Wow, full on day today. 9:30pm and only just got back to our room..
So started with breakfast. It was pretty good, but a bit of a shamozzle. Another big tour group is staying here too, and they'd descended on the place just before us, which meant quite a few things had run out by the time we got there. They did eventually replenish things but it was a bit annoying.
State and territory flags outside the Stockman's Hall of Fame
Our first stop was the Longreach School of Distance Education (aka, school of the air). Radios aren't really used anymore these days - everything is done over the internet or phone (or in print). Apparently 95% of station kids have access to the internet. It was school holidays so couldn't see any remote classes going on. They have a pretty good setup there and our tours help fund it.
Grounds of the Longreach School of Distance Education
Classroom in the Longreach School of Distance Education
Next up was the Stockman's Hall of Fame. You could easily spend all day there reading all the information that's there. We had an hour, because we're on a tour and all. There was also the horse/dog/sheep demo out the back which was a lot of fun. And I finally got to pat a brahman bull (after seeing them in the outback for the past week and a half). His name was Jigsaw and the dude rode in on him. So cool :)
Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame
Furphy water cart
Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame
Windmill at the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame
Lachie Cossor and an impressive relationship with this horse
Lachie Cossor with a demonstration on another horse
Lachie Cosser riding Jigsaw the brahman bull
Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame
Then a quick lunch in the park, and I submitted a few portals.
Longreach Railway Station
Longreach water tower
Then onto the whole (well, main) reason I came on this trip - the Qantas Founders Museum. We all did the plane tour, but sadly just the basic one, not the full "wing walk" and avionics tour the little brother did a few years ago. Oh well, I might just have to come back one day :) Then we had a nice chunk of time in the museum. Again you could easily spend a lot more time there if you read through all the info boards. I read some of them, but took photos of most of them to read later, since we were running out of time.
Qantas Boeing 747-200 VH-EBQ at Longreach
Qantas Boeing 747-200 VH-EBQ at Longreach
PBY-6A Catalina at Longreach
Photo by Mum
Qantas Boeing 707-100 VH-XBA at Longreach
Inside the 707
Inside the 707
Galley of the 707
Cockpit of the 707
Qantas Boeing 707-100
Mum and me in the engine of the 747
Flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder in the 747
First class section of the 747
Crew sleeping quarters on the 747
Cockpit of the 747
Cockpit of the 747
Upper deck of the 747
Spiral staircase on the 747
Qantas Boeing 707-100 VH-XBA at Longreach
Replica of AVRO 504K - Qantas' first aircraft
The engine from one of Qantas' first aircraft
Qantas uniforms
Rolls Royce engine from a Qantas 747
Qantas' original hangar
Qantas Douglas DC-3 VH-EAP at Longreach
Mum inside the DC-3
Cockpit of the DC-3
DH50 VH-UFA Iris at Longreach
Raced back to the motel to do our hair, go to the loo etc, then out again. Our evening was a series of events put on by some locals (Kinnon & Co) to try and make ends meet. On account of farming being somewhat of a disaster at the moment, with the drought going on.
So there was a cruise in a paddle boat up and down the Thompson River for a while, with nibbles on board. And a possum and her baby in the toilet sink. Because that's where possums like to hang out apparently. Took entirely too many photos of the sunset. Because it was super pretty.
Thomson Belle paddlewheeler
The screen used later for a sound and light show
Thomson River waterfront
Water skiier on the Thomson River
Old truck and reflections on the river near sunset
Sunset over the Thomson River
Sunset over the Thomson River
Possom and joey on the Thomson Belle
Then up for some hearty beef stew for dinner and entertainment provided by "Scottie" who recited some funny poems and told some jokes. It was all quite a lot of fun.
Scottie (left) and offsider providing entertainment
Rooster cart
Then onto the river bank to watch a "sound and light" show (a dramatisation of Harry Readford and his infamous theft of some cattle).
And finally back up for some damper and billy tea (I didn't have any tea).
It was a fun night, and was good to support some of the locals who are doing it pretty tough here at the moment. They're probably making a lot more money out of us tourists than they would be on the land!
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