October 26, 2024 • 35 mins
What if a journey through the Aussie outback could redefine what "home" feels like? Join us as we, the Feel Good Family, return to our beloved Queensland after a year of adventure, with tales that are as heartwarming as they are thrilling. Picture the joy of crossing back into our home state, with our caravan in tow, and the challenges we faced on the Plenty Highway. Along the way, we learned the importance of planning meals ahead at Tobermorey Station, a lesson any avid traveler can appreciate.
Ever heard of the Min Min Lights? In the quaint town of Boulia, locals might pronounce it "Booyah," but the tales of these elusive lights are no less captivating. We share our own eerie encounter with a mysterious blue orb, adding a personal twist to this outback legend. Our travels also led us to Middleton, where we met the unforgettable Stoney Cain at the unique local pub. It's here that stories are shared and community ties are strengthened, reminding us of the beauty and mystery that make the outback an adventure like no other.
As we reminisce about the legacy of Steve Irwin at Australia Zoo, we also prepare for our next exciting chapter in Winton. We've got heartwarming stories, including a lighthearted encounter with the Dalai Lama, that highlight the deep connections formed through travel. Our experiences have shown us that stepping outside our comfort zones brings valuable life lessons and unforgettable friendships. So, buckle up for a journey through stories and landscapes that promise to leave a lasting impression, and a hint of what's to come in Winton that you won't want to miss.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(00:44):
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Speaker 1 (00:48):
Welcome to Season 9, episode 3 of the Family Travel
Australia podcast, where PaulKatie and Jasper from the Feel
Good Family join us as weexplore this great country
Australia, its people, placesand coaches.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yes, welcome to the Family Travel Podcast, where we
share the latest in RV industrynews road trip travel,
caravanning and camping, productreviews, where to go, what to
do, and so much more.
Thanks for joining us.
Yes, katie.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
This week we're free camping at the most isolated pub
in the outback.
We say goodbye to the NorthernTerritory and hello to our home
state of Queensland.
Woohoo, we're back.
Baby Queenslander, gee we loveit.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Oh look.
There is always something superspecial about crossing any
border back into Queensland.
It's just a feeling that comesover us.
We are Queenslanders throughand through and to know that we
are back on our home turf evenif we're still hundreds or
thousands of kilometres awayfrom family, which right now we
(02:04):
are, there's still somethingreally special about knowing
we're back home.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Which is strange because five years of full-time
travel, our home is where we layour hat, our caravan, so it is
strange, we go home, to theplace that we used to call home,
the location.
But really the only, I guess,real drawcard is the family and
(02:31):
friends that are in thoselocations, because when we get
out of the van, like we go stayin a hotel because we're
speaking somewhere or we're, youknow, traveling and doing bits
and pieces, we can't wait to gethome to our van.
It's a strange concept.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
It really is a strange concept and the van
certainly is home.
But let's just say we've alwaysgot a bit of Queensland in our
hearts, I think, and to knowthat we're back, after not being
in Queensland particularly withthe caravan and touring
Queensland for over a year now,it's pretty exciting to know.
(03:09):
Okay, we've crossed the border,we're about to explore some
places we've never been before,and I love that feeling of
anticipation as well, there issomething about it.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
You can probably hear it in our podcast, Dulcet Tones
.
That element of that's right,Katie, unknown expectations, all
of it.
Yeah, so good, here we go.
Okay, so we left you at theoutback station of Tobermory.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Strange name.
I actually should have askedthem.
You know where the name camefrom.
In fact, all along this plentyhighway journey, I mean, the
first stop was Javois or Javoy.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
I'm pretty sure, and maybe not in the case of these
two stations, but the majorityof stations and pastoral land
that was allocated back in myday, back in the day stations
and pastoral land that wasallocated back in my day, back
in the day were the names ofthese stations were taken from
the properties or the familysurnames of the settlement and
(04:14):
settling pioneers from EnglandWell, that would make sense, the
motherland and they would comeover and if they were from
Lancaster or whatever, it wasWindsor or Tobermore, sure, it
was a family name maybe.
Yeah, it's worth checking out,but a lot of times that we've
(04:36):
seen they've been related to alocation back in the UK or a
family name.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Yeah, that definitely makes sense.
I always conjure up in my headthis I don't know this Italian
scene when we talk about TobeMore, and I don't really know
why.
I think maybe that's because ofhow you sing it like that that's
Amore.
Anyway, we weren't greeted bybeautiful Italian fare, but we
(05:02):
were invited to sit down at thelong table with the staff and
the owners of Tobermory Stationthe night that we camped there,
which was a massive relief givenhow late it was when we got in.
