Are diamonds a girl's best friend?

Today out tour group was treated to a very special conducted tour around the Kimberley's famous “Argyle Diamond Mine” from where the most precious of all diamonds come; that diamond being the pink diamond. Although we were travelling in our coach with a guide from the mine, we still had to go through all the security procedures that every visitor to the mine has to do. We were told that on no account were we to pick up anything from the ground, if we dropped anything we were to ask our guide to retrieve it. If we picked anything up from the ground we would have to undergo a search to ensure that we had not picked up a diamond as well as the object we had dropped.

Our tour started in the gallery where diamonds of different sizes were on display as well as illustrated descriptions that told how diamonds came to be formed and how the mine had changed from being open cut to an underground mine.

This first photograph shows the two largest diamonds ever found at the Argyle mine. They are still in the raw – uncut – state so they are not glittery and light reflective as are facetted diamonds.

This next photograph is of a display that showed the different graded sizes and the variety of colours that are found. Most of the diamonds are industrial grade diamonds that are used on saws and sandpapers. Only a small percentage are flawless and top gem quality but these are the ones that bring in the most money, of course.

Included in the price of the mine tour was lunch at the Agyle Village. The Argyle Village is where the people who work in the mine, live while they are here. The huge dining room was set out with tables and there was a beautiful cold, buffet lunch set out for us to help ourselves.

There was no one but our group in the dining room for lunch – the mine workers have their lunch over in a canteen at the mine and only use this dining room for breakfast and for the evening dinner.

It was a delicious lunch and the coffee was so good!

Once we had eaten we were then taken out to the open cut mine where the whole diamond mining operation first started. The pit was huge – but standing on the edge and looking over it made the hole look so much smaller than it really was. There were no vehicles moving around in it to give scale. Operations in the open cut area had to stop because the sides of the mine became so unstable that it was dangerous. There are a few very visible landslips where the contouring has collapsed. You may be able to see a couple of the large slips on the left hand side of this photograph.

We were taken (in the coach) under the equipment that crushes and separates the diamonds from the host rock, there were conveyor belts and huge tumblers and pipes that made us feel like midgets! It was all very impressive and very interesting. However! Although the pink diamond is the most expensive diamond and although there are several other colours of diamonds I personally feel that a diamond is identifiable as a diamond when it is white! I would confuse a “champagne” diamond with a citrine and a pale blue with a blue topaz! That shows my ignorance!

There was much chatter in the coach after our mine visit but we had something else to think about when we stopped at a road house to have a drink and an opportunity to stretch our legs. All around the perimeter of the parking area there were large stones, many of which had interesting paintings on them. These ones are easily recognizable as Australian animals, crocodile, wallaby and emu.

This second picture is not so obvious – unless, like us, you had taken a ride in a small plane to look down on the strange striped mounds that are calle the Bungle Bungles.

This evening we are staying at Halls Creek but we shall be packing our bags into the coach after we have eaten breakfast so we will not be staying here for very long. This has been another wonderful day! Certainly had no time to be bored!

AJ

El Questro

I remember years ago watching a travel show on the tv that showed a very expensive holiday on an outback station in the Kimberleys and never ever dreamed that I would ever get to visit that location – but that was on the agenda for today. We passengers eagerly clambered out of the coach to take a photograph of the road sign that marked the start of the Gibb River Road. This road is now sealed but was for many years a rough bush road along which drovers would move cattle from cattle yards to the sale yards. It is still used for moving cattle but these days the cattle travel at 100 kph in huge cattle trucks. We too were to travel at that speed in our trusty little coach. So my photograph was of the start of the Gibb River Road, not of the sign!

As we drove along we followed along the ridge that was the Cockburn Range. We learned how to pronounce the name of the range correctly “co-burn” instead of “cock-burn”! It should be spelled the way it sounds!

It was a welcome stop when we turned into Emma Gorge – which is the part of the El Questro tourist park (thousands of acres of cattle station) that is affordable to the majority of outback travellers.

