April 2009 Notes

Route 66 runs from Tennant Creek in the NT all the way to Rockhampton.

1,994 km – about 22 hours 54 mins

Google Maps

 

Camoweal is the first place we cross into in QLD.

Camooweal is now considered a ‘suburb’ of Mount Isa, such is the vastness of the region, and the huge jurisdiction the Mount Isa City Council operates. The Barkly Highway between Mount Isa and Camooweal is considered the longest main street in the world at 188 kilometres long!

 

Very hot

Aborigine girl with bare feet when it was 46deg

Mt Isa    162 lm

Mines

Cloncurry  149

The Royal Flying Doctors Service was launched Cloncurry with the first flight on 17 May 1928.

Cloncurry was founded in 1867 by Ernest Henry. It was built upon copper mines in the surrounding district, which quickly led to it being one of the most prosperous towns in the Outback.

Today, Cloncurry’s core industries include grazing, copper and gold mining, transport and mining services. Qantas was conceived in Cloncurry and their aircraft hangar still stands at Cloncurry Shire Airport.

McKinlay  108

Walkabout Creek

Winton 239

The town is best known as the place that AB (Banjo) Paterson wrote Waltzing Matilda in 1895, whilst at Dagworth Station outside Winton

Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service (Qantas), Australia’s national airline was formed in Winton in November, 1920 and its first board meeting was held in the Winton Club on 21 February 1921.

Longreach  179

Qantas

Qantas Founders Museum – this world-class attraction commemorates the founders of this great Australian company that grew to become internationally recognised as a leader in world aviation

Barcaldine  107

Sapphire  275  

Big Spanner and Big Pick and Shovel

Get your nuts tightened at the Big Spanner

Sapphires on graded road

NASA

Emerald   54

Bluff

Trains  James

Bluff is located in the Central Highlands, 94 kilometres east of Emerald on the Capricorn Highway. A must see for rail enthusiasts, Bluff is the major interchange station for coal trains. Many trains are over two kilometres long.

Rockampton

The Port of Rockhampton
In 1874 wharves were built within the city reach of the river to allow the transportation of goods, people and mail to southern and northern ports. Rockhamptonites pursued the idea of a port within the river, until the government finally set up Port Alma and the rail links along the Sunshine Route were completed. In 1960, the redevelopment of the port was funded jointly by Council and the Queensland Government.

Often been known as the Beef capital