Yule Go Wild (2024)

14/04/2024

It's silly sock day! In memory of Steven, a life taken way too soon. Please don your silly socks and post, to show you care ❤️❤️

NSW Ambulance

17/04/2023

Recycling our old washing machine
We've upcycled our old rusty washing machine into a fire pit. The machine was over 15 years old and has done us proud, but its time cleaning our dirty clothes is over. We love recycling and giving things a new life and purpose, so we thought reinventing its use was a great way to save our growing waste problems. We hope you still enjoyed the content even though we mixed things up a little from our normal travel vlog.
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https://youtu.be/L6h2QlRwIKo

12/04/2023

We move further south and visit the Nindigulli Pub, where the Hugh Jackman movie Paperback Hero's was filmed. The pub was full of history and photos of the movie.

Heading south to Mungindi we noticed the floods along the road and we become very aware this trip is turning into a case of Deja vu. One of the things I wanted to do whilst we visited this area was the 2.5km Mungindi Sculpture Trail which starts at Barwon River Park. The quirky art is unique because it crosses the Queensland and New South Wales border in two spots. There are eleven sculptures to discover along the trail, and each has a story to tell.

Unfortunately we were unable to camp here as planned because the campsite was completely underwater, so we continued on our journey to Moree, but even this visit was short lived and we had to run from the floods again.

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https://youtu.be/7Lzcd2Bsh2E

09/04/2023

On our way to our next campsite, we stop off at Riversands wines in St George. The vineyard grows 25,000 vines on its 48 acre property. 34 acres are dedicated to producing table grapes for Coles, Woolworths and Aldi, and on a good day they can produce 24,000+ cartons. The remaining 12 acres is reserved for wine grapes and can produce 50-60 tonnes of wine grapes per annum. The grapes are taken from the property and processed at Ballandean Estate in Stanthorpe. They are best known for their vintage Ports, but they also produce some good sparkling and dry wines.
During covid the company struggled immensely, normally they rely on backpackers to hand pick the grapes, but because of lockdowns and travel restrictions they suffered with staff shortage and they had to leave the grapes to die. Normally it takes 40 staff, and 6-8 weeks to hand pick the grapes.

The wine and port was good so we bought 2 wines and a bottle of port which lived up to its name. We enjoyed one bottle with our roast lamb cooked in the Ziggy.
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05/04/2023

As we drove on to Cunnamulla we noticed that a lot off the places in town had closed or shut down completely, COVID has really destroyed these outback places. Without these key businesses the whole towns are crumbling and becoming deserted. There are lots of empty houses left in disrepair, and sadly I'm not sure how these places can survive and come back on top.
The sky on the way through was building up and by 3pm it was really menacing and from the distance a thunder storm could be heard rolling in.
Warrego river tourist park in Cunnamulla is a fantastic spot to camp. You can camp right on the river bank, but as the camp was a little damp already and the river was very high we opted to camp set back from the waters edge. The camp wardens word or warning as we left the office, "only camp on the gravel, if you park on the grass you will sink and no one will be able to pull you out". We knew we were in for another deluge of rain, so we took their advice.
Despite being a little bit back from the waters edge the flies were still relentless and our bodies literally were covered, luckily we had fly net hats.
The campsite however was beautiful, probably the prettiest so far, with scented rose bushes and trees around the camp. Bathrooms were rustic and clean and tidy. Showers were amazing, definitely the best, plenty of hot water and lots of space to get dressed and take a shower. They even had a little herb garden you could pick and take back to add a little extra flavour to your dinner.
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26/03/2023

The Charleville Bush Caravan Park was fantastic. Spotlessly clean, beautiful scenery and you could camp anywhere, which is great for us because then we can position our camper based on the sun rising and setting to optimise the best solar. There were Lots of wonderful wildlife, roos, apostle birds and lizards. And the sunsets and cloud formations were amazing. The Camp warden was very friendly and had campfire evenings every night. They even served damper.
The bilby centre was very informative, but the little marsupials were a little tricky to photograph.