We chose to try have either a cold drink or ice cream before I wandered off alone to explore the walk along the Emma Gorge. After the dryness of the open cattle country this was a real oasis. I certainly did not expect to find corkscrew pandanas here! Although it was really hot in the sun it was quite pleasant walking along the winding and very rough track. I found that I had to watch my feet rather than look out at the scenery I was walking through. I nearly tripped over a couple of times!

The track followed along a little creek that showed itself briefly through the long grass, not having much luck with taking photographs of the creek I turned my attention to the ridge towering above the treetops. I had better luck there.

We were to go on yet another boat cruise but on the way we drove along a real bush track, there was great excitement when we came to a shallow water crossing and even more exciting when we came across another that looked considerably deeper. Everyone stood up to look through the front window of the coach when we stopped to watch as a four wheel drive came through it. This was adventure with a capital “A”! Then WE did it! Good fun!

The Chamberlain Gorge cruise was quiet and leisurely and our guide gave us lots of information about the history of El Questro and about the geology of the gorge. The slow moving punt pulled onto a sand bank where most of the group drank “bubbly” (not me! I do not drink at all - makes me a bit of an outcast I have found.) and we all had fun dropping chicken feed pellets into the water to feed the fish. Some of the fish were very funny, they squirted a jet of water high into the air when one held a hand out from the boat! I enjoyed that!

The scenery in the Chamberlain Gorge was a rich colour that improved as the light changed during the afternoon. Here the sandstone was like building blocks, quite rectangular but all sorts of different sizes.

On our way back along the bush track we used on the way in, our coach picked up a stone between the dual back wheels so we had to stop at Emma Gorge again while Firie, our guide, removed the whels and removed the stone. The day had been so hot that while the coach had been sitting waiting for us to return from our cruise, the front windscreen had cracked! Apparently there had been a repaired crack in the window when we picked up the coach but the heat of the day caused it to explode.

It was a wonderful day (again) and I have a camera full of memories of my experiences. Each day seems to be as brilliant at the one before. So far I cannot say which has been my favourite – they have all be a favourite!.

AJ

Train to Cairns

It was a very long day of train travel today. Although we didn’t have to get up quite so early as the previous two days it was still an early start. The first four hours were actually quite “boring” so I was quite glad that I had not packed the cross-word book in my case. I managed to complete two puzzles and catch up on a bit of sleep!

 There were a couple of short stops of ten minutes so we were able to stretch our legs but what was a treat was to pull in to Armadan – a “one horse town” – in time to watch the leaders of the “wheelbarrow Race” arrive to great cheers and lots of camera clicking! This Wheelbarrow race is quite a marathon that takes three days to run – the distance can be covered by one runner, a couple of runners or a team of up to ten runners. Teams take it in turns to leap out of the support vehicle and take over the running. The race is 140 klm, from Mareeba to Chillagoe and is in remembrance of the pioneer gold miners who walked that distance taking their tools and basic needs with them in a barrow.

The Great Wheelbarrow Race is becoming greater year by year. This year 700 runners registered! What was a shame was that the radio station that had set up to cheer the runners as they arrived fell silent just as the first barrow racers appeared on the home straight. 

 For some reason technical problems (gremlins) ruined the arrival of the winners and they ran through the winning arch in silence. 

Same for the second couple who arrived only minutes behind the first couple. How disappointing! We were so lucky to see these two pairs of runners arrive though. The tiny town of Armadan (population 70) swelled in numbers quite dramatically with tents and caravans littered all over the main area between the hotel and the rail line! 

The crowd off the Savannahlander (us) helped to increase those numbers even more.

 Oh yes! The train was “held up” by a couple of highway men! 

 These two young “Ned Kelly” characters are raising money for a holiday! How enterprising is that!

The next really exciting thing to happen today was on the final run down from Kuranda, 

We stopped at Barron Falls for a few minutes to take a few photographs of the almost non-existent flow of water over the falls – but we stopped again soon after at the Stony Creek Falls, climbed out onto the tracks and walked across the viaduct to wait for the train to cross so that we could take a photograph.

