Seeing Australia Through The Bottom Of A Pint Glass | Personal blog

Seeing Australia Through The Bottom Of A Pint Glass

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25.01.2022 Thanks for having us Mt Surprise!

25.01.2022 Wow. I can’t believe this. A Block of Great Northern cans is $63.99 in Karumba and Normanton. Compared to $52 in Perth. In the bar at the Sunset Tavern during happy hour a pint of Great Northern is $6.00. Fair enough. But normal price for a pint not happy hour is $7.50. Compared to $10 in Perth. That when the closest Dan Murphy’s is over 8 hours drive away. How the fck does that work. ... It’s cheaper to drink at the pub. The more you drink the more you save!!! I’ll save heaps over the next couple of weeks. See more

24.01.2022 ISOLATION DAY 13. One more to go, just one more. Another slow day as we look forward to tomorrow night at midnight when we are FREE. Just to rub salt into the wound we can see the cars and caravans driving past who have crossed the border today and are free to go wherever they want, I’m sure they’re laughing as they drive past. And then to make matters even worse, and I didn’t think they could, my highlight of the day, the All Blacks v Argentina game was a shocker. Well a... shocker if you wanted the AB’s to win. A great game played by Los Pumas to beat NZ for the first time ever. The cops came again today just to make sure. So now we wait, one more day, I checked today, there’s a taxi service in Kununurra, so we can get to and from the pub on Monday and have 1 or 10 drinks to celebrate our freedom. But only after we’ve been out to Lake Argyle for a bit of sightseeing. The plan is Argyle Monday and Wyndham Tuesday before heading south on Wednesday towards home. Looking forward to showing Julie McCullough some of the places I used to work, the nice spots of course like Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek. See more

24.01.2022 Gotta love country butchers. We always shop local whatever town we visit. It’s important as these small towns need the support. Obviously the local pub does better than anyone else but that’s life. Julie McCullough and I go into the butcher in Georgetown a couple of weeks back. A small town and a Small shop we weren’t sure it was even open. We walk in and the butcher is serving someone so we look at the board with all his meats on it but no prices. There’s no display fridg...e but he’s in and out of the cool room. We get served. Me. Can I have some scotch fillet steak please. Butcher. Sorry haven’t got any. Me. Ok I’ll have some Rib Eye please. Butcher. Sorry haven’t got any. I look at the board again. Me. Have you got any sirloin? Butcher. Sorry haven’t got any. Me. Ok what steak have you got? Butcher. I’ve got Rump. Me. Ok I’ll have some rump. Butcher. Good choice. He cuts a couple of nice looking slices off the piece of rump. Me. Can I have some Lamb loin chops please. Butcher. Sorry haven’t got any. Me. Do you have any lamb? Butcher. Yep got some shoulder chops. Me. Ok I’ll have some of them. Butcher. Good choice. But they’re frozen. We got the frozen lamb and made another good choice when we picked the frozen pork chops as well. And they were good choices cos the meat has been amazing. The deadpan face was what got me during the whole transaction. Not even a smile. See more

21.01.2022 After 12 months and around 42,000km we’re on the homeward run and get bloody car trouble. Started playing up yesterday but came good, but same problem today. So limped into Sandfire Roadhouse this arvo. It seems to be a problem with the transmission overheating in this hottttt weather towing a big heavy caravan. Will stay the night and hopefully it’ll be ok again tomorrow in the cool of the morning and we’ll head into Port Hedland where it’s booked in for repairs.

20.01.2022 Sadly we’ve moved on from Karumba or heaven on earth as I liked to call it. We had a great 2 weeks visiting the sights around the area. Nothing beats the famous Animal Bar at the Karumba hotel. Only 2 bars in the pub the Animal and the other is the Suave Bar. For trendy people like us. Obviously we drank in the Animal Bar. It got its name from the heady days of the 60’s and 70’s and Karumba revolves around the Prawn Trawlers that we’re based here. Hard men working and playin...g hard. Lots of fights and lots of fun. In Normanton is the Purple Pub. Another local icon. If only the walls could talk. But Karumba Point is the Jewel. What a spot. Fishing is great, sunsets amazing. Every night the sun would set over the horizon in a spectacular red sky show. Once the sun was gone dusk set in but then 30 minutes later the sky would again glow a magnificent red for another 30-40 minutes. 2 amazing sunsets every night. We love Karumba and will be back. See more

