Ilfracombe to Jericho

Dear Family and Friends

Ilfracombe is a small town just 30 klms out from Longreach. Our only reason for going there was to catch up with some washing. We decided to stay there rather than go further was that someone at White Cliffs said that it was a good park. It is a little town doing what they can to get people to stay there. The town is probably best known for their mile long display of old machines. One piece of machinery is said to be one of three left in the world.

There is also a house that gets opened up every afternoon by volunteers. The owners of the house raised a number of children with the last one dyeing in 1990's. The house was shut up and nothing has been touched from that day to this. Inside it looks more like "the Little house on the Praire" with a few mod cons such as a mangle for the washing and a slow combustion stove. Everything in the cupboards remains as it was and we could could see old jelly packets and bex powders sitting on a shelf. One of the surprises was that they had a writing desk that was probably a Circa 1920's with writing materials and paper and outstanding accounts ready to be paid. Photos still hang on the wall just as the beds have their old quilts and covers on them.

The other two things we looked at in Ilfracombe was a display of bottles of all shapes and sizes and a gun collection that was housed near the mile of machines.

From there we went to a free camp spot on the LLoyd Jones Weir. We were able to meet up with Ken's cousin Jean and her husband Ray. We were going in opposite directions so we spent the night there before making our way up to Lake Dunn. We spent only one night here as on the first morning we awoke to grey clounds, thunder and a prediction of rain which would have been OK as we had sufficient supplys with us. Except that before long everyone was packing up and heading out and as the ground was dark soil that bogs with just a short shower of rain we decided to pack up and leave rather be stuck there for a couple of weeks and maybe even longer.

From Lake Dunn we came to Jericho where we are now and again Jericho is a small town trying to keep there little town going. This is a lovely spot on the Jordan Creek and caravans come and go each night and morning, give or take there are 30- 40 vans here each night. Their is also a larger dam about a 100klms north by the name Lake Galilee, quite a little biblical area.

Alpha is just 50klms from here and we will spend a night or two there before going on to Emerald and then backtracking to Willows Gemfields.

When we arrived at Ilfracombe the owner Cathy said that they have a communal happy our from 6 to 7 each evening. She said to Ken people start coming down to the shed where it was held as early as 5.15pm and if we wanted to get a seat be early and come with your own drinks and nibbles. We rocked up around 5.30 and people flowed in right up to 6pm. Every seat was taken and late comers sat on benches that lined the walls and some had to go home and get their own seats. There would have beenevery bit of 60 turn up. What a happy hour that turned out to be. Cathy, the owner, gave general info on the local area and what was good to see and how you could book tours etc. She told a few jokes and then did some bush poetry written largely by a local. These poems were written about the outback including one about caravaners which had us all laughing our heads off. Some of the poems were quite long but she never missed a beat repeating them. We were told that the following night her husband would do happy hour and they would take turns, even their children participated. It was a great night and we were tempted to stay on just to see what happy hour would include.

News wise that's it for now

Love to one and all

Ken and Lyn