15/03/2023

Tambo Caravan park campsite was clean and bays were good sized. Bathrooms were the poshest we've seen on this trip. They were new and always kept meticulously clean and tidy. They even supplied cloth shower mats and the use of free washing machines.
We walked into Tambo town and took in the local sites. Teddies, local museums and the Qantas crash site. Yes there is an unrecorded crash from Qantas, it was a mail plane with two passengers that all sadly died. It appears the pilot didn't really know the area and landed in the sports field rather than the runway.
The Rodeo was on so we stayed an extra night, just so we could watch, though I am not sure who is more mad, the guys riding the bulls or the two guys on foot distracting the bull whilst the rider runs for safety.
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https://youtu.be/Q0owgV6eWPQ

12/03/2023

Tambo a population of only 400 and the oldest town in the Central West, so there are lots historical buildings in town. The historical Courthouse was built in 1888, and is the oldest buildings in town and now it serves the local community as the library since 1991.
The original Tambo Post Office was built in 1876, its a heritage-listed building and now museum and houses the post and telegraph artefacts. The original building was too small so a second post office was built in 1885, and served the town until it too was surplus to requirements and the current Post Office was built in 1904, opposite the two original buildings.
Grassland Art Gallery is a public exhibition space opened in 2009, showcasing local and regional artworks. The exhibition rotates every 6-8 weeks.
And also we mustn't forget the famous Tambo Teddy shop, started in 1992 by some locals, when the wool prices crashed and the area was in a drought. Though for a toy they are mighty expensive, sorry Henry and Ruby Nanny doesn't love you enough to buy you one of these.
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09/03/2023

We move further south and head to Blackall to check out the famous Black stump.
In 1887 a group of surveyors arrived in Blackall and established an Astro Station (a fixed position) to conduct survey readings of the area. Back in the day stumps and other suitable stable platforms were used to give stability to the heavy theodolites.
The marker was used to take fixed positions of principal towns for mapping purposes of Queensland on a more accurate basis. Unfortunately the original Black Stump was destroyed in a fire, some time ago and a petrified wood memorial stump was erected in 1988 to commemorate the bi-centennial of Australia. Since then a second stump was commissioned in 2018 by Phillip Perides and put in the original place, this one is made of metal and made to look more like the original.
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07/03/2023

The Tree of knowledge, a heritage-listed tree in Barcaldine where in 1888 the Shearer's union would meet under the tree where they plotted to go on strike in 1891. Sadly in 2006 the 200 year old ghost gum was sadly poisoned, as a possible political stunt. The ALP offered a reward of A$10,000. The tree was removed from its original location and the remains were designed by architects and this current location was officially opened on 2 May 2009 at a cost of $5million. Now that's an expensive dead tree! A bit further up the street is a statue of a shearer, pledging allegiance to the Southern Cross, designed by Mylinda Rogers.
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05/03/2023

We head to Longreach and visit the Qantas museum, it's well worth the visit, the tours were excellent. It was full of information, history and you got to climb all around the planes, there didn't seem anything off limits. Definitely worth the money, we spent a whole day here.
The next day we visited the Stockman hall of fame, all the way through the show was humour and information about being a stockman, but the best bit for me was when the cattle dogs came out to muster the sheep. Especially Ding, who looked a spit image of our old golden Labrador dog Summer. It's amazing the time and effort Lauchie put in to train all these animals, there can't be many cows willing to stand there whilst someone rides them and plays a guitar and sings.
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https://youtu.be/7KRc-83SAts

$The Lynn Cameron Machinery Mile is a site to see in Ilfracombe QLD. All these old machines were donated to the area incl...$

