The next destination on our epic winter trip was Opalton. We tried to visit Oplaton last year but got lost on the dirt roads and drove for hours in gathering darkness, finally ending up 275kms south in Jundah. We couldn't face driving all the way back so left it for the next time. Well, next time had arrived so we struck out from Winton again hoping for better luck this time.
It really was not easy because tracks go off the dirt road and it can be difficult to be certain which is the correct path to take even though the road was in pretty good condition. Driving through a vast expanse of red dirt is great though and we saw Brolgas and Rainbow Bee Eaters as well as more Budgies along the way.
Eventually we made it to Oplaton Bush Camp, $2.50 per person a night with toilets and a donkey shower (heated by a fire). there was red soil as far as the eye could see, a Happy Hour every day at 4pm (bring your own happy) and a daily free tag along tour at 7.30am. We needed to go to both because we did not know whether there was an actual town or just the Bush Camp.
Happy Hour carried on a bit longer than usual because we came across a couple we had met at Lawn Hill. We still managed to get up for opal miner Glen's early morning tour which was pretty interesting and confusing all at the same time. It was incredibly generous of him to do the tours, he brought along fossicking equipment for the unprepared to borrow and return the next day, he had a little shop at his claim but his directions to get there were so complicated we couldn't find it.
Opalton turned out to be just the Bush Camp surrounded by opal mining claims dotted about. The areas Glen showed us were where visitors were allowed to fossick without encroaching on the property of others. He showed us how to look for Fairy Opal and Boulder Opal, which is opal in the rock rather than big stones and both Ian and I found a few nice bits.
Ian got rather bitten by the fossicking bug after months of watching Outback Opal Hunters on TV and went on Glen's tour again on the second day. This time all the attendees decided to meet up later and between us find the way to Glen's camp come hell or high water so we could visit his shop. We gathered at the Bush Camp and Nola the caretaker gave us much more straightforward directions, which we followed and found it with no trouble. Glen gave us a tour of his place and showed us the bits he had for sale. There were some very pretty pieces, mainly ironstone with flashes of colour, not what we usually think of as opals. Ian showed Glen a stone he had found and asked if he could cut it. Glen thought he could get 4 pieces of Matrix Opal out of it and started the process there and then with his impressive array of cutting and polishing wheels.
The Big Opal Find of course meant we would have to stay a few more days while the cutting and polishing was finished. We discovered the Historic Town Loop which was a series of signposts in the dirt showing where various buildings stood when there was a town at Oplaton. It was pretty fascinating to see there once was a Police Station, Stage Coach Stop, Bakery and other shops , very different from today. Now the miners get together once a month to do the 600km round trip to buy groceries in Longreach, if they forget anything they just have to do without. There was frozen bread at the Bush Camp and I spotted plenty of cans of soup both there and at Glen's place but it must be very tough and take a certain type of person to be able to live that way.
The next day we went up to the lookout and walked around the waterhole, which was very pretty with a surprising number of birds. At the Happy Hour that evening we were pleased to discover that Glen had finished the opals. He had got four pretty ones out of the lump of rock and we arranged to pop up to his place in the morning to pay him for cutting them. After settling up we hit the road again for Jundah. These roads had really become our nemesis, the roads are pretty good for dirt but the signage woeful, non existent really. Having missed Opalton altogether last year, we must have missed a turn again because this time we treated ourselves to a gruelling 330km schlep to Jundah which should have only taken half the time and distance. We could not face trying to find a riverside spot when we arrived so drove straight to the caravan park beside the pub $20 unpowered, really good, new amenities and wifi.
Jundah looked very different from when we visited last year. There had been dreadful floods a few months back, the surrounding landscape was incredibly green and the fields were covered in wild flowers. The lady in the Post Office told us the floods were the worst she had seen and she was 79 and had lived there her whole life. Blaze Aid, a group of volunteers who help out after fires and floods, were still there working on broken fences and cleaning homes. One of their volunteers told us the flood had arrived like an inland tsunami resulting in the loss of a huge number of livestock and much damage to farms and homes. At our caravan park we saw the temporary accommodation huts Blaze Aid brought with them and assembled. A pallet formed the floor then the little hut was made of corflute, they came as a pack and were put together in moments. The occupants could use the showers and toilets at the caravan park and had temporary shelter while their homes were made habitable again.
The 3 hour drive to Quilpie was a magnificent journey through green countryside with masses of wild flowers, very different from the brown, dusty drive along the same road last year. We dodged out of the way of road trains bearing down on us on the single strip road and finally arrived in Quilpie where we headed straight to the dry, dusty riverbank we camped on last time only to find it lush and green. It felt like a completely different spot, I even saw a new bird as soon as I sat down, a Black Faced Monarch. The stars were amazing and the weather was beautiful, cool overnight and warm during the day and just a short drive into town for toilets and coffee.
We like Quilpie. It has an excellent pub, The Brick Hotel, two supermarkets, petrol stations so it was a good place to chill and restock. The staff in the information centre were also chuffed with the wildflowers and asked us to stand by a vase of them for a photo to put on their website. They told us the flood had come over the bridge where we were camped but only reached the edge of town because it was built on a bit of a rise. Apparently there was a big golf tournament on during our stay which attracted big crowds because of the spectacle of a golf tournament played on red dirt.
There was also a trivia night taking place in aid of the local school so we trotted along. We were put in a team with two women who were volunteers for Lifeline helping with the clean up and the mental health of those affected by the flood. The evening started at 6.30pm but unfortunately the quizmaster was very fond of the sound of her own voice so we reeled out 4 hours later at 10.30 and the quiz was still going on! It was not easy to find the van in the pitch dark but we got there in the end.
Quilpie still had a few attractions we were yet to see - Amy Johnson's Landing place when she was doing a bit of a victory lap of Australia, a church with an opal altar and Baldy Top Lookout. The lookout was great, an easyish climb with fabulous views where we saw White Browed Woodswallows and Painted Firetails.
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