Surprises – Welford NP to Yaraka

The road east toward the Idalia NP & Blackall was, according to our map book, to be 249kms of dirt road. We had also seen signposts to a place called Yaraka. From Retreat Station (at the Welford NP boundary) to the turn-off to the quaintly spelled Budgerygar the road was sealed. The gravel road that followed was in excellent condition with not a corrugation to be seen (or felt). This lasted for around 40 or so kms, after which it returned to sealed road all the way to Blackall. This in itself was quite a surprise, as was the country we were passing through. The road runs reasonably parallel & approx 250- 300kms north to the Charleville/Quilpie/Windorah Rd but took us through far more interesting  country. Thick Mulga & Gidgee (Gidyea) forests between dramatic jump ups (Mesas). Occasionally the road would crest hills, affording us extensive views across the top of these forests to the jump ups & the horizon. Somewhere out there we saw the gruesome sight of two large wild dog carcasses hung off a sign pointing to a station. It’s not clear to us if this is done to show off the shooter’s ‘trophies’, encouragement to others to also try to control wild dog populations or perhaps a mix of both. These were not the first we have seen, but certainly were the largest & the first time we have seen more than a single carcass. We stopped so I could get out & take a photo. This resulted in a further surprise (we can call this a ‘themed’ post 🙂 ).

Having returned to the car & driven on for several kilometres I suddenly & completely unexpectedly found myself under attack. Some vicious little critters were up my trouser legs & biting me savagely. Urgent action was required. I braked heavily & then to compound the situation I found my door was somehow locked & me in the throes of panic, unable to extricate myself from the ‘drivers seat of pain’. By now the usually caring MrsTea was expressing a degree of amusement about the scenario that I was not sharing! Having ‘pushed through’ the panic I was able to undo the door, tumble out of the car & remove my trousers in the middle of the road, uncaring about whether anyone might happen along. Two large black ants were my attackers, both duly despatched with relief, choice language & a little violence. Phew-ee!

Our journey resumed, only to once again be interrupted in a similar, but no less unexpected, nor vicious fashion a couple of kilometres later by a few more ‘mates’ of the initial attack force. Seems they were only the ‘scouting party’ & the full regiment had waited until reaching the upper parts of my torso before launching the main offensive. This time I was out of the car the moment the wheels skidded to a stop on the gravel & within moments was stark naked in the middle of the road, waving clothes around & screaming abuse. MrsTea was crying with laughter – (Just wait darling, my turn will come). Five more ants found, plus another two waiting for me in the footwell. Eventually I re-clothed & plucked up courage to return to the scene of ‘almost Cuppa’s last stand’. Thankfully my panic stricken ant genocide had been complete …… unless they are more cunning than I give them credit for & are still waiting & biding their time!

The main surprise still laid ahead. We had seen signs previously pointing to Yaraka, but our latest model Hema GPS navigator whilst showing the road on which we were driving made no mention of Yaraka at all. By the time we reached where we thought Yaraka might have been, we were beginning to think that the signposts may have been a bit of a Queensland joke, directing the unknowing to a non-existent town, or at best Yaraka would turn out to be simply the name given to an area, with no town at all. Rounding a corner we saw an airstrip fenced off alongside the road, & then a short distance further on a house! Even then we still didn’t expect what we found. Here was a tiny town, with a population of just 17 which appeared exceptionally well cared for. No rundown old shacks here. Instead a small ‘village’ of freshly painted houses. But wait there’s more! A pub with a comfy sitting room & verandah, along with the friendliest hosts one is ever likely to meet, offering unlimited free coffee, tea & biscuits to all visitors, a free sunset tour up to the summit of Mt Slocombe, the ‘local Mesa’ each evening, overnight camping for $3 including power, hot showers, drinking water, & a beautifully fresh swimming pool all whilst surrounded by  gorgeously coloured scenery. In addition they have fuel available, & mobile phone/internet services that would be the envy of most cities. It was only installed in March this year, & with the tiny population bandwidth ‘traffic jam’ is not an issue. Download speeds have been measured as 16 times faster than Brisbane! There is even a local policeman & a school!

With all these unexpected bonuses how could we not stay the night? We did so, along with around a dozen or so other travellers, a mix of sealed road caravaners & dusty ute & swag travellers. The sunset tour in the pub’s minibus was great with free wine on offer to those who wanted it & an opportunity to get up close & personal with the top of a mesa in the sunset light.

Gerri & Chris, the pub owners are working hard to get ‘their’ town on the map. Gerri taught at the school decades ago & returned with her ex-pom husband to live out their retirement. They are a driven couple who are achieving their aims through a great deal of lobbying governments, councils & other influential bodies. Were it not for the heavily influenced religious aspect to some of the conversations it would be a place we might have considered as a more permanent ‘winter home’. Whether the achievements of this couple’s undoubted energy will be maintained after their inevitable demise will have to wait for history to tell, but there is little doubt that they have breathed new life into the town once the furthest west stop on the railway line which ceased operation 12 years ago.