Day 475 | Hillary Floodplain: basically just out nowhere

84 km | zzOz total: 14,937 km

I’m out in the Mitchell grass, the short nutrient rich native grass that feeds the cattle well and covers 14% of Queensland. It’s mostly treeless plains and combine that with a strong headwind, no respite, and progress is slow.

With the drop of temperature, 24ÂșC max today, I start riding with my beenie on.

There’s a Shire of Boulia, area 61,000 square kilometres, population 600, Place of Interest sign after an hour, the rare Waddi trees, look a bit like a Casuarina but are much more ancient, unchanged for 100 million years although these 6 specimens aren’t quite that old, they say that growing slowly they are often 500 to 1000 years. They are known from just 3 locations, here, just north of Birdsville and Old Andando station, not exactly flourishing. The wood is apparently like steel, so dense you can’t burn it and 100 year old fence posts are still used.

It might be a featureless plain, undulating slightly but there are plenty of other items of interest: an ancient flood marker at Chinamans Creek in Imperial measurement, haven’t seen that previously in my travels, a few lonely Emus, some gregarious flocks of Brolgas, a 1200 mm long black snake of uncertain species, probably a Taipan, a Red kangaroo, 8 Bustards in one group, 3 massive Wedge tailed eagles and at the other end of the scale I get up close to a delightful Rainbow bee-eater although I haven’t seen so many bees out here.

I bash on past Chinamans Creek and the Donohue River, a cloudless day once again, eventually admitting there’s no way I’ll make 100 km and find a small waterhole off the road to make camp.

So not much to report, just another fantastic day out on my bike.