Day 59: Longreach to Tambo, 310km

Stopped at Ilfracombe, Barcaldine and Blackall and were surprised each time by how well presented these small QLD towns are compared to the rest of the country. They all have art galleries, cafes, aquatic centres (of course) and historical sites that are so well looked after. Tonight though, we are staying at the Royal Cannangarra Hotel and attended the chicken races held out the back in the Schnitzel Stadium.

Horse sculpture by Pip Fearon

Ilfracombe is a tiny town of very few people, but they maintain a roadside gallery that includes the "Machinery Mile" with dozens of pieces of old farm and transport machinery, each with a detailed explanatory plaque. I spent longer than I should have there, and have included some highlights here. I didn't get a pic of the kerosene powered tractor from the 1910s that had a caterpillar track, before Caterpillar was formed.

Old grader

I like this ex-army tank. They sold off so much army surplus after the wars. They sold these tanks for 5 pounds and that included a spare motor and spare track. A company at Katoomba used to convert them to bull dozers and sold them for 500 pounds. This one originally had a radial aircraft engine when it was a tank.

WWII tank converted to a bulldozer

An early (TE20) Ferguson tractor using Ferguson's "three point linkage" system that revolutionised farming and was incorporated into all modern tractors. Ferguson was an interesting guy - his company later merged into Massey-Ferguson.

Tambo Shire Council building - 

Tambo Post Office (and Laundromat and Cafe)

Many of the towns here have ties to the origins of the ALP but mainly Barcaldine which was where the Tree of Knowledge stood (before it was maliciously poisoned in 2006). They have a large and well maintained museum called the Australian Workers Heritage Centre which was worth a visit. Interesting times in the 1890s when the strike organisers were all sent to prison for conspiracy because the government thought they were going to overthrow them. Many of those prisoners later became politicians in the ALP. 

Fun fact: QLD became the first state to provide free public hospitals, in 1946!!

Blackall had some nice galleries, as did Tambo. We saw some works by Pip Fearon (she did the horse above on the Tambo main street) using scrap metal. We wanted to buy one but they were all sold! Tambo is also famous for the Tambo Teddies store and for the memorial at the first Qantas crash site.

Anyway, the old pub at Tambo needs a bit of attention, but interestingly, buses bring people in from all around at about 4:30 for the 5PM chicken races. We "bought" a chicken for the race but ours came second last. The video is here.

Chicken races

News alert:

A crocodile attack occurred at Wangi Falls in Litchfield NP today, the same falls we swam in only a few weeks ago.

Big Red Bash:

We have seen a lot more tourists since coming down from the gulf to central QLD. Everyone has a caravan (interestingly, rooftop tents are rare here, but were common in WA and NT) and maybe around half of all the tourists have been to the Big Red Bash at Birdsville (last week). We can tell because so many are wearing the merch. And they are all old (the band line up was a giveaway to the demographic: Icehouse, The Angels, Dragon etc.)