MILLMERRAN
This is a nice little town of 1600. It is 187km by road from Brisbane via Toowoomba. The name is derived from aboriginal words meaning "lookout". It services a large agricultural area, although its shopping centre is rather limited in what is on offer.
A striking feature of the town are the murals painted (in the same style) on several of the buildings, depicting historical scenes related to the industry involved. I particularly liked the dairy series on Foodworks side walls.
The local historical centre was closed, so I was unable to unearth any significant information about the town's history. It is on the Gore Highway, named for the Gore Brothers who first settled the area.
Photos here
PITTSWORTH
Heading towards Toowoomba, Pittsworth is just off the highway 42km from Millmerran. This stretch of road was under repair, with stoppages every 300-400 metres at times. Took 90 minutes to travel!
The is a sizable town of 3000, with a quite comprehensive main shopping area. I suspect it services all that southern Downs area, saving people the trip to Toowoomba except for special needs. The streets are neat, with a good mixture of old and quite modern housing. Some of the buildings in the main street are quite remarkable for their historic style. There is a historical folk village on the edge of town also.
Photos here
AND FINALLY HOME
Another slow drive into Toowoomba from Pittsworth because of roadworks. I stopped off for lunch with Mary McMillan and caught up with all the family news. She is off next week for a trip from Darwin to Broome by bus. The trip down the Range was slow, again because of roadworks. Uneventful run into Brisbane, arriving home at 3 pm.
I had covered 3068km by road in the 14 days away; as well as 1488km by air (Charleville to Birdsville and back). The Nissan Xtrail behaved faultlessly and was a pleasure to drive. Fuel was economical too -- a little over 11km per litre. The most expensive petrol was $1.70 at Augathella.
I noticed in quite a number of places copies of the Australian Shooters Magazine left for customers to read. I finally thumbed through one while waiting for a steak sandwich in Texas ... and was amazed at the number and variety of rifles and handguns and specialised ammunition on sale in Australia. Very scary!!
So ends my once-in-a-lifetime outback safari. I am glad I did it, and learned a lot more about this wonderful country of ours along the way. But it is good to be home!
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