The Count around Australia, travelling in a Morris Minor.: 11 June 2014

Well today started out early as it does when you're in a tent, it starts to get light so you just get up. Had the car packed and was away from Biloela before 0730 and had a great run as in all the time on the road I think I only pulled over for four trucks (the cars I let sort out overtaking for themselves), so in 353 kilometres that isn't too bad. I went by the slightly longer route through Banana, Moura, Bauhinia, Rolleston and Springsure along the Dawson Highway instead of the usual route along the Burnett and Capricorn Highways. I have to say it was a good choice as there was very minimal traffic and most folk along the way had a wave for the Count.

Now as in the tradition of not having anything to do with products in Queensland, just as Hebel isn't where they make bricks, Banana does not produce and crops of bananas. Banana is in fact named after a old bullock that was used to assist with rounding up some wilder cattle into the yards, but that was in the early 1860s. There is a statue of the yellow coloured bullock in the main street, just in case anyone was wondering. Moura is actually a reasonable sized small town and there is a lot going ion, it basically exists to service the mining in the surrounding area so it has some reasonable services available there. There is a statue in the main street to commemorate the mining disasters that have happened in the area, the last in 1994 when 11 men lost their lives in an underground explosion, the mine was sealed and underground mining ceased in the area. I think its bigger claim to fame though is that there is a "rest area" along side the Dawson River just outside of town. This rest area seems to have become an unofficial caravan park for the grey nomads that are trying to avoid paying for the stay. I mean seriously, it was almost standing room only there, it was just packed, they may as well stay home or just move into an apartment block they were just all on to of each other. Bauhinia, Rolleston and Springsure are all quite nice little towns that seem to be just a collection of building in a localised area, they just seem to be there, so they must just really be to support the local farming industry, though there are some quite large modern homes in Springsure so there must be more than there seems happening there. The country around Springsure, in fact the whole way along this highway was rugged and dry, ranging from grassed plains to sharp ragged stoney hills, but in the sun against the deep blue cloudless sky it looks amazing, the colour is intense.

Emerald is quite a large town for a country town really, it has a population of around 13000 and has a good deal of services for the town and surrounding areas. They have been working through a city centre regeneration, judging by the signs proclaiming this everywhere in town, and it really is looking quite good, it's impressive and I have seen a lot of similar sized towns to compare it with. Emerald was once famous for sunflower production though this has ceased and now to commemorate this they have one of Australias Big Things! There is a giant copy of Vincent Van Goghs sunflower painting on a giant easel in a park, it's 25 metres high! Oh and another exciting fact for the Sydney loving folk, the Fairbairn Dam, which is just south of the town, constructed in 1972 has created Lake Maraboon, which when full, actually holds more water than Sydney Harbour. Oh and obscurely there is an Ansett aircraft on the hardstand at the Emerald airport, I am not sure why and if I have time I will go back out there and get a picture tomorrow. Maybe it got parked and forgotten in the sell off.