01/03/2023

The Lynn Cameron Machinery Mile is a site to see in Ilfracombe QLD. All these old machines were donated to the area including a 1917 Ruston Proctor Tractor, apparently there are only two more of this model left in the world.
A short stroll further up the precinct you can see The Jackson Collections, Hiltons bottle collection that contains 30,000 bottles and Ike's collection of guns and war memorabilia, along with the Folk museum of life back in the day.
But you can't visit there without a quick stop at the Wellshot Hotel, they recently won the Best Grey Nomad Pub Stay award. You can understand why, they were supper friendly.
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27/02/2023

Winton Wonderers campsite is a fantastic quirky campsite with a Mini Moke and small caravan above the entrance gate. The pitches were drive through style, so easy to park up, with ample space to spread out. Between each bay are well established plant boxes and old cars so there was plenty of privacy between camp spots. At the end of each bay there's solar lighting so no need to carry a touch for the toilet at night.

Bathrooms were mixed, so his and hers together, although they did have men's and ladies allocated toilets they were all housed in the same building! A controversial subject I know, but it actually worked. It was a bit strange to start with, after sharing a bathroom for 36 years with 1 man, now I'm sharing one with multiple men that I don't even know their names. 😁 But people respected boundaries, every one chatted and made small talk and we thought it normal by the end of our stay. What was a nice touch was the radio playing music, after all, nobody needs to hear what we are all doing.

The washing machines were excellent, but when they go into full spin it did shake the cabin which was a little surprise when sitting on the toilet.

The campsite managers were very friendly and helpful and they kept the campsite meticulously clean. In all it was a great place to stay and we would definitely recommend this campsite and stay here again.
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25/02/2023

Winton Home of the Age of Dinosaur
Welcome back to Yule go wild, in this episode we head to Winton, and check out the many dinosaurs found out that way, we visit the Waltzing Matilda Centre, Grotjahn's wall and have a jam session on the musical fence. But not before visiting the iconic Walkabout Creek Hotel based on the Crocodile Dundee movie.
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https://youtu.be/il6NGN4wQCU

24/02/2023

Chinaman Creek Dam is apparently great for fishing, you will find Barramundi, Sooty Grunter, Spangled Perch, Banded Brunter, Sleepy Cod Striped Sleepy Cod, Triangular Shield Catfish and Redclaw crayfish. Sadly we didn't catch anything other than tiddlers.

There were parts of the dam closed off when we visited due to upgrades and filming. We are not sure what was being filmed this time, but back in 2021 Australian Survivor was filmed at the dam.
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22/02/2023

It didn't take long to get to Cloncurry as the roads were all tarmac. We checked into oasis van park, its a nice campsite with friendly staff. But the area designated for off grid camping is right next to the road and it's noisy especially at night so bring your ear plugs if your visiting.
After setting up we head straight to the pool to cool off, and cool off we did, it was bloody freezing, I had to get out because my hands had gone numb. One bonus of this campsite is, it is close to town, so you can easily walk.
Across the road was Gidgee Inn motel and we had a wonderful dinner and cheeky glass of wine. It was nice to dress up, splash out and eat out for a change.
We visited the Mary Kathleen memorial park which was good, it features historic mining, rail and farm equipment including a unique 1941 Ford V8 Rail Ambulance. The Cloncurry un-earthed museum, was free for residents but visitors had to pay $15, which to us was a little prejudice. It didn't seem that big or that great for the cost either. Though it would have been good to see Burke's water bottle.
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19/02/2023

