Welcome to Mature Traveller - Since 1984
omvits
  • Home
  • Travel
    • Destinations - Australia >
      • The Outback and fascinating Lava Tubes at Undara.
      • Darwin
      • The Ghan
      • Grand Old Ladies
      • Brisbane to Townsville
      • Mudgee
      • Ancient encounters along the Kimberley Coast
      • Mudgee's Blue Wren Winery
      • Play and Stay in Uber Cool Brisbane
      • The Best Way to See Perth
      • Lord Howe - Return to Paradise
      • New Escorted Tour Flinders Ranges
      • SWEPT AWAY BY BROOME
      • The Southern Highlands - Bowral
      • The Hydro Majestic Hotel
      • Luna Park Year of the Rooster
      • Mandurah and Blue Swimmer's
      • Adina Apartment Hotels
      • YEPPOON – AN OASIS IN THE TROPICS
      • The Humpback Highway
      • Sydney by Night
      • O'REILLY'S
      • Coober Pedy
      • Floriade 2016
      • Escape to the Sunshine Coast
      • Great Ocean Road
      • Indian Pacific
      • Lake Macquarie
      • Margaret River
      • Vibe Marysville
      • Lake Macquarie
      • Hotel Kurrajong
      • Tamborine
      • Mercure Gerringong
      • Secrets of the Great Ocean Road
      • The Fraser Coast
      • Curtain Raiser for Anzac Centenary
      • Where is Bowen? >
        • Bowen cont
      • A Little Bit of Italy in Broke
      • Out of the Blue in Noosa
      • Noosa and the River Express
      • The Legendary Pacific Coast
      • Nabiac - Wingham - Port Macquarie
      • Port Macquarie
      • Port Macquarie -Wauhope - Coopernook
      • To Pacific Palms - Seal Rocks - Nelson Bay
      • Sand Dunes and Gardens
      • Gold Class Luxperience
      • Bowen and the Whitsundays
      • Whale Watching Fraser Island
      • The Central Coast of NSW
      • Hill End
    • Cruising >
      • Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam
      • SAILING MEKONG’s PAST IN THE PRESENT
      • MSC Seaside
      • MSC Opera
      • Norwegian Jewel
      • SeaDream A Seven-Day Dream
      • Silver Cloud
      • SeaDream Cuba
      • Silja Line
      • Cruising to St Petersburg.
      • New Punchliner Comedy Club
      • ms Volendam
      • Sailing the Orient on msVolendam
      • A Day Trip to China
      • Regent Seven Seas’ Voyager
      • Crystal's 2019 Collection of Globetrotting Voyages
      • Sun Princess Northern Explorer
      • THE MIGHTY AMAZON’S MOST AMAZING ADVENTURE
      • SHARE on Princess Cruises
      • P&O and Salt Grill
      • SeaDream Wins Again
      • Record Ship Numbers
      • Sailing on Emerald Princess
      • Emerald Princess
      • Pacific Explorer
      • Silversea Expeditions
      • Pacific Jewel
      • Viking Ocean Cruises
      • Avalon Waterways >
        • Blue Lagoon Cruises
        • SeaDream >
          • Azamara
      • Norwegian Cruise Lines
      • Silversea Silver Discoverer
      • Silversea Silver Muse
      • Royal Caribbean Australian Season
      • P&O Cruises Funny Video
      • Volendam
      • HAL
      • Music Lovers Cruise
      • Bordeaux and Riverboats
      • Riverboats
      • Cruising Australia
      • Rivers
      • msNoordam
      • The Pantry
      • Aussies are World Champions
      • CroisiEurope
      • Holland America Line’s Newest Ship
      • Carnival
      • Princess Cruises
      • Star Clippers
      • Royal Caribbean
      • Broaden Your Wine Knowledge
      • A Legend Arrives in Sydney
      • Lake Geneva
      • More ladies
      • The Love Boat Sets Sail
      • River Boating on the Rhine
      • Rhine page 2
      • Rhine page 3
      • Coral Princess Cruises
      • Dreaming in the Mediterranean
      • Viking River Cruises for 2014
      • SeaDream Visits Elba
      • There’s something about Mary
      • Melbourne Cup Cruise
      • SeaDream Milestone
    • Destinations - Overseas >
      • Peru's Colca Valley
      • Return to Paradise
      • Italian Treat
      • Morocco Bound
      • Jasper Canada
      • First to the Frozen Continent Antarctica
