BLACKALL

1^st October, 2012

We’ve spent a restful eleven days beside the Barcoo River at Oma Waterhole.  Wok has had a productive time fishing with lots of little yellow bellies and catfish jumping onto his line but more excitingly a couple of good sized yellow bellies and catfish which ended up in the frypan.  And even though these fish are frolicking around in muddy water with absolutely no visibility they don’t taste muddy at all.  We eventually get under way again and from Isisford head east towards Blackall.  We are driving through large sheep and cattle stations with the occasional kangaroo and emu to be seen.  At one point we had to stop while an emu ushered its seven chicks across the road.

Ok!  Just keep on moving ....

We have been pleasantly surprised at the large number of emus we have seen along the way.  More than we have ever encountered before in our outback travels.  By mid morning we are pulling into the town of Blackall.  We stop to have a look at The Eagle and Nest sculpture in the parkland near the river. 

Wedge tailed eagle and nest

The sculpture has been made out of discarded bits of iron found along the river banks and the wooden pole on which it stands is from the old bridge.  The Barcoo River also runs through Blackall (when there is enough rain upstream to make it flow that is) before winding its way to Isisford.  And if you were ever wondering where the Aussie term ‘beyond the Black Stump’ comes from – then wonder no more!





We found the spot and Wok was trying to work out which way was west, because one has to be west of the stump to be ‘beyond the Black Stump’!

I think west is that way ...

Or maybe its that way ...

In the main street is a bronze statue of famous gun shearer Jack Howe carrying a sheep.

Jack Howe Memorial in Blackall

In 1892 Jack Howe sheared 321 sheep in seven hours forty minutes with blade shears – a record that has never been broken.  When he retired from shearing he bought the Universal Hotel in Blackall and there is an interesting array of memorabilia and historical documents inside the hotel.  We do a quick stop at the IGA Supermarket to stock on some essential items before heading five kilometres east of the town to the Blackall Woolscour. 

Backall Woolscour

Built in 1908 the Woolscour operated until 1978 when it was closed.  A group of concerned residents formed a committee and petitioned the government to help save the deteriorating building and machinery.  Due to their efforts part of our national heritage was saved.  The woolscour is today looked after by volunteers and is the only operational steam-driven scour incorporating a shearing board left in Australia.  The big sheep stations had their own shearing sheds but this shed was built so that smaller stations could bring their sheep here to be shorn and then have their wool washed in the scourer.  The wool would then be baled and taken to the coast where it would go by sea to England to be sold at the wool markets.  We park Mitzi and the Van and walk to the reception shed where we thought there was a very realistic goat sculpture lying near the front door.

Realistic sculpture hey?

As we got near we suddenly realised that the goat was very real and it didn’t seem the least bit phased as we sidled past its nose to gain entry to the building.

Nice goat!  Now just stay right there while we get past ...

We were just in time to tag along with the next tour of the Woolscour and our first stop was at the bore which was gushing water into a pond.

Artesian bore at the woolscour

The artesian water is the lifeblood of the area and the water from the bore was used to scour the wool.  With the temperature of the water coming from the bore at 58 C it was perfect for washing the fats from the wool.  Our first stop was at the shearing shed where the sheep were herded into corrals

Corrals at the shearing shed

then brought up into the shearing shed where they were put into pens ready for shearing.

Sheep pens in the shearing shed

This particular shearing shed had twenty stands.  A ‘stand’ is the area allocated to a shearer for shearing the sheep.  Each shearer would take a sheep from the pen directly behind each ‘stand’ and once sheared release it down a chute where it would move into outside corrals ready for transport or droving back to the station. 

Wok strolls along the shearing stands

The wool would then be placed on tables where the soiled bits were removed and the wool would be graded as to its quality.

Wool classing tables.  Barrel in the foreground was used by Bob Muir to lay sheep over so that he could shear them.  At 81 years of age he was still shearing sheep.

The wool was then placed in the wool press and baled.

Wool Press

The bales that were to be scoured were placed at one end of the scourer (not all farmers could afford to have their wool washed) and the wool was manually fed into the scourer where it went through several troughs of water to clean the fats from the wool.

The wool scourer

The wool was then fed into the drier where hot air was pumped through the wool and it was then re-baled in a wool press ready for transport to the coast and then on to England.  Proceeds from the sale of the wool would eventually make its way back to the station owners nearly nine months later – a long time to wait for your money!  Our guide shows us the first boiler that was used

The original boiler (and our tour guide)

and then the second boiler (still very old) that replaced it.

The second (really old) boiler - and our tour guide

The steam driven pump was a marvel to behold.

The steam pump - over 100 years old

We have to remember that this machinery is over a hundred years old and would have been a fascinating thing to behold.  Even the building itself is amazing.  It is one of the largest timber framed buildings of its type in Queensland and the entire hoop pine frame is tenon and morticed and completely nail free.  Outside we take a look at the shearer’s quarters

Shearer's Quarters

sort of like the forerunner of today’s ‘donga’.  There were even a couple of old caravans just hanging around.

Remember when caravans looked like this?

We’ve enjoyed wandering around the old buildings and after a very late lunch in the Van we make our way back to the main road and head south following the Matilda Way.  We wonder what surprise the next country town may afford?