Barcaldine Qld July 13th 2024

 Barcaldine Qld July 13th 2024

Parkrunned this morning in the Graham Andrews Parkland park in town. Three laps of a sort of figure eight course, dead flat and nice enough scenery around the park.

Back at the van by 8am, a quick breakfast and out onto the highway for our first ‘big’ day of 400+ kms to Barcaldine. Road was mostly ok interspersed with lots of rough patches, but altogether not a bad run. Stopped at Tambo, a handy 200km up the road for a cuppa and cake at Fanny Mae's cafe, then back to it to finish up in Barky, as they call it, by mid afternoon.

Horse Head sculpture. Fanny Mae's cafe, Tambo Qld

This town, on a Saturday afternoon is a dead as it is possible to be without having the last rites read over its inert body. Once a bustling place and famous in its own lunch-time as being the birthplace of the Australian Labor Party. It is now totally moribund. We found one hotel and one shop open. If it wasn’t for the five or so caravan parks, it would have been proclaimed “deceased” years ago.

Speaking of deceased, the aforementioned birthplace was at a spot in town under the ubiquitous “tree of knowledge” (many town have such a tree, its usually the only shade in town and outside the pub). Anyhow this tree left its mortal arbor-coil many, many years ago. They build this hideous structure around the rotting trunk and limbs and when that didn’t stop the decay they coated it with something. it has to be the saddest memorial to anything in Australia.

On a brighter note, down one of the side-streets I found a Radio Theatre, built in 1926 to screen the newest thing in public entertainment, movies. It was converted to sound when the talkies came to our shores in 1932. Great art deco building and fabulous Radio sign at the front. 

Went back to the van, had lunch, had some damper and tea near the campfire, put on by the management, and were finally driven back to the van by the worst one-man entertainment we have heard for sometime. I mean really, some people who think they can sing, shouldn’t. Think or sing? Both probably. It was so bad.

Nice van park though, simply named Barcaldine Caravan Park.

Deserted main road. Barcaldine Qld
Black bblob in the distance is a thing built to cover the sacred tree of knowledge, now deceased

Radio Theatre.  Barcaldine Qld

Radio Theatre.  Barcaldine Qld

The blessed ex-tree. Barcaldine Qld