Andrew & Ev with “Wheel Estate” will be at Adavale from November 2009 until mid-May 2010 (across the road from the Pub) – any Highway Wanderers who wander our way will be made welcome.   Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) mobile phones don’t work out there so we rely on times that we travel in to Quilpie or Charleville to catch up on phone messages, etc. Urgent messages can be left at Adavale Pub (07) 46564656 but if you are coming our way you are welcome to just turn up, we have plenty of space on the block and do have some power available if required. Our mobile no is 0488 693 224.  

Adavale: Points of Interest, Things To Do & See.

Adavale Pub – call in for a coffee or a cold drink and a snack after travelling in from Charleville, Quilpie or Blackall. Have a look at the photos on the wall taken during the 2008 flood when the water reached the bearers of the Pub! Also on view in the Pub is a big set of bullock horns – he was a local animal and when he died his horns were kept because of their size. Another set of horns mounted over the door, was from a goat. The surfboard (Adavale Surf Lifesaving Club) that has been a symbol of Adavale for quite a number of years is still mounted on the verandah wall. A selection of local brands has been used to burn their marks onto display boards, another reminder of local industry.  

Continue down Shepherd Street past the Pub and its residence to view what was once the Post Office and is now a private residence. Next is “The Hut” – owned and used by a group of Vietnam Veterans for R&R, then the Police Station and residence - the last building on the street. 

Opposite the Police Station is a “lake” caused by the 2008 flood scouring out quite an area where the water is kept topped up by the overflow from the bore water that is piped through the town. The water comes out of the bore at the other end of town with sufficient force to reticulate through the town without pumping and remains hot from the bore to everyone’s taps and exits the overflow still hot. People have to cool the water in either a cooling tank or a series of pipes under their houses to ensure their supply of cold water. Unlike most other towns that pipe cool water and require water heaters many towns in Western areas utilise the hot water provided by tapping the artesian water. Although the water is suitable for livestock and some plants it is generally considered unsuitable for drinking so rainwater tanks are essential to collect the sparse rainwater when it falls.    

The waterhole is the home or watering spot of quite an assortment of bird and animal life as well as being utilised by the horses and cattle living on the Town Common (town residents are entitled to run a small number of cattle and horses on the Common). At various times of day different flocks of birds descend on the water and surrounding ground, as well as the waterbirds that spend most of their time in and on the water. Brolgas, herons, ducks, pelicans, galahs, cockatoos (both white and black), magpies, peewees, crows, curlews, and several other types of birds may be seen on or around the water. The constant supply of water has enabled the continued growth of a selection of reeds and other water plants providing good shelter for small animals and birds to hide from the larger hunters that prey on the smaller animal life. 

Kangaroos, wallabies and feral pigs also visit the waterhole as well as foraging along the banks of the Boredrains, Creeks and other watercourses. 

When you look from here towards the Boredrain (Blackwater Creek is further out along the road to Charleville) you can see the old Butchers Shop which is now a Museum holding a large assortment of historical items and information that have been collected from around the town and district. In days gone by each station would have a similar Meathouse where meat was hung overnight after slaughtering, with the coming of coldrooms these once essential buildings have become almost obsolete. This little bit of History is well worth a visit. Out the front is an old telephone box complete with old-style phones and behind this are two of the flood boats that were used for many rescues over the years, they were also used to convey mail, etc across the flooded creeks when roads were shut. 

Back to Shepherd Street again, but across on the opposite side of Skinner Street, is the Adavale Hall where showers and toilets are open to the travelling public and campers often spend a night or so set up near here while exploring the area. Over the years the Hall has been the hub of social life in Adavale. From being the meeting place for the Adavale Town Council in the early days and a place for celebrations of all kinds, The Hall still used for charity sales, dances, reunions, etc as well as being a dry spot to throw the swag if you are camping out along the creek on a fishing trip and the rain comes! The Quilpie Shire Council has erected an information board near the Hall with some photos and items of historical interest from Adavale’s past. 

Continue up McKinlay Street past the Hall and the various residences including what was originally the church (the old Court House, now a private residence, is last on the right) and over the “hump”, veer left to the Bore-head where the town’s hot water supply begins. Although the bore is capped and no longer runs free the overflow drain running from the outlet still steams well to demonstrate its heat as the water comes from so far underground. The huge ring tank beside the bore is a cooling tank where water from the bore will be cooled sufficiently to allow it to be pumped to outlying properties for stock water. The water reticulated through the town area is carried in heat-resistant pipes but the stock water will have to travel the longer distances in polythene pipes that would deteriorate too quickly if the water isn’t cooled before piping. Although this is a huge expense to those involved it will ensure that they have a permanent supply of stock water in future droughts. 

If you are interested in wandering the old dump you can continue along a track out over the Common, through the watercourse, past “the white dam” and up the hill beyond to where the old town dump used to be. A large area is littered with the remains of old junk and you may be lucky enough to find some treasures. Old bottles of all shapes, sizes and colours (mostly broken by now), glass bottle stoppers from the days before corks, metal matchboxes, and many other old wares. You will need sturdy shoes or boots on to avoid the broken glass, etc which is everywhere. 

