Trent's 1917 Model T Ford

“It actually has no brakes,” says Trent Challenger as we near the intersection.

“Erm … how will we stop then?” I ask nervously, my hand gripping the open door frame of the vehicle even tighter as I try to work out exactly how many seconds it will take to throw myself out if a collision looks to be imminent.

The vehicle in question is a 1917 Model T Ford and according to Trent, who owns the local bakery, you simply, “plan it right and work with the gears”, of which there are only three and one of them is reverse. I remind myself that we’re only going a few blocks; and besides, it has a very obnoxiously loud horn to warn anyone who may be in our way.

For a five-dollar donation to the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Trent will take visitors from his bakery in St George on a joy ride around the small town. Given that the St George bakery has the best apple turnovers in Outback Queensland, it’s worth visiting anyway – but this just takes it to the next level. I drop twenty dollars in the donation tin on the way out.

St George, around 500 kilometres west of Brisbane in Queensland, is known as the ‘Gateway to the Outback’ and I’m here on a self-drive road trip called ‘The Adventure Way Loop’ with two kids, a camper and a strong urge to see what’s over the next hill. An urge that never really seems to go away. And there are no hills as far as the eye can see.

Discovering St George: The Gateway to Outback Queensland

The town of St George is nestled alongside the Ballone River, which serves as an oasis in the current heatwave. I sit on a pontoon with my feet in the water after strolling along the extremely pleasant Riverbank Walkway. The kids are happy on the playground, so I watch a small boat tow a skier on the river as he expertly weaves back and forth, every now and then getting some air from the wake. Recent rain means the river is full and I’m told the region is the inland fishing capital of Queensland.

I’m not here for the fishing though. I’m here to experience some of the interesting small towns in the Ballone Shire, starting with St George, which at the moment doesn’t look much like the Outback at all.

Exploring The Anchorage Homestead: A Historical Gem

Robin has agreed to meet us and take us on a tour of The Anchorage Homestead, built 120 years ago and found on the other side of the Ballone River. Visiting the heritage-listed Anchorage is like stepping back in time … a true historical gem where you can meander through the captivating gardens and soak up the charm, which oozes out of every original shiplap wall plank.

The Anchorage has an interesting history, built by the Nixon family. One can assume they were quite well-to-do given that the homestead has servants’ stairs, servants’ quarters and even its own butcher house. Rumours abound that the original owner once accidentally helped the Ned Kelly Gang escape. After mistaking them for ‘good guys’, he shod their horses the day before they robbed a bank … allowing them to make a quick getaway by horseback. But even more interesting is the conversation I’m having with Robin over morning tea on the verandah with Mr Wilson  (the Dachshund) and Matilda (a Mareema puppy).

Robin explains that after she first bought the homestead, with her friend, they were disturbed by a very loud grunting and eerie groaning racket from under the house. I lean forward excitedly, hoping to hear tales of haunted houses and strange occurrences.

“Do you know what it was?” she asks with an amused lilt to her voice. Shaking my head, I’m hanging on her every word. “It was echidna’s mating … I didn’t even know they did that!”

The breath I’m holding explodes in loud laughter while the kids look on confused. 

There’s an old joke which asks, “How do echidnas mate?” The answer is, “Very carefully, of course.” But it turns out they’re not very careful at all. In fact, they’re quite promiscuous creatures, and it’s not uncommon to find a group of one female and many males. Thankfully, echidna reproduction is not a 365 nights-of-the-year affair. As to whether the house is haunted? Well, I forgot to ask on account of the scones and jam that Robin had made.

Savoring the Flavors of Riversands Wines

Robin is a busy woman and actually works full-time back on the other side of the Ballone River at Riversands Wines, Queensland’s most western winery. Here, owner David Blacket welcomes us warmly and we jump in his ute, air-con blasting, for a tour of the vineyard. We pick not only wine grapes to taste fresh off the vine but also table grapes such as Menindee Seedless, Midnight Beauty and Ruby Rush – most of which end up in supermarkets in the eastern States. For some reason though, they taste much better straight from the farm than they do from Woolworths.

Riversands is a well-established brand name in the Queensland wine industry, producing around 60-80 tonnes of wine grapes per annum, which translates to 3,000-4,000 dozen wines, which are processed at Ballandean Estate in Stanthorpe. Visitors can enjoy free wine tasting in the garden cafe or stay for lunch in the lush green alfresco dining garden for something more substantial.

