Ayr. Queensland.

Whilst we stayed in Ary for a few nights we ventured to the town which was only a few minutes from the Caravan Park.  We liked Ayr and stayed again on the way down south....but of course we are still heading north when these photos were taken.

Ayr was named after the Scottish town Ayr, the birthplace of a past Queensland Premier.
The town established in 1882. The Post Office opened in 1883.
Ayr is sugar cane country and it's not far from Home Hill another sugar cane growing area..

 Taken in the main street.

The above photo was taken in the main street.  I'm not fond of water being smooth, for me it looks too artificial so hence this one isn't very smooth.

The town clock, typical in most towns in Australia.

A house which is a bit different.

The Roman Catholic Church in Ayr.  Sacred Heart Church.

Sugar Mill close to Ayr.

At the Caravan Park in Ayr, Qld.

Stayed at Ayr in Q'ld at the Council Caravan Park for a couple of nights before heading further north.
The weather wasn't the best but at least it wasn't cold for winter, by now we are in summer clothing, the temperature was 18 deg C one day and 29 deg C the next. Ok for winter.

On the way to Ayr there were many Cane fields. This photo was taken whilst the vehicle was moving and my phone was used.

A map from Tasmania, Australia to Ayr in Q'ld and it gives some idea how far we are from home. We went a little more inland in places on this map thus making the mileage further.

Upon arriving and after settling in I wandered off to take some photos inside the park itself.

Know to me as the 'Flame Tree' and it's prominent in many places in the north, stands out amid the other trees.

Very old type of ficus roots.

A common flower to see also, a Hibiscus.

Can't recall the name of this one.  Recall it's grown inside in Tasmania.

These two are also grown inside in Tasmania - but of course indoor plants are not popular at this time and haven't been for several years.

The Burdekin Bridge, Qld.

We went over this bridge many times whilst travelling.  The history is interesting.
A bit of history of The Burdekin Bridge near Ayr, Qld.

The Burdekin Bridge spans the Burdekin River between the towns of Ayr and Home Hill, Queensland, Australia. Located on the Bruce Highway which is part of Highway 1, it is an important link in the national road network.
Originally, it was thought that the bridge could not be built in its present location. No trace of rock could be found on which to build the bridge foundations. In 1946, two high-ranking Government engineers visited India to inspect a number of bridges built on sand foundations. The same technique was used for the Burdekin Bridge and it is the only bridge in  The bridge rests on 11 huge, hollow, concrete caissons sunk into the river bed. The caissons are 17 metres across the top (measured parallel to the stream) and vary in width from 5.5 to 7.6 metres. The caissons were sunk into the river bed to a depth of about 30 metres. Add to that the approximately 20 metres that the caissons rise above the bed and the end result is some very massive pieces of concrete. Each weighs about 4,000 tons. The caissons were fitted with steel "cutting edges" to help them sink. The steel used in the cutting edges weighed 238 tons.
Wikipedia

Came across strawberries growing so had to stop and take a photo.

Onward and Upwards.

Continuing on our journey in early July 2016 we went from Goomeri to Rockhampton then to Mackay for two nights thinking that we may stay longer on our way back down south.
There is always an urgency to drive to the north 'the destination Cairns' as quickly as possible with stay overs for a few nights when in the warmer climate.
We had pasted the Tropic of Capricorn at Rockhampton, Qld.

The internet available on the way to Mackay was almost non existent in some towns in the caravan parks.  Even in Mackay at the park it wasn't good, they didn't have the NBN (National Broadband Network).   Many people didn't know what NBN was and that was for all of the area we travelled north and south.
As for Telstra Air!  Where are those?  Hardly find a phone box, and if we did they are in the middle of the city few and far between with no parking - so we can forget the idea.  Glad I didn't join that now.
Most Australians reading this will know what I mean.

This pretty plant was hanging over the fence at the caravan park in Mackay.

Part of the Marina in Mackay, Qld.  If you can see a brick wall to the right, that goes for some distance with the sea on the other side.

Further along the drive (the brick wall) is an opening to the sea. A yacht on the way back to the marina.

Many people take their dogs for a walk along this area 'convenient bags' - we don't often see this.

The main beach which is opposite the marina and it's here that the annual Beach Horse Races were held on our return journey.

The lighthouse which I posted whilst on holiday, it's down by the marina.

Goomeri, Queesland.

The Yarraman Hotel/Motel is typical of an outback pub of yesteryear.
The town is 181 km northwest of Brisbane and Yarraman the town is on a junction of the New England Highway and D'Aquilar Highway.
It's at this town we bought our lunch at a Bakery, parked on the side of the road we sat and ate it in the caravan.

A bit of history of Yarraman.

The creek at Yarraman was used in the 1870's as a place for local graziers and stockmen to meet and trade cattle.  The township was established in the late 1870's.
Yarraman means 'horse' in the Port Jackson Pidgin English spread by Aboriginal stockmen in eastern Australia.
A school opened in 1901.
As there were many large hoop pine forests in the area, a timber mill was established in 1910.
The town was connected to Brisbane and Ipswich by railway in 1913.  The railway line was closed in 1988.

