Bowen to Charters Towers

About 250 km north of Mackay, Bowen is just off the Bruce Highway. We briefly dropped in to visit Flagstaff Hill Lookout and Interpretive Centre, which overlooks the coast and provides sweeping views out to Gloucester Island. The road up to the lookout was steep and caravans were not allowed so Rod and I had to hoof it to the top...invigourating exercise that we needed after a day on the road.

We decided to head out of Bowen, inland again...about 70 km towards the Collinsville coal mine, where we turned off the main road and ventured about 20 km down the Strathalbyn Road (rough dirt) where we camped for the night near a dry river bed...not another sole to be seen anywhere....especially with a caravan in tow. Along the way we saw a dingo, a feral pig and lots of 'bos indicus'cattle with floppy drooping ears.

Next morning we backtracked and continued about 30 km along the Colinsville road before branching off to take the scenic route to the Burdekin Falls Dam (Lake Dalrymple)....rough dirt road of about 120km, with corrugations by the score...and floodways and dips at every corner. The trip took the best part of a full day to negotiate but was fun.

The country was fairly hilly and savannah-like, but its remoteness was a welcome respite from the highway clogged with fellow nomads.

Quite a few of the stations we drove through had signs on their gates prohibiting shooting, camping etc but this one, just west of Bowen River Hotel, amused us the most.

Part of the exhibition at the Gold Battery included a small (holographic) 'ghost' on his own little stage narrating the gold mining & milling history of the Venus Mill and Charters Towers. There was also a separate holographic display projected through spraying water, where the same 'ghost' talked about some of the colourful people that lived in Charters Towers during its heyday. The tour was very informative, interesting and very well done...particularly good value too...at only $6.00 each