And, of course, if you've beenlistening to our podcast series
or watching our YouTube seriesacross the Plenty Highway,
(05:23):
you'll know that we had a fewdelays traveling with Ben and
Deanne and their three children,with their plenty of tire
punctures, flat tires thatneeded addressing along the way,
and so that did delay us.
And look, it's all part of theadventure and we were all still
smiling and all still happy totravel together, which is the
(05:46):
main thing.
But we did arrive intoTobermory quite late that night
and had the opportunity to haveour meals cooked for us, which
is always a massive bonus whenyou're on the road and you get
in late and you think, oh man, Idon't know what we're doing for
dinner.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah, look, I think, just so you're listening out
there.
This wasn't a special thingthey did for us.
They do this for everyone aslong as you have let them know.
So the hot tip which we didn'tdo because we were unawares is
to phone ahead or contact themand book ahead if you have any
(06:20):
dietary requirements, that is,if you're a vego or a
pescatarian, a pesky pescatarian, or you know you don't eat meat
or you know whatever they canaccommodate for most people's
dietary needs if you let themknow.
But the cool thing is, I thinkyou know you're looking at about
35 bucks a head.
You know it might be a bit lessfor kids, I'm really not sure.
(06:43):
But you go into this series oftables that is like one long
table and you can start to, youknow, interact and converse with
the other staff and themanagement and the owners if
they're there, and hear aboutthe challenges of being a farmer
and living out here, and justthe day-to-day workings.
We found it very interesting.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Yeah, I loved that insight because it's not
something that you wouldnormally see or have any idea
about if you're not from youknow this sort of industry if
you've never been around thesehuge station properties out here
in the middle of nowhere andwhat it's like to live remote
(07:23):
and then to be able to come inand get a real grasp of well,
actually, there's a wholecommunity of people out here
working on this station invarious roles and then, of
course, they have somebody whois the dedicated chef, who needs
to cook all of the meals forthe staff they come together for
every meal.
I loved that they had verystrict rules written up on the
(07:46):
big blackboards within thiscommunal dining area about you
know, no phones at the diningtable.
There was very strict rules forall of the staff to follow to
encourage that real sense ofcommunity and conversation over
the meals that they cometogether for, and then just
watching the workings of thepack down and the tidy up and
(08:07):
how everybody got in and didtheir bit.
I really loved that becauseit's easy to not see any of that
when you pass through theseplaces.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Yes, if you're not into sitting with lots of people
at a long table and having achat.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
It's not for you.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Not for you.
It reminds me a little bit ofthose epic hikes, those
pilgrimage walks, where at theend of each day you know you've
been on the trail and you may be, you know, in your own head, or
you might, you know, conversewith the person here and there
as you go, but then you get tothe end of the day and everybody
is together.
It doesn't matter your walk oflife or where you come from, or
(08:45):
what your own or you know.
None of that matters, becauseyou're all the same sitting at
one table.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Very cool?
Yeah, it was.
It was a really greatexperience and I'm so glad that
we got to do it.
We were in and out of TobermoryStation in one night, one night
only.
And then we were up bright andearly the next morning a bit of
a tyre check for us and ourfellow neighbours and we were
off headed towards theQueensland border.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
And we are back on the bitumen in just a moment,
which is a welcome relief,although the road has been very
good as far as the condition Alot more sandy sections than we
expected, as we mentioned, thesereally sharp rocky areas that
we did expect, but not a lot ofcorrugations Very surprising.
(09:34):
But to get back across thatQueensland border, which is only
about six kilometers up theroad from Tobermory, Yep, and
then we are on our way toBullier I think it's the most
outback western Queenslandtownship that you'll find on the
map, 128 kilometres away and topull into Bullier on a
(09:59):
picture-perfect day and we crossstraight over the Bourke River
and into the Bullier CaravanPark and an interesting greeting
party, katie.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
We did.
I mean, we've seen a lot ofthings in our five years on the
road when we've pulled intocampgrounds and caravan parks,
but never seen sheep justwandering around the caravan
park before, have we Paul?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
But very tame, almost like golden retrievers, you
know.
They kind of come over and oh,there's some new people, let's
go check out what they've got.
Yeah, they really were awelcoming committee.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
They were, they were.
It was quite interesting andfun for the kids, of course.
And look, this is a sweetlittle spot, this Boulia Caravan
Park.
It gets great reviews onWikicamps, which is awesome in
these outback places to findsomewhere that people say you
know, they absolutely love thisday.
They felt extremely safe and wewould totally agree with that.
(10:56):
Again, we were only here onenight, but grassy lawn areas, we
didn't feel squeezed into acaravan park like you can in
some locations around thecountry, into a caravan park
like you can in some locationsaround the country the freedom
to basically pull in, stayhitched up, set up, do whatever
we wanted.
The caretakers were lovely.
I think from memory it wasabout $35 a night for us to rock
(11:21):
into a powered site, hook up towater.