Uranium was first discovered by Clem Walton and Norm McConachy in 1954, it was named after Norm's late wife Mary Kathleen. In 1955 British company Rio Tinto Mining formed Mary Kathleen Uranium Ltd and developed the mine and service town 6km away at a cost of A $24 million. 3,460 tonnes of uranium by the open-cut method was extracted and processed on site. By 1963 they finished ahead of schedule, and the mine was closed down and laid idle.
With the push for nuclear power a second life began in 1974 and a further 4,802 tonnes of uranium oxide was removed. A total of 31 million tonnes of ore was extracted and closed for good in 1982. The mine was 250 metres deep, four kilometres wide at the top, and 100 metres wide at the bottom.
Mary Kathleen became the site of Australia's first major rehabilitation project of an uranium mine, completed at the end of 1985 at a cost of A$19 million it was considered a success. In 1986, won an award from the Institution of Engineers Australia for environmental excellence and considered suitable for grazing. However, since rehabilitation, it has been found that the tailings repository at the Mary Kathleen site has been subject to seepage of radioactive waste causing widespread death of native vegetation.
There were approximately 1000 people living at the new township. At that time it comprised of Catholic church, schools, shopping centre, tennis courts, swimming pools, post office, cinema, sports ovals, banks and even a temporary hospital. The township expanded to approximately 1200 people before it was all closed down. It is sad when you look back at the old photos of the bustling thriving town and now look at what it has now become, just concrete slabs and memories of the past.
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18/02/2023

We packed up quite early and headed off to Mount Isa. The road was rough, and we passed lots of road cattle trains and then as by magic the road changed to tarmac.
We arrived in Mount Isa, a mining town and as soon as we set up we headed to town to look around.
According to the information booklet there were lots of things to do... We soon realised that all the activities are in the information centre; rodeo hall of fame, history of town, rock museum, hard luck mine and a gallery. It's amazing what you can fit in a small building 😉.
We desperately needed shopping but because it was Sunday all the supermarkets were closed and the only shops open were BCF, Bunnings and Harvey Norman, so Andy had a look around for a new phone.
There are some beautiful sites in Mount Isa, if you drive up Telstra hill you get an amazing view of the town and mines. We were quite surprised that the mine is right in the middle of the town a real focal point and not hidden like most.
At the campsite we did some much needed editing and watched the ducks and birds swimming in the creek. Then we noticed a small crock on a fallen tree in the same place we saw a turtle previously. He was a little camera shy and slipped back into the water, but kept close by to the tree. A few minutes later the turtle returned to its resting place on the tree. The crock perturbed by this, turned and moved closer to the tree. Refusing to move, the turtle edged further up the tree to make sure it's feet were firmly out of reach... The crock continued to inch closer until it's nose was on the tree. We awaited patiently for the almighty snap but nothing happened. After a few minutes nervously waiting the Mexican standoff, the turtle hopped back into the water and the croc returned to its rightful spot on the branch. Got to love nature.
The campsite Sunset Tourist park was nice, a bit expensive at $40 for un-powered, but clean and the staff were friendly. Unfortunately during the night it was very noisy, not within the campsite itself but in the surrounding area with dogs in the neighbourhood barking, motor bikes hooning and the cars trucks along the road, though it didn't stop me falling asleep. In the morning I woke to an amazing sunrise, and sadly the noise of the heavy machinery from across the creek.
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17/02/2023

After a quick rub behind the ears we said goodbye to the pigs before heading off to Lawn Hill.
The next day we visit Lawn hill Gorge with spectacular picture perfect scenery, we turn our Truekit floor into a paddle board and attempt to paddle along the river. Although it wasn't the most stable vessel with both of us on it at once, it did do a fantastic job. After a brief swim to cool off, we headed to the campsite.
We couldn't camp at Lawn hill but instead found an even better campsite 20 minutes up the road at Miyumba Bush Campsite. You have to be totally self sufficient as there isn't any hot water or toilets but that isn't a problem for us, but the sunsets were magnificent and your totally alone in the wilderness, which is what we love the most. The sky was so clear, I laid in bed and watched the stars float by, it was nearly as good as our visit to Coonabarabran.
Our visit to Mary Kathleen mine was an absolute eye opener to how something so beautiful can be destroyed by mining and greed.
It is so sad how a thriving town of 34 years can be turned into just concrete slabs and memories of the past. The only real residence of the town now are the cows, hope they can read the signs not to drink the water!
https://youtu.be/5VkQwvGaBco

