A really long adventure

It is now 9 weeks since I left Ipswich and set out on my big adventure. I am finally getting organised to sort my travel/photography blog after friends put pressure on me. The initial trip to Mount Isa was done over four days with the first nights spent catching up with an old friend on Yuleba. This was followed by nights at Barcaldine and Winton so that I could take in some of the sights. I went to the Stockman's Hall of Fame (http://outbackheritage.com.au), The Matilda Centre (which sadly burnt down a few weeks later) (http://www.matildacentre.com.au) and age of dinosaurs (http://www.australianageofdinosaurs.com) to name a few. If you are heading out this way you really should make an effort to see these places. They are well worth the stop.

Made it to the outback

The landscape is just awe inspiring, after driving 1800 km of relatively flat country to then come through the ranges between Cloncurry and Mount Isa late in the afternoon, I was struck by jagged ranges of varying colours, stark against an azure sky.

Road from Cloncurry to Mount Isa

Granite and quartz outcrops dominate amongst the ochres and rusts of other rocks. Boulders stacked upon each other at impossible angles with trees grasping tenuously for a foothold, searching for water and the leached minerals. First sight of these ranges took my breath away as the light shifted and they revealed themselves to me through contrast and shadow – a photographers dream. I have travelled this road several times now and I continue to be awakened to the dry, raw beauty of such a land.

Road to Fountain Springs

The reds of the ant hills; the sage, gold and greys of the spinifex that whilst looking soft, bristle and grab at the skin as you wander along. The gums and acacias are beginning to flower and with them come the drone of native bees and the song of cicadas. I find myself dreaming of how it would it look when the rains finally return to this country. My weekends are full, taking the opportunity to explore this amazing land. Every river bed reveals its base, showing the rocks and sand, shouldered by the ghost and red river gums. The trees have shed the bark of last season, leaving behind the silver, greens, pinks and browns of trunks that appear to have been to nature’s beauty shop for a scrub and peel. Occasionally there is a remnant water hole where wildlife gathers in diverse profusion. The permanent water holes are there to be found by those with local knowledge.

Fountain Springs

If you follow the stock trails where cattle have wandered in single file, foot sore from walking on the hard ground, one comes across water, protected by rock walls. As you sit in contemplation, the art of the Kalkadoon appears, warriors guarding the space, goanna, emu and rock carvings telling the story of other dreamtime.

Leaving the Granites