our travels: WALLUMBILLA

We have been here at Wallumbilla Showgrounds for three days now. We have been lucky enough to come across this place that's offered us free power and water, lovely clean showers and loo's if needed ( we have our own in the caravan)

WALLUMBILLA is an aboriginal word meaning WALLU=plenty Billa=Jew fish.

We have walked around this town with its population of 262 people, one general store, one pub, a visitor information centre that sells lots of home made crafts, a very small school, and loads of empty houses as well as an unmanned police station. It main industry is beef and diary cattle.

We came across an area just on the outskirts of 'town' that had hundreds of 'Dongas' just sitting empty.

Dongas are de-mountable homes that were purposely built for the fly in/fly out workers for the mining boom. Now the mining boom is over and there are literally hundreds and hundreds of these Dongas that are left empty. They are fully self contained, just like a one bedroom unit, showers, toilet, air conditioning, full kitchens....

There are so many up for sale all around the country....but they just sit, side by side, empty.

With all the homelessness around, I cannot understand, as well as the countless people we come across on our travels who say the same.....why aren't they used instead of just laying dormant! They look indestructible...and they look so much nicer than what the immigrants were put into way back in the 1950's that came to this country....the old Nissan Huts! It's just such a waste!! ...enough ranting!!

So thanks to the township of Wallumbilla for our stay...