Chinchilla and Roma

Chinchilla 

Sunday 28th April

We only travelled a short distance today (133km) from Jondaryan to Chinchilla and then out to the Chinchilla Weir (Camps 7 QLD569). We arrived not long after 10.30am and began to set up. What a lovely little free camp this is, with power available for $5 a night, payable at the information centre in town, which we chose. There is no showers nor drinking water but the toilets we clean. We spent the afternoon just relaxing, the boys had a little play in the shallows of the waters while we watched the locals water ski. While I cooked dinner (homemade Pizzas in the baby webber q) the boys went fishing. Sadly no luck on getting anything to bite but they had fun.

Monday 29th April

We left today to head to Roma and travelled 180km. We stopped at Miles to fill up with fuel before containing to Roma. We decided to stay out at Meadowbank museum farm stay (Camps 7 Qld 581) a 4000 acre working beef farm with a museum of collectables including old machinery, which you can have a tour though by appointment only. We booked in for 2 nights with power at $20 a night and as the boys aren't of school age (which was only an extra $2 they were free). When you arrive you write your name in the registration book and the owners come of a night to collect when they fire up the donkey (the wood fire heater) for the hot water for the showers. (About 5pm both nights) So if your a morning shower person this isn't the place for you. The amenities were very clean and the showers as you would expect where hot . We spent the afternoon at the farm just exploring.



Donkey heating up the water for hot showers at the farm




Sunset on the Farm



Tuesday 30th April

Today was the day Rob had been looking forward to since arriving in QLD. The Roma cattle sales which run on Tuesday and Thursday. The sale started at 9am so we went out of breakfast prior. The sale yards are the largest in the Southern Hemisphere covering 50 hectares. Today's yarding was 10,500 cattle from QLD, NT and SA. Interesting to note that unlike home where both Koonwarra and Pakenham are all undercover there was only the walk ways and the scales that were under cover.


Roma Saleyards - Auctioneers at work



Roma Sale yards - just a snap shot of the amout of cattle for sale



Roma Saleyards - Scales



After the sales we went to the Big Rig. A museum on the oil and gas industry. Unfortunaety there was technical  difficulties and we didnt get to see the night show.


Bronze statue out the front of the Big Rig




The Big Rig - US built EMSCO working between 1929 and 1941


Next Attraction was the largest bottle tree in Roma, Roma’s  which measures 8.9 metres around and was transplanted to it current lcation in 1927. Its been suggested that the tree orgibated from the 19th century as it was well established prior to removal.



Roma's largest bottle tree



After some lunch and shopping we head back to the farm stay so both boys could have a bit of a rest and sleep.

Wednesday 1st May

While we were packing up, the owners approached us to advise that due to shortage of water that tonight would be thier last as operating as a farm stay. Not only were they low on water for the campers they were also low on water for the cattle. Though there is plenty of feed out here the lack of rain over summer has left them dry coming into winter and up here unlike Victoria they rely on the rains over summer. The owners unfortunately aren't sure when they will reopen.  

Next Stop Mitchell