So I mean honestly, it doesn'tget any better than that.
No, it is interesting, it's notyour traditional caravan park
with, I guess, the facilitiesyou know, set in cement and you
know, oh yeah, you cement slabsand things like that.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
No, what you're getting is a series of extension
cords all just joined together,then looped through a fence and
then sort of chucked over, andthen the same with the hoses.
Oh, hang on, mate, I'll justtake the sprinkler off.
Yeah, no, just use thatextension cord, mate.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Yeah, it was a little bit reminiscent of some of
those places we've travelledoverseas where the wiring is a
bit crazy and you're like, hmm,okay, Are we really sure we want
to plug in here?
But look honestly, it wasfantastic here.
But look honestly, it wasfantastic.
We've got no complaints aboutstaying here at Boullier and it
was a beautiful, quiet night'ssleep.
There were plenty of othertravellers here as well, but
certainly not a full caravanpark when we came through, and I
(12:18):
believe there are a couple offree camp options around
Boullier on the banks of theriver as well.
But we really loved thislocation for its easy access
into town, which is awesomebecause for one night, you know,
we wanted to make sure that wegot into town to check it out
and we were able to walk fromthe van park.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Straight over the Bourke River, actually a
beautiful bridge and quitepicturesque walk with the kids
and with Ben and Deanne and, asyou're, I guess, entering into
town, there's a largeinterpretive sign that talks
about that ill-fated journey.
The adventurers back there,burke and Wills, back in 1860.
(13:03):
They left Melbourne, my birthtown, actually left on my
birthday, august 20, back therein 1860, not my official date of
birth Jeez tell.
No, and they got up here about ayear later and then they
continued.
They put water into their waterbags and then they continued on
(13:24):
up through to the Gulf and thencame back again through the
same area to grab some morewater.
They named it the Burke River.
About eight kilometres furtherdown the track, they named
another river system, the WillsRiver, and unfortunately it
didn't end too well.
A little further down the track, but you can actually take part
in an eight kilometre trail awalking trail if you like,
(13:48):
between the two, which would beinteresting.
We didn't have the time to dothat, but there is the
opportunity to do this trail aswell, so we headed straight into
the pub in town which is one ofthe most isolated pubs I think
you'll find in Australia, andit's called the Australian.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
How Australian is that?
Yeah, this was great.
And it was called theAustralian.
How Australian is that?
Yeah, this was great.
And it was a Friday night, sothey had their famous Fish
Fridays happening, which wasawesome.
So in we went the meals weregreat.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
I love it, the whole board.
Actually there's a special oneach night, but the Friday fish
and chips was my favourite.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Yeah, absolutely, and the meals were awesome,
everybody was happy, the kidswere happy.
It's always a big tick when yougo out somewhere and if the
kids are happy then you knowyou're going to have a really
great night.
And we got to have a yarn tosome of the locals and quite a
lot of laughs and, all in all,just a fantastic night.
By the time we got home, thelittle sheep were waiting for us
(14:47):
to say goodnight.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
I love that this pub has your local bar flies.
It really wasn't a traveller'skind of scene, like anyone who
lived there was at the pub.
So you're really in it.
But you can also separateyourself from that if you like,
because then as you kind ofwander through this old sort of
(15:09):
heritage building to anextension, out the back there's
a beautiful restaurant area andthen there's even an outdoor
play space with a kid's area andyou can sit out there as well.
So plenty of options to be init and amongst the locals having
a yarn, or to sit out with thefamily and just have a peaceful
dinner as well.
Very cool.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yeah, absolutely.
And look, we love Booyah.
This is our first time out here, or I should say Booyah,
because you've got to get yourAustralian slang on and run all
of those letters together.
You certainly don't want topronounce it as it's written.
That would be far too proper.
(15:53):
Yeah, and now you stand at thebar and you go oh, it's a very
nice place here in booyah, yes,and they'd all laugh at you, I'm
sure.
Oh yeah, absolutely, but uh, no, we really liked exploring.
The next morning we, we got upand we came back into town
before we were due to set off,heading further east, but to
check out what's on offer hereand look, there is plenty here,
of course, home to the famous,the infamous Min Min Lights.
(16:17):
Now, look, if you have notheard about the Min Min Lights,
we would encourage you to do aquick little Google, because it
is very interesting Googlebecause it is very interesting.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Look, there have been , I think, documented, over a
thousand sightings, interactionsWell, not exactly interactions,
but encounters, encounters.
Thank you, katie, that's theword that.
I am looking for with the MinMin Lights, a light that has
chased people in these outbackregions for about 130 kilometres
(16:51):
along the main stretch headingtowards Winton and then up to
500 kilometres also each side ofBoulia.
There have been sightings withfarmers, Indigenous people,
God-fearing men and women Likeany type of person.
