Category Archives: desert

Roadtrains – Outback Queensland

4X4, Australia, desert, Eromanga, Qld,

When you are this far from the Big Smoke, you see Roadtrains every day. The Roadtrains can be configured differently, the main ones The Doc saw on this trip were carrying fuel, cattle/sheep or general cargo. Most were three trailers in length but some can be bigger (four and rarely five).

The general cargo Roadtrains were doing a few runs each week, through Eromanga, from Brisbane to Darwin and back. The fuel Roadtrains were in an out every day from the Inland Oil Refinery (iOR) across the road from where The Doc was staying. iOR also had fuel pumps out front of the refinery.

One morning The Doc was drinking tea on the veranda and those two cattle Roadtrains you see below turned up. Ten minutes later three more Roadtrains turned up plus caravans. It took about 30 minutes to fill the cattle Roadtrains using high speed diesel pumps. Highly entertaining for the next 45 minutes with Roadtrain roulette. Roadtrains are big boy toys.

On single lane or narrow bitumen roads, Roadtrains have the right of way. Cars must get off the road. You do not want a Roadtrain to drop a wheel off a single lane – as the dust and rocks fly everywhere. Plus, you do not want the driver to lose control and crash. Recently a local tried to race a Roadtrain to a narrow floodway crossing in this area. He miscalculated and lost his life.

The Doc was talking to a Roadtrain driver in the Kimberley some years ago and he was pulling three trailers of LPG from Perth to Darwin. The combined rig and load weighed over 135 metric tonnes. Most Roadtrains use an extension bar and hook to join the trailers. When they drive down the road you can see all the trailers moving ‘Higgledy-piggledy’ – The Doc gets off the road even when it is a dual lane. It is unnerving to see the trailers move around like that.

Enjoy. Click on an image to see a slideshow of full size images.

Ky-ab-ra waterhole – Outback Queensland

4X4, Australia, desert, Eromanga, Landscape, Qld, Quilpie,

Heading north out of Eromanga along the Kyabra Road, traveling through Kyabra Station, you come across Kyabra Waterhole (pronounced Ky-ab-ra). It is a permanent waterhole fed by surrounding floodways. The Station owners kindly make it available, free of charge, as an overnight stop for travelers.

The Doc stayed for about an hour, as the main objective that day was the nearby red sand hills – being the most eastwards of any of red sand hills from the Simpson Desert.

If you keep traveling north you reach the Diamantina Developmental Road, turning right you head to Quilpie, turning left you go to Windorah and on to Birdville. Enjoy.

Tony Stott – 5 years since he passed

4X4, Australia, desert, Landscape, Qld, Tony Stott, Uncategorised

Today marks 5 years since my friend Tony Stott passed away. The Doc has previously published a series of posts about Tony’s life, you can read them here. The Doc misses his friend.

Tony on the Outback trip, drinking coffee at the Innamincka Pub and in the middle of nowhere near Epsilon Station.

Buckaroola Station – Outback Queensland

4X4, Australia, desert, Eromanga, Landscape, landscape, Plant, Qld, rock, Textures, trees, Uncategorised, , , , ,

The Doc’s friend Steve Young got special permission to visit Buckaroola Station. These images are from the second visit, as The Doc forgot to put his memory card into his camera during the first visit! Buckaroola Station is westward out of Eromanga along the Cooper Developmental Road and is not open to the public.

Eromanga trip – Eremophila longifolia

4X4, Australia, desert, Eromanga, flowers, Landscape, macro, Plant, Qld, Uncategorised, Wildflowers, ,

The tree was located on the corner of the Quilpie to Eulo Rod and the Toompine to Eulo Road. Which is just south of the tiny township of Toompine. The tree has lots of common names including Dogwood, Ngawil, Weeping Emubush, Berrigan, Long-Leaved Eremophila, Native Plum, Emu Bush, Long Leaf Emu Bush, Native Plum Tree, Emu Apple, Emubush, Berrigan Emubush, Juniper Tree, Native Plum-Tree!

Eromanga trip – Nicotiana megalosiphon

4X4, Australia, desert, Eromanga, flowers, Landscape, macro, Plant, Qld, Uncategorised, Wildflowers

Common name wild tobacco. It only grows in shaded areas, which are not that common out Eromanga way. At one sand dune The Doc saw the plant growing around some trees – but only where the bloodwood tree provided shade for much of the day. These images were from a shaded area behind the Eromanga Natural History Museum.

Eromanga trip – Acacia tetragonophylla

4X4, Australia, desert, Eromanga, flowers, Landscape, landscape, macro, Plant, Qld, Textures, Wildflowers

Also known as Prickly Wattle. Images from two locations, first Peglers Pond about 7km east of Eromanga; second some dams west of Eromanga, beside the Cooper Developmental Road. Click on image to see full size.

Dashing Dingo

4X4, Australia, desert, mammals, plains, SA, Uncategorised, Wildlife

The healthiest looking Dingo The Doc has seen in the bush, feeding off the rubbish dump at Innaminka in Outback South Australia. You can see rubbish in the background. Click on image to see full size.

Stunning Sturt Desert Pea

4X4, Australia, desert, flowers, Landscape, landscape, macro, NT, Pilbara, Plant, The Red Centre, Uncategorised, WA, Wildflowers

Commonly known as the Sturt Desert Pea, floral emblem of South Australia. The dark eye version is from South Australia, the lighter coloured eye is the northern or WA form found in the Northern Territory and WA.

It is known by some other names as well including: Swainsona formosa, Showy Donia (G. Don 1832), Beautiful Donia (G. Don 1832), Dampier’s clianth (Veitch 1850), Dampier’s Clianthus (Hooker 1858), Sturt’s pea (Adelaide Advertiser 1858), Sturt pea (de Mole 1861), Captain Sturt’s desert pea (Aspinall 1862), Desert pea (Anon 1864), Sturt’s desert pea (Tenison-Woods 1865), Glory flower (Bailey 1883), Glory pea (Bailey 1883), Sturt’s glory pea (Anon 1886), Lobster claws (The Garden 1890), Blood flower (Parker 1898), Dampier’s glory pea (Guilfoyle 1911), Australian glory pea (Guilfoyle 1911), Dampier pea (Harris 1980).

Bridled Nail Tail Wallaby

4X4, Australia, AWC, desert, Landscape, landscape, mammals, marsupials, NSW, Scotia, Scotia Sanctuary, Uncategorised, Wildlife

Working through some images during lockdown. Some rare photos of the endangered Bridled Nail Tail Wallaby from AWC’s Scotia Sanctuary. Click on the image to see full size.