2013.2 Western Qld Second Trip - Day 16

Saturday 5 October 2013
Campsite: Cooper's Creek
Campsite Co-ordinates: 142.8039°E 27.3791°S
Cost of Camping Site: Free
Amenities: Clean: two flushing septic toilets, toilet paper supplied, hand basin with tank water.
Distance travelled: 332 km
Weather forecast: 14° - 35°; Sunny. Winds northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h becoming easterly and light in the evening.
Activities: After a relatively cool evening, woke up and had washing done before sunup, packed the Camper and headed out towards Stonehenge. Noted that powered site in the Caravan Park were only $10/night. Park was empty. It was pretty ordinary, with sites close together, and no shade. Nothing was open, so on to Jundah.
On the way south from Stonehenge, the Thomson Developmental Road climbs the Swanvale Jump Up. Once on top, there is a signposted vehicle track to a frequently used area (by locals?) for campfires and landscape vistas.Views over the plains below are spectacular. It was a nice place for a morning cuppa.

Hoped to pick up a sanger and see the sights in Jundah. Wrong. I should have read the warning sign: a horse had decided to stand in the middle of the road. I crawled towards it. It saw and ignored me. Good planning by the Shire to have very wide verges on its roads.

Then into Jundah. It was a slightly bigger town, with the Barcoo Shire Museum/unofficial information centre and not much else touristy. I was disappointed, especially as the Museum was open, with no one to be seen, and the lights weren't on. Had a good look around the Information Centre and attached small Museum.

I had intended to camp near Jundah, but decided to push on to Windorah, and at last, camp on the Cooper which I missed out on my last trip. The bridge to the west of Jundah over the Thomson River provided some impressive scenery.

Windorah, the town closest to where two rivers become a creek, and the top of the Channel Country. What did I miss out on last time by not spending a night at Cooper's Creek? After two weeks living in a Caravan Park, the camping area gave me a chance to stretch out. One other Camper Van in the area, and it was about 200 metres away. Bliss. Set up camp to get the afternoon shade, and took a good, slow stroll along the creek bank. Many beautiful photograph opportunities, bird life and bird song.