Day 103: Sat 6 Aug - Cunnamulla

Day 103: Sat 6 Aug - Cunnamulla

7 to 18 Deg. We woke to another beautiful clear sky, no wind but a little bit fresh. Despite the sunshine, it remained fresh all day. Before breakfast I went for a walk around town which was very quiet. Cunnamulla is a very tired looking place, with empty shopfronts and a lot of buildings and homes look in desperate need of some TLC. When I returned to the van, Noel and I drove back into town to a cafe for breakfast. It wasn't anything special but it was enjoyable and a nice change. It appeared to be a small family run business, and the owners were very friendly, affording us some good old country hospitality. Noel walked back to the van, while I went and re-fueled for the next leg of our trip tomorrow. On return, Noel did a few loads of washing and some cleaning, while I did a few odd jobs around the van, then I climbed on the bike for a ride 5km out of town to the Allan Tannock Weir. The countryside looked very green with lots of wildflowers blossoming. There was a lot of water laying around by the roadside and in the fields, and the ground along the edge of the road was very sloppy.  Returning to the van for lunch, we had a very quiet and relaxing afternoon. We saw quite a few caravans arriving and looking for a site for the night, but they were turned away if they didn't have a booking. All of the caravan parks in Cunnamulla have been affected by the rain, and have have reduced capacity. It's that wet, there are very few other places to stay. In fact, on my walk into town early this morning, there were three caravans set up on the street at the front of the Information Centre. After a few preps for tomorrow, I had another short walk before dinner, then Noel and I had a pre-dinner drink inside out of the cool air, before dinner and a relaxing night in front of the TV. Tomorrow we leave for Bourke, at this stage for only one night, but we are keeping our options open.  

Morning walk - the 1919 Memorial Fountain in town dedicated to those who lost their lives at Gallipoli

The streets of Cunnamulla unfortunately need more than a splash of colour

A lot of empty buildings and homes in disrepair

The well maintained surrounds of the Cunnamulla Fella in stark contrast to the rest of town

...and the Cunnamulla Fella Centre

Memorial Park to the late Bob Poncho an active community member

Street Sculptures

Old Post Office built in 1890 on the site where the Cobb & Co stockyards once stood

The contemporary looking Paroo Shire Council building 

Sculptures in front of the Cunnamulla Railway Station. Unbelievably, this station is one of only three covered railway platforms in QLD. Built in 1930, this one replaced  the original 1898 building which was destroyed by fire. The last train, The Westlander, left here on 5 Sep 1994.  

Sculptures in front of the Cunnamulla Railway Station 


Plenty of green grass for grazing kangaroos at the railway platform

Downs...and out. From what I could find, it was actually called Dangerous Downs, once a saddlery from around 1936.

A bird bath/feeder in the form of an emu

The 'Robbers Tree', so called after Joseph Wells who held up the National Bank in 1880 and decided to hide in this tree. It did have branches back then, but no surprise; he was found and captured, then later hung for his crime (apparently the last man to be hung for such a crime in QLD).

Bike ride out to the Allan Tannock Weir - a lot of residual water and the ground is very soft and muddy

very wet and muddy, but also very green and gold 

The Warrego River at the Allan Tannock Weir (Upstream)

The Warrego River at the Allan Tannock Weir (Downstream)

At the Allan Tannock Weir

The Allan Tannock Weir


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