Barcaldine, Longreach, Winton, Cloncurry, Mount Isa.
Barcaldine is the birthplace of the Australian Labor Party.
Must see in Barcky is the Tree of Knowledge under which the shearers sat during their strike in the 1890's which led to the start of a political party for the workers.
The tree has been a bit of a bad way over the years especially when it was maliciously poisoned. So a monument was constructed from what was left of the poor old tree - and it is spectacular!
It is huge!
It is rather ugly on the outside but beautiful on the inside.
Longreach, just up the road really put itself on the map by creating an airline.
Qantas was born there in the 1920's.
Also being a bit greedy for publicity or tourists or whatever Longreach also created the Stockmans Hall of Fame. And Outback Heritage Centre.
This is a very nicely curated museum.
Also a must-see is the Qantas museum which is smallish apart from the jumbo jet - whic is big.
The tour of the 747 and the luxury 707 (used by the Jackson Five to get around in its and their heyday) was plenty fascinating.
The other thing we did in Longreach was go on a sunset paddle wheeler cruise which involved food, bush poetry, a light and sound show (ie a film about outlaw Harry Redford aka Captain Starlight) plus the obligatory billy tea and damper.
Winton is famous as the birthplace of Australia's alternative national anthem - Waltzing Matilda.
Also as the centre of the dinosaur universe around here.
There are so many must-sees in winton that we stayed 3 whole days!
You get to see truly-real dinosaur bones with not glass in between at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs. You can watch volunteers chip away the rock to reveal real dinosaur bones. How cool is that?
Then you can drive for an hour the other side of town to Lark Quarry - site of a dinosaur stampede. And you can see the actual footprints in the rock. Cool too, eh?
So much discovering is going on. Phew! It's exhausting!
It's a long way from Winton To Cloncurry - for us oldies towing a caravan anyway so we overnighted at Mckinley at the Walkabout Hotel which if famous for being in the Crocodile Dundee movie - back in the dark ages.
Cloncurry invented the Royal Flying Doctor Service - one of the most amazing things ever.
Actually the Rev John Flynn invented the flying doctor thing as you will all know from your $20 notes.
He must have been quite a persuasive bloke to get it going and the people who helped him must have been pretty special too. The early Qantas people, the guy that re-invented the pedal radio, the doctors.
Amazing vision.
And finally Mount Isa.
What can I say?
It's a mining town with the mine right in town.
It's got shops.
And a great cafe with excellent coffee and yummy cakes.
