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THE GLASS HOUSE

We travelled down from Lightning Ridge to Gulgong for our last night.  We booked a house called the Glass House.  Well it certainly had plenty of glass. It was set down a long tree lined drive and had separate studio units on either end of it.  This would be good if you had 2 couples staying with you.  The walls everywhere were glass, with just a curtain to pull around the bath and bedroom walls.  It was winter so we enjoyed the double sided log fire that warmed the house along with the air conditioning.

 

 

I was surprised how big Lightnng Ridge is and that it is all above ground, unlike White Cliffs and Coober Pedy. I think we were lucky with our choice of motel – it is comfortable and quite modern, unlike the other 2 that were close by. It is owned by the Bowling Club, which is over the road, so guess where we went for dinner. Dinner was from 6pm and we arrived shortly after to find a long queue at the bistro and only a couple of tables free. It was so busy. It became evident that people were also getting the meals as take away. I guess that is because once again there were not too many alternatives. It was certainly a step above our dinner at Injune. It is a big club.
Monday we decided to explore Lightning Ridge. They have a unique method of seeing things – they have 4 coloured car door trails. You go to the start of a trail and follow the coloured car doors. It doesnt take long to see why they use car doors. Everywhere there is dead machinery, trucks, cars etc, so no shortage of doors. There is surprisingly quite a large area with bitumen streets and houses, back from the main street. However, after that it is dirt tracks and roads, in around the diggings. It is all still very active so you have to stay on the designated trails, there are too many mine shafts all over the place.

 

We did each of the 4 trails. On one we went to Amigo’s Castle, a private home single handedly built of ironstone. Amigo started building in 1981. His scaffolding consisted of 44 gallon drums, with planks arranged one above the other. As he had collected all the rocks from around the area, the Greenies brought action. Then the locals supported him and all sorts of issues and court cases ensued. In the end he was going to bulldoze the castle if he was not allowed to stay. It now has a Heritage listing (such a young building) but he has wiped his hands of it and is now living in a besser brick building behind it, but still mining. When we looked over the castle, there was a wishing well he’d made and you could hear him working below.

On another trail we stopped at Chambers of the Black Hand. We descended over 70 stairs into the top of the mine which was then a series of tunnels that had been mined over time. The miner has, over time been carving over 700 reliefs on the walls. He does it with a butter knife and fork. He was actually there, working on a possum. He said he saw an empty space that needed something so this morning put a possum in. The passageways were filled with every type of subject matter. He had Egyptian mummies, freezes, the Last Supper, Chinese warriors, animals of all sorts, Super Heroes, heads of Prime Ministers of Aust and then of famous people. He had put bars across the one of Rolf Harris. The passageways ran off in all directions and in circles. Amazing. He was chatting as he sculpted, saying he had quit mining 6 months ago but would still buy a piece of opal if he thought he could make money. He said he never made it big when he was mining. He’s probably doing well with this underground gallery at $35/person. There was a theatre and also another level below where you could go on a mine tour.

We went back to the Bowling Club for a sandwich for lunch – where else did you go? They told us that there had been a blackout in Lightning Ridge and the surrounding areas for some hours and it would probably not be back for another hour, but it was ok they had their own generator. We heard later that a kookaburra had flown into a substation.
After lunch it was another couple of trails. One took us to a ridge that looked out over the black soil plains. We went to Nettleton’s First Shaft Lookout where there was a Stone Labyrinth (a maze made with rocks) which of course we tried. Nearby was a Beer Can House (only in Aust) that was in some disrepair but quite amusing. We also saw a corrugated iron church purpose built for the film “Goddess of 1967”, and Bevan’s Cactus Nursery with 2300 species of cactus. We didn’t pay to go inside this.

There is an artesian bore bath that we checked out this morning. It was really a round pool with 40 degree water in it. I was not that keen to go in. You couldn’t see the water changing and there were quite a few sitting in it. I’ll stick to my beautiful water.
Dinner was back at the Bowling Club – where else!  This time it was not as busy as the night before, but they were still doing really well.

