We sailed into Keppel Bay Marina ahead of the strong coastal wind forecast and we decided to “head for the hills”. 🚗💨
So, with a hire car and a wish list, we took this opportunity to amble through the Capricorn Region of central Queensland and appreciate our country and some family history.
There we were, like a lonely little tumbleweed rolling through desolate towns. If you blinked you’d miss some settlements, overgrown and nothing seems to have altered since the first train rolled in. Oh, except for the Jericho community, we did a U-ey to get a closer look at the drive-in movies, the lawns dotted with whites posts still patiently holding the box speakers. The rear stalls housing the clunky old projector and the canvas seating that connected us to the 60s/70s.
Back on the road and through more settlements you would never know existed if it wasn’t for the sign posts. Bluff, Comet, Alpha popped up and quickly disappeared along the 650klm route from the coast to the country. This path has been well travelled by stockmen, drovers and shearers who stop with their swags and dogs for god knows how long, probably years.
The Capricorn Highway is straight as an arrow, stretching west as far as the eye can see, further than the kilometres of coal-trains ghosting along-side us and well beyond the Great Dividing Range radiating rays of light into the distance sky. With the perfect temperature and fresh air we cross open floodplains, see acres of rich soil, followed by neat cotton fields and farming stations. This escapade of ours quickly transforms into something so beautiful and quintessentially Australian. Such a surprising “tree change” for a few days.
Story time
Apparently in 1861 a European commander to Native Police - Frederick Walker lead a search for Burke and Wills over the land of Iningai. Eventually that stomping ground became “Barcaldine”, with property lots up for sale by 1885.
Barcaldine is where you’ll find the “tree of Knowledge”, but that’s another story. More importantly it’s where you’ll find “salt of the earth” people, and where He Who Hums grandmother’s family migrated in early 1900’s. Imagine that at age 13! I’m sure it was extremely difficult for her (and her family) to settle in. Growing up in hot, semi arid and sometimes wet lands, working their fingers to the bone on the land, after having also endured the sail from England to Australia! 🤯
Eventually Vera met a shearer named Holburke, married and the Gaskell family-tree grew with the addition of 3 sons (yes the youngest was Brian). I’m sad to scribe, it also had them lay the middle child to rest at age 3 1/2 yrs after a fire in a shed. The family hoping he would not be forgotten, despite their leaving the town and never speaking of their personal tragedy. 🙏🏻
Fast forward to today, we met the wonderful publican of the grand Hotel, who kindly helped us find his plot via her own well mapped records of the Barcaldine cemetery. If it wasn’t for her efforts, we could very well still be out there searching for the gold scribed headstone Brian bought and lovingly placed only 30years ago, after Vera’s (his mother) passing at aged 99yrs.
We returned home to Condesa , feeling fulfilled for many reasons, apart from paying our respects to little Trevor Gaskell’s grave. We also fully embraced the history, the heritage buildings, well the ones that survived many fires in this town. We traced names and dates and found relatives photos in the museum. We enjoyed the company of locals and listened to the stories of men of the land passing through. Actually, there were possibly more gems in that one town than sapphires found by fossicking in the well trodden fields nearby.
If the massive coal industry hasn’t make them rich, then the tough cotton-picking spirit of these people will.
Comparing our west bound trek to 100years back imagining the big square riggers full of immigrants offloaded then put on a train out into the middle of a foreign world (aka nowhere). What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger has to be true.
They helped create our lucky country. How blessed we are to live in this day and age. To venture across land and over seas with more ease and comforts than ever imagined. Now we are sitting here with everything at our fingertips, adding to our two bobs worth to the family story.