Not just crazies, I guess, iswhat I'm trying to say.
(17:13):
It's not just the people whoare a bit woo-woo anyway, it's
real-life people.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Or with a remarkably similar story and a similar
explanation of what the lightslook like and how they
interacted with them out therein these really remote parts.
And look, we met a couple, alovely couple.
They're actually a young familyand we met them a few years ago
in Winton at the WintonFestival, the Vision.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Splendour Outback Film Festival it was.
That's right.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
And they were just a beautiful, normal family.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Both educators.
They were both teachers.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Yes, had two young children who Jasper loved
playing with, and the husbandhad had an encounter with the
Min Min Lights and as he wastelling us his story, it was so
real that I could feel the hairson the back of my neck standing
(18:16):
up.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I just thought, nah, this guy's not a wacko.
This guy has encounteredsomething that has made it embed
in him to be able to expresshis emotion of that moment so
clearly that it actuallyimpacted us.
I was like, wow, righto.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
It's fascinating stuff, look.
Part of me is a little bit sadthat we didn't see a Min Min
light for ourselves while wewere out here in Booyah.
But to be able to, I'm okaywith it.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
I don't need no Min-mins in my life.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Look, the accounts are very similar to our own
personal experience out there,from Devil's Marbles Kalu Kalu
Conservation Reserve, out therein the middle of Central
Australia, in the NorthernTerritory, where we had the
encounter with that incredibleblue orb of light that was
(19:11):
floating its way towards us,getting larger and larger in the
middle of winter, you knownowhere.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Middle of Australia.
That was, I guess, a momentthat cemented for me that I need
to be a little more open-mindedand not just think crazy person
here.
Because now I am and you areone of those crazies, because we
had that encounter with Jasperand with another lady, claire
(19:38):
from the UK, who we'd invited infor dinner that night, and even
she was just like, whoa, isthat normal guys?
And we're like, nah, that'sdefinitely something out of this
world as we know.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Absolutely and look definitely.
We would suggest jump on and dosome research on the Min Min
Lights.
There is an experience here inBooyah, the Min Min Experience
Encounter that you can go in andlearn all about the Min Min.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Yeah, it's an animatronic and laser light show
that gets huge raps.
It's an incredible piece oftech that's now 20-plus years
old and still getting, you know,rave reviews.
Unfortunately, we were notallowed to film inside there,
(20:32):
but it is a way, I guess, to getthe full experience of the Min
Min's without you know havingyourself abducted or impregnated
by an alien life force.
Katie.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Yes indeed.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Keep your organs, baby.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Anyway, what else is there in Booyah?
Not a lot.
There's a little supermarketthat's really well stocked, a
couple of sweet little storesantique-y kind of quirky store
that has it all, and a couple oflittle cafes.
So it is a sweet little town.
There's fuel, of course.
You can pick up all thesupplies that you need before
(21:09):
you push further east towardsWinton.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
But on the way.
Okay, now, 203 kilometres later, you get to Middleton.
Later you get to Middleton andwe had been worded up through
other travelers, other locals,even back there at Gemtree, said
you have to stop an overnightin Middleton.
We're like what's there?
They're like nothing, just onepub.
(21:34):
And besides the pub there's apublican named Stoney Stoney
Kane.
This guy will change your life.
You've got to stop and see thisguy.
We were like, well, that's apretty big call, but let's do it
.
So, 203 kilometers down theroad at Middleton, there is the
pub.
There's a homestead for thefamily Stoney Cain and his wife
(22:02):
and his kid, and then across theroad is a big sign that says
the Hilton Hotel and on the signit says no air con, no TV, no
pool, no charge, free camp.
Love it.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Yeah, look, this goes down in the history books for
us as one of the best pub stayswe've ever had across the five
years of our travel, definitely,look, driving from Bulli, we
really didn't have any idea ofwhat to expect or even where
this Middleton pub was going topop up.
And then you know, you're justdriving through like hundreds of
(22:36):
kilometres of epic, incrediblelandscape, with these massive
jump-ups, or messes as they'recalled.
You feel like you'retransported into.
I mean, I feel like I was in alandscape you know from the Wild
West in America, from what I'veseen on the movies Utah and
Arizona and Death Valley.
Absolutely.
It's hard to believe that thislandscape is here in Australia.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Look, there is one outstanding stop.
There's a lookout there.
I believe it's called LilydaleHills and it is that, katie.
It's like you're waiting forthat.
You know, john Wayne moment.
There's Spaghetti West and allof the guys cowboys and Indians,
and it is stunning,breathtakingly beautiful.
It's such a surprise becauseyou do not expect to see it out
(23:23):
here, because there's vast landthat goes as far as your eye can
see, so you can see thecurvature of the earth and
there's nothing.
