Day 7 - Wednesday 6th July

Breakfast was a little later than normal at 7:30am and the bus left Weipa at 8:15.

The first event for the day was a river cruise on the nearby river which started at 8:30. It was a small vessel with a canopy roof - just big enough for our group. Once again, it was an entertaining safety talk from our guide, Mal. He joked about being taken by crocodiles etc.

On the cruise, we saw a few birds but no crocodiles. Our guide gave us a commentary including the history of bauxite mining in the area.

It was a bright sunny day with very few clouds. There was no need to be wearing a spray jacket but I was wearing a light jumper while out on the cruise. Apparently the weather in Weipa is normally warmer.

The cruise finished at about 10:15 and the bus then drove us to the shopping centre at Weipa where we went to the pharmacy and the supermarket. We left there at 11:15 and headed to the nearby recreation area at Lake Patricia for lunch. Once again it was lunch on tables provided from the bus.

We set off at 12:40. The next stop was at the Moreton Telegraph Station next to Wenlock River. We reached there at about 3pm and left at about 3:30. There was a camping area and a small shop. It was cloudy but wasn't raining.

When we set off again, we were on a sealed road and there were quite a few cars heading in the other direction. I thought this must have meant that were on a significant traffic route that required a better surface but after about ten minutes we were back on a gravel road again.

As we approached Bramwell Station (our accommodation for the night) just after 4pm, the termite mounds on either side of the road were getting more numerous and taller.

Bramwell Station is a huge cattle station - about 1330 square km (500 sq miles). Some decades ago, APT convinced them to start welcoming tourists and this is now a big part of what they do. There is a large camping area with many caravans, tents, 4WDs etc. We guessed that there might have been about 300 people there - once again in the middle of nowhere.

After a welcome talk by Ken, the manager, we were allocated to our rooms. If you could call them that. The rooms were very small. Well actually tiny. Just enough space for two single beds plus an ensuite bathroom. This is a basic as it gets. No room to swing a cat.

More like a shipping container except nowhere near as big as a shipping container. At least there was an air conditioner in each room. I guess sheep and cattle don't get an air conditioner. Sheep get their accommodation for free but I guess we were paying for this for some reason.

Later, Suzy realised that the multi-coloured wash basin in the ensuite was probably not a design feature. I was probably just baked-in mould. Not very appealing. Overnight Suzy found it too hot whereas I was pulling the bed clothes over me because the air conditioner blowing directly on me.

This was a low point in terms of accommodation. Surely things would get better after this. We could live in hope. Perhaps a tent or a bark hut might be better.

It wasn't all bad. We went to the nearby holding pens where they were marshalling cattle to be taken away on cattle trucks. A woman was giving a demonstration to children about bottle feeding baby cattle. Lots of good photo opportunities.

To get wifi, you needed to buy a $5 voucher at the bar. It was very slow. Basically useless. A waste of time and money. They was no mobile phone reception, no TV. Very isolated in a very remote location.

Happy hour started at 5:30. It was very busy with campers. The restaurant and bar was in an open area with a roof supported by tree trunks. Here there was no need for walls or heaters. At 6:30, Ken gave a 30 minute talk about the history of the station and his involvement.

The buffet dinner at 7pm was well organised - a regimented orderly process controlled by Ken. There was another APT group there on a separate table plus various other tables of campers.

One of the features that Ken had introduced in his time as the manager was live music. We had an excellent entertainer - singer and guitarist - called Darren Ferguson. It was like listening to Slim Dusty or  John Williamson.

They encouraged audience participation which made it a fun night. People were singing along and even dancing on their chairs. We retired to bed about 9pm and the music finished soon after that - probably a curfew so that camping families could get their kids to sleep.

Although this wouldn't be one of our favourite locations, they must be doing something right to attract so many people to this remote location.