After a leisurely start to the day we packed a picnic lunch and had an uneventful drive out to the Burdekin Falls Dam. It took us about an hour to get there and after arriving we visited the lookout that overlooks the dam wall. We saw a huge expanse of fresh water that supports farming and industry in this area, during the dry periods. Rob had been hoping to drive across the dam from one side to the other on the low road located at the base of the dam. Unfortunately there was a gentle flow of water going over the dam wall so the road was closed due to it being underwater. Some facts about this huge dam:
· Burdekin Falls Dam is located on the
Burdekin River, 200 km south of Townsville.
· Burdekin Falls Dam is the largest dam
in Queensland.
· At full capacity the dam holds
1,860,000 ML; four times the capacity of Sydney Harbour. (it was at capacity
today)
· Construction of the Burdekin Falls
Dam commenced in 1984 and was completed in 1987.
We had a quick look around at the surrounding area and
decided to head back to Ravenswood for lunch as it was still early and there
wasn’t much else to do there. We had nearly booked into the caravan park at the
Dam but we’re glad we didn’t as unless you had a boat there really was nothing else
around. I wouldn’t kayak there due to the presence of salt-water crocodiles. We
did some more exploring around Ravenswood in the afternoon, visiting several
lookouts and spending time at the lookout that overlooks the main mining pit.
Blasting had been scheduled for 2 PM and we were hopeful to see the blasts.
Unfortunately after waiting for about 40 minutes and watching the mining, we
gave up. We have decided to “share the love” (and be lazy) and visit the other
old hotel (The Railway Hotel) for dinner tonight.
I just had to add another paragraph to the blog because
dinner proved to be an extra enjoyable occasion. The Railway Hotel was built
around 1901 and on the exterior it appears that nothing much has changed. We
went in and had a drink in the front bar. There were a steady flow of mine
workers coming in and out. We ordered dinner and moved into the dining room
with its beautiful decorative, ceilings and cornices. The room had the most
amazing old paintings with huge, gold frames. There were some beautifully restored
old motor bikes, old lamps, huge timber sideboards etc. After dinner we, with
another couple, were invited to have a guided tour with the publican. He
explained how the hotel was originally set up and then took us down in the
cellar area which was once used as accommodation for the miners. He had done
extensive work in the area, digging out the floors and redeveloping many of the
rooms. There were some that had been converted into ensuite rooms. All of the
rooms had the most amazing array of furniture, lamps, decorative stuffed animal
heads, an original old scooter, an Indian motor cycle etc. etc. We were taken
into the “man-shed/she-shed” room which had lounges and again amazing
decorations. Finally he took us into the whiskey tasting room, a room full of
spirits! It was a fabulous tour and all he asked was for a donation to the
Royal Flying Doctors. After talking to the publican for a while we realised he
was a “workaholic” and a very wealthy man. We asked where he had obtained all
the wonderful items on display in the pub. He explained that he was a “picker”
and over time had learnt where he was likely to obtain things he loved. His
collections included motor bikes, old paintings, lamps and cars. He had over 30
cars out the back of the pub but actually has over 200 cars. He had travelled
overseas to collect some of his cars including Studebaker cars. He also buys
and moves houses when he’s not at the pub and was in the process of moving
houses from one place to another! This is not an uncommon thing in Queensland
as many of the timber buildings can be moved.
👍
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