 I don’t know how often this happens, there must have been about a dozen of us who took this opportunity. We were warned to stay with the train driver and not step onto the tracks at all but stay by the rail and then on the grass at the end of the viaduct.

 This photograph of the train is by Colin as I was taking video of the train coming over the viaduct.

Another highlight! We all felt so privileged to have been given the chance to do this. Spirits were very high as we all climbed back on board.

Names and addresses were exchanged before we pulled in to Cairns station and it looks like many friendships were made on this trip.

Tonight we sleep in Cairns and lie in a bit longer in the morning!

AJ

On the rails

This is our second day of train travel and today we have traversed some amazing country. We did enjoy our stay at Chillagoe, country people are so welcoming – maybe because we were originally country people ourselves, I don’t know, but we have found people we would chose as friends in every stop we have made on this trip!

The train trip is in quite long stretches and the Savannah country is very similar for much of the distance except for the occasional creek crossing or river bed. I have my camera set on a high shutter speed to enable me to capture the beauty within the river beds with little or (hopefully!) no blur to indicate that the picture was taken while on the move! Each of the creeks is different – some are dry and either rocky or else quite sandy or a few have remnants of water still in narrow bands within the wide river bed. The trees that grow in these river beds or along the sides are much healthier than their cousins on the open plains and there are a few different varieties that stand out.

For many miles we see no animals and we forget that we are traveling through huge cattle stations, then we find patches where the cattle are close to the train tracks. The cattle up here are all Brahman, floppy eared creatures with a pendulous dewlap.

They are a tough breed of cattle that are tick resistant, the traditional European breeds of cattle are completely unsuitable for either the ticks that suck the creatures blood and inject a poison or the extremes of temperature in this part of Australia. At one place where the track traveled between a high cutting and a steep drop-away, the cattle were all over the tracks and our train had to creep quite slowly to avoid hitting any - the noise and movement of the train did encourage them to get out of our way. The front seats of the first carriage were jammed with people with cameras set on “video” mode. The people in the second carriage could see nothing of the entertainment going on at the front of the train!

Another fun thing that happened today was the promise of a stop at a siding where the locals would be waiting at Bullock Creek Café with tea coffee and cakes and a souvenir mug that we could purchase. When we arrived at the Bullock Creek siding there was nothing to be seen except for old timber cattle yards and a tiny tin shed with the name “Bullock Creek” written on the top. “We shall have to make a phone call and hurry them up” said our driver over the PA and marched down to the back of the train. Within minutes the two drivers had put up a beach umbrella and set up tables on which were cakes and cups of tea and coffee. Sure enough the mugs were for sale! We shall make good use of ours!

If it were not for this tourist train chugging through this hungry country and stopping at the places it does the life would be drained from these tiny communities. Once a week the train and its load of tourist passengers pass through and then back again. Places like Einasleigh with its handful of houses and one large hotel would fade away if it were not for the Savannahlander.

I love the sign work on the front of the pub – a play on words!

This evening as we made our way to where we were to have our meal in Forsayth I realized that the sun was setting and so far I had not taken any pictures of an outback sunset. Leaving my exhausted husband to wait I trotted off to take my picture without road signs or power poles! It was a beautiful evening sky, not the most dramatic I have ever seen but beautiful all the same and the temperature was perfect. The heat of the day had dissipated and the flies had stopped being overly friendly. (where there are cattle there are flies) It was quiet and there was no wind at all.

I should have taken a photo of our meal – try as I could I could not eat more than half of it! I had forgotten that country people serve country sized meals! Colin even managed to have a dessert afterwards! I think I am letting the side down! And that was after I had piled my unwanted potatoes onto his plate too!

It’s another early start tomorrow. so I should end here. No internet or phone connections available in this part of the world so I will have to try to post this tomorrow night.

