Solos - Barcaldine

Sunday 19 May 2019

Sunday was the end of the rally week and we move on to Barcaldine where we are going to take part in the Longest Line of moving RVs for the Guinness book of records.  For ease of writing I will just call it the Longest Line from now on. 

However, we have a few days to spare, so we take our time getting there.  We drive via Isisford, where we stop for morning tea, but not before we have stopped off at the Golf Club to take a picture of the huge boab tree.

Isisford:

Next a long and narrow road to Ilfracombe with very little vegetation at times.

Ilfracombe is well-known for its long stretch of road lined with old and antique vehicles:

The bus has taken many hits from the huge grasshoppers on the road:

We planned a few days in Longreach, but the various tours were very expensive and we had already visited the Stockman's Hall of Fame, so we didn't hang on for long.  We walked through town, had coffee, lunch, a beer in the pub, took some photos and stayed only two nights at the free camp along the river instead of the three that we had paid for.  We visited the Powerhouse Museum and also the Cob & Co museum was of some interest, but the road to Longreach less so.

Longreach railway station

the only train for that day

At the Cob & Co museum

The size of the grasshoppers!!

#2087 - Apex Riverside camping

Yes, and of course a geocache!

Riverside Park:

A few impressions of the Powerhouse Museum:

Tuesday 21 May 2019

Instead of the Riverside Park we stay the next night at the caravan park in Ilfracombe where we meet geocachers John and Lorraine (Dunmowin) with whom we go for a walk and in search of a nearby cache. The evening at the caravan park is great with entertainment and jokes by the owner. 

at the caravan park

John finds the cache

#2088 - Have a rest

A tiny museum at Ilfracombe:

Kevin with John and Lorraine

Wednesday 22 May 2019

After a pleasant day and night at Ilfracombe it's time to move on and we drive to Barcaldine.  We are allocated a spot in the rodeo ring, an oval so sandy that a few of the vehicles get bogged.  A day later we find a better spot near the fence line and also close to showers and toilets.

The showgrounds and we are parked in the small oval in the top left corner

The blue dot is where we are parked

We explore the town, have coffee at one of the coffee shops and walk a bit further to find a cache:

#2089 - Australia's First Alfresco (cache)

Thursday 23 May 2019

We don't start too well at Barcaldine, because after we have found the showgrounds and have settled in we drop the sofa seat on my big toe, which warrants a visit to the hospital.  Blood everywhere and no medics on side, so we walk (well, I hobble) to the hospital across the road where we play the 'waiting game'!  Eventually the toe is looked after and we leave with a handful of bandage which should get us through the following days. 

That nail I am going to loose...

It's a long wait, but we keep smiling

Friday 24 May 2019

John and Lorraine asked us to come for a day out geocaching, but initially I declined, because I couldn't walk distances and hardly move quickly.  However, they decided that Kevin could do the honours and help find the caches while I would log them.  Dear Kevin obliged and my day was saved!  We cached in and around Barcaldine.

#2090 - A Cache for 'O' (cache)

#2091 - A Cache for 'H' (cache)

#2092 - For C (cache)

#2093 - Very Happy to Arrive (cache)

#2094 - Stump Mail (cache)

#2095 - Quite a Welcome (Almost!) (cache)

#2096 - Tune In (cache)

#2097 - Iron Mail (cache)

#2098 - One for Ridgeedidge (cache)

#2099 - Mail for the Tree Family (cache)

#2100 - Turn around postie (cache)

#2101 - The Steel Tree (cache)

#2102 - Landsborough Tree (2) (cache)

Saturday 25 May 2019

The following day we make our way to Barcaldine Isisford Road, a long stretch of road just outside of Barcaldine.  We park there for the night and our attempt of the record for the Longest Line of Lights. We break that record with a large number of vehicles forming a length of 6.2 km.  The earlier record was 650 m!  Earlier in the day we have entertained ourselves by watching some 800 vehicles passing by and at night people entertain themselves with light effects and parties.

Sunday 26 May 2019

The following morning starts the real business of trying to break the record.  The Longest Line is being formed and consists of over 800 RVs, being motorhomes and caravans of all kinds.  It takes a while before everyone is moving. "A while" being well over an hour with some people being pretty shitty over the two-way which is really meant to be used only by the organisers.  Finally we get to move at a regular speed and are being filmed from the road and out of a helicopter.

In the end we pass the start and finish lines of the three kilometre stretch which we have to pass moving and at approx. one car length distance from each other.  Well, therein lies the problem, the length between vehicles, which is not constant and will determine the validity of the Longest Moving Line.

Since we were no. 61 in line we were amongst the first ones to return to Barcaldine where we found a coffee shop along the roadside and watched all the other vehicles return.  We're in the outback, so there are huge road trains as well:

On our last day at the showgrounds we discover the bright red motorhome that we know so well: Formerly.  Formerly got its name because it was formerly a fire engine at the Caboolture fire station.  Helen and Bob have transformed it into a marvellous motorhome years ago and have been travelling in it ever since.