Winton

Spent most of yesterday afternoon packing up and getting ready to move. Today we are leaving Longreach - after a quick stop to empty the tanks, and pick up mail - we are heading to Winton. On the drive we have the usual excitement about seeing dead kangaroos on the side of the road and seeing the "wave" for this trip.

Most people know - it is caravan ettiquette to wave to other caravaners when you pass them on the road - but a normal "raise the fingers on the steering wheel' wave is too boring for Chris. So every trip he invents a new wave - some have been the "double guns", "waving with his elbow" and once I even caught him trying to get his foot up on the dash to wave with!! Well today's wave is the old "fake handshake".....you all know it well.....go in for the handshake and then at the last minute run your fingers through your hair. I don't know what the other drivers think - but it keeps us amused on the long drives.


We pull into Winton and luckily see a couple who we met at Longreach, and they told us how to get to the free camping spot - which is a bit tricky to find. It is a dirt carpark behind the North Gregory Hotel - which is the pub where "Waltzing Matilda" was first performed. We set up and decided to go for a walk to the information centre to find out what was in town to see. As we returned to the van, we saw a family setting up a tent in the camp grounds - they must be insane! It gets cold here - we are wearing jumpers and long pants all day and they are sleeping in a tent - wow they are dedicated.

They had 2 kids also and ours spotted them straight away, I think they have got to the point where they can smell other kids out. So naturally they start playing and we start chatting to them. They are the Curry's and they are travelling Australia in their caravan for 12 months - they left their caravan at Emerald and just doing a quick trip up to Winton and back in the tent. The Curry's consist of Anthony, Belinda, Jack 6 and Isabella 3 - and surprising we all hit it off immediatley. The men started comparing tips and info, while Belinda and I discussed schooling for the boys.


When checking into the camp site you had to fill out your details and read the rules - and even though the campsite was free, they asked you to support the pub. So that night we thought we would do the right thing and go into the pub for dinner - they Curry's decided they would come to - so all nine of us walk into the pub hoping for a decent meal. The barmaid quickly informed us that the cook was sick tonight so there would be no dinner and suggested other places for dinner - so much for supporting the pub - we tried! In the end we walked to the RSL and had a great chinese meal.