AJ

A train to the outback

After and early start - up at five and out dragging our suitcase down the empty streets  of Cairns by five thirty, we met up with our fellow travellers at the Cairns rail station and waited for the arrival of our home for the next four days. Actually we shall not be sleeping on the train, lodgings have been arranged in three different outback towns - the last day of travel will end in Cairns
The train is called the Savannahlander since it is used solely for the run from Cairns into the Savannahlands of Queensland. it comprises of only two carriages and had two engineers who take it i turns to drive and give commentary.

The first leg of our trip was up the mountains to the pretty little station at Kuranda the views on this run are quite spectacular and almost everyone had their cameras clicking madly at eery vantage point. Most of the time photos had to be taken from the moving train but at Baron Falls the train did stop and allow us all out for ten minutes.

I have been on the usual tourist train that does this run - it is a very long train with lots of carriages and hundreds of passengers, in this photo you can see the sum total of the travellers on our train - and the majority of them are on a day trip to - they left us at Mareeba to board a coach for the rest of their tour.

And these are the not really so spectacular falls that the train stops to let us see! No one really minds though, it is such a thrill to get out and look across such a tree clad gorge and see the landscape. The water  is held back for a hydro electric plant but we can see that at one time those falls would have been quite huge.
Our next stop was the prize winning garden station Kuranda.

By this time it was about eight thirty and although the sun is up and the sky blue, the trees and vegetation make this picture look rather dark! Or maybe it is the light on the front of the Savannahlander that does that!
Once we had dropped the day trippers off at Mareeba the train clattered on through the rainforest for a while and then quite suddenly it was out of it and into the savannah country - short scrubby trees thinly scattered over rough grassland. For most of our trip the countryside will look like this - and among the trees termite castles! I loved the amazing shapes of some of them.

I do apologise for the dreadful quality of the photograph but although I wasn't moving in the train those termite mounds were racing past! But you can see that anyone with an imagination could see strange creatures! (Yep! I have imagination!)
Our day was so busy, I could go one and give you lots of stories but I will miss most of the trip out and show you the inside of one of the caves at Chillagoe. This cave may not be as dramatic or as ornamental as some of the limestone caves I have visited but it was still fascinating - and I enjoyed the challenge of taking photos in a place where the only light was the torch each of us carried. This photo was a slow shutter speed photo with no flash. The guide was pointing out creatures created by the stalactites and stalagmites.

Everyone was so tired by this time they were quite happy to sit still!
The people of the outback need a story about them - they are so different from city folk! But maybe not! More of our travels tomeorrow!
AJ

Last leg of our outback trip

Our journey is almost over and once more we are into the wetter fringe of this huge continent. Well, not quite. We are in Warwick which is normally much drier than we are seeing it at the moment but is does have a higher rainfall than Bourke and beyond. As we drove closer to Warwick the wheat crops were thicker and more even and the cattle were fat and healthy and far more numerous to the acre. Inland the measurements are acres to beast and it could be several acres to one cow so any kangaroos, emus, goats or camels are competing for what feed there is out there. Things are very different this year. It is so good to have seen it so productive. Back to here.

I had to stop driving to hop out and take a shot of the magenta that painted many of the paddocks. This is not Paterson's curse, the taller blue flowers we had seen further inland, but a lower and daintier plant altogether.

I will have to look up the name but it resembles a linaria except for the leaves.

Warwick dates back to the early nineteenth century so has a few beautiful old buildings. Many of the shops use the original facade above their street level shop fronts. The buildings behind the facades were usually very ordinary, corrugated iron was used a lot, so the actual shop will be completely new even though the facade is original and not moved from its first position.

I am sharing something a little different from old buildings. Yes, you can see the old buildings (I have a fascination for the gorgeous hotels that can be found in every town) but take a look at the way the streets are decorated! In front of the Criterion and running the full length of the main shopping street is the most perfect display of roses and not one showing any sign of vandalism. I think that someone must tend the roses often, dead-heading and mulching them. They are a pleasure to behold. When Colin and I first arrived in Warwick I set the GPS (in “places of interest”) to lead us to a rose garden, well it did and the roses there were in a very sorry state and badly neglected, they were a small section of a bigger park and since there was no name plaque and a local we spoke to later knew nothing of a rose garden, this reference in the GPS must be out of date! The roses we saw in the main street made up for our disappointment!

