Day 16 – Roma to Dalby

It was quite chilly this morning but Ann managed to slide her hand out from under the doona and turn on the heater to warm Bertha up before we actually got up and going.  Outside, it was a clear, crisp morning with a bit of mist around.  The mist soon disappeared and it turned into a beautiful sunny day, perfect for driving.

Early morning at Roma Gun Club

Almost as soon we hit the Warrego Highway we encountered roadworks, but fortunately we weren’t delayed too long.

Roadworks outside Roma

At Wallumbilla we were struck by the huge grain silos right next door to cattle yards, and the long grass everywhere.

Grain silos and stock yards at Wallumbilla

It was a great day for driving and the highway was in pretty good condition, but there was still water on the roadsides.  Having said that, after Wallumbilla we struck more roadworks.

A beautiful day for driving

More roadworks

Morning coffee was at a road-side stop at Yuleba.  We had to be very careful getting in and out of this area as there was water on the ground and mud everywhere.  We were joined by a worker in an Origin Energy ute and a couple towing a camper-trailer.  On a nice day this would be a very nice place to stop, and possibly stay overnight.

Morning coffee at Yuleba

After Yuleba there were more roadworks and signs of very recent grading along the road.  We noted the depth of the grading, obviously intended to keep water off the road.

More roadworks

Graded roadsides

We soon drove through the small town of Dulacca and the slightly larger town of Miles.

Dulacca Hotel

Main street in Miles

Lunch stop was at Chinchilla, and we had run down our supplies during 4 days at Roma, we treated ourselves to a good healthy meal at Subway.

Chinchilla

Immediately after leaving Chinchilla we struck more roadworks – a total of 15 kilometres of roadworks in fact – yes we counted!  So many workers on the roadworks in this area must be making a huge impression on the local economy!

Even more roadworks – 15 kilometres worth this time!

Traffic on the road today has been quite interesting.  Coming from the opposite direction has been a quite constant stream of caravans, motorhomes and particularly camper-trailers.  We can’t quite work out why unless they’re all trying to escape bad weather that we don’t know about.  The other notable traffic was in the form of B-doubles and other very large and over-size trucks.  With so many roadworks along the highway the trucks are all in a hurry so I have made a point of pulling off the road when-ever possible to allow trucks to pass.  I would much sooner be behind a truck in a hurry than in front of it!

Huge trucks on the road today!

The other change we have noticed from Chinchilla is that the recent wet weather appears to have missed this particular area.  There are no signs of water on the ground and the paddocks simply look dry, although there are some green areas along the road.

Still seems very dry here

Going through the small town of Warra we were particularly taken by the Memorial Hall, which is so unlike most of the somewhat run-down halls in many similar sized towns.

Warra Memorial Hall

Great to see that the roads are all open again

Arriving at Dalby, we checked into the Pioneer Village Caravan Park and reserved our spot with a pair of huge orange witch’s hats before heading out again to the local shops to restock our nearly empty cupboards.

Pioneer Village caravan park

Early motorhome ?

Groceries packed away in Bertha we walked over to the nearby Pioneer Park Museum which is a very interesting collection of authentic old buildings, memorabilia, cars and machinery, and so-on.

Scenes of Pioneer Park Museum

Interestingly, despite the dry conditions between Chinchilla and Dalby, there are signs of the rain here in Dalby.  There is water and mud in the caravan park and the museum.  What is quite strange too is seeing huge cracks in the ground, usually caused by extended dry conditions, but now looking wet.  Just strange.

Today has been a great day, despite the roadworks.  We have had a pleasant drive in nearly perfect weather conditions, and have been through some very interesting places.

Still living the dream …..