AGNES WATER TO ROLLESTON

We left Agnes Water and travelled the 62km to the highway and then north almost to Gladstone 1 1/2hrs before turning west and to Biloela. We stopped at the Lions Park to eat our breakfast and what a great park. Lots of tables and bbqs, even a stainless steel washing up space, great kids equipment with a bike track all around the park and excellent toilets.
It was out along the Dawson Highway and next was a town we got a laugh from on our trip 3 years ago out to AW – the town of Banana. It’s named after a bull, famous in the town, named Banana as he was yellow. He died beside the creek and as they say, a town grew up beside the creek and they named it Banana. We continued west, whereas previously we had come up to Banana from the south and our memorable overnight stay at Taroom (for all the worst reasons).

It was 180km further west to Rolleston and we were surprised at the size of the town. I think we had been expecting it to be bigger, not sure why. There were a few houses, some shop/buildings that were shut and looked like they may never be open and a park. We were going to stop there and boil our billy. When we got out of the car, it was a lovely park, with several seats with cushions and a pot of flowers on a table. There was a historical old Australian bark hut and under its roof, an old fashioned coffee van. We thought we should patronise the locals and discovered it was manned by a local woman and her mum, both volunteers, raising money for the local community. They said it is manned everyday and is certainly not taking business away from anything in the town as there is nowhere there to get a coffee. We also sampled their home made cake, sitting on one of the seats in the park. They said it is manned everyday.

 

INJUNE

At Rolleston, we turned south, to come down the Carnarvon Highway, which pretty much brings us down a straight line into NSW at Lightning Ridge. We had booked accommodation at Injune and arrived there around 2.30, approximately 700kms from Agnes Water but easy travelling because the roads were so straight and flat and there was so little traffic. It seemed funny to be staying at Injune, in May!
Injune was another small town. There were 3 motels, the pub, a caravan park, a small Spar supermarket, a few shops, cafe and visitor information centre. It was Saturday afternoon and everything was shut except the visitor information centre and the pub. Our motel room at the Injune Haven Motel was really quite good, although more expensive than our lovely 2 bed unit at Agnes Water. We set off to explore – more a walk along the main road/street. Injune began in 1920 when it was  established as a camp at the end of the railway line. The line was built to support the Land Soldier settlement blocks after WW1. Cattle and timber (harvesting of natural cyprus pine) are the main industries today. It is also the gateway to Carnarvon Gorge, the turn off being between Injune and Rolleston. Coal seam gas has recently benefitted the town. The pub was our only option for dinner but that was ok. We were staying opposite so it wasn’t a long walk. It was bright lights, a pool table, tv screen and bar to order, all in an old outback decor. The corned beef was off so we ordered rissoles and veg and sausages and veg. Quite ok for where we were. There were very few others there and it was Sat night. 2 couples were drinking outside with a few children and a couple came in after us and ordered a meal. One of the men from outside came in and the first thing I was aware of was the clinking of the spurs on his boots. He went over and started lighting one of the open fires in the room and called out a few friendly words to us. Then he brought his 6mth old son (John Guy Walker, known as John John as he was 3rd generation John) to see the fire and then pulled up a seat and began talking to us. He was a cowboy, did rodeos, quarter horse breaking in, horse whispering and Mon-Fri worked in the sawmill. He was 40, a twin and his twin was the other half of the other couple with the kids outside. He was well on the way to drunk but telling us of his life. A real character, all the while nursing John John, a really cute and alert baby. It was sad, however, as we walked out, to see the age of his mother, she was so young, probably still a teenager. You wonder what life is ahead for these children. They are living in such a small and remote town, and the facilities so few.
It was an early night and as we were the only people in the motel, quiet.

 

ROMA

Sunday we left Injune at 8 and drove 90km to Roma. This was quite a large town and we stopped for morning tea at a pub that had been totally modernised – popular and good. We tried to book accommodation for Lightning Ridge and found it wasn’t so easy getting 2 nights. After noone around in Injune we were surprised at how busy Lightning Ridge appeared to be. Anyway we found a motel. Roma looked a prosperous town, due to the oil and gas mining. They had some lovely old boab trees, including their biggest with a girth of 9.51m and 6m tall. There was an Avenue of Heroes – 140 boab trees lining one main and 2 short streets, each commemorating fallen soldiers from the Roma district in WW1. The main street also had well restored pubs and wide streets.