I mean there's barely a scrubor a trip like there's nothing.
And then you come across thesejump-ups.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Yeah, it's remarkable .
And the whole time I just keptsaying to Paul look, I really
don't know.
I mean I guess we'll see thepub when we see the pub.
And it's almost as if you justcome up over this little rise
after crossing a dry creek bedand oh, look, there's a pub.
Okay, we'll pull in.
So we pulled off to the rightand into the free camp area
(24:05):
which really, basically, is justthis massive cleared area that
look.
After talking to Stoney later inthe day, he said to us you know
, sometimes we can have a coupleof vans in, like we've got
tonight with you guys andMalcolm actually, who's another
traveller, we met back there inBooyah.
Other times, like after theBirdsville big events, the bash,
the races, we can have hundredsof vans parked out there at the
(24:29):
Hilton Hotel and the pub isabsolutely heaving.
So we set up camp, we decidedwe'd walk over it was probably
about 4 o'clock in the afternoonby this stage We'll go and
check out this pub and as we'recrossing the road you know
looking left and looking rightto make sure that there was no
(24:49):
traffic coming Trust us, therewas no traffic coming the entire
time we were out here we cameacross a gentleman standing on
the balcony who was veryfriendly, gave us a really
cheery welcome and, lo andbehold, it's the man we've been
looking for, stoney Cain, thepublican.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
And he said come in, can I get you a drink?
And we're like absolutely andhe probably asked that question
another half dozen times we didgo for one and we stayed for
many.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Yeah, it's one of those moments.
It was a bit of a shame that weall had kids that were hungry,
because I think we could havestayed longer had the kids not
been nagging us that they neededtheir dinner.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
That is so true, this guy they refer to him a bit as
a cat because he's had ninelives and he shares stories.
There's only a true, authenticoutback character like Stoney
can of his adventures andmishaps and near death
experiences.
He's nine lives as a human caton earth, with helicopter
(25:54):
crashes.
He's a helicopter pilot.
He's he's just recently dodgedcancer.
He's remarkable interactionswith other travelers and you are
left wanting to stay longer andspend more time with Stoney.
He definitely enriches yourlife through his charm, his
authentic Aussie charisma andjust him as a person.
(26:18):
He's open with his emotions andwe loved every part of our stay
here.
So we cannot highly recommendenough that you go and say hi to
Stoney and stay out there atthe Hilton Hotel.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Oh yes, so many laughs we shared that afternoon.
And I've done a little bit ofresearch on the Middleton pub
since our stay just to get a bitmore history on it.
And originally owned byStoney's parents and obviously
he's spent many of his years outhere before taking over the
(26:54):
role of publican with hispartner and their two children.
I read this fantastic articleonline that basically said the
population of Middleton doubledwhen Stoney and Clara took over
the role of running the pub, sothere is now an official
population of four in Middleton,and this article was talking
(27:17):
about the ebb and flow and it'sactually interesting because we
had a good conversation withStoney about that.
There are times of the year whenthey'll be lucky to see a
traveller come through once aweek and then there's other
times, like I mentioned, aftermajor events like the big red
bash out there at Birdsville,where they're so full.
There's so many vanners there.
(27:37):
The pub is literally heaving,bursting at the seams, and this
article went on to say that oneof the first years that Stoney
and Clara had taken over the pub, they had all of these
travellers come through, but thepub literally had about 16
plates and random cutlery enoughto be able to feed maybe that
many people as well.
(27:58):
And how they scrambled throughthis particular evening of there
being hundreds of patrons hereat the pub and basically they
were making meals and thenwashing the plates in the
cutlery to be able to then serveanother meal to another patron.
And how they just scrapedthrough and all of this
craziness that takes place outhere in this remote location.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Amazing, amazing people and you know, we say it
all the time, but the people,they cement the memory in that
moment, don't they?
Yeah, you know, and they makethose moments great and they're
the stories that you sharearound the campfire later.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
Yeah, absolutely.
I love this man, all of hisenergy and what he gave to our
group, and also Malcolm, who youknow, who's a new travelling
friend of ours, who was there aswell.
We all got something that weneeded from our time with Stoney
and whenever Paul and I talkabout him, we both get this
(28:56):
smile on our face and thisreally beautiful, joyous energy
in our heart, recalling you know, oh my God, how's about when he
told us this story.
It was a really special moment.
I think, if you feel likeyou're lacking a little bit of
joy or connection in your life,go out and sit at the bar and
(29:17):
have a good few drinks withStoney and, yeah, you'll get
your fill for sure, absolutely,and he'll get your fill for sure
.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Absolutely, and he'll match your drink for drink as
well.
He's pretty good at lifting theelbow.
Now we had an outback cinemathat night with the kids, so
fortunately we had our ownfirewood.