The Cemetery is on the left if you continue along the road out instead of going to the bore and is well worth a visit. Although not all graves still have identification those that are there tell the story of life for the residents in remote towns. Most gravestones are memorials either to small children who died from “childhood diseases” that today are treatable with antibiotics, etc, or are reminders of young men “accidentally killed” – usually while mustering the wild cattle in the unforgiving terrain. Very few women are buried here. It is assumed that widows would have often left the district to make a life for themselves and their children elsewhere, often returning to their parents’ home towns for support.  

Further out past the cemetery is the site of the old Racecourse beside what was once a Stock Route on the road to Hartley and other properties, a road these days mostly used by locals to access the few properties still being worked in this area. In days gone by Race Day was a big event with horses, jockeys and racing enthusiasts coming from miles away for these days. 

The Boredrains and Blackwater Creek have many good fishing holes with most locals setting their yabbie traps to catch the small yabbies for bait and the larger ones going into the pot. Yellowbellies are the most common fish in this water system, with a few silver perch. Fortunately the Bulloo’s water system has been kept clear of introduced pests such as carp and redclaw as the River and its tributaries rise, travel and flow into a closed system. Rising south of Blackall the Blackwater runs into the Bulloo which travels past Quilpie to the Bulloo Lakes where it stops, other creeks flowing into the Bulloo are similarly landlocked and not joined to any other river system.  

Bush camping is allowed alongside the various waterholes, etc and often several groups of campers enjoy the peace and quiet of the district whether fishing or just enjoying the fresh air and wide open spaces. 

Local properties run cattle, sheep and goats and the feral pigs and kangaroos that inhabit the area are harvested for human consumption by accredited harvesters. This is a highly specialised occupation and is controlled by government departments with vehicles and equipment having to be inspected regularly to ensure that health and hygiene regulations are adhered to. 

On the road to/from Quilpie – there are two roads from Quilpie to Adavale, both are largely unfenced so care is required with stock as well as wildlife often making the road their bed.  

The “Red Road” leaves the Quilpie – Charleville road 13km from Quilpie and is slightly shorter, travelling through the mostly red soil hills, a few creeks, gibber country, and finally across the Gumbardo and Blackwater Creeks and black soil creek flats into Adavale across the Boredrain. This road, depending on the season, can be a riot of colour with wildflowers and trees ablaze with blossoms, or out of season there is always a variety of shades of green from the trees, shrubs, grasses and other herbage along the roadsides. Almost in Adavale you can visit the site of an aircraft crash, signs show the way and the remains of the small craft are still visible along with memorials to those who lost their lives that fateful day. 

The “Black Road” heads out along the Bulloo River, past Lake Houdraman (a popular camping site). This road is flatter but, being mostly black soil, can be unpassable after rain and enters Adavale from the opposite end of town, past the airport and over the Back Boredrain.  

On the road to/from Charleville – the 198km road has about 70km of bitumen at the Charleville end, not all in one stretch, and both the Murweh and Quilpie Shires are upgrading the road with Federal funding assistance. The drive out travels over the Ward and Langlo Rivers as well as various creeks, Oak Swamp, the uplands of the Mariala National Park, the floodplains of Lake Dartmouth and Ambathalla Creek. In the dry this road is easily travelled but after rain it can have stretches of water for some distance in several places and visitors are best to check the state of the road before beginning the trip. After rain the water both sides of the road is covered with many species of water-birds as they enjoy the bounty of Mother Nature, nest and raise their young.    

Emus abound along this road and depending on the time of year travellers may be sure to see either the chicks in their father’s charge, a family of growing birds or adults, be careful as they take possession of the road with no respect for cars and can cause as much damage as kangaroos if hit.    

Cattle, goats and sheep also can be a hazard with much of the road still unfenced and the livestock are not fazed by travelling vehicles but expect drivers to avoid them.    

On the road to/from Blackall– the bitumen at the Blackall end of this road is usually a welcome sight after over 200km of dirt road that alternates from black soil flats to stony hills and the “Jump Up”, about 80km out from Adavale, which has a short stretch of seal on it. At the top of this hill is a cleared area which was used by the road workers and has the advantage of being a natural look out for viewing the valley where the Blackwater Creek starts its journey down to Adavale.  

A few kilometres on the Adavale side of the Jump Up there is a sunken valley/gorge just off the Highway.   The entrance is marked by drums and a cleared area allows off road parking with a short walk in to the gully and a huge hole washed out by the floodwaters of past years. Care should be taken near the edges as in places the washout caves under the hillside and it could fall away to the bottom of the watercourse so far below. Fully grown trees line the edges of the sunken waterholes and creek emphasising the power of the water that has carved this spectacular rift in the hillside.  

Fishing spots abound in the waterholes, rivers and creeks around the area with yabbies also available for bait or eating. Locals have an almost constant supply of yabbies and fish throughout the year as long as some rain falls to keep the creeks and waterholes alive.  

Andrew & Ev Verschaeren, “Wheel Estate”, Q43431