Queensland Road Trip - Brisbane to Proserpine via the Great Inland Way - Jul/Aug 2019
Click on the photos to view better in a larger size.
With family living up north, we have travelled the Bruce Highway many, many, many, many times. This time we decided to follow a different path, which turned our journey into a more exciting venture. We headed off before daylight to climb the Great Dividing Range and capture the sunrise from Picnic Point at Toowoomba. The morning, mountain air chilled us to the bone, but with the coming of the sun, the scene lighting up below was worth every shiver.
After a warming cup of coffee we continued west past all those gloriously named little towns like Wallumbilla and Warra, Brigalow and Boonarga, Drillham and Dulacca, until we reached Roma and rested for a while. Roma is home to the southern hemisphere's largest sale yards and big mob of bottle trees. We were happy to linger under the shade of its largest one before continuing on. |
We turned north on the Carnarvon Highway towards Injune, enjoying the wide, brown landscape. Cattle along the road were the only traffic jams we encountered.
We were delighted with our choice of stop for the night. We arrived at Injune in August in the early afternoon. (Local folklore claims that the explorer, Ludwig Leichhardt, carved "Leichhardt in June" on a Bon tree near the junction of the Injune and Horse Creeks and this is how the town got its name.) Injune is a small country town full of character, history and lovely landscapes. Many of the old buildings have been preserved around the small, neat town and the local information centre provided an informative map. After spending the afternoon exploring we enjoyed a couple of cold beers and a delicious steak at the local pub, then slept like babies.
After a good night's sleep we headed north through more spectacular countryside. Passing by the Carnarvon Gorge turn off we were sorely tempted to drive the short distance in and stay a few nights, but our loyalty to our friend, Helen, won out. We have promised to go there with her some time soon and she would have been devastated to hear we went without her. So, with our friendship preserved, we continued on and took the most delightful break at Rolleston. Rolleston lies on the Comet River at the junction of the Carnarvon, Gregory and Dawson highways.
With a population of just over 100, many travellers stop for a break at the Beazley Park Rest Area in the centre of town. The park has been beautified with gardens, some historical buildings, and locals run a Coffee Cart in the Park which provides refreshments to travellers. We enjoyed a coffee at one of the many outdoor tables.
Moving on, we headed north to Springsure with a quick stop at the Staircase Range Lookout. The Staircase Range is named after a sandstone escarpment that has naturally formed in the shape of a staircase. After Springsure, our next stop was Emerald, at the intersection of the Capricorn Highway and the Gregory Highway section of the Great Inland Way.
Although the famous Sapphire Gemfields are situated close by, Emerald was named after the lush green pastures on ‘Emerald Downs’, a property settled by early pioneers just north of town. It is a large, friendly country town that was established in 1879 as a base for the building of the western railway. After looking around the town and stretching our legs, we continued on to Clermont for an overnight stop.
Clermont was the first inland settlement in the tropics, making it a frontier town in the truest sense of the word. Something of that frontier atmosphere can still be found here in the broad streets that once accommodated big bullock drays, and old pubs with cold beer and huge tender steak meals.. Its history is wrapped in gold-rushes, copper mines, timber getters, shearers, stock men and squatters.
|
Clermont was the perfect overnight stop. The next day we drove onto Proserpine via the Peak Downs Highway, with a short side rip into Moranbah for breakfast. One of the youngest towns in Queensland, Moranbah was created for miners and their families. After passing through countryside scarred with huge mines, the road then continued on through more scenic countryside, joining the Bruce Highway just north of Mackay.
Once in Proserpine it was time to bunker in for a few weeks, catching up with family and getting mum's house in shape ready for sale. That consisted of much painting, gardening, cleaning up and cleaning out of furniture and belongings. We were then ready for a break in Townsville, where we caught up with more family and old friends.
Once in Proserpine it was time to bunker in for a few weeks, catching up with family and getting mum's house in shape ready for sale. That consisted of much painting, gardening, cleaning up and cleaning out of furniture and belongings. We were then ready for a break in Townsville, where we caught up with more family and old friends.