HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW TO MY GYPSY ROSE
Another hot day in Cloncurry - and very dry. Has been over 37 degrees everywhere we have been for quite a while now.
Val lost part of a filling a few days ago - she was able to get an appointment with a dentist in Cloncurry - he is the ONLY one - in a Qld Health Dept building. She loves dentist visits about as much as I do....and she was even less pleased when she saw his name on the door...........Dr. T. BLOOD......I kid you not. All went OK though - temporary filling till we return to civilisation. Should not say that - Cloncurry is very civilised.
Without further ado - here are some photos.
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| Our trip so far, tomorrow we head for Kynuna - famous for Combo Waterhole - 'Once a jolly swagman...'  and this friendly little lady just wanders through the park occasionally.  This is a better sunset.  Today we spent time seeing the sights of Cloncurry. Tried to find the Old Chinese Cemetery but apparently the graves are unmarked. Went to the Afghan Cemetery---there were no puppies buried there at all - just people called Abdullah etc. First placed visited was the Mary Kathleen museum - quite interesting - if you didn't know Mary Kathleen is now a ghost town- I believe it was Australia's first uranium mine. The museum in Cloncurry is incredibly eclectic - as most country town museums are - this possibly makes them even more interesting.  This fossil is of an Ammonite - approximately 3/4 metre across.   Read this first-the photos of the shell is next.   How about this for lucky - the wearer of the helmet was uninjured. Note the Coca Cola can - look at the measurements. (Click on photo and then click again)  This plaque was attached to one of the trees blazed by explorers.  This is the actual water bottle of Robert O'Hara Bourke. (Mums and Dads - tell your kids who he was 'cos they will not be taught that in school)   Yep, bet they were Irish..........    This is one of the blazed trees, unfortunately the blaze grew over and is unable to be read.  I could not find any info on this at all.   The tree was 'sacrificed' so the blaze could be saved. Try telling your kids why messages were left on trees instead of using the internet or mobile phones!  .Younguns - you know that ripply iron you see on rooves - this is how it used to be made, by hand. Flat sheet of metal goes in - ripply piece of metal comes out. Same principle used today  Surely everybody had heard of 'FURPHY'?  looks like a toy - wasn't if you had to use it, but easier than walking. This was only for the rail bosses though.  Circa 1900 - steam engine.  This is a 'mine-head'. Bucket was filled by the miners underground, hauled to the top - all done by hand.  Another steam engine - not self propelled. Note the big wheel on the other side - horses hauled the engine to where power was required - the big wheel on the other side carried a belt that was attached to a smaller wheel. Big wheel turned slowly, small wheel turned considerably faster.  This is a stationary steam boiler - it was used until recent times in a Cloncurry Dry Cleaners to provide the steam for pressing.  Coal fired hauler.  A couple of really early iron ploughs. These are NOT stump jump ploughs. If you hit anything solid - you stopped.  This is a hand operated crane - strong buggas in those days! And then the next visit was to the Flynn Museum.  This is the camera that Flynn used at his 'moving picture shows'.  Shame I had nothing to compare this organ with - it is about 1 metre long, not much taller.  This seat is carved out of one piece of tree.  Yummy - a display of dentists equipment.  How tough were they - the bloke sitting on the running board of the car is having a tooth pulled. The bloke looking on appears most interested!  Double click on this - makes interesting reading.  Yes kiddies, THIS is the fore-runner of the internet.......you actually had to pedal to get power to talk to the flying doctor.  This museum alone was worth the trip to Cloncurry  The view to Cloncurry facing North  and the view facing West. Australia sure is a big country!  |
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