Day 4: 26 April -- ROMA TO MITCHELL

A long day in the car (250km) with not a lot to see -- very narrow and potholed road in places with lots of blind crests.  But a lovely sunny day again.

ROMA
With a population of 4500, Roma is 450km by road west of Brisbane.  It is a neat little town with a good shopping centre and a nice range of public facilities.  The airport is busy as a fly in/fly out point for the local oil and gas fields.  A feature of the town are the bottle trees that flourish there:  many streets are lined with them.

The BIG RIG is a tourist exhibition on the edge of town that provides an excellent introduction to the oil and gas industry that is now central to Roma's economy.  I spent an hour or so working my way around the displays and soaking in the well prepared explanations provided.  The video presentation was shamelessly a Santos promotion that does their spin doctors credit.

In the town centre I walked the Roma heritage trail past their more historic buildings; drove out to have  a look at Australia's biggest windmill (manufactured by Southern Cross in Toowoomba); cruised some of the residential streets to get a feel for the quality of housing there, then headed out on the northern road to Injune.
Photos here

INJUNE
Little more than a village, Injune is 90km north of Roma on the Carnarvon Highway to central Queensland. It's population is just under 1000, though I suspect contractors living in huts near the caravan park would bolster that number.  It is now a Santos town:  their vehicles and orange shirted workers dominate the place. The old weatherboard cottages left in the town fetch rents that no average worker could ever pay;  oil workers wanting their families with them gladly pay.

Had a sandwich for lunch at the BP Roadhouse (the only place offering prepared food), drove around the few streets there; then headed west and south to Mitchell. 162 km of very narrow bitumen with lots of cattle grids, dips, one way bridges and pot holes.  Probably only encountered half a dozen vehicles all the way.

The whole area is very dry.  Long dead grass and scrub are about the only scenery.  Saw quite a bit of animal life today:  lots of cattle along the roads, emus, (dead) kangaroos, and three very large eagles feeding on roadkill.
Photos here

MITCHELL
On the Maranoa River, Mitchell is 85km west of Roma.  My motel is on the main street just past the river.  I noticed the Great Artesian Spa just a block away as I arrived.  So after booking in, I headed down, paid my $6, and lay back in a pool where the artesian water bubbling through is at 38'C.  It was so relaxing and just what I needed after that long drive.  After a half hour I emerged looking like a prune, but ready for a decent meal!