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15/02/2023

We had planned to stay in Burketown, but we changed our minds and camped at Tirranna Springs Roadhouse in Gregory instead.
The owners were extremely friendly with farmyard animals. I was in pig heaven. At 6pm the owner comes out and lets you help her feed the animals, which was an absolute delight for me, I so want a farm. The pigs are great, they look ruff and ready on the outside with their tusks, wiry hair all covered in mud, but really their sociable and friendly. They loved a little rub behind the ears and an oinky chat especially if you tossed the odd scrap thrown over the fence. The calf was fabulous too, she was bottle fed after being rejected at birth and now at 6 months was weaning. She was really sociable and licked you too death with her rough curly tongue. Her big brown eyes pleading for a bottle. At that age they're like a cross between a toddler and big lanky puppy. Then there's the countless different birds, turkeys which in my opinion look more like aliens, chickens, ducks, quails, geese, and guinea fowl. And not to leave them last for any particular reason, the ponies. They wander around the camp and choose when they want a pat. Any rustle of food and they appear for attention, the horses pushing the brave little ponies forward to get a treat. As soon as the carrot appeared, they all became your best friends. As soon as food was off the cards then they were back to rolling in the dust and sitting in the shade. The Roadhouse had a small shop, and a kitchen that prepared food.
On site the camp kitchen was well stocked with 2 ovens, BBQs and kitchen equipment. The bathrooms were clean and showers with good hot water pressure. What was unexpected was the free laundry facilities and all for $22 per night.
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13/02/2023

Karumba, the official start to the Matilda way track!
We finally make it to Karumba the start of the Matilda Track, well if your heading south from Cape York that is. We stopped off at the Les Wilson Barramundi Discovery centre the only hatchery in the world to breed the Southern Gulf Strain of the iconic fish. After visiting the centre we try our luck at fishing at the slip way and hut, and according to the lady at the Karumba campsite, this was the spot. She wasn't wrong, we both managed to catch fish, seven in fact, however they were catfish, technically one was a Mulloway but it was too small. But a catch is catch and I'm claiming it!
Karumba is beautiful, the sunsets are amazing and probably the best we've seen on this Queensland trip, but the morning Glory is fantastic too. No its not what your thinking, Morning Glory is an unexplainable cloud formation that moves across the sky at speeds of up to 40km per hour in a north-easterly direction. It looks like a massive spinning roll of cotton wool that stretches from one horizon to the other. Not that I'm an expert on cloud formations, but we did have a great display. If it was the famous morning glory, I have no idea, but it was good. The Morning Glory is believed to occur when a humid easterly front from the Coral Sea and a warm westerly front from the Gulf collide between the months of September and November and Karumba is famous for this spectacular phenomenon.
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10/02/2023

Karumba point holiday and tourist park by far the best facilitates on this trip!
Wearily, we arrived at the campsite after a 7 hour journey. The camp manager showed us to our site and pointed out the facilities, it was late but he was still happy to chat.
The campsite was nice, very quiet, with amazing level sites with concrete slabs. All the plots were large with shrubs between for privacy. It was the best nights sleep in ages, not sure if its the dark sky, silence or the fact that Andy didn't roll into me because the camper trailer was level for once. The Swimming pool, was nice and clean and a delight to cool off from the heat of the day. The Bathrooms were nice and clean, and they even had fake flowers in the ladies, which was a nice touch.
But the camp kitchens are by far the best I've ever experienced so far in Australia. There are two smaller kitchens, and when I say small they are still a great size, meticulously clean and well stocked. But there is also a huge kitchen area, with tv and what looks like a bar with lots of BBQ's.
After we setup we had a quick swim before heading out for Dinner at the Sunset pub. It's renowned for its amazing sunset over the water and it didn't disappoint, probably the best sunset so far along the Queensland trip. The pub was very busy, but most of the patron's only stayed until the sunset and then they left.
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