14.01.2022 Great sign above the bar.

13.01.2022 During our short stay in Georgetown we headed out to Cobbold Gorge. Only about 90km along a dirt road with cattle, kangaroos, wild Brumbies and the odd Emu to keep an eye out for. The Gorge was only discovered in 1993 by the owners of the cattle station it is part of. It’s also the youngest gorge in the country at ‘only’ 10 million years old. There’s two parts to the 3 hour tour, a walk around the top of Gorge culminating in a walk on the glass bridge across the Gorge, then a boat ride thru the Gorge which at times is only 2 metres wide. An awesome experience that we highly recommend.

13.01.2022 Happy hour around the fire at Georgetown caravan park. Always great when someone gets out the Guitar.

11.01.2022 ISOLATION DAY 12. I reckon the worst thing we did was get to go out yesterday. We had a taste of freedom and now it’s been taken away again. Today is a shit day for both of us. The fact we only have 3 days left to go doesn’t help either, nor does the knowledge that the borders open tonight and people can just drive in and out of the state while we’re still incarcerated. Over the past couple of days I’ve had a toothache that’s slowly getting worse so yesterday I called the ...dentist and was given an appointment for today. This morning I called the Covid Line to inform them of what I was planning (as the rules state I have to) only to be told that I wasn’t allowed to go until Monday and I should take Panadol for the pain until then. I made my displeasure known to the lady on the end of the phone very clearly. Once I called the dentist to explain what was going on he got cold feet and wouldn’t see me till Monday either. Even when I got a call back from the Covid Line saying they’d called the police and they had given me permission to visit the dentist. So now I’m just praying it doesn’t get any worse over the weekend. To boost our flagging spirits we decided to get some Chinese delivered for dinner. Others in iso in the park have done it, you order over the phone, they call when they’re arriving and you go and meet them at the front gate of the caravan park to collect. Not totally with in the rules of Covid but it works. So we worked out what we wanted, called it thru and was told the lady doing delivery doesn’t want to do anymore tonight so no delivery. So now we’ve gotta try and thaw something out for tea. Bloody Chinese. Anyway 2 more full days to go and they have to be better than today. So close and yet so far!! See more

11.01.2022 Our time at Mount Surprise ends tomorrow. After an enjoyable week in this tiny town of 169 people. Although the pub is only open from 12ish to 5ish most days on Thursdays and Fridays it’s open to 8ish and you can order dinner between 6-7. We had a rump steak each on Thursday night and that was a mistake, we should have shared 1 between us. They were huge and we both had to finish them for lunch the next day. At $29 each with salad, chips and garlic gravy they were a bargain.... Jan who owns the pub is a lovely lady who has taken a shine to Julie McCullough looks after us well. It’s a tough life for her alone in the pub and once a fortnight she has to do a 8 hour return trip to stock up on things from town. The main attraction in the area is the gem fields about an hour north at O’Briens Creek where people fossick for stones like Topaz, Smoky Quartz and Amethyst. Also the Lava Tubes are pretty amazing and well worth a visit. A friendly little town that we’ve enjoyed staying in. I much prefer these outback towns full of real people, compared to the coastal towns just there for the tourists and don’t really have a soul. By the end of the week we plan to be in Karumba at the bottom of the Gulf of Carpentaria to spend a bit of time fishing and some more relaxing. Someone has to do it. See more

10.01.2022 Spending a week or so in The Isa. Time to catch up on a few chores, getting the car serviced, replacing the awning on the van cos it ripped in some strong winds and a few other bits and bobs. Not a bad spot here, the caravan park is across the road from a good pub with cheap drinks and great meals. The weather is awesome, not a cloud in the sky and 30-32 every day, the locals are friendly.

