our travels: 06/23/22

Thursday, 23 June 2022

BLACKALL QLD

Headed towards Blackall after having a lovely time at Tambo….(apart from the back….ouch! 😖)

We stopped for morning tea at a lovely spot along the Barcoo River. The weather has warmed up so it was nice to sit and have our coffee……and cake 🫢

It was so pretty there and peaceful along the river……and we tossed up whether to stay the night….but I felt I could keep driving as it wasn’t a big drive.

And arrived in Blackall 😊…… we have been here before about 20 something years ago and don’t remember it at all. So it was going to be seen again with fresh eyes.

It has a population of about 1,500, the dominant industry in the area is grazing.

We are camped up at the Barcoo River Campground, which is a short stroll into the town. It’s $10 @ night and there are water taps everywhere…..it’s a huge area, and were told that the vans come and go every day. Tonight….by our reckoning, there would be at least 60 caravans in, but it doesn’t feel crowded as there’s a huge amount of space.

There are two little supermarkets in the town, and as we were very low on shopping, we thought it would cost a fortune being we are so far inland.

But we were very surprised at the prices, really very cheap, and being we are in the country, the meat and veg looked so nice, we stocked up. It’s nice to know the money you spend in the supermarket goes back into the community, as it’s locally owned.

Just a short walk away in the town there are clean toilets, showers (and they even supply bath mats!)

We have our own shower with an endless supply of water, so they are not needed, but handy for some people.

Blackall has the reputation as the Arts Capital of the West, “boasting an outdoor gallery of public artworks created by local and well renowned artists, which range from scrap metal sculptures, wool carvings and hand painted murals & bronze statues”

Blade sheep shearer Jack Howe put Blackall on the map in 1892 at nearby Alice Downs Station, where he set a world record by shearing 321 sheep in seven hours and 40 minutes……all with hand shears.

It took another 58 years before anyone matched his record…….and that was by machine shears! His statue is right in the middle of the town.

We went into the Information Centre and got a big map of the town, and on the back is marked all the different things to see in the town (which is quite a lot) so it looks like we will be here for a couple of days.

We’ve come this far….we need to see it all as we won’t be back this way.

“This sculpture is called Wedge Tailed Eagle & Nest. This is made from railway dog spikes and scrap metal, which was built with a focus on community and its connection to the Barcoo River.

Timber and bolts from the old bridge which had spanned the river, help the eagle maintain its vigil over Blackall and the river.” It’s in the campground so that’s one to tick off the list that was nice and close. 😉