2026-05-21
We had nothing planned for today apart from a Stargazing session this evening, so we started slowly. While Lea put on some laundry so we wouldn't run out of clothes before the end of the trip, I drove to town, filled the car, and stopped at the bakery for bread and treats. She wasn't quite done when I got back, so I wandered around the camp ground and found some more birds (surprised? No? I thought not)
We then decided to check out the local Visitor Information Centre, which has an exhibit from the Australian National Museum of a locally found Diprotodon skeleton. Diprotodons are essentially giants wombats and part of Australia's early megafauna. They stood at about 2m tall and 3m long, roughly the same size as a modern Rhino. While at the Info Centre, we found there are a series of Bird Drives in the area. It was about lunchtime so we returned to the van for lunch, and then deciede to check out one of these drives. The nearest one started about 30km or so away towards Baradine. It was reasonably signposted from the main road, and was immediately dirt. Despite the recent rains, the road was in better condition than some of the sealed roads we'd travelled on recently, with the exception of the number of fallen trees across the track. Some were easily driven around, but a couple I got out to drag off the track, or break enough branches off so we could drive around it.
It was of course, the wrong time of day to be birding, and our first stop, which was meant to have specific birds, had nothing. It was amazingly silent for a forest. We moved along to the next spot that was meant to have Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters and maybe Crested Bellbirds, but I saw and heard neither. I did see (but didn't photograph) some Inland Thornbills, and an unidentified honeyeater that flew overhead. We returned to the track and saw a sign for Scultures in the Scrub (11km away), and set off in that direction instead of finishing the bird track. By the time we got there, the roads were pretty corrugated and the sculptures were on a 3km Grade 3 track, which neither of us felt like walking. Lea navigated us out to Baradine (via paper map!) with only a quick stop along the way to investigate a weird noise from the front passenger wheel (the shroud had popped out and needed pushing back in). As it happens this was fortuitous as one of the D shackles on the towbar had almost lost its bolt due to the vibrations. I removed both of them and stowed them inside the car. We spotted an Emu crossing the road (but it disappeared in to the bush, so no photo), and then in Baradine, some Common Wallaroos.
Back at camp we brought the washing in, and contemplated what we'd do for dinner. There is a highly recommended Chinese restaurant in town, the Golden Sea Dragon, and since it opened at 17:00 and we didn't need to be at the stargazing until 18:30, we decided on an early dinner at the restaurant. It was definitely good Chinese (and not in the "Country Chinese" way, but more what you'd expect in a city.
We went with a Three Varieties Mixed Entree (two each of Mini-Spring Roll, Prawn Toast and Dim Sum), and for mains Lea had Combination Szchuan Seafood with Cashews, and I had Sambal Beef. We finished by five minutes to 18:00, which gave us plenty of time to drive slowly out to Milroy Observatory.
Our Stargazing at Milroy Observatory hosted by Jessica (one of Donna the Astronomer's team) ran for an hour and half and we saw a lot of stars through some 12" telescopes. Well worth it if you're in the area. An unexpected highlight of the evening was seeing the meteor that made the news. An impressive green and orange streak in the lower sky to the south-east.
Tomorrow is another moving day. We're head for Yelarbon, but depending on the time we arrive, may push on further.