      • Old Malaya Kuala Lumpur
      • Cuba's New Revolution
      • Skeena
      • Samoa
      • British Columbia and Grizzly Bears
      • Winnipeg Canada
      • South Korea
      • City and beach options in Thailand
      • The Canadian
      • Lonna Island
      • Macao
      • Macao Fireworks
      • Hotel Katajanokka
      • The Vasa Museum
      • WILD BILL AND CALAMITY JANE
      • Helsinki: Europe’s new cool
      • My French Village
      • Alaska 101
      • Seabreeze Wins Again
      • See the historic wonders of Hội An, Vietnam
      • Rum - Smuggler's and Slavery
      • Brisbane to Cairns
      • Finding your own Oasis in Doha
      • Sri Lanka
      • Majorca
      • Far East Hospitality - Oasia
      • Ottawa
      • Tokyo Disneyland DisneySea >
        • Tokyo Disneyland DisneySea cont
        • Tokyo Disneyland DisneySea Cont2
      • Hong Kong
      • Japan 2016
      • Mt Kinabalu
      • Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria
      • Luxembourg
      • Finding a Hotel in Singapore
      • Malaysia
      • Kosice
      • Leathes
      • Pencil
      • Muncaster Castle
      • Kai Tak
      • Bordeaux
      • Mirror
      • Alsace, France
      • FEH Singapore
      • FEH Cont
      • More FEH
      • Switzerland and Climbing the Matterhorn
      • South Island NZ
      • Cook Island Magic
      • St Bernard
      • Seville
      • More Seville
      • Fish n Chips
      • Madrid
      • Madrid cont
      • Far East Hospitality
      • John Newton Experiences Katong
      • Rumah Bebe
      • Untouched Beauty and Charm - The Cook Islands
      • The Cook Islands Celebrate their Independance
      • From Mumbai to Kolkata - New from Cruisco
      • The Cocos Keeling Islands
      • Luang Prabang – An Indo China Jewel
      • Get Lost and Find the Real Singapore
      • Samoa - The Treasured Islands of the South Pacific
      • Hawaii Bound
      • South Africa - That's Wild
      • Art in the City
      • Africa's Big Five
      • Eclectic Hong Kong
      • On Safari in Fiji
      • Australian Focus For Asia Cycling Tours
      • Hawaii Bound
      • Fa’a Samoa – The Samoan Way
      • Record Numbers for Samoa
      • Switzerland
    • Good Deals >
      • More from Back Roads Touring
      • Hargraves Nursery
      • Murray Princess
      • Back Roads Touring
      • Captain Cook Cruises 2018 Seniors Week
      • Captain Cook Cruises
      • SeaLink Opal Card
      • Captain Cook Cruises
      • THE travel destinations for 2018
      • Captain Cook Cruises Sydney
      • Sealink WA
      • Eurail
      • Quest Tours
      • Taveuni Palms Resort Fiji
      • New Travelodge Sydney
      • New Flinders Ranges Outback Tour
      • Byroads
      • Cruise the Murray River with Early Booking Saver Fares
      • Korail Pass
      • Kangaroo Island Odysseys
      • Father's Day - Sydney Harbour
      • Captain Cook Whale Watching Cruises
      • MANTRA HOTEL AT SYDNEY AIRPORT
      • Murray Princess, Adelaide & Kangaroo Island Combo
      • Viking River Cruise Special
      • Super cruise deals for seniors during NSW Seniors Festival
      • Buisness Class Air Package
      • SeaLink launch new Holiday House on Kangaroo Island
      • Make Tracks from Clouds to Coast
      • SeaLink’s American River self-drive package Extended
      • Your Chance to Cruise Europe with Pamela Wright and MSC
      • Charleston Challenge @ The Hyrdo
      • Galapagos
      • Walking - With a French Accent
      • Parmelia Hilton – Prestige for Perth
      • Forbes Survives the Storm
      • Murray Adelaide Kangaroo Island
      • Silver Explorer
      • Princess Cruises for Christmas
      • Dawn Princess Film
      • The Kurrajong Canberra
      • Norwegian Cruise Lines
      • Silversea Expeditions Galapagos
      • Captain Cook Fiji
      • Silver Discoverer
      • Adina on Kent
      • Captain Cook Cruises Vivid
      • Pan Pacific Perth
