We would like to share with you (our wonderful customers) our most recent trip out to the remote Opal Fields!
3 hours on dirt roads from Winton and some of the whacky sights along the way….
A typical day in Central Western Queensland is strangely foreign to most and something most may never get to experience!
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Be on the lookout for termite mounds in this area. Termite mounds are like climate-controlled high rise apartments for termites, and people out here can’t resist the urge to make them look the part. I felt for this guy as it was almost 100 degrees, it like he needed a cold beer.
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We love our sweltering Christmas out here, if luckily enough to have had a down pour things get very entertaining to say the least.
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Thunderbox Australian Outback Toilet Built in Australia for Outback conditions! Made of wood and steel, there’s not a scrap of plastic here—and with proper care, it will last a lifetime. Yet, it’s lightweight and compact, making it easy to bring along on long-term expeditions or half- day fishing trips.
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Emus are one of the animals we come across with on the way. Running up to 32 miles per hour, faster than the fastest man on Earth, Usain Bolt. Although, contrary to popular myth, they are not faster than Eastern Grey Kangaroos – who can reach a top speed of 44 miles per hour. The mighty female Emu is one bird the males know not to mess with as she dominates during breeding. Once she has laid her large green eggs, the father will take over the incubation. At this stage she may walk away and never return. Sometimes she will find another partner and breed again. Meanwhile the father is left to incubate the eggs and parents the chicks. In this time, he will not leave to drink or eat. He does not leave the nest for two months.
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Bladensburg National Park is situated just 7km from Winton township and was once Bladensburg Station. It was one of the original grazing properties established in Winton in the late 19th Century. The property was officially made a National Park in 1994 and now offers the public a snapshot of station history at the Old Homestead and surrounding buildings with a Shearing Shed, as well as a beautiful collection of Winton’s landscapes with a myriad of local wildlife. In the wet season you will often come across groups of locals having a picnic and a swim and even a game of cricket on the clay plans.
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Logan Falls is a rocky gorge about 20 meters deep. There is a rough track to a waterhole at the bottom of the falls which is well used by kangaroos in the dry. You will also find kangaroo caves, Lancewood, Ghost Gums and Spinifex which is the Australian version of the tumbleweed. On the rare occasion when it rains enough it is a sight to be seen.
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Opalton, once a bustling community of up to 600 people in the mid-1890s, it survives today with a frontier atmosphere. Fossicking for Opal inside the designated Fossicking Area is popular with those travelling the Outback.
Many people came to try their luck out in the harsh conditions of Australia’s Outback.
One of those brave souls being Stanko Petrov from Macedonia.
He first mined Opal in Coober Pedy then he moved to Opalton where he became one of the most well know characters on the Opal Fields who was known for his generosity and huge heart.
His legacy lives on out here…
From all of us in Winton and Opalton we hope you and your family have a very safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy Opal New Year!!