Woke to cool but strong winds this morning so made haste to pack up the camper before it became a giant kite.

Once that was done we enjoyed a relaxed breakfast in the camp kitchen chatting and sharing tips with other campers (to be honest their tips are always more valuable than ours).

We left Quilpie just after 9 taking the Quilpie Thargaminda Road – based on morning recommendations first stop was the South Western Hotel in Toonpine – it’s one of the famed iconic bush pubs and reputed to have the best morning teas this side of the black stump, so how could we not? The owners’ daughter served us-    the pub has been in their family since the 1940. The morning tea certainly lived up to expectations.

And where would an outback town be without a rusty vehicle sitting on top of a pile? 

From  there with full bellies, fully caffeinated, and clutching a signed copy of the Australian Bush Pubs we went on n our way. 

Our mission is now clear…..

Again the road was the narrow single lane tarmac road with reasonably wide verges except for the creek bed crossings.  We definitely heeded the signage, pulling over and sucking in our tummies as the big cattle trucks passed us. 

Got off the road for this bad boy- they don’t slow down for anyone.

Lunch stop was in Eulo, an old opal mining town from the 1880s, also famous for its artesian mud baths. Despite their transformative health claims we gave the mud baths a miss given the mercury sitting at 37 and our reluctance to have mud lodged in every nook and cranny. 

Never let it be said we’re ‘unAustralian’ – we stopped for  a hearty Angus sandwich at the Eulo Queen Hotel,. The pub was founded and now named after Isabel Robinson, ‘the Queen of Eulo’ , an early pioneer woman who set up businesses in the town in the late 1800s, trading with the opal miners.

Arrived in Cunnamulla mid afternoon and made the (not too) difficult choice – caravan park with pool or free camp with flies? Let’s just say we were parked up with togs on within 15 minutes. We wallowed until the sun went low and we resembled prunes, chatting to the other late afternoon arrivals doing the same.