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We arrived Blackall late in the afternoon, found the showground and our allocated pavilion, unpacked our trusty truck, set about finding a spot then made up our bed sites.  By now we had started to work as a team, no longer was it necessary to allocate “jobs”, people just gravitated to a particular task. Some in the truck unloading, others in a “conga- line” passing the gear into the pavilion, others stacking it inside.

It worked well.

Once settled, some took it easy, others went for a dip in Blackall’s artesian pool.

L-R:  Dan Willett,  Dave Pedler,  John Broughton

Others broke out the esky while Emma and Craig thankfully organised a welcome barbecue dinner for us, after which it was time for a “sing-along.”

L-R:  Dave Pedler (on ukulele),  Bob Anderson (on baritone Ukulele),  John Broughton (on stool drum),   Allan O’Connor (on chair).

We awoke next day (Tuesday) to the smell of a wonderful breakfast being cooked by Emma and the local RSL Sub-Branch – bacon and eggs, a very welcome change to our normal toast and cornies.

Emma Scholes - egging up a breakfast.

Emma and the RSL Sub-Branch had planned a busy day for us. First up Merv had agreed to meet with a bunch of kids from the local schools and to give them a talk on cricket. Emma had a better idea, she organised the kids to get together on one of the local parks and Merv, very unselfishly devoted a couple of hours giving each of them cricket lessons, much to the delight of the kids.

Click the pic below to see Merv giving lessons.

After Merv had gone around and had a personal chat to most of the kids, we got them all back into the shelter and handed out bunches of chips which had been given to us by Smiths Confectionery.  This seemed to go down well too.

After the kids had chipped out, Merv gave them a small talk and they were then marched back to school, though how their teachers hoped to get them to concentrate on schoolwork for the rest of the day was anyone’s guess.

Click the pic below to watch Merv's final talk to the kids.

In the corner of the park is a life size statue of a circus elephant. This was donated to the Blackall and Tambo community by Robert and Bernice Perry to honour the memory of Robert’s ancestors who began the original Perry Bros’ Circus in this area in 1889.

You can read more about it HERE.

We left the kids and headed for the famous wool scour which is just a few Km out of Blackall where we were to receive a guided tour and lunch.

This is an amazing complex and definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area. They crank up some of the machinery and you can only imagine the noise (and the danger) experienced by the men who worked in there all those years ago. Click HERE to read the history of the site.

Click the pic below to see some of it working.

After lunch, we decided to do a tour of Blackall before heading back to our digs for a nana nap. Emma and Craig had a big evening planned for us – a nana nap was a must.

First stop was the old water bore on the outskirts of town.

Back in 1885, Blackall became one of the first towns in Queensland to drill for water. Even to this day, the town’s water supply comes from the Great Artesian Basin. Drilling commenced at this site in 1885 because the town dam constructed in 1878 and a well sunk in the Barcoo River were unable to provide adequate water. Owing to difficulties - suspected to be financial as well as technical - drilling was suspended for a time then finally the bore was completed in 1888. The water was brackish and a second bore was commissioned. The water from the Pioneer Bore continued to be used for domestic purposes (including drinking until the drought broke in 1902) and was used for wool scouring.

The display highlights the importance of artesian water in the story of Blackall's development as a viable township and celebrates the contribution of the early drillers and other workers to this Pioneer bore.

Not to be outdone by Barcaldine, Blackall also boasts a tree of knowledge, though not as spectacular as that in Barcaldine, the Blackall example is perhaps more to the point.

We also loved the little poem penned some time ago by an early pioneer, it reads:

A popular girl of Blackall

Wore a newspaper dress to a ball

Her rig-out caught fire

And burned her entire

Front page, sporting section and all.

Next stop was the Black Stump. There are a number of places around Australia which insist that they are the true location of the black stump. The case for Blackall is explained in great detail on the sign at the site.

The sign says:   "This historic site permanently marks the original Astro station established in 1887 by the Surveyor-General for the purpose of survey, based on the principal meridional circuit traversed around the town of Blackall. The circuit around Blackall was 27 miles square and contained an area of 729 square miles. The surveyors placed their theodolites on the stump for latitude and longitude observations. The stump was used rather than a set of legs because the theodolites used on such observations were of a large size.

This Astro station was used as part of the principal survey to fix the position of principal towns extending from Brisbane to Boulia via Roma, Charleville and Blackall. It was designed to establish the points of important centres with which the survey work of the whole colony could be connected and enable the mapping of Queensland on a more accurate basis. It was considered at the time that the country to the west of Blackall was 'beyond the black stump'. This piece of petrified wood replaces the original stump which was burnt out."

Having sightseeinged we headed back to the showground for an hour or so on the “Bestway” after which it was a brisk walk across the grassed arena to the hot showers, on with clean duds then into the bus and off to the Blackall Bowls Club for the evening’s festivities.

The Blackall RSL Sub-Branch and the Bowls Club, led by the unstoppable Emma Scholes, had arranged a fabulous, and profitable, evening in favour of Legacy. They had scoured the town and had amassed a huge number of items which they had then put up as the prize in a huge raffle. This was drawn on the night and the lucky winner walked away with enough items to start a shop.

Merv Hughes and Craig Scholes ready to carve up the spit roast.

They had also begged, borrowed or stolen a number of beef butts which had been rolling over gidgee charcoal on the spit or some hours and which smelled divine – we could hardly wait..  

Emma had promoted the event throughout the town for some time and a good crowd turned up at the Bowls Club, firstly to see, wonder about and perhaps pity the bunch of silly old people trying to ride tiny motor scooters from Brisbane to Townsville and secondly to support that wonderful charity – Legacy.

Part of the crowd at the Blackall Bowls Club.

They also had a number of items which were auctioned off by professional auctioneer Jeremy Barron from Nutrien Ag Solutions, who did a wonderful job. One such item was a cricket bat signed by Merv which initially went for $700.  Matt McLean who bought the bat donated it back to be auctioned off again and this time it was bought by Mitch Barge.

It went for another $700 – very generous people out west.

Eventually the night was done, as is usually the case these days, age overcame enthusiasm and people started to wander off towards the comfort of the Bestway blow-up. After the takings were counted next morning, it was revealed that the Emma and the Blackall RSL Sub-Branch had contributed $5,000 towards the fund. A wonderful effort.

Thank you!

John Broughton, who had brought his home on wheels, didn’t have the blow-up, let-down problems the rest of us had, his bed was always ready and waiting.

Next morning we were destined to head off once again. We woke again to the enticing aroma of bacon and eggs being cooked on the Blackall RSL Sub-Branch’s barby a go-go, something we could very quickly get used to.

After we’d all breakfasted, showered, un-pumped the beds, packed everything away and loaded the truck, it was time to take a few pics and say our good-byes.

The workers L-R:  Terry Brennan,  Emma Scholes,  Merv Hughes, Terri-Ann Eden-Jones,  Craig Scholes. 

Orica were one of our major sponsors – for which we are very grateful.

The troops then lined up for the farewell pic, with Trev Benneworth and Merv Hughes on the scooters.

Those that were riding jacketed and hi-vised up, mounted their trusty ride, then with a final wave it was time to head for Longreach, our next overnighter.

Thanks Blackall, a fabulous time.

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