 

ST GEORGE

From Roma it was nearly 2 hours to St George. We were surprised how small this town was. Cotton growing is one of its main industries, using channel irrigation to supply the water from the Balonne River. The land is so flat and the cultivated areas immense. It was named St George by the explorer Sir Major Thomas Mitchell who crossed the Balonne River on Saint George’s Day – 23/4/1846.

DIRRANBANDI

We bought lunch at one of the few places open, and the salad rolls were made very much on country time from a very ordinary looking place, but they tasted fine when we ate them, 89 kms later at Dirranbandi (meaning frog’s croaking). Another small quiet town with not much but a small well kept park. This town is very close to Cubby Station, the largest cotton farm in the Southern Hemisphere.

 

HEBEL

Next town, was Hebel, just before the NSW border. This really did only have a pub and General Store. The pub was so outback – corrugated iron, wooden walls, everything rusty, broken or dangling. Utes were parked out front and it was very busy with the locals (all middle aged and male, with their big hats and boots and no women) drinking and talking. To the side was the “bistro” another rough corrugated iron structure with 2 windows, presumably to be served through. It is said that the pub opened in 1894 as a Cobb and Co changing station and was originally called the Commercial Hotel.

When crossing the border, there were so many signs for those entering Qld of what they could not take into the state. There were no signs coming into NSW???

It was only 63km and then we turned off to Lightning Ridge.

 

ROAD TO LIGHTNING RIDGE

We travelled 7 hours yesterday and 6 today and the whole way, since Biloela, the roads have had signs that they flood and indicators showing the depth. The roads have been flat, except for a couple of times when we rose to 400+m – once between Banana and Rolleston and today on the Great Dividing Range. Each was just an incline and not really noticeable. What it does show is how flat Qld is and how when there is a lot of rain in the north, floodwater spreads over such vast distances.
There has been a lot of road kill. Mostly kangaroos, but today a goat. We stopped or slowed for kangaroos twice today. We also stopped and then drove slowly because cows were grazing beside the road and were wandering from side to side of the road. They were being moved by men on quad bikes and their trusty dogs. It seemed they were feeding on the grass beside the road as the land on the other side of the fences had no feed. It was quite dry and dusty.

 

 

THE TOWN

The town of Agnes Water is quite small, the shopping area is really just a curve of shops, comprising the basic needs – newsagent, chemist, bakery, couple of takeaway shops, liquor shop, now a butcher, clothing shop, camping store, post office, coffee shop, a small supermarket and now a bigger Foodland. Since we were here the Foodland has been developed and the butcher has opened. My favourite is Beach Buddies, a swimming costume shop where the lady will make the costume to fit you, in your choice of fabric. A strange business in such an out of the way place. Apart from this there are some other businesses out of town that we really enjoy using. Probably 6km before town is the industrial area. Down a road are probably 4 factories and in one is a seafood outlet. Diane and her husband retail fresh seafood, some they have frozen and the variety is very good. We were there on Sat as she was just getting the freshly cooked prawns out. A couple of people were waiting as they were not quite cooked yet. Another place, about 4km out of town and down a road a km, is Ron’s fresh vegetables. He grows most vegetables and when I asked for a lettuce, he went and pulled it out of the garden. He will do the same with spinach, beetroot, kale etc. The strange thing we have noticed is how the locals don’t seem to necessarily support each other. When we booked into our accommodation, we asked the receptionist if Ron and his vegetable stall was still around. She said, oh no, he’s not there anymore. We were disappointed at this news as we had been looking forward to buying from him. The friendly lady at the visitors centre also confirmed this news. The following day we went for a drive to where he was and he was well and truly around. We went to the butcher for some meat and chatted with the lady serving us, who turned out to be the wife of the butcher and owner. She said they had opened in Nov, after a lot of research and planning. They were very disappointed by the local patronage they were receiving and were finding it tough to make a go of the business. We, of course wondered where the locals would buy their meat, the only other source is packaged meat at Foodland. When we went to the Festival at 1770, chatting with someone from the caravan park there, they said the park owner was not friendly with the other park owners. It is sad that this happens in such a lovely place.

