Outback Road Trips

Blackdown Tableland to Brisbane

admin Outback Queensland 4WD

Wednesday 18 May 2022: Blackdown Tableland to Banana 250 km

Life-sized bronze statue of a dingo in the town of Dingo (pop 340)
Dingo is home to the annual World Dingo Trap Throwing Competition
Wowan (pop 216) All Souls Anglican Church and adjacent Masonic Lodge
The Church was relocated from Mt Chalmers, about 1992
Serious burgers and good coffee from the Dululu (pop 126) food truck

Banana the town (Est. 1861, pop 356) has nothing to do with the fruit but everything to do with a bullock named Banana

In bygone days of bullock drays
Banana led the team,
an enormous yellow bullock
who died beside a stream.
The years have passed
“Banana’s Creek” tells of the bullock’s fame
for a town grew up beside it and BANANA was its name.

Thursday 19 May 2022: Banana to Eidsvold 210 km

Our original plan to explore the 4WD Expedition National Park was foiled as rain closed the Park. With more rain forecast we decided to stay on the main road and go to Wondai instead with a halfway stop at Eidsvold.

We had driven between Theodore and Eidsvold in 2020, but in the reverse direction. The photos are here.

Forest Kingfisher on the creek at Theodore
The Dawson River Palm only grows along the Dawson River near Theodore
It looks out of place under the shade of a Coolibah Tree

Cracow

A tiny ghost town now but during Cracow’s gold mining (1875-1976), the town included five cafes, a barber shop, a billiard saloon, two butchers, a picture theatre and a soft drink factory. If anyone is looking for a great movie set Cracow is it!

Self Service Store
Billiards Saloon
Frock Shop
Boarding House

Eidsvold

The old dunny on Eidsvold’s main street has gone (photo from 2020)
The town’s only pub has closed too; it’s ” Undergoing Renovations”

Friday 20 May 2022: Eidsvold to Wondai 200 km

Former Binjour Post Office and Store
Same Post Office and Store depicted on the Binjour Bowls Club water tank

Gayndah

Gayndah’s Historic Burnett Hotel, built in 1902. After 112 years in the Lutvey family it was sold in 2014.
Burnett Advertiser, 1933: “The spacious verandas which were reserved for dancing presented a pretty sight, being decorated with greenery and well lighted with electricity.”
Gayndah Court House, built 1928 with a large central ventilator on the roof
The Council Chambers, The Soldiers Memorial Hall and the Town Hall Theatre built in 1935 in a single building in the Art Deco style

Wondai

Wondai is a lovely old town with free camping, hot showers and toilets. We stayed the night and will be back when the weather’s better.

We returned home from Blackdown Tableland stopping at Banana, Eidsvold and Linville after driving 6,000 kilometres in 5 weeks.
Hotel Wondai, the “Bottom Pub” was built in 1905 and is still the original building. Unfortunately it closed last year but the Sunday roast is still advertised on the blackboard out the front
Hotel Cecil in Wondai with a classic balcony dates from 1911
Former Commercial Bank of Australia in Wondai (1934-35), a two storey rendered brick building

Saturday 21 May 2022: Wondai to Linville 100 km

Wondai parkrun – Rain, Hail or Shine… parkrunners gonna run!
The Tinny Pub (Tingoora Hotel) was established in 1900. The second owner won the Pub in a card game played on the Pub verandah in 1939 and owned it until 1997.
The 1933 Tingoora Public Hall (movie theatre) has become so dilapidated security fencing had to be erected around it for public safety
Wooroolin Grand Hotel, a classic example of early Queensland architecture (c.1916) with its twelve foot verandahs
Can’t go past Kingaroy without stocking up on peanuts

Nanango

An impressive collection of murals on the streets of Nanango tell the stories of the town. The murals were originally painted by Nanango artist Willie Nelson in 1998 (before street art was a “thing”) and were recently refreshed by the artist. Here are a few. We particularly like the last one which is inside the garage.

Blackbutt

Impossible to photograph today in the pouring rain – this photo of 1913 Hotel Radnor in Blackbutt from 2019 when we walked the Rail Trail
In 1935, the owners dog “Radnor” was run over by a truck. So he named the Pub after him.
We’d had our tongues around a Blackbutt pie all morning!

Linville

The Linville Hotel is a historic country pub located on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. It was originally built in 1892 and moved to Linville in 1904. In 2019 the new owners renovated the Hotel, retaining the classic Queensland pub character.

We enjoyed our last night, free camping at the Linville Railway Station and eating at the Linville Hotel.

Linville Hotel in 2019, we thought it had closed down
Linville Hotel in 2022 – on the wet Saturday night we were there, 11 cars were parked outside and a dozen vans staying in the camp ground
(Linville has a population of 126)

Sunday 22 May 2022: Linville to Brisbane 150 km

We drove over 6,000 km with rain, flooding and road closures forcing daily changes but we still got to our main sights: Birdsville, Lawn Hill and Blackdown Tableland National Parks. The new Apollo 4WD Adventure Camper was perfect for us and we were just a little sorry to hand it back.