Day 2: 24 April -- OAKEY TO CHINCHILLA

OAKEY
Off to a leisurely start with a visit to the town's Library and Cultural Centre.  Spacious and in beautifully kept grounds.  Pride of place is given to a statue of Bernborough, the legendary racehorse  that was foaled in the district.  A commentary by Keith Noud fills in the details.  About 4km out of town is the Oakey Army Aviation Centre, with a base of Singapore Air Force as part of it.  In one corner stands the Army Aviation Museum which didn't open till 10 am.  Has a really interesting display of every type of aircraft the Army has flown since the early 1900s, starting with a Box Kite that looked as though it came straight from the Wright Brothers.  The plaques beside each aircraft are especially well done, with technical info, details about Army use, and stories relating to each plane.
Photos here

JONDARYAN
This township is 15km west of Oakey on the Warrego Highway.  Today it is little more than a pub at the turn off to the Acland open-cut Coal  Mine.  But a few km off the highway is the Jondayan Wool Shed which is a condensed versionof the once mighty Jondaryan Station which dates back to the mid 1850s.  It was a stud cattle, sheep and clydesdales property.  Today is it an educational lesson in life on a sheep station back when.  Very well set up with original shacks, station house, school house, shearers' quarters and still operating shearing shed.  Took me a couple of hours to wander the place and see most of what was on show.  The 1870 interdenominational church from the property is still in use by the local Anglicans.

One thing I notice on these trips is that you always have your hand in your pocket to pay for entrance fees and coffee etc.. No free meals!
Photos here

DALBY
Dalby is 54 km from Oakey, and 188km by road from Brisbane.  It sits astride Myall Creek which runs into the Condamine.  Population is around 12000.

This is blacksoil country: rich for farming.  Lots of cotton and grain produced in the area.  Not a place to run off the road in wet weather either!  A feature of the landscape I have noticed are the Grain Silos that are scattered along the rail track. They stand out like concrete fortresses guarding precious treasure.

The town centre was a bustling place today -- maybe because tomorrow is a public holiday.  I had a to wander, then found the start of the local heritage walk and followed it for a bit.  On the banks of Myall Creek is Dalby's answer to Oakey's Bernborough monument.  Much more modest, it is a cairn honouring the
 Cactoblastis cactorum. This is a tiny insect introduced to eradicate the cactus plant that had infested hundreds of thousands of hectares of prime agricultural land.  Probably the only monument to an insect anywhere!

Leaving Dalby I was happy also to divert from the Warrego Highway -- which should be renamed the Warrego SLOWway.  So much roadworks, with stops of 10-15 minutes common.  And the traffic is, as a result, bunched up and slow.  Mostly heavy transports: road trains and B-doubles.
Photos here

JIMBOUR
This little settlement is 27km north of Dalby.  A State School, a nice little park, and a scatter of houses is about all there is to see.  Off to the right across the flat landscape are the Bunya Mountains -- a popular holiday spot.
Photos here

JANDOWAE
Another 23km north is this town of 1200 souls. Two pubs to choose from:  I settled for a beer at the Commercial.  Typical country bar complete with darts board, raffle results -- and everyone checking out the stranger when I walked in.  A thing I like about these smalls towns is that they all have a REAL butcher's shop: no plastic wrapped cuts from Coles or Woolies.
Photos here

CHINCHILLA
An uneventful 58km drive brought me back to the Warrego Highway and my stopping place for the night at Chinchilla.  Needed Suzy and my GPS to find the motel!  Checked in, and then found the local RSL for a very nice meal.

A long day, but enjoyable!  A good night's sleep will be welcome.