GETAWAY AT 1770

A km out of town is a lovely nursery/coffee shop with some cabins for accommodation. They have created a beautiful bromeliad garden that you walk through before coming to a pavillion where you sit, partially over a lake with lily ponds and a water feature and can eat and have coffee. It is open to the sights and sounds, although they can pull down a see through screen if it is windy. It is such a tranquil place and the variety of plants, their colours and shapes, creating a wonderful garden. The coffee is also good.

1770

This town is 8km north of Agnes Water, and the end of the road. It appears that it was only called 1770 in 1970, prior to this it was called Round Hill. When Captain Cook landed here, his second landfall after Botany Bay, on 24 May 1770, one of his landing party shot a bustard, and along with a couple of cockatoos, it provided their first fresh meat for some time. Hence the name he gave the bay – Bustard Bay. There is a high headland that he rounded to get into 1770 and he named this Round Hill, as he had to sail around it. This is now a lookout, site of some lovely homes with spectacular views and what seems to be a great surf break for surfers, after they have clambered down to the water. A sandbar out from shore provides a lovely sheltered lagoon area for some boats and people to paddle board, kayak, swim. At high tide the water laps the sandy shore and to the south, mangroves. The only commercial thing here is a pub, looking out to the sandbar – fabulous position, but it is old and probably in need of some refurbishment, but I get the idea the locals like it as it is. Some old fishing cottages are perched above the road, also enjoying wonderful views, along with some newer places. They have developed the waterfront area into a lovely park, with plenty of shade, tables, bbqs and paths. A very tranquil area.

It seemed amusing that the Saturday before we left home we had had a picnic with the girls and their families at Kurnell for Mothers Day. We had driven out along Captain Cook Drive, to Kurnell, where Captain Cook first came ashore at Botany Bay. Then on Friday we were driving along Captain Cook Drive to 1770, to celebrate the Festival of 1770 – marking the 2nd landfall that Captain Cook made on 24 May 1770.  I have even likened the travelling from Agnes Water to 1770 to being very similar to driving from Cronulla High School to Kurnell. The road with little development along it, although that is changing at Cronulla, and about the same distance. So many similarities.

LOSING THINGS

There have been quite a few instances of things going missing. Luckily I think everything is presently accounted for but – sunglasses, reading glasses, board shorts, hat, chamois…. have all gone AWOL. Interestingly none of the items are mine.

OUR ACCOMMODATION

We were very lucky to find the accommodation we did.  Unfortunately for Agnes Water, it was a very quiet time of the year and so the various accommodation places were offering good discounts.  Pavilions on 1770 was great.  It had originally been built by Grant Kenny and Lisa Curry around 2006.  When we were at Agnes Water 3 years earlier I don’t think it was all complete so it has been built in stages.  We were lucky enough to be on the top floor looking out across the 25m pool and had glimpses of the ocean, over the trees on the dunes.  The rooms were huge and it was well appointed.  Paul even had a desk in the living area for his “office”.  Another block across the road had some smaller heated pools and was frequented by the children.

OTHER ACCOMMODATION

We went for a walk the other night and walked through 2 of the resorts that are on the road in to our place. They are set off the road from Agnes Water but before you drive as far as us. They are not on the water. The first, Edges on Beaches @ 1770, consists of town houses built around a large central area. In this central area are 4 pools, attractively shaped and landscaped and a bbq area. Many of the townhouses open up to this setting. One pool is heated. There were possibly 40-50 and so few were occupied, maybe 5 or 6. Opposite is a very imposing 2 storey building that is not very attractive from outside but that is because their rooms also open to a central area. This has more pools and an outdoor/indoor restaurant. The most expensive rooms have a ladder from a little grassed area, into one of the pools. ($650/n!) It too was very quiet – noone around. There were a few people eating in the restaurant. Its website seemed to talk about conferences and functions. Around us there are large parcels of land already subdivided for homes, but it doesn’t seem to have changed much since our visit 3 years ago. There are a few homes, then empty blocks.