Goomeri, Queensland is 235 kilometres from the state capital, Brisbane.  It's a small town and it's here we stayed a night on the edge of town opposite the shop below.
European settlement in the Goomeri area began in 1846 with the establishment of Booubyjan Homestead and Boonara Station.

Cacti in the bush.

Always a good feeling to cross another border for each one it becomes a bit warmer.

The map below shows the way we went after crossing the border at Goondiwindi, Queensland (Qld) from NSW.  Continued on by passing Toowoomba to the west then up to Goomeri Qld.

Along this road we have never been on before we came across many cacti growing in the bush, some of it had been sprayed to kill it.

A rode side stop to have a walk about.

The black snowflakes is the way we chose to go.

A few more towns in NSW,

After our sleep which was always a good one we were up early heading further north in NSW.
We couldn't find a place to park to take photos in Moree,. nor did we visit the artesian hot springs due to the need to get to our next stop for the night.

Moree is a major town which we passed through.
Moree is a major agricultural centre, noted for its part in the Australian cotton-growing industry which was established there in the early 1960s. The first cotton plant in Moree was from a farm called Wilga. It was grown by Bill and Betty Lynch.

The town is located at the junction of the Newell Highway and Gwydir Highway and can be reached by daily train and air services from Sydney. It is situated in the Shire of Moree Plains. Like many towns and cities in Australia, Moree shares its name with a much smaller community in Northern Ireland in County Tyrone. At the 2011 census, Moree had a population of 9,346, which was an increase from 8,083 in 2006.
Moree is home to artesian hot spring baths which are famous for their reputed healing qualities.
Wikipedia.

This is a lovely park.

One of the churches as we drove past.

A skate park at Moree, NSW

This Hotel is at Boggabilla in NSW, it's called the Wobbly Boot!

This Pub is not that far north of Moree.

Further North NSW

On the way from Finley to Forbes - well it rained most of the way, it was winter.
The cows grazing on the side of the road.
Caravan Park at Forbes NSW where is was wet also, the spot we had was a bit boggy but ok. Photo of some of the cabins in the Caravan Park plus our Caravan and vehicle.
The tree done in HDR for a change as it brings out those winter colours in the leaves.

We passed a few towns along the way but it wasn't always convenient to stop and take photos, we were heading north to the warmth in winter.

Tree in HDR

Forbes is where the marker is.

First night at Finely, NSW

Finley is a small town with about 2,000 people.
There is a Roman Catholic School, Finley Public School and home of the Riverina TAFE. (further education)

We arrived at the Finely Lakeside Caravan Park mid afternoon.  It had been a tiring day driving from 6.30am and doing those extra 200km.
Settled in well, the people were inviting and made us feel welcome, we stayed one night.

 The entrance to the Caravan Park, Finely NSW

 That's the caravan and our 4 wheel drive parked for the night.

 Most of the buildings have murals.  Different to see in a caravan park.

 Beautiful shaped Date Palm Tree.

 Ducks on the lake - another photo of the lake I posted whilst on holiday which is here with history of Finley.
   

 The map from Melbourne to Finley NSW and you can see Geelong on the left, the mistake detour.  The map doesn't show how we got to Finley but it was on the left of Geelong till be reached the blue line before Shepparton.

Next stop, Tocumwal, NSW

Tocumwal was our next stop to have a walk around as we were both getting a bit stiff sitting down driving since about 6.30am.

Tocumwal is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales.  Has a populations of approximately 1,860 people.

Prior to European settlement, the Tocumwal area was inhabited by the Ulupna and Bangerang Aborigines. The first pastoral runs were established in the 1840s. The town was established in the early 1860s and recognised as a village in 1872. Tocumwal Post Office opened on 1 August 1868.

During the Second World War the town was the site of Royal Australian Air Force Station Tocumwal, which was a major Royal Australian Air Force training airfield and aircraft depot. Today, the airfield is a renowned gliding site.
 
After the war families were housed at the American air Force Hospital,the men travelled daily over the river to Yarroweyah to work on farms which they could then apply for under the soldier settlement scheme. The Hospital was on or next to Barooga Station. Living quarters were made in long Nissen huts, 3-4 in each with a shared bathroom. Single quarters were at the front and a cook was employed for them.
After the war ended, many of the Air Force houses in Tocumwal were disassembled and trucked to Canberra to be rebuilt and reused in new and inner city suburbs where they provided Government housing to workers coming from Melbourne and Sydney to construct the new Capital City. To this day they remain a distinctive architectural form in suburbs such as Ainslie.

So lots of history in this town.

 These two photos are of the picnic area along the banks of the Murray River just over the border from Victoria to New South Wales.

Old tree across the road from the park, it would have many a story to tell.

 A Murray Cod.

A real one maybe be caught just over the bank in the Murray River

Strutting along as these three Galahas.

Farm-ily lives in this district, I waved as we drove by.