There ain't a lot of trees outhere.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
No, that's a good tip .
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Yeah, bring your firewood.
There is a couple of points ofinterest as well that, if you
love your history, there's aCobb Co stage car.
This was one of the stagingpoints for the Cobb Co and
between actually Winton andBoullier there were nine stops
and the Middleton pub was one ofthose stops for the travellers,
and that distance betweenWinton and Boullier used to take
(30:02):
four days.
Unbelievable it was incrediblyrough, and so you know to be
able to do it now in the LandCruiser.
It's a good reminder that wegot it pretty bloody good.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Now our takeaway for this week actually comes from
His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Oh yes, hhdl, yes, hhdl.
Once a year, go somewhereyou've never been before.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Isn't that fantastic.
I love that.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
If it was just one place that you could go on this
next year, go to Middleton.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Oh, absolutely.
Look.
If you're in Australia andyou're looking for something
really unique where you can goand absolutely 100% leave
Richard for the experience, wewould encourage you get out here
to the Middleton Pub.
You know, I think it's.
We always talk about the impactthat is on us personally when
(30:59):
we meet these amazing people orgo to these incredible places as
a traveller, you know, and howthat leaves us richer for the
experience.
But knowing that people aregoing out there and leaving a
lasting impact on Stoney and hisfamily as well because, let's
face it, they're so remote outhere, you know, and so really
(31:22):
the only connections thatthey're getting outside of each
other are the people who arepassing through the pub so we
would 100% encourage you to goout there and be impacted by
your time there, but also toleave a positive impact on
Stoney and his family too.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
Love that A little side story, a little bit of a
walk down memory lane for you,Katie, and for me.
We both met at Australia Zoo.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
Yes, we did.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
Katie was the Irwin family's executive assistant
Very fancy title.
She basically got told to runand get stuff and look after
their travellers and all oftheir legals and stuff.
You were doing a lot back thenand I was taken on.
I was doing a show with Bindiand Steve at the time, but I was
taken on as the entertainmentdirector of Australia Zoo and
(32:10):
that meant that we had majorevents.
And one of those major eventsat Australia Zoo in the
Crocosium the famous Crocosiumwas to have His Holiness the
Dalai Lama HHDL Dalai that'swhat he was on our run sheets.
That's right, he was HHDL.
It was just much quicker for usto use the acronym for His
Holiness and I had to introducehim.
(32:33):
I was the emcee, I was also theproduction manager of these
events and I had to introducehim.
And just before we're about togo on stage, I get a call on my
radio Entertainment Paul copyEntertainment One.
And I'm like yeah, copy guys,what's going on there?
We can't hear the Dalai Lama,his microphone isn't working.
(32:55):
I'm like you're kidding, so,anyway.
So I go over to him and I say,excuse me, mr Dalai Lama, your
microphone isn't working and hegoes oh, oh, he's so jovial and
just beautiful.
He has this big booming laughand, uh, he said, oh, what do we
need to do?
And I said, uh, where, where isit so?
(33:17):
Anyway?
Then he starts to undo hisrobes and I'm just thinking,
holy holy delhi lama, holywhat's going on here and um,
yeah, so he undoes his firstrobe and then he does the next
bit.
And there, pinned in, was thepack, you know the transmitter
pack for his microphone.
And I looked down at it andit's on mute and I said you're
(33:41):
kidding, mate, you're on mute,the Dalai Lama's on mute.
So I unmuted.
The Dalai Lama radioed back upto the bio box to the audio guys
and said hey, we're all good,I've just unmuted.
The Dalai Lama radioed back upto the bio box to the audio guys
and said hey, we're all good,I've just unmuted the Dalai Lama
.
Hhdl is good to roll, yep.
Re-robed and on stage he wentTied up the robe.
Yeah, and that's right.
The magic of entertainment andwhat a great experience that was
(34:04):
.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
Oh look, absolutely and certainly grateful for our
time there at Australia Zoo, notonly with Steve, the incredible
human that he was, but also forthe many incredible experiences
we had with fascinating peopleall around the world who would
come to the zoo for events orjust to experience the amazing
(34:28):
legacy that Steve has createdthere.
So we've certainly got somegood stories from that time of
our life.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
That could be a whole other podcast.
I'll tell you what it could be.
It seems you know a previouslife in many ways, katie.
Now next week we share our backQueensland adventure with
Winton's Top Ten.
We've done Winton many times,but you're going to love this.
(34:55):
Some new experiences next week,so good.
For now we'll say dream big,look after yourself and look
after your family and happytrails.
This week's podcast is brought to you by Nakey, home
of the world's first 100%recycled hammock made from 37
plastic post-consumer waterbottles and weighing less than
one kilo.
Nakey products will not onlymake you feel good see what I
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
Love it, Nakey.
Relax wherever you go.
