LONGREACH

17^th September, 2012

It is only 168 kms from Winton to Longreach so by mid morning we were pulling into the so-called capital of the outback.

Main Street of Longreach

Longreach is also well geared up for the outback tourist and our first port of call is at the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame.

Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame

This purpose built complex tells the story of outback Australia from its earliest inhabitants, to the explorers and to the stockmen and pastoralists that opened up the land.  There are five major galleries – Discovery, Pioneers, Outback Properties, Life in the Outback and Stockworkers.  There is heaps of reading to be done here and it would take one a month of Sundays to get through it all.  Needless to say most people were doing the same as us – picking out the odd thing to read, skipping a few and moving onto something else that caught one’s eye.  Wok did find this bullock wagon in the Pioneer section that he thought was really cool.

Wok is dwarfed by this bullock wagon

At noon the cowbell sounded and we followed everyone to the outdoor arena for the Outback Stockman’s Show.  We couldn’t help but smile as we glanced up at the building as we went outside and saw a whole flock of very busy swallows flying backwards and forwards to the mud nests they had built under any overhangs they could find.

Mud nests at the Stockman's Hall of Fame

At the arena Lachie (the stockman) showed us the many talents of the stock horse and how they were trained to follow the rider’s movements.

Lachie with the first stock horse

It is no good having a stock horse that jumps at every sound so getting them used to the crack of a whip is essential for herding cattle.

Cracking a whip while standing on a horse doesn't seem to be a really good idea!

And of course stock horses get tired too!

Man oh man - it's been a hard day!

Lachie had three sheep dogs of differing parentage but each performed brilliantly in rounding up the flock of sheep he had tucked away at the back of the arena and penning them on the other side.

I'm keeping my eye on you sheep!

And although he claimed that he was only a trainee bullocky he did a good job in harnessing up the bullock team

OK guys - we just need to pick up this log!

and driving them out to pick up a log to bring back into the arena. 

The job done - Lachie unharnesses the bullocks

Each of the bullocks had a name but he referred to the lead black and white bullock as ‘The big black and white ‘b…ggar’ on the off-side’.  Sounded an appropriate name to us!  And while he was working the animals he sang a few songs and told some jokes.  It wasn’t a bad way to wind up our visit to the Stockman’s Hall of Fame.  After lunch we headed across the road to the Qantas Founders Outback Museum.  This venue is very hard to miss with a Boeing 747 parked right beside the highway.

Qantas 747 at Longreach museum

With dark clouds gathering on the horizon we booked on for two tours.

Wok heads off for the tour

One tour covered the 747 and 707 and the other tour was for a ‘wing walk’ and a look behind the workings of a 747.  Helen our guide was giving us a tour of the underside of the 747 when an ominous rumble of thunder sounded.

Oh oh!  Was that thunder coming from that big black cloud?

Maybe our ‘wing walk’ would have to be put on hold!  The history of how the 747 and 707 came to the museum was fascinating in itself and Wok was pretty adamant that the 707 really needed to have a resident pilot and volunteered himself for the mission.

Wok with the 'City of Canberra' - Qantas 707

The 707 had been fitted out as a private jet and had a lounge area and bedroom with ensuite as well as a galley, offices and separate seating area for staff.  The jet once serviced Michael Jackson and his family during their 1984 Victory Tour and was last used by the Royal Saudi Air Force for Prince Bandar who was the Saudi Ambassador to America.   With our first part of the tour finished,  Helen decided to try and beat the impending storm and steered us straight to the exit door over the 747’s wing.

Wok 'n Robyn exit onto the wing of the 747

We gingerly stepped out onto the wing and walked along the strategically placed mats.

We're on the wing!  Pay no attention to that black rain cloud over our shoulder ...

Man oh man – is it high! 

Hopefully this will be the only time we need to be out on the wing of a 747!

We wandered up and down the wing while Helen took photos.  Finally the threatening storm made its way to the airport and we scurried back inside the 747 out of the rain.  With the ‘wing walk’ over we had oodles of time for Helen to show us the bits and pieces one doesn’t get to see as a passenger.  The first place she took us was down a tiny hole in the passenger cabin floor where she proceeded to show Wok how to manually deploy the under carriage.