SURF SCHOOL

Each day the local surf school takes place. The surf shop seems to be able to get 20 young people each day, for a lesson. They all arrive carrying their blue boards, dump them on the sand and have some theory on the grass. Then it’s on the boards on the sand and instructions followed by a conga line carrying the blue boards and wearing blue rash shirts, into the surf at the southern end, along the rocky headland. The waves here come in in a nice long pattern and it is not deep. They take turns lining up and having the instructor call out when to go on the wave and surprisingly many are able to stand, for varying lengths of time. Naturally there is the resident photographer to capture their progress and of course sell to them later. We noticed one day a fellow come to shore on his standup paddle board and his fox terrier dog go racing into the water to greet him. Next he was on the board as well and his owner was paddling out with him sitting at the rear of the board. They went right out. We watched them catch 2 waves and both fall off before he caught a couple of good rides. Once on the wave, the dog moved to the front of the board. He loved it and it was so nice to see how happy and excited he was.

FESTIVAL OF 1770

We were lucky to arrive a day before the celebration of Captain Cook coming ashore at 1770 on 24 May 1770 – his landfall after coming ashore at Botany Bay.  It was not lost on us that 6 days earlier, we had driven out along Captain Cook Drive to Kurnell for a family picnic – in the park with the monument commemorating this event.  Here at Agnes Water, we were driving out along Captain Cook Drive to 1770.  It made me think that the distance from Cronulla (Wanda Beach) to Kurnell, is very similar to the distance from Agnes Water to 1770.  So too is the lack of development between the 2 places (although that is changing at Cronulla with the Greenhills development, and others).

Back to the celebrations.  They were doing a re-enactment of the landing, but before then, one of the locals was going to try and break the Guinness World record by getting 26 dogs on a standup paddle board.  We decided to go and watch, along with the locals and people staying at the caravan park further along the beach.  A motley collection of dogs – big and small, were already being placed on the board.  At a certain point, the fellow asked how many were on the board.  Just as someone called out 22, one of the dogs jumped off and swam to shore.  He was followed by another.  Owners brought more dogs to the board and eventually he decided he had the 26 and started paddling.  He had not gone far when one dog jumped off and swam to shore, followed by a few more.  Two on the board started snarling and snapping at each other ….. It was a hoot. He brought the board back to shore and then played around with the dogs.  One dog was swimming in all directions, following a drone.  Everyone was laughing and taking photos – it was a good vibe.

This was followed by the re-enactment. The locals had all volunteered for roles and were dressed in period dress.  Channel 7 and Queensland Weekend were there filming it.  This too was fun.  When Captain Cook and his crew came ashore, they shot a bustard and then some cockatoos.  They really enjoyed their meal from the bustard and named the bay – Bustard Bay.   One of the locals was dressed as the bustard and she looked so funny.  We were also told that 1770 was called Round Hill by Captain Cook – because he came round the hill to enter the bay.  It was only changed to 1770 in 1970, although someone told us it had happened some years earlier.

There were further celebrations on the Saturday and Sunday – mostly bands and amusement rides, which for a small community, was quite something.  The weather forecast had been for heavy rain over the weekend, but they were very lucky and it was lovely blue skies both days.

Re-enactment with bustard being shot!

 

HAVING FUN AT 1770

One day we went a hired standup paddle boards at 1770.  The fellow who we hired them from was actually the same man who put the dogs on the board.  There were no other people around so we had the bay to ourselves.  He was having a tiring day, sitting under a tree playing chess with one of the locals.  We had the boards for an hour and paddled around in lovely still water.  It was low tide and the sandbars were appearing, making it very picturesque.

 

Another day we booked a 2 hour kayak tour up the river and through the mangroves.  We were the only 2 and so had the guide to ourselves.  We started at 8am to fit in with the tide, but it was so tranquil, particularly when we drifted through a narrow channel in amongst the mangroves.  Janina was so very informative and explained and showed us more than 12 different species of mangrove.