Queensland Outback

So we made it ti the centre of Queensland outback. It was a bit rocky to get there but we made it! The town of Longreach was huge in size but more of your typical small rural town. It had a grocery store, a few bargain store, a cafe and a post offices. Longreach was know for its open Quantas museum and Australias Stockman's Hall of Fame.

The hall of fame is mostly the history behind the ranchers and stockmen in Australia. I found not really incredible how they managed to move the hundreds of cattle in the heat and how they would leave their families for months at a time doing it. I wouldn't stay hundreds of people come here for this in particular but it was definitely a great stop along the way. Im summer they host rodeos and sheering competitions and its a great little experience for the city folk who ordinarily would never get to have these experiences.

Quantas Founders open air Museum was a short little tour of the the founders of the airlines and the history of where it started. They also have a few planes from different eras that you can go inside. Walk along the wing and get to see these massive planes up close.

Personally I think why I loved this place so much was because it was so dang relaxing. We got to stay at a place called Saltbush Retreat. And not was it a retreat. We had this adorable little cabin that was so cozy and even had its own little kitchen. The best part was out the back it had outdoor tubs!! You got to relax outside in the tub and look at the outback. The one morning I was sitting in the tub with my coffee and a kangaroo hopped on by. Honestly it was the most magical experience. I loved every minute of it. I truly think I need more moments of that in my life. The owners of the retreat was also so incredible and sweet, they keep water out for the roos as well.

If you ever were to visit Australia you might notice the shoes that people wear. No, not the bluestones, those are for the trades. I am talking about the fancier shoes similar to blunds, R. M. Williams. You will see many of the office workers wearing them, Its a beautiful craftsmanship of leather. Well R.M. Williams himself was in Longreach and where the boots originally started. He started with making boots for the dogs as the dirt was too hot for their little paws. This business eventually took off and is a really well known leather company in Australia, specifically for these boots.

The outback is incredible, I think I touched on it in my post about the Northern Territory. It has minimal roads, little patches of trees, more bushes scattered around. I was trying to find a road with the most beautiful red dirt and while driving you just see kangaroo skeletons all over. The country is so vast that many farmers have sirens and alarms when getting too close to their land. I know this because I accidentally drove too close to one. Honestly it scared the crap out of me! As much as I love the mountains and ocean, there is something really special about the flat land that you can see for many, many kilometres.

On the long drive back to Brisbane We decided to stay inland. Again driving the outback is no joke. At one point I just started filling up at every petrol station because you just never knew when the next one was. Every some little town we past was small, and humble. Thankful that I had the best road trip buddy, Lizzie. We got super close on this trip and its amazing the friendships you can make in such a short time.

xo Nic