8/7/2016, Friday, Rollingstone to Home Hill, magnificent 26

Farewell to the best park that we’ve ever stayed at and the longest that we’ve stayed in one spot. At the office we thank the management and they give us stubby holders and coffee mugs and send us one our way, they are such nice people. Rest assured that someone else will be setting up on site #1 within the hour.

Heading south we bypass Townsville and the highway passes through cattle properties with lush grass and white paper bark gums. There are rivers and lagoons and then the sugar cane starts again. Sugar mills, cane burning smoke smudging the sky, trains being loaded, it’s all go.

Ayr is a large and impressive town obviously a district hub. Ten kms further on is the massive steel Burdekin Bridge and on the south side of the almost dry Burdekin River is Home Hill.

The people of Home Hill allow RV’s to park for 48 hours on the street parallel to the highway and right in the heart of town. Is it any wonder that this town can still support three pubs, there are 67 RV’s in for the night. On the Main Street there are two supermarkets and on our street a laundromat and the new amenities block which provides toilets, hot showers, a camp kitchen and tables and chairs. 

As we’re camped directly behind Jaycar electronics, Woody decides to buy a new aerial for the UHF radio as ours just doesn’t cut the mustard. The new one is twice as high and really whippy. We also happen to be beside the railway line so we are entertained with Queensland Freight passing our door.

As we leave for dinner at the Malpass Hotel (is that French for bad move?) the sky is red with fire and smoke, the cane burning is on again.

There are two curiosities in Queensland, firstly every pub meal option seems to be deep fried and secondly Crumbed Steak. This curiosity comes with your favourite sauce or a ‘topper’. What’s a topper? Prawns and cheese apparently. So why do they crumb the steak? Well, we reckon it’s so that it can be deep fried!

The pubs in this town are pretty competitive. The Malpass has ‘Saucy Girls’ on a Friday, which we assume are like Kalgoorlie’s Skimpies. The Commercial Hotel has an annual Waxing Competition and the last winner managed to survive a partial back wax.

Towing Kms: 150Kms

2021 Note: Home Hill has been a forerunner in attracting the travelling public to stop and stay and spend a few dollars. If it weren’t for this RV Stop I’m quite sure that the town would have been in danger of losing out to nearby Ayr. Thankfully a lot of small towns have now seen the benefit of attracting the nomadic visitor.