Seriously, what are you waitingfor?
We love the Nakey products somuch.
We have so many of the Nakeyproducts and they are all
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Look, if you want to get yourhands on some Nakey products,
jump on over to our website andtake advantage of the awesome
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(00:44):
provided for our awesome FeelGood Family audience.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Welcome to Season 9, episode 3 of the Family Travel
Australia podcast, where PaulKatie and Jasper from the Feel
Good Family join us as weexplore this great country
Australia, its people, placesand coaches.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yes, welcome to the Family Travel Podcast, where we
share the latest in RV industrynews road trip travel,
caravanning and camping, productreviews, where to go, what to
do, and so much more.
Thanks for joining us.
Yes, katie.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
This week we're free camping at the most isolated pub
in the outback.
We say goodbye to the NorthernTerritory and hello to our home
state of Queensland.
Woohoo, we're back.
Baby Queenslander, gee we loveit.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Oh look.
There is always something superspecial about crossing any
border back into Queensland.
It's just a feeling that comesover us.
We are Queenslanders throughand through and to know that we
are back on our home turf evenif we're still hundreds or
thousands of kilometres awayfrom family, which right now we
(02:04):
are, there's still somethingreally special about knowing
we're back home.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Which is strange because five years of full-time
travel, our home is where we layour hat, our caravan, so it is
strange, we go home, to theplace that we used to call home,
the location.
But really the only, I guess,real drawcard is the family and
(02:31):
friends that are in thoselocations, because when we get
out of the van, like we go stayin a hotel because we're
speaking somewhere or we're, youknow, traveling and doing bits
and pieces, we can't wait to gethome to our van.
It's a strange concept.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
It really is a strange concept and the van
certainly is home.
But let's just say we've alwaysgot a bit of Queensland in our
hearts, I think, and to knowthat we're back, after not being
in Queensland particularly withthe caravan and touring
Queensland for over a year now,it's pretty exciting to know.
(03:09):
Okay, we've crossed the border,we're about to explore some
places we've never been before,and I love that feeling of
anticipation as well, there issomething about it.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
You can probably hear it in our podcast, Dulcet Tones
.
That element of that's right,Katie, unknown expectations, all
of it.
Yeah, so good, here we go.
Okay, so we left you at theoutback station of Tobermory.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Strange name.
I actually should have askedthem.
You know where the name camefrom.
In fact, all along this plentyhighway journey, I mean, the
first stop was Javois or Javoy.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
I'm pretty sure, and maybe not in the case of these
two stations, but the majorityof stations and pastoral land
that was allocated back in myday, back in the day stations
and pastoral land that wasallocated back in my day, back
in the day were the names ofthese stations were taken from
the properties or the familysurnames of the settlement and
(04:14):
settling pioneers from EnglandWell, that would make sense, the
motherland and they would comeover and if they were from
Lancaster or whatever, it wasWindsor or Tobermore, sure, it
was a family name maybe.
Yeah, it's worth checking out,but a lot of times that we've
(04:36):
seen they've been related to alocation back in the UK or a
family name.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Yeah, that definitely makes sense.
I always conjure up in my headthis I don't know this Italian
scene when we talk about TobeMore, and I don't really know
why.
I think maybe that's because ofhow you sing it like that that's
Amore.
Anyway, we weren't greeted bybeautiful Italian fare, but we
(05:02):
were invited to sit down at thelong table with the staff and
the owners of Tobermory Stationthe night that we camped there,
which was a massive relief givenhow late it was when we got in.
And, of course, if you've beenlistening to our podcast series
or watching our YouTube seriesacross the Plenty Highway,
(05:23):
you'll know that we had a fewdelays traveling with Ben and
Deanne and their three children,with their plenty of tire
punctures, flat tires thatneeded addressing along the way,
and so that did delay us.
And look, it's all part of theadventure and we were all still
smiling and all still happy totravel together, which is the
(05:46):
main thing.
But we did arrive intoTobermory quite late that night
and had the opportunity to haveour meals cooked for us, which
is always a massive bonus whenyou're on the road and you get
in late and you think, oh man, Idon't know what we're doing for
dinner.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah, look, I think, just so you're listening out
there.
This wasn't a special thingthey did for us.
They do this for everyone aslong as you have let them know.
So the hot tip which we didn'tdo because we were unawares is
to phone ahead or contact themand book ahead if you have any
(06:20):
dietary requirements, that is,if you're a vego or a
pescatarian, a pesky pescatarian, or you know you don't eat meat
or you know whatever they canaccommodate for most people's
dietary needs if you let themknow.
But the cool thing is, I thinkyou know you're looking at about
35 bucks a head.
You know it might be a bit lessfor kids, I'm really not sure.
