Let us in, let us in. Back in the day, before we became one big happy Australian family, crossing from New South Wales to Queensland at Hungerford would have required the payment of customs duties.
From whence we had come - 320 bone shattering kilometres to White Cliffs. NSW should take a leaf from Queensland's books, the road from Hungerford to Eulo and beyond was excellent.
The Royal Mail Hotel, Hungerford. The town is on the Paroo River on the Queensland side of the border with NSW. Hungerford is a long way from anywhere and has a population of 23 (in 2016) on a good day. In its glory days, Hungerford was a customs station between the 2 states and an important stock route linking western Queensland with the markets in Victoria and South Australia.
Front bar of the Royal Mail Hotel. The stories it could tell. The pub started life in 1874
Sampling the Royal Mail steak sandwiches for lunch...verdict.....excellent
Beginning in 1882, Cobb and Co ran weekly buggies between Hungerford and Eulo and Thargomindah and Hungerford transporting mail, goods and passengers.
Lake Numalla in Currawinya National Park north of Hungerford. The park is on the Queensland side of the border but actually runs to the border fence in places. It is a well kept secret with interesting fresh and salt water lakes, bluffs, water holes and a wool shed portraying facets of the pastoral industry which was, and still is important to the region.
Lake Numalla
The granites, Currawinya NP
Ourimperee waterhole-a great place to camp, Currawinya NP. Queensland National Parks, in their infinite wisdom, insist that a camping permit be purchased prior to camping. These can be purchased on-line, or by phone but not at the park. Someone in Brisbane has not yet realised that mobile phones don't work in much of the outback and that many travellers find out about this park and its attractions as they drive through it. You either continue driving or camp illegally as there is no honesty system like in many other states of Australia. When queried about this, the answer from Brisbane was that people were being dishonest when it came to the honesty system. Of course all of those forced to camp illegally make the effort to pay up later, don't they ??????.
Currawinya Woolshed (see separate Woolshed gallery for more detail)
'Out on the board the old shearer stands'
Shearer's quarters
Unshorn sheep only
Stationary steam engine, presumably used to pump water from Ourimperee waterhole to supply the shed and sheep yards
Our last night before home, camping on the Balonne River, St George, Queensland
The Mily Way, Currawinya NP
It looks pretty similar at St George too.
