St George, Queensland

Sunday morning saw us on the road from Lightning Ridge heading towards St George in Queensland. We managed to get packed up fairly quickly while the temperature was still only hot! Got away by about 9:30. We had a very quick stop in Hebel for a stretch and again near Dirranbandi. Didn't appear to be much of interest at either stop. I was a bit disappointed with the Hebel Hotel as turned out to be just a very rundown old pub. For some reason I was expecting something more.

We pulled into St George around lunch time taking into consideration the time change at the border.
We booked into the Kamarooka Tourist Park which is located on the northern side of town off the main street. It is a relatively small caravan park but had some pull through sites. The owner helped guide us into one with some shade which was appreciated.

The park is very tidy and green. The amenities are a bit older but spotless. Unfortunately, no flower vases or hair dryers so I will only be able to give them 4 Stars. Probably being a bit tough but was definitely spoiled in Lightning Ridge.The swimming pool is quite small but spotless and very refreshing. Very nice park and would highly recommend! We got setup and took a drive down to the Jack Taylor Weir/bridge on the Balonne River. Their is a surprising amount of water in the river and the town has really done up the riverside area with parkland all along the river. Lots of BBQ areas, seating, and trees. Some lovely monuments to Mitchell, War Memorials, and some war pilots.





The town has been flooded several times with the biggest one being in 2012 when the water level reached 13.95 meters. There is a marker reflecting the various flood levels which has unfortunately been vandalized.



We took a drive along the river before heading out to Beardmore Dam. This was a lovely area that unfortunately is not really accessible to the public anymore. The Dam was sold off to private enterprise recently and they have removed most of the public access. A shame because it would have been a great area for family day use and overnight camping at one point. We returned home and enjoyed a few quiet drinks in the shade along with a few dips in the pool to cool down.


Monday morning we took a good walk along the River and back along the main street. River-walk is beautiful with lots of shade and rest areas. Took us just over an hour to complete the round trip. Ran into one of the town Councillors outside the Shire Council who welcomed us to St George and chatted with us for 5 minutes or so. Love the small town friendliness found in the regional areas of Australia.

Spent most of the remaining morning doing laundry, Caravan cleanup, and a few small repairs. Surprising how you still have to do this when you are travelling. Felt good to get everything clean and ready for our next segment of the trip. On the advice of the owner of the caravan park, we visited the "Unique Egg" after lunch. Another unexpected gem of a tourist attraction. The artist who is now in his 80s carves Emu eggs. I was a bit skeptical of what we were getting ourselves into but was pleasantly surprised! I've included a number of pictures that Sandra took below. They will give you an idea of the level of art but really must be seen to be appreciated. Each egg takes about 100 hours to complete! We ended up buying the artists biography as well as he had a very interesting life story.

Caught up with some phone calls and Blog work Monday afternoon while Sandra finished the laundry. We are off to Roma in the morning. Signing off for now!