Helen shows Wok how to deploy the under carriage

This should come in handy if we are ever on a flight somewhere and the wheels refuse to come down!  Behind this compartment is a baggage area and fuel tanks.  Then it is up a winding staircase to the upstairs lounge and bar area, along a narrow corridor and into the flight deck

Shhhh!  Don't let the passengers know who is at the controls!

where Wok has a wonderful time playing with all the levers and knobs while trying to work out what does what.

Wok in the Captain's seat

He has a marvellous time.  It’s raining quite heavily so we are sort of stuck on the plane for a short while.  When the rainstorm passes over we go outside and then climb up to the tail section for a look inside at the trim for the stabiliser.

Hmmm!  That doesn't look very substantial Helen?

No - really?  You have got to be kidding!

Hey come and stick your head in here - you won't believe what's holding this plane together!

From the look on Wok’s face it appears he may have second thoughts the next time he has to fly on a 747.  Our tour of the 747 over we stop to have a quick look at a Catalina which was recently acquired by the museum.

Catalina ready for refurbishment

The Catalinas used by Qantas also have an interesting history.  Five Qantas Catalinas were used on the secret radio silence service during World War II.  With Japan controlling South East Asia, air services between Australia and the UK were cut from the end of 1941 until 1943 when a route was established between Perth and Ceylon.  The flight took from 28 to 32 hours and became known as the ‘flight of the double sunrise’ as the passengers saw two sunrises during their non-stop journey.  There are plans to have the Catalina fully restored over the next couple of years.  It is 4pm and we still haven’t looked through the museum yet.  Our ticket is valid for two days so we decide to go find a caravan park and return the next day to look through the museum.  Wok has parked Mitzi and the Van under the wing of the 747 and they look awfully small beside this large plane.

Mitzi and the Van parked under the wing of the 747

We’ve been told about a caravan park at Ilfracombe (27 kms east of Longreach) that oozes with country hospitality.  The instructions on how to find it were:- ‘You won’t miss it mate!  Just look for the truck over the entrance!’  So there we were at Ilfracombe looking for a truck painted on a sign when we found this.

Entrance to Ilfracombe Caravan Park

Like the man said:- ‘You won’t miss it mate!  Just look for the truck over the entrance!’  While Robyn was checking in for a couple of nights, Cathy (one of the park owners) helped Wok to back onto a site.  That evening at ‘happy hour’ in the shed, Cathy and a couple of the kids entertained us with bush poetry and jokes while we munched on the nibblies that were supplied.

Cathy 'spinning a yarn' at happy hour

Yep!  The guy was right!  Country hospitality and free entertainment to boot!

In the morning we hopped in Mitzi and drove back into Longreach to continue our tour of the Qantas Founders Outback Museum.  There were lots of exhibits inside the new building along with a theatrette and smaller galleries devoted to specific milestones in Qantas’ history.  Qantas’ humble beginnings began out here in the Queensland Outback in the early 1920’s where a hangar and the country’s first purpose-built landing field were constructed.  The old hangar still stands and inside has displays of the machinery and workshops used by the aircraft mechanics.  A very interesting documentary narrated by Sir Hudson Fysh (one of the original founders of Qantas) plays in a theatrette inside the hangar.  Definitely one video worth watching!  We eventually call a stop to our museum wanderings and head down the main street of Longreach until we find the Station Store of Kinnon and Co.

Kinnon & Co in the main street of Longreach

At noon each day (during the winter tourist season) out in the backyard an old time tent show gets underway.  With typical Aussie humour ‘Starlight’s Spectacular’ is based around the life of Harry Redford (aka Captain Starlight) – a legendary bush ranger who roamed this part of Australia.  Apart from the human participants the star of the show would have to be ‘Rainbow’ the horse

Captain Starlight with Rainbow (the horse)

ably assisted by a cattle dog and chook.  After the show we had a bite to eat, caught up with some grocery restocking and headed back to Ilfracombe Caravan Park where we were once again entertained by Cathy at ‘happy hour’.  With our visit to Longreach over we are once again ready to move on.  School holidays are fast approaching so we are on the lookout for a place to hunker down for a week or two and Cathy has told us about a likely spot a hundred kilometres to the south.  But before we finish this blog - here is one last photo of Wok simply having the time of his life playing pilot in the 747 …….

And yes!  It took a long time before the smile left his face ....