      • Auckland’s first Adina Apartment Hotel
      • Vibe Canberra Airport
      • Travelodge
      • Leisure Inn
    • Up Up and Away >
      • Airbus
      • Scoot Sale
      • Scoot to Europe
      • Tigerair Australia
      • A350XWB
      • Finnair
      • AirAsia X
      • AirAsia 10th
      • Asiana Airlines
      • Cathay Pacific
      • Flying Finnair to Europe
      • One Fare - Two Cities
      • Public Announcement Qatar Airlines
      • AirAsia
      • British Airways
      • Scoot Goes Greek
      • Tigerair Melbourne Townsville
      • Qantas Inflight Pop-Up
      • Business Class with Cathay
      • Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
      • Air France
      • British Airways
      • British Airways
      • KLM
      • Finnair
      • Air France Business Class
      • Virgin Atlantic
      • Catalina
      • BA
      • Bid Now Upgrades from Qantas
      • KLM
      • The Latest Aircraft for Air New Zealand
      • British Airways Announce New Singapore Service
      • Business Class to Singapore with British Airways
  • Guest Writer
    • Diamond Princess
    • 14-day Baltic cruise on the Celestial Eclipse.
    • A Few Ripples on Voyager of the Seas
    • Dawn Princess
    • Wild NZ with Silversea
    • Wild NZ part 2
  • Entertainment
    • The Book of Mormon
    • Event Cinemas
    • Mamma Mia
    • THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS
    • The Wizard of Oz
    • An Evening with Mario Frangoulis
  • Lifestyle
    • What's New >
      • TravelComfort
      • Advanced Skipper
      • Sash & Belle
      • Back Roads Touring
      • AccorHotels Seoul Dragon City
      • New Adina for Brisbane
      • Victorinox
      • Canon shines a light on our human footprint
      • HANGables
      • Samsonite
      • Important News for ALL READERS
      • Henty CoPilot
      • Art Xtedia
      • Waddingtons Travel Poker
      • Ovation and Supercruising
      • Princess Cruises Australia
      • New from Paklite
      • PowerAll
      • Victorinox
      • Victorinox
      • Paklite
      • The New Paklite Collection
      • New from Samsonite
    • STRUTH >
      • Elephants never forget
      • Southern Highlands NSW
      • Eagle Squadron
      • PROVE TO THE WORLD YOU A WITCH
      • Why
      • Lucky Coins
      • Bonhams
      • CUBA A YESTER-YEAR MOTORING TIME WARP
      • BEDAZZLE LIKE A STAR
      • Thai Market
      • China's Trains
      • CARIBBEAN AIRPORT
    • Health & Fitness >
      • Herbs + Hearts
      • Nageze
      • Dessata
      • Oral-B GENIUS in Rose Gold
      • Firefly
      • Men's Skin Care
      • Healthy Aging with IsoWhey
      • Age with health
      • YaMate Insect Repellent
      • Tips for a Healthy Heart
      • IsoWhey for Healthy Weight Gain
      • Kickstart Your Libido
      • MySmart Bars
      • 30 Plus Nu Woman
      • Rigon Headwear
      • IsoWhey
      • Atkins Update
      • Boost Your Immune System
      • Fatigue
      • Sea-Band
      • NutriBullet
      • New Atkins and Health
      • 5 Suitcase Essentials for Arthritis Sufferers
      • Malaysia Medical
      • fitbit
      • TePe
      • Salin
      • Mature Traveller's ARE SEXY
      • Vitamin D and Sun Protection
      • Poo
      • Travellers Checklist
    • Wine and Food >
      • Noosa Wine and Food Festival
      • Dinnerly
      • Cookie Doh
      • Flamin Hot Sauce
      • Fornetto Smoker
      • Fornetto Smokers
      • LODGE CAST IRON COOKWARE
      • Barossa Valley Sophie Rosé 2016
      • Provencal Rosé Maison Charlotte
      • Yarra Valley Tea
      • BBQ Beer and BS
      • Ribs
      • Cuisines of France and Mexico
      • The Big Marn’s Barbeque Cookbook
      • Food of Naples
      • Travel to Noosa - For Cooking Classes
      • Yulefest flavours in the Blue Mountains
      • Ahh dark chocolate
      • Quintessential Noosa restaurant turns ten
      • The Red Spice Road Cookbook
      • PUKKA’S NEW TURMERIC GOLD TEA
      • Gateway Circular Quay