Spotting a shop that specialised in coffee I persuaded my tight-fisted hubby (“You make good coffee”) to treat me to a coffee! But before I could even enter the premises I was brought to a stop and the camera switched on again. Once again the street plantings were eye catching.

The roundabout in the middle of the intersection was all planted with annuals and around the corner of the pavement that adjoined the coffee shop was planted lavender and roses and a blossoming tree.

We did enjoy our coffee and I purchased 200g of French roasted coffee beans to take home with us – so I can make Colin a good coffee!

Before I end our travel stories here is an outback picture to set you guessing.

There are two Australian creatures shown here in foot-prints. Can you see them both? Unfortunately the wheels of our Nissan and the trailer ran over some of the prints. It looks as if both creatures were travelling at speed – maybe a vehicle was coming up behind them and they moved along the road before veering off into the bush.

AJ

Back o Bourke

When someone wants to express that they have travelled deep into the outback of Australia they say they have been “back o Bourke”. Bourke is quite a long way west – so I think we have been quite a bit back o Bourke in the past two weeks!
Today we visited Bourke – which has a most striking mural to welcome drivers entering the town.

Two “swaggies” (the name given to Depression days wandering tramps who would do odd jobs in exchange for food) with their packs (matilda's) on their shoulders striding off into the great desert away from civilization (through the farm gate).

Last year a special exhibition display was opened called “Back o Bourke”

We parked the car and paid our dues to wander through the three buildings housing the displays. In the first was an audio visual display which was very well done, then through an interesting dryland garden into the next building in which there were more audio visuals but no audio! We had been told there were headphones but we couldn't find any! So that part of the display fell a bit flat – instead I read out the bush poetry that was all around the walls and entertained Colin with my own audio! (He couldn't be bothered reading the poems for himself).

Outside again and into another building. This had all sorts of things to read up on the walls. We watched a rather clever presentation of a paddle-steamer making its way up the Darling River and listened to the commentary that informed the listeners of how goods were loaded and many other things too. Finally we followed the path that lead to the exit and found ourselves in the cafe! We nearly bought an ice-cream but realised in time that it would be melted into liquid the moment we stepped outside. When we did get out we found we had half a kilometer to walk to get to where the car was parked! Fancy the tour ending up so far away from where you start! We told ourselves that the walk would “do us good”!

Unfortunately we were unable to partake in a riverboat ride – there is a paddle-steamer that runs every afternoon. The river is so high that the paddle-steamer cannot fit under the cables and power lines that criss-cross the river! They do not think the paddle-steamer will be able to negotiate the river until well into November. We seem to be encountering many things on this trip that we cannot do!

To make up for that disappointment we took a short detour off the road and followed a sign to see some “carved trees”. We had no idea what these would be and curiosity drew us on. When we came up to a sign saying “road closed” our hearts dropped but we turned down a track and found that we had come the right way after all.

I did not know about the aborigines carving trees for their ceremonies so to read the boards describing where they were found and what they had been used for was a delight. These relics of a lost civilization are here in the middle of no-where and we were fortunate enough to be able to see them.

The carvings are quite masterful and nothing like the primitive art we have seen on the walls of cliffs and overhangs, nor like the painting that the aborigines are creating these days.

For me this was a real highlight of today.

Finally a photograph to show you the reason I wanted to head "out west".

The wildflowers after the rains - and the bush and the greenery are something like we may not see for many years to come. Australia is a land of extremes and most of the time the interior of this country is barren of plants except for the hardiest of trees and salt bush plants. This year the country looks amazing. The yellow in this picture is from millions of wild mustard flowers. They are very common but at the moment look stunning - back in our farming days our house cow once had a wonderful feed of mustard flowers and we were unable to drink her milk for quite a while!

AJ