10.01.2022 ISOLATION DAY 11 Well that’s our big excitement over. A trip to the local hospital for our Covid test went smoothly. Very friendly staff and it was all over with no upsets. Even found out both our blood pressures are perfect according to the nurse. All the horror stories about the test had Jules a bit nervous but there was no need. All it did to me was make me want to sneeze. Also interesting was that since the borders closed there hasn’t been 1 positive test done in Kununu...rra. All negative! And it’s a busy joint. We were booked for our test at 10.30 and we were numbers 16 and 17 for the day. Mostly truck drivers I think but they test lots every week. We were told we were allowed to drive to the hospital and to get fuel if needed and nothing else. Fortunately the service station we got fuel at had a great bakery so as I filled up the car Jules went in and bought half the shop. Isolation treats as she called them. The outing took its toll though, a bit of fresh air and and hour or so outside, we came back and slept most of the afternoon. Worn out. Starting to feel sorry for Monks. He never gets out, mind you he isn’t complaining much so he must be happy. See more

09.01.2022 Well that’s that. Adels Grove was nice enough but nothing to go mad about, but the Caravan Park was pretty average. No power or water and $40 a night. Now apart from the cost normally we wouldn’t care about power and water as we have plenty of water on board, a solar power system and a gas/electric fridge. BUT the solar doesn’t run the aircon and it was sooo bloody hot out there. Jules reckoned it was even too hot to drink beer. (Not me of course) so we pulled up stumps a day early and headed for civilisation. If you can call Mount Isa civilisation that is.

08.01.2022 Our travels since leaving Karumba last week. First stop the Burke and Wills Roadhouse, then the Gregory Downs Hotel then Adels Grove and Boodjamulla National Park and today to the ‘The Isa’. Today’s drive was mostly on dirt roads, 3 flowing river crossings and we saw wild brumbies, emus and camels but Jules is still hanging out to see a wild dingo. I’m sure it won’t be long before she does. Most of the time we’ve had no phone or internet but now we’re in Mt Isa all the mod cons are at our fingertips again.

08.01.2022 The other day we took a drive out to the Mary Kathleen mine site, about 60km out of town. Back in the 50’s 3 prospectors we’re looking round the area for minerals, their truck broke down in a dry creek bed and while they waited for help one of them turned on his Geiger Counter which immediately showed higher than normal readings. A township was built and the mine started producing uranium. In 1983 the uranium contract was filled and the mine was closed. All the buildings i...n the town were auctioned off and everyone left. It’s quite eerie to drive around the place all the roads are still there and concrete slabs from the major buildings like the wet mess, General store, post office etc. Overgrown in places but still there, makes you wonder what it must’ve been like in its heyday. The mine itself is about 10 km out of town. It was an open cut mine that is now filled with toxic water. On the drive out to the mine we came across a caravan of wild camels. See more

07.01.2022 4 trailer Road Train on the road between Normanton and Karumba.

06.01.2022 While we are in Mt Isa waiting for our annexe to arrive we are having exploring the area and local towns. We drove 186 k each way to Camooweal to get a ice cream as the pub wasn’t open to get a pint. Camooweal was once a thriving drovers stop and now has a population of 200 people. Along the road there is various WW2 historic sites.

06.01.2022 After arriving in ‘The Isa’ on Monday we spent Tuesday shopping, restocking and organising repairs. Our original plan was to leave here when we were ready and head out to visit the next pub in our Aussie Bush Pubs book, the Urandangi Hotel or as it’s known the Dangi Pub. But we found that due to COVID the pub is closed except for takeaways which made us decide to take a day trip out to it which according to Google Maps was 184km southwest of Mt Isa. An interesting drive ou...t on the dirt roads to very close the the NT/QLD Border. About 80km before we got to the pub we started seeing car bonnets standing up on the side of the road with messages on them. Most raised a chuckle. On arrival we spoke to a local aboriginal bloke who confirmed the pub was closed but told us if you go round to the side door and ring the bell she’ll come and serve you. We did just that and Pam came to the door, but she didn’t just serve us, she invited us into her home where we spent an amazing 2+ hours sitting around her kitchen table listening to her stories of life in the area. She kept the beers flowing and even baked a pie for our lunch. Urandangi town has a population of made up of Pam 14 years in Urandangi. Cookie 38 years. The school principal and his wife and their triplets. A teacher, a teachers aide and a kindergarten teacher for the 9 indigenous pupils at the school. The triplets start school next year. The local people still hunt kangaroo, goanna etc and Pam who is 70 has done a deal with the kids that if there’s any Joeys in their pouches they give them to here to look after. (She said she had to do that because the parents gave the joeys to the kids who tortured them) So she had 7 young Roos our the back of the pub and 2 in her lounge she was still hand-rearing with a bottle. One was tiny and had only been in her care for 3 days and she was a bit worried about him. As she sat at the table feeding the Joey with milk we commented on how strong he was and was making a good job of sucking the milk. Then as we watched the wee fella just passed away in her arms. That stopped the conversation for a while let me tell ya. It was an unbelievable afternoon meeting an amazing lady who treated us like old friends. When we say to people that we are visiting the pubs in the book you can see them think big deal, what a waste of time, but without that book we would be missing out on so much. Not only the Dangi Pub but the great time we’ve had in most of them and the interesting locals we’ve met, listened to their stories and taken their advice on the things to do and see in the area. See more