      • Wine with David Ellis
      • The Bean Bag
      • Whole Food - Bowl Food
      • Braza - A Brazilian Cookbook
      • China Doll
      • Buderim Ginger Beer
      • Sydney Seafood School's Latest
      • Harvest from Hardie Grant
      • Pukka
      • Texan BBQ
      • Buzo A new winter menu
      • The Kitchen Therapist
      • Fort Denison
      • Angullong
      • Lombardian
      • Eating House
      • Meat & Sweet
      • Grace Hotel
      • Everyday Mediterranean >
        • Magnum
      • Malabar
      • O Bar
      • Gluten Free Tapas
      • Exquisite Wine Dinner
      • Wine with David Ellis
      • Wine for the Christmas Feast
    • Technology >
      • Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
      • Canon EOS M 50
      • Inflighto
      • Canon - PowerShot SX730 HS
      • Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III
      • Good Idea for Home and Travel
      • The Latest Moto Smartphones
      • Navman
      • LG Stylus DAB+
      • Motorola
      • Bose Next Generation >
        • Mandurah and Blue Swimmer's
      • Moto E
      • Bose
      • New From Nikon
      • New Camera from Samsung
      • Nokia Lumia 925- WOW
      • Sensational Pocket Digital and FM Radio
    • Books >
      • How to win a Noble Prize
      • Child of Africa
      • Where the Murray River Runs
      • Moment of Thruth
      • Lonely Planet Kids
      • Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2018
      • A Short History of Golf
      • Freedom’s Salesman
      • Mark Latham
      • Lonely Planet Kids
      • A Hard Place
      • A Haunting Place
      • Big Boys’ Toys
      • Fly Fishing
      • Stealth Raiders
      • Hero or Deserter?
      • GOLF RESORTS OF THE WORLD
      • THE CHARGE
      • Gelignite Jack Murray
      • Lonely Planet Kids
      • THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF PIKELET
      • Fur-Ever Loved
      • Alicorn
      • Roped In from Hardie Grant
      • The Australian Bird Guide
      • The Mysterious Mr Jacob
      • The Rugby League Book of Records
      • The Kick of Stalin’s Cow
      • Rubbing Shoulders Around the World
      • News from Lonely Planet
      • Make Science Fun
      • Pawtraits
      • Surfing in the Sixties
      • The Travel Book - Lonely Planet
      • New Bridget Jones
      • The Artists of Margaret River
      • Swallowed by the Sea
      • Australia's WILD BEAUTY
      • Never Nver
      • Australia Rocks
      • The Melbourne Cup
      • Ali - The Greatest
      • The Test of the Century
      • False Flags
      • Woof
      • 1000 Butterflies
      • Where are our Boys
      • Ford Australia
      • Superstitions
      • Manly Sea Eagles
      • The Soldier's Curse
      • Lonely Planet
      • Grand Slam
      • Penguin Books Australia
      • Hardie Grant Animorphia
      • Penguin Boat
      • Paris Tragics
      • Nice Nosing You
      • Retro Rugby League
      • The Big Lap
      • Aussie Words and Phrases
      • Gallipoli
      • Smoked
    • DVD's >
      • Last Cab to Darwin
      • Arbitrage >
        • Offspring
  • Photo Gallery
    • Blue Lagoon Cruises
    • Kakadu
    • Hotel Kurrajong
    • The Cook Islands
    • The Steamboats of Lake Geneva
    • Samsung in the Whitsundays
    • SAMOA images with a Nokia 925
  • Contact
    • About Us
    • Media Kit
  • Archives
    • Travel >
      • Destinations - Australia >
        • In awe of the Kimberley
        • Wine and Food in the ACT
      • Destinations - Overseas
      • Sir Donald Campbell Bluebird
      • Good Deals
      • Cruising >
        • Rum - Smuggler’s - Slavery
        • Mountain Designs
        • Sea Breeze II
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle >
      • Health & Fitness
      • Wine & Food
      • Technology
      • Books
  • New Page
  • New Page
  • Jasper
   Brisbane to Townsville
                                    Len and Phensri Rutledge take the long way

