed meat ant country.  The Q150 shed is used as the community function and entertainment centre.  The shed is able to seat 300 and is built with 35 tonnes of steel.  It was originally built as a mobile shed that toured many country towns providing free entertainment for the 150th anniversary, in 2009, of the separation of the colony of Queensland from the colony of New South Wales before it became a state in 1901.  It was transported around the State by two semi trailers and took two days to erect.  There is also a gallery and cinema where you can watch a 20 minute documentary on the characters and history of the region.  You can also look at paintings and 150 heritage photos.  That about covers Augathella.  As we are only staying the one night we have elected to park in the shade of a tree to try and keep the van cooler.  As I am typing this it is 2pm and 27.5 degrees inside the van.  Hopefully our battery will last the day and night with no power going back in via the solar panels due to the shade.  Oh well we have torches if left in the dark!
 
 

Saturday 2 September - Sunday 3 September - Tambo

Once again made the mistake of moving on the weekend.  Luckily we stopped and grabbed some bread at Blackall on our way through as once we arrived at Tambo everything was closed.  Caught up on the washing again.  Makes it easy when you can wash and dry the sheets and have the bed remade by morning tea.  Ian washed the car and van as water is no problem.  On the Sunday we had some white whispy things up in the sky.  Haven't seen them for quite awhile.  Chatted or just lazed around, although the view nowhere near as good as Lara Wetlands and Lake Dunn.  Still warm to hot.  Go to bed with only the sheet but have to pull the doona up during the night.

Thursday 31 August - Friday 1 September - Lara Wetlands

Apart from Ian getting up Thursday morning to sit in the hot springs to watch the sunrise we lazed around and enjoyed chatting to the people coming and going or sitting in the hot springs.  There was a bbq around the camp kitchen on the Friday night.  A fellow traveller played the guitar and sang.  She wasn't bad.  She had entered the Tamworth new talent competition in 2006, 2007 or 2009 (we can't remember which one) and got in the final 10.    There was also a guy that did balancing tricks and a few people got up and told jokes.   Not a bad evening.