Martin Luther, the famous sixteenth century German Reformer,
once outlined his cure for depression, ‘noble acts and warm baths’.
Our first stop today is 100kms out of Longreach at the
little town of Barcaldine, home of a very noble act. In 1891 a group of
striking shearers met under a ghost gum in front of the railway station. The
organisation that was formed on that day became the Australia Labor Party. The
tree known as the Tree of Knowledge was living up until 2006 when it was
poisoned with roundup by Andrew Bolt… only joking… by some unknown rascals. Now
the original tree trunk and some of its remaining branches is surrounded by a
grand wooden memorial sculpture. The accompanying plaque states that this famous
meeting ‘spearheaded the many reforms which were to result in a vastly improved
way of life for Australians generally’.
The next 500kms saw us passing through some very dry
countryside, but also some lovely little towns, including Tambo, which boasts
the prettiest library we have ever seen. We also had a glimpse of the ‘Outer Barcoo, where the churches are few’, a river made famous by Banjo Paterson, which
is today completely dry. Sadly, along the A2 we passed more road kill than we
have ever seen in almost forty years of driving. Cows, emus, lizards and thousands
of kangaroos littered the sides of the roads. So sad.
Our day ended at the town of Mitchell on the banks of a flowing
river, the first river we have seen containing water for almost 3000kms. Following
Martin’s advice we immediately had a warm bath, or to be more precise, a swim
at the Great Artesian Basin Spa fed from the Great Artesian Basin. The recently
renovated public pool and spa featured a 38 degree natural spa which greeted us
with warmth and relaxation and left us feeling rejuvenated.
No depression here, especially after dinner of porterhouse
steak with veggies and rice cooked in the caravan park’s camp kitchen. A feast,for
less than $10.
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