It seemed crazy driving 750 kilometres west from Brisbane before turning north but small outback towns, some man-made icons and friends on a cattle property all contributed to the choice. Six days later we arrived in coastal Townsville enriched greatly by the experience.
Miles and Charleville
The Warrego Highway rolls through the Lockyer Valley then climbs the range to Toowoomba. The garden city was in full bloom for the Festival of Flowers and despite the drought, the city was a picture. If you have never seen this colour extravaganza you have missed one of Queensland’s premier regional festivals.
Pressing on westward we made our first stop at the Miles Historic Village. This was established by volunteers in 1971 and it now contains over 30 buildings from the early 1900s. They include a hospital, cafe, bank, post office, bakery, hotel, jail, school, church and so on. It is a great opportunity to see how our grandparents lived.
As well as the buildings, there is a railway station and steam locomotive, an aboriginal area, a world-class collection of fossil woods and Australia’s most extensive display of petrified plants from the Jurassic period. If you are out that way, don’t miss it.
Charleville is one of the larger towns in western Queensland. Tourism is a growing industry and the Charleville Cosmos Centre has put the town well and truly on the tourist map. The spectacular clear night skies of Outback Queensland offer some of the world’s best sky watching conditions and the Cosmos Centre takes this to a new level.
The Centre operates both day-time and night-time shows. We did an evening tour which started with a short film then we were taken into a large hall where four telescopes were set up. Magically the roof rolled away and the Milky Way stretched from horizon to horizon. We learned that our galaxy contains up to 400 billion stars. It is one of billions, possibly trillions of galaxies in the universe. It all ended too soon but we will be back.
Barcaldine
Barcaldine is 410 kilometres north of Charleville. It is home to one of Australia’s most famous ghost gum trees. Unfortunately, in an act of vandalism, the 200-year-old tree was poisoned in 2006 and all that remains is the preserved trunk under a man-made shelter.
The tree is connected to an important time in Australia's political development as it was used as the meeting place for shearers during the Great Shearers Strike of 1891. During that strike, a crucial connection was forged between unions and what was to become the Australian Labor Party.
Just around the corner is the Australian Workers Heritage Centre. This was established to remind us of the history and traditions of working Australians who built Australia and fought for freedoms that all citizens now enjoy.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Longreach
Longreach is the largest town in Queensland's central west and is 110 km west of Barcaldine. It is home to the Stockman’s Hall of Fame and the Qantas Founders Museum, two major attractions.
The Hall of Fame building is stunning and inside, the five themed galleries display the history behind some of Australia's greatest and bravest explorers, stock workers, pastoralists, and Aborigines. There is an eclectic mix of objects, images, 12 touch-screen audiovisual films outlining the history of outback life, and open displays. There is also the Hugh Sawrey Art Gallery and the Wool Bale Café for refreshments and snacks.
Some of the highlights of the Qantas Founders Museum are the original 1921 Qantas hangar, an open-cockpit Avro 504K, one of the first two aircraft owned by the airline, a DC3, a Boeing 747 and a Boeing 707. Another aircraft awaiting proper restoration is a Catalina, famous for flying the Qantas blockade buster services across the Indian Ocean during World War II.
It is possible to just visit the museum but I strongly recommend also taking a tour of the two modern aircraft. You get to see parts of the aircraft that passengers never see and there is even an opportunity to do a unique wing walk.
Winton
We travelled for 165 kilometres from Longreach towards Winton then followed a sign to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs, a working museum which has the most productive fossil preparation facility in the southern hemisphere and the world’s largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils.
The tour involved visits to two different areas. It started in the Collection Room where through talks and film we learned how the Winton area has evolved over the last 600 million years, where and how the dinosaur bones are found, and what’s involved in digging them up. Then we visited the Laboratory where fossils were being worked on.
Winton is home to the Waltzing Matilda Centre. Tragically this iconic outback museum was destroyed by fire two years ago but the good news is that it will reopen in April with a four-day music festival after a $22 million rebuild.
Hughenden and Charters Towers
The final part of our 2200km drive was through Hughenden where we stopped to visit “Hughie”, the seven metre-tall Muttaburrasaurus, and an impressive fossil collection at the Flinders Discovery Centre. Our last stop was at Charters Towers where there is plenty to occupy you for a full day and it was then only 120 km to Townsville.
Words: Len Rutledge. Pictures: Phensri Rutledge
Feature supplied by: www.wtfmedia.com.au
www.LenRutledge.com  
Travel
  Destinations
  Good Deals
  Cruising

Entertainment

Lifestyle
  Health & Fitness
  Wine & Food
  Technology
  Books  DVD's

Whats New
 
Photo Gallery

Contact Us
© 2013 Mature Traveller. All Rights Reserved.

Michael Osborne

Publisher and Managing Editor 
Sydney 
NSW Australia 

Phone: +612 9663 1373 
Mobile: +61 408 168 961 
Skype: mature888
Email: email us 
✕