The Anchorage

Nindigully: A Taste of True Outback Hospitality

While the heatwave in the high 30s definitely feels very ‘Outback’ as we leave Riversands, it only begins looking like the Outback when we arrive at Nindigully 30 minutes later. Nindigully isn’t really a town, it’s basically a pub with a couple of houses built on the banks of the picturesque Moonie River. It’s not just any pub though. It’s the iconic Nindigully Pub, Queensland’s oldest continually licensed venue. Here you can tuck into a 5.5kg Road Train Burger that features a 1.2kg patty and a supersized serving of onion rings and chips. It feeds four people at a minimum. Free camping is available in a large area along the banks of the river; and while it’s dusty out front of the pub, if you’ve got an RV that can handle a bit of light off-road action, you’ll find a number of lovely shady spots along the river (and also the Gully Walk, a concrete path that meanders alongside it). 

Hugh Jackman fans may get a kick out of the Nindigully Pub as it’s here that one of his first feature movies ‘Paperback Hero’ was filmed. You’ll even find the iconic Boomerangs from the film’s Boomerang Cafe in the parking lot.

Setting up as far away from the pub as possible, we camp right on the banks of the river under shady gums and simply relax. And although I daren’t try the oversized Road Train Burger, I do enjoy a regular-sized burger while the kids make some mini pizzas disappear. Eating the food before the flies is nearly mission impossible … but we manage. 

There’s only so much you can do in a ‘town’ with a population of nine, so after a peaceful night’s sleep we pack up and roll towards Thallon – a 20-minute drive away.

The Charm of Thallon and Its Silo Art

There’s not much to Thallon’s size, but it’s utterly charming and worth spending the night. The town has done a great job setting up the McGeever Recreational Grounds on the way in. The camping is free as are the showers and toilets, but there are a number of powered sites on some freshly laid turf for $10 per night (which you pay at the Francis Hotel in town). It’s first in best dressed. The highlight of staying here is the GrainCorp Silo Mural, which covers four 30-metre high silos and represents icons of the district including the Moonie River, a beautiful sunset, a scarred tree recognising Thallon’s Indigenous community, pale-faced rosellas and a mob of sheep. With only one other RV gracing the large lot, we string our hammock between two trees and watch the sun go down behind the silos (which light up at night).

The Francis Hotel is also where to head for good food. And if selfies are your thing, head to the Thallon town park to meet William, a two-metre-tall sculpture of a Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat. Actually, if you’re travelling with kids you should head here too as William has some climbing footholds attached to one side.

Dirranbandi: A Slice of Outback Queensland Hospitality

A 45-minute drive takes us to the small town of Dirranbandi. Stop here at the bakery, as it’s like stepping inside your grandma’s kitchen. Russian-born baker Natalia fills the cabinets with fresh pies, bakery favourites and sweet Russian delights, including Pryanick (traditional honey bread). Although they aren’t running due to it being the off-season, a tour of Cubbie Station – the largest cotton farm in the Southern Hemisphere – shouldn’t be missed here. 

Bollon: The Final Stop on Our Outback Queensland Adventure

One hour and ten minutes drive later we find ourselves in Bollon, our last town on the Adventurer Way. I’m pleased to see we are one of only two camping at a free camp by the banks of Wallam Creek and we’re pleasantly amused by an odd assortment of ducks, geese and a random rooster who are strolling along the Bollon Cultural Walk track. The rooster and an elderly goose are like lovebirds, walking side by side, never too far apart. They waddle right under my hammock, the goose honking at me. I wonder (with no conclusion) if she is saying ‘feed me’ or ‘bugger off’.

Free toilets and showers can be found in town, and there is a toilet at the campsite itself which – fair warning – is flanked by a small cemetery. Bollon itself is easy to fall in love with. It has a welcoming cafe and a Heritage Centre that tells the town’s rural history via a shearing display and Aboriginal artefacts.

