Enjoying country hospitality in Outback Queensland

Springsure, QLD (en route from Lake Nuga Nuga to Sapphire)

Saturday 4th June

Sapphire, Queensland Gemfields

Saturday 4th June - Tuesday 7th June

Wellshot Hotel, Illfracombe, QLD (near Longreach)

Tuesday 7th June - Thursday 9th June

Three different towns, many kilometres apart, but the thing they all had in common was the friendly, welcoming, helpful and just downright nice people we met at each one. The people certainly helped make each place memorable.

Minerva Hills National Park, Springsure, QLD - We stopped off at Springsure to check out Virgin Rock - you are meant to be able to see an outline of the Virgin Mary in the rock below. We could only vaguely make it out, but it was still a picturesque place. We popped into the Visitor Information and the lady working there was so friendly and really made us feel welcome in her hometown. After stocking up on homemade jam and chutney (gotta love a Visitor Info centre that sells things made by locals) we did a few short walks at the nearby Minerva Hills National Park before heading towards Sapphire.

Virgin Rock (can you make out the Virgin Mary in the rock? Apparently she used to be holding baby Jesus but he has eroded away over time)

Walking in Minerva Hills NP

Trying to spot our caravan which was parked at the Visitor Centre.

Such great views.

Sapphire, Queensland Gemfields

Darryl and Victoria at the Sapphire Caravan Park couldn't have been more accommodating. They managed to squeeze us in the overflow section, even though they were fully booked, then they did everything they could to make sure the kids had a great fossicking/specking experience (they even gifted each child with a precious stone). We stayed for 3 nights so Daniel could work on the caravan (checking the wheel bearings), and the kids spent most of the time utilising the fossicking area at the caravan park - checking through the buckets of rock and dirt Daniel collected. They found some great little sapphires, which Emilia made into a necklace and Jackson stored in a little glass vial.

We got our fill of pineapple at Sapphire. We went to the local market on Sunday morning and one of the stall holders was trying to get rid of his pineapples before they went bad. He loaded us up with 8 for only $5, so we ate loads of pineapple over the next few days. It turns out possums also like pineapple! We left a few pineapples out on the bench outside the caravan whilst we had dinner in the camp kitchen, when we returned there was chewed pineapple everywhere!

A highlight for the kids was the arrival of another lovely family who had a 9 and 12 year old. The kids had an awesome time fossicking together during the day then running amok through the caravan park at night.

Searching the creek bed- looking for the sparkle that meant you'd found a gem.

Checking the wheel bearings - dirty, greasy work!

The fossicking area at the caravan park - Jackson started at 7am one morning!

They did lorikeet feeding every afternoon

The pineapple a possum indulged in whilst we were out!

Emilia was a bit more confident at the second feeding we went to and she let the lorikeet perch on her arm.

Daniel enjoying two birds!

Tree Of Knowledge- Balcadine, QLD

On our way towards Longreach we stopped off at Balcadine to see the UNESCO listed 'Tree of Knowledge'. It was under this tree that local shearers planned the 1891 Shearer's Strike, which was the first fight for workers' rights in Australia. The strike was the beginning of the labour movement, which then became the current Australian Labor Party. The tree was poisoned in 2006 (Liberal radical maybe???) so they made a spectacular memorial using what was left of the tree. The place sparked a good conversation with the kids, especially as we've just been through an election and Labor is now in power. It was interesting to see where, how and why the party came about.

A sculpture representing one of the striking shearers, made with bits of metal and machinery found at local stations. It was a very impressive piece of art.

Wellshot Hotel, Ilfracombe, QLD

https://wellshothotel.com.au/

Wellshot Hotel is a quintessential outback pub. It's been at Ilfracombe since 1890 and has amassed a whole load of character since then. They let you camp out the back and we were lucky enough to get a spot right next to the beer garden. The place has such a chllled out vibe and everyone was so welcoming that we felt at home right away. The kids were super happy as there were 2 other kids and they became instant friends. The kids, Ruby and Chase, are staying at the pub with their parents, Kelly- who is the resident musician at the Wellshot, and Clayton - who does building and maintenance, for a few months. We explored the town that afternoon and bathed in the local artesian pool, before we had dinner at the pub whilst we listened to Kelly sing. It was the first game of the State of Origin on our 2nd night at Wellshot (not planned but just great timing by us!), and the pub as making a night of it, thanks also to the local council. There was QLD supporter gear for the kids, live music, a roaring fire and best of all - free burgers & chips for everyone for dinner! We met some great people and we all enjoyed a bit of banter whilst watching the game. If you ever come up this way, we definitely recommend stopping off at the Wellshot Hotel.

Jackson and Chase playing with the resident goats.

Everyone also enjoyed the company of Willow, who spent hours catching frisbee (and then stealing it once we tried to put it away).

GO QLD!

When in Rome.....

 Telling a few yarns by the fire with the others who'd camped at the pub.

We were treated to lovely sunsets each evening.

The fire was very necessary as the nights were extremely cold.

The amusing bar stools in the pub- you can also see Kelly singing in the background.

Emilia wouldn't sit in the g-string chair, so I ended up with the wide bum (although she was a horse's arse on the other seat, so I guess that's fair!)

It's always hard to say goodbye when you've had so much fun.

QANTAS Museum and the Stockman's Hall of Fame, Longreach, QLD

Whilst staying at the Wellshot Hotel we did day trips into Longreach (only 15min away) to go to the QANTAS museum and the Stockman's Hall of Fame. They were both impressive places and we learnt a lot about many important events and times in Australian history. We spent over 3 hours at both places, so we were quite 'museumed out' by the end!

Both places were well worth visiting and they had many interesting and interactive experiences for the kids too.

Flying an old plane- you had to use the throttle, joystick and rudder. We all crashed a few times!

One of the early QANTAS planes - this one seated 6 people and even had a toilet!

Stockman's Hall of Fame

We all got self directed audio guides, the kid's ones had a treasure hunt which they loved.

Emilia was extremely interested in the Royal Flying Doctor's display, and she listened to many of the stories.

Getting the kelpies to jump!