Our trip southwards to the border began on Thursday, 26 September when we moved on and had our first stop at Surat, an old Cobb & Co stage coach changing centre in the 1800’s. The museum has a great display of memorabilia and the old buildings lining the street are well maintained, giving the town a pioneering feel.
St George provided us with a great base from where we could explore the district. The Balonne River passes through the town and in wet times causes havoc by flooding the town and district. We also visited the “Unique Egg”, a brilliant display of hand carved emu eggs by a self taught Greek artist. He has illuminated the eggs by placing small LED lights inside the eggs and the light then shines through the carved designs. The eggs have been displayed in several countries and expos around the world.
Nindigully, 45km south east of St George and on the banks of the Moonie River has the longest continually licenced hotel in Queensland. Established in 1864 the hotel is a true outback aussie pub and it has featured in many commercials and the movie “Paperback Hero”. It is also famous for its huge Road Train Burger which weighs 5.7kg, costs $60 and feeds one to six people. We didn’t attempt the huge burger and settled for a “normal” one which was also extremely large. The pub has some interesting memorabilia and history scattered around the walls and also a rustic red gum timber bar. A rodeo ground, local hall and a freebie campsite are also adjacent to the pub.
Dirranbandi, land of the croaking frog, in the heart of cotton growing country has possibly one of the most famous properties in Australia, “Cubbie Station” which has been in the news in recent times. We had a quick stop here then continued to the last town in Queensland before the border. Hebel, has a pub, general store/cafe, caravan park a few cabins and not much else. The pub is a quaint aussie pub, the general store has great food and after lunch and a refreshing drink we crossed the border into New South Wales before arriving at Lightning Ridge.