Bill Speedy and his partner Judith from Nullawokka First Nations Gallery and Tours

Nullawokka First Nations Tour

We meet with Bill Speedy and his partner Judith from Nullawokka First Nations Gallery and Tours, at the cemetery near the campgrounds, and Bill has the kids’ attention within seconds – teaching us the welcome greeting of ‘palyah’ and giving my son a spear to carry, promising to show them both how to throw a boomerang later. Hunched down on the ground, he draws some ‘footprints’ in the dirt with his finger and asks the kids to identify them, explaining which ones are dangerous and which ones will lead us to food. As we stroll through the reserve alongside Wallam Creek, we learn about scar trees and what plants can be eaten as bush tucker. I try Mitchell grass seeds and wattle seeds, both of which are bland and crunchy and, I assume, lacking in calories. I reckon I could lose the extra 10 kilograms I’m carrying around if I stick to this diet.

We throw boomerangs, learn about Indigenous traditions and attempt to light a fire with sticks and kangaroo poo. Unsuccessfully I might add, due to the shower that has just opened up on us, sufficiently wetting the fire fodder. Strolling back to Bill and Judith’s gallery, which is also a bright pink historic post building, we get comfortable in a purpose-made shelter to try some bush tucker with a modern twist.

Judith brings out charcoal wafers topped with crumbly fetta and what looks like marmalade. “Try it,” she urges. “Tell me what you think.” The fetta and wafers are a familiar taste. You can actually buy the charcoal wafers from Woolworths, and many people buy them as a digestive. Not being a dainty eater, I shove the whole thing in my mouth so I can taste everything at once. It’s quite pleasant; the marmalade has a sweet taste but also a bit of a bitter ‘kick’ to it. Judith tells me the marmalade is made from green ants and, to prove it, she unscrews a jar and shows me. Yes, there are indeed green ants floating around in there. This doesn’t bother me anywhere near as much as I thought it would. We try tea cake with fresh lemongrass, kangaroo rissoles and even a bunya nut – which in texture, feels very much like a macadamia nut but with more of an earthy taste. Although I don’t hate it, I’m not a fan of the kangaroo meat and I now understand why people describe it as ‘gamey’.

Bill shows us an emu egg and an ostrich egg. For some reason, I’m enthralled with the emu egg. It’s around 13cm wide and 7.5cm high and has been emptied through a hole drilled in the bottom. Turning the shell over in my hand, I admire its beautiful dark green colour which is adorned with speckles of a much lighter green. In comparison the ostrich egg is much larger and is cream in colour. 

As we chat with Judith, Bill disappears and comes back a moment later with a historic photo of an Indigenous couple. Bill explains that, “They were the last to come out of the bush.” The man is wearing a loin cloth and carrying a spear, while the woman is bare-breasted and carrying a child on her hip. Another child is hanging off her whilst cuddling a puppy. Her load doesn’t end there, she is also carrying bush tucker on a primitive wooden tray balanced on her head. Bill’s humour has been entertaining this whole tour, and even the kids laugh when he says, “It must be so hard carrying that heavy spear,” making reference to the fact that the woman was clearly carrying the lion’s share of the load. We practice walking with a wooden tray on our heads, similar to the woman in the photos. There are lots of laughs between mouthfuls of that delicious lemongrass teacake. Bill teaches my son to play the didgeridoo; and surprisingly, he gets a few good sounds out of it. 

It’s been a thoroughly educational and fascinating morning in good company, so now that it’s time to say goodbye, it’s not without a pang of regret. Bill and Judith gift us with the emu egg I am enthralled with and I quickly hide it in my bag before the kids ask for it … with plans to display it in my office as a beautiful reminder of this experience.

Learning what plants can be eaten as Bush tucker

Reflecting on the Magic of Outback Queensland

Reflecting on this trip on the way home, it’s very clear that the St George region offers a lot for the RV traveller with peaceful riverside free camps, caravan parks to power up when you need to, small town bakeries that don’t disappoint and friendly people that are only too willing to share their time and conversation with a traveller.

GeoWiki X

St George: Pelican Rest Tourist Park

Nindigully: Free camp at Nindigully Pub

Thallon: Free camp at McGeever Recreational Grounds

Dirranbandi:  Dirranbandi Retreat and Caravan Park

Bollon: Free camp at Wallam Creek Campsite

Dump Points: St George, Nindigully, Thallon, Dirranbandi and Bollon

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GrainCorp Silo Mural at the Thallon Free Camp

Category: Destinations
Written: Mon 01 Apr 2024
Printed: April, 2024
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