05.01.2022 Ten months down and this is where we’ve been. Still soooo much of this amazing country to see and sooo many people to meet. 32,721 kilometres travelled, 4,528 litres of diesel used. 9 pubs from our Aussie Bush Pubs Book visited, 43 to go.

03.01.2022 ISOLATION DAY 14 Well we’ve made it. Today has dragged, but not that much worse than some of the others. We haven’t killed each other, which was a genuine concern before this started, and we’re even still talking to each other and getting along. (Only cos I’m such a nice patient person) We’ve been for our midnight drive, we actually got a text message from the government at midnight thanking us for doing the right thing. To those who have been reading my daily ramblings, I ...hope you’ve been entertained and it’s put a smile on your face. As usual for us, we’ve had nothing to do for 2 whole weeks and now we’ve got to rush to be ready to go on Wednesday, but shit happens. I hope the Kununurra Hotel has plenty of cold beer for me and enough Scotch for Julie McCullough. Tonight might be a big night. See more

02.01.2022 Just upstream from Mt Isa on the Leichhardt River is a man made lake called Lake Moondarra. It was built by Mount Isa Mines back in the 50’s to supply drinking water to the town and water for the mine. It’s also used for recreation and is stocked with Barramundi and Sooty Grunter, they have an annual fishing classic worth thousands of dollars at the lake. There are heaps of four wheel drive tracks around the lake. We spent an hour or so exploring one of these and saw a strange thing. Cows standing out in the lake like hippopotamuses.

01.01.2022 Well Queensland thanks for a great time. Today we said goodbye to Queensland as we head into the NT. We arrived way back in March when Covid hit and and there was talk that borders may close. Winter in NSW or Qld? Wasn’t a hard question to answer. So after lock downs and travel restrictions we headed north from Brisbane all the way north to Cooktown then across to the Gulf of Carpentaria and down to Mt Isa. Jules has caught mud crabs and cooked her catch and caught fish o...ff the beach for the first time, we’ve caught up with old friends, although sadly we missed some on the way past, and we’ve made new ones. An amazing state that we have only seen a small part of, but we will be back next year to see the rest. Our last few days in The Isa have been awesome. A local at the pub told us about a spot called Fountain Springs, a spot well off the beaten track but worth a visit. Sadly although we’d had some rain it wasn’t enough to get the waterfall flowing but a neat place anyway. We even met a family from the Cook Islands enjoying a swim. On our way back to the main road we came across Ballara, an old abandoned mining town from early last century, so we followed the old railway line to the mine, even tho the sign warned of it being an ‘Extreme 4WD Track’. We found the old Wee MacGregor and the Wallaroo copper mines and an old rail tunnel built by pick and shovel in 1915. At 77 metres long it must have been quite an undertaking in the harsh conditions. It was well ahead of its time, a 2 foot gauge railway took the ore from the mine thru the tunnel 11km to the transfer point where the ore carriages emptied down into a narrow gauge 3’6 ore train that transported the ore to the smelter. Amazing what you find when you’re not even looking. So now we’re at the Barkly Homestead in the Territory having a few cold ones and dinner before heading to Barrow creek tomorrow. See more

01.01.2022 Home for the next 2 weeks -Karumba love it already but wait til we catch a big Barra