Tennant Creek
Trip Start
Dec 23, 2007
1
28
47
Trip End
May 30, 2008
Tennant Creek,
Australia
Thursday, April 10, 2008
With the first glitter of gold in 1932, Tennant Creek, Australia's last gold rush town, apparently sprung up over night. It is now the centre of the Barkly Region. I had only planned on staying overnight so settled into the motel for a good nights sleep. The next day I was off back up the highway to the Three Ways turnoff to head across the Barkly Tableland. I was heading to Mount Isa, across the Queensland border. The drive was varied. Much of the tableland had been burnt and left only the charred remains of 6 foot high bushes, and speckled throughout, termite mounds. The land was certainly flat and uninteresting. I had to pay close attention to whole drive for wandering kangaroos, cattle and eagles eating road kill.
The landscape changed as I neared station country, where the land had been cleared for farming cattle. At one point I had to slow to enable stockmen on horseback and their herd of cattle to slowly move across the expansive land. As I neared Mount Isa, mountain ranges appeared which was a welcomed sight after such a long, straight tableland.
