A Tale of Ten Cities

the vast, blue sky

We have made it to the Northern Territory. It’s a first for 3 of us. We love the colours – these incredible blue skies, the vivid oranges and reds and the bush greens – thanks to some fairly recent rains.

From Cloncurry to Alice Springs is about 1200kms and our biggest drive was Cloncurry to Barkly Homestead. We were scrambling over ourselves to get out of the car to take pictures at the border. Any excuse would have done!

Out of the car...playing after a long day

We camped at Barkly Homestead, the only rest stop before you turn left at Three Ways. We ran about, swam, learned to tie knots, checked out the plane Matt used to fly and climbed trees – all in about 1 hour before ordering tea at the roadhouse.

I think I lost him...?

And on to Alice….

We’ve come along way since the security guard at the Art Gallery of NSW chased axo1000 & I out of the Chinese Pottery Army Men Exhibition. In fact this week, although attendance was compelled by their parents, axo1000 & BloggiE were spotted voluntarily looking at museum exhibits that didn’t even have computer screens attached!

And I for one learned so much social and political Australian history at 4 fabulous outback museums.

Barcaldine was the setting for the 1891 shearers strike against the pastoralists under the Eureka Flag – a significant step in the Australian Labour Movement (and birth of the Australian Labor Party). The Tree of Knowledge under which this event took place was mysteriously poisoned (Round Up!) in 2006, but undeterred, the city erected not only a monument to this event, but a fab museum.

Monument to Tree of Knowledge - trunk of the original tree, topped by an artists impression of the canopy.

It gives you an insight into work in the early 1900’s in Australia and has mock ups of a post office, school, parliament, train station and more. We followed a trail of clues for kids and all learned loads. A top excursion spot Gordon West!

Even transported back 100 years, our kids still behaved the same way in class!

Our new family rules - hope they work better than the current ones!

Off to Longreach, where we discovered a bike track from our campsite to the QANTAS Founder’s Museum. Love that. We checked out the original hangar, where they actually made their own planes on site. We also enjoyed investigating the old planes and taking a tour of the 747 200 with a guide who explained much more about it than we could ever have known.

Here it is - the 747 200. (Love that T-Shirt - thanks Abby!!)

Don't know what's more frightening - in the Jet Engine...

...or at the controls!

Also at Longreach was the Stockman’s Hall of Fame – details of life on stations, farms and the pressure on essential services in the outback. Happily there were “screens” where we watched information on plagues of rabbits, rodeo competitions, mustering cattle and flying doctors. Speaking of which… we decided that we would detour from our plan and visit Cloncurry, home of the Flying Doctors.

Cloncurry has been hot. Shorts and T-shirts at breakfast hot. The museum here is “John Flynn Place” – a small affair that charts the course of the Flying Doctor and the Australian Inland Mission from their inception. We took a special interest in it due to a family connection. Spike’s grandfather was a Padre who played an instrumental role in both organisations.

Outside John Flynn Place

Spike & Fred

After all those museums, time for a bush walk!!

…when you’re competing with the birds for your breakfast – and they’re not Mynahs…

The bird regarded the girl and the girl regarded the bird...

…when you find yourself at a circus (of the cockatoo kind) watching 70 year old birds riding bicycles on a high wire!

"Tuppence" aged 73 approx.

and rather than pesky ibises - it's brolgas patrolling the campground!

…when the country pub – meeting place and watering hole – takes centre stage.

Barcaldine - population 1500 approx - 3 of the 5 pubs on the main road.

…when the road before you stretches on to the horizon – and few others pass you by…

on it goes..

..and your kids want bush hats to look the part – and wear them every day!

Streuth! Now that's a hat!

And here's a local.

You know you’re outback then.