Lloyd Jones Weir – Barcaldine

Ken and I push on, heading towards Barcaldine. About 40klms west of Sapphire one of those Rest Area signs popped up, offering relief about 10klm further on. Now, I had no expectations other than a loo. It was not roadside but an arrow pointing down a hill, sight unseen.

Not sure what to expect, but as it turned out, we had arrived at Bogantungan Railway Station, an abandoned whistle-stop on the main western line. The bonus was that it was a perfect overnight stop for RV’s. Pity we were on a mission. The railway station is also the local railway museum, and a quick call will have a local come down and open up for you.

My last visit to Barcaldine had also been a whistle-stop, but this time it was going to be for a few days at a lagoon just 10 minutes S-W. Ken had spotted Lloyd Jones Weir during one of his research deep-dives and it turned out to be as good as they said. We had just set up and had already collected some wood for a fire that night. Then, almost as one, we looked to the sky and smelt the air. It felt like a storm was brewing, the BOM confirmed something was on it’s way. A few drops at first, a pause, and then all hell breaks loose. Rolling thunder rippled across the plains, the rain bending sideways before the wind.

Luckily, the black clouds drifted slowly east and we were left that unique after-storm -on-a -hot -day smell of the earth as the sun broke through on it’s westward journey to the horizon. The next three days were spent, not doing that much. It was the last chance to chillax before we headed up to Julia Creek and the Four Ways A fellow traveller, Keith, had alerted us to free hot showers at the Barcaldine Showground. We would incorporate that offer whenever we had to go to town – my God we were clean (lol).

The river bed below the weir was dry, so on the last afternoon, we walked down river for a couple of k. In spite of the weir, flooding clearly scours the river banks to a considerable height and with considerable force. It was just one of those things you don’t get a chance to do. A couple of grass parrots, happily oblivious to our presence, added a bit of colour. Finally got that campfire in and happy just to sit around with a beer (or two).

I had decided not to go with Ken to Longreach and Winton. I’d been there last year and there was a lot more of Queensland to share with you. So, while he heads west, I’ll head due north and we’ll hook up at Julia Creek.