Surat to Roma

A relatively short run of 90K’s today – Tom is pleased to be riding towards a rest day in Roma before tackling the 179 kilometre run from Injune to Rolleston. He heads out on time at 8:00 am.

The weather? – near perfect- near ideal – what would make it better – slightly – just slight warmer morning temperatures.

The van decides to wander around Surat just a little more – both of us feel really comfortable here – we love the culture of te place – engage – engage – talk to visitors and not at visitors – impressed by the following sign in the amenities block at the caravan park - a lovely way of indicating that a lot of people are involved when someone dumps sewerage in the wrong place!

 Likewise, this one – if you have tourists why not make them contributors to your community.

Take some postcard photos of the town

 Then head out of town across the Balonne River Bridge

 Look around Fisherman’s Park just over the bridge – take some photos of the river – the caravaners – the Surat entrance sign.

It is about here in the blog that I intended to express my views on the gentle-people occupying their highly expensive mobile apartments for extended stays in free camping spots on the banks of the Balonne less than 1 kilometre from town and its official caravan park – a town which would benefit greatly from their full commercial participation in the local economy. - I have decided not to describe this gentle-people as “freeloaders”

Why have I decided not to call these people “freeloaders”? – Well because I just remembered that Tom and Barb have stayed overnight in this very place themselves – this needs to be qualified by saying that they stayed just one night on quick transit to the Carnarvon Gorge - Essentially they were just parking beside the road mid-way through their transit – that is not the kind of traveller that I am inclined to call “freeloaders”.

Oh what the hell! – I will chance it! – of course those gentle-people who set up here for extended stays are “freeloaders” – they pay nothing to use the facilities – they wander into town to use the free showers – they bypass the local service station in favour of the few cents they will save in Roma – they condescend to buy the occasional coffee – be vociferous in their assessment of the price they pay. Come on you freeloaders! – camping within spitting distance of the caravan park of a remote community is “freeloading” – too much of it and the town will cease to exist and then you really will have to free camp.

Tom (hopefully aware that he is not included in the “freeloader” category) heads on towards Roma.

 As he heads out of Surat he encounters productive looking country - The road verges are lightly wooded shielding sensibly wooded remnant rangelands interspersed with fallowed paddocks – the is traffic light and constituted by huge cattle road trains bringing stock from the Roma Sale Yards to the holdings of their southern buyers, Toyota land cruisers carrying well to do graziers and their families, Toyota tray backs on serious farm business and the occasional mobile homes

The road kill remains practically non-existent – perhaps the road safety courses offered by St George Technical College is actually a collaboration with Roma counterparts!

As Tom progresses, the roadside woodlands become denser and now hide the rangeland and cropping land behind - dry land cotton – sorghum – the contrast in the density of the roadside woodlands compared to the rangelands an indication of the vigour of the dance that this country had with the D9 and chain long ago!

He passes flood-way after flood-way – tributaries creeks of the Balonne - all holding water -  the road kill starts to re-appear - Perhaps the counterparts from Roma have withdrawn from the St. George collaboration.

Closer to Roma cattle graze the D9 treated rangelands – lush grasses – dams full – signs of regeneration in the grazing rangelands

What is that in the middle of that bare rangeland? – a lost and lonely D9! – I must photograph it! – “what are you sitting here for?”  I ask – “Look around you” it says – “See what I have done” – I look around – what do it see – nothing – “You have wasted your time” says I.

Tom passes the Roma – Brisbane gas pipeline – a little closer to Brisbane the pipeline’s cargo will be supplemented by the new material emerging from the coal seam gas fields north of the town.

As he approaches the Warrigo Highway – he passes the Diamantina Village – a huge donga village – designed to encourage the outsourcing of fifo accommodation – “we can even enforce your drug and alcohol requirements" says the management” – oh well – I assume it is some local group trying to make money out of the miners so I suppose some money will stay in the town.

Find the Village Tourist Park – nice – the owner guides – “turn here- right hand down – left hand down – right-hand-down - do you have enough room- don't park on the grass!

One of those want to know it all neighbours appears even before the van is unhitched - how far have you come - that's not far – “riding” says I –“that is a long way” – “how far is he riding” – “what?” – “how old is he?” – “What!” – “when will be here?”- “that soon” – “how fast does he ride?” - Tom arrives - his questions are repeated to a shy Tom - Tom’s face points out that he could so without this attention!

“Been a great ride – no wind - just one close encounter with a road train- car, road train and biker only just for across a two lane road! – “89 k compared to 120 makes a big difference – Sunday will not be nice” says Tom.

Today's Strava Results are here