(06:43):
But you go into this series oftables that is like one long
table and you can start to, youknow, interact and converse with
the other staff and themanagement and the owners if
they're there, and hear aboutthe challenges of being a farmer
and living out here, and justthe day-to-day workings.
We found it very interesting.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Yeah, I loved that insight because it's not
something that you wouldnormally see or have any idea
about if you're not from youknow this sort of industry if
you've never been around thesehuge station properties out here
in the middle of nowhere andwhat it's like to live remote
(07:23):
and then to be able to come inand get a real grasp of well,
actually, there's a wholecommunity of people out here
working on this station invarious roles and then, of
course, they have somebody whois the dedicated chef, who needs
to cook all of the meals forthe staff they come together for
every meal.
I loved that they had verystrict rules written up on the
(07:46):
big blackboards within thiscommunal dining area about you
know, no phones at the diningtable.
There was very strict rules forall of the staff to follow to
encourage that real sense ofcommunity and conversation over
the meals that they cometogether for, and then just
watching the workings of thepack down and the tidy up and
(08:07):
how everybody got in and didtheir bit.
I really loved that becauseit's easy to not see any of that
when you pass through theseplaces.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Yes, if you're not into sitting with lots of people
at a long table and having achat.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
It's not for you.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Not for you.
It reminds me a little bit ofthose epic hikes, those
pilgrimage walks, where at theend of each day you know you've
been on the trail and you may be, you know, in your own head, or
you might, you know, conversewith the person here and there
as you go, but then you get tothe end of the day and everybody
is together.
It doesn't matter your walk oflife or where you come from, or
(08:45):
what your own or you know.
None of that matters, becauseyou're all the same sitting at
one table.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Very cool?
Yeah, it was.
It was a really greatexperience and I'm so glad that
we got to do it.
We were in and out of TobermoryStation in one night, one night
only.
And then we were up bright andearly the next morning a bit of
a tyre check for us and ourfellow neighbours and we were
off headed towards theQueensland border.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
And we are back on the bitumen in just a moment,
which is a welcome relief,although the road has been very
good as far as the condition Alot more sandy sections than we
expected, as we mentioned, thesereally sharp rocky areas that
we did expect, but not a lot ofcorrugations Very surprising.
(09:34):
But to get back across thatQueensland border, which is only
about six kilometers up theroad from Tobermory, Yep, and
then we are on our way toBullier I think it's the most
outback western Queenslandtownship that you'll find on the
map, 128 kilometres away and topull into Bullier on a
(09:59):
picture-perfect day and we crossstraight over the Bourke River
and into the Bullier CaravanPark and an interesting greeting
party, katie.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
We did.
I mean, we've seen a lot ofthings in our five years on the
road when we've pulled intocampgrounds and caravan parks,
but never seen sheep justwandering around the caravan
park before, have we Paul?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
But very tame, almost like golden retrievers, you
know.
They kind of come over and oh,there's some new people, let's
go check out what they've got.
Yeah, they really were awelcoming committee.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
They were, they were.
It was quite interesting andfun for the kids, of course.
And look, this is a sweetlittle spot, this Boulia Caravan
Park.
It gets great reviews onWikicamps, which is awesome in
these outback places to findsomewhere that people say you
know, they absolutely love thisday.
They felt extremely safe and wewould totally agree with that.
(10:56):
Again, we were only here onenight, but grassy lawn areas, we
didn't feel squeezed into acaravan park like you can in
some locations around thecountry, into a caravan park
like you can in some locationsaround the country the freedom
to basically pull in, stayhitched up, set up, do whatever
we wanted.
The caretakers were lovely.
I think from memory it wasabout $35 a night for us to rock
(11:21):
into a powered site, hook up towater.
So I mean honestly, it doesn'tget any better than that.
No, it is interesting, it's notyour traditional caravan park
with, I guess, the facilitiesyou know, set in cement and you
know, oh yeah, you cement slabsand things like that.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
No, what you're getting is a series of extension
cords all just joined together,then looped through a fence and
then sort of chucked over, andthen the same with the hoses.
Oh, hang on, mate, I'll justtake the sprinkler off.
Yeah, no, just use thatextension cord, mate.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Yeah, it was a little bit reminiscent of some of
those places we've travelledoverseas where the wiring is a
bit crazy and you're like, hmm,okay, Are we really sure we want
to plug in here?
But look honestly, it wasfantastic here.
But look honestly, it wasfantastic.
We've got no complaints aboutstaying here at Boullier and it
was a beautiful, quiet night'ssleep.
There were plenty of othertravellers here as well, but
certainly not a full caravanpark when we came through, and I
(12:18):
believe there are a couple offree camp options around
Boullier on the banks of theriver as well.
But we really loved thislocation for its easy access
into town, which is awesomebecause for one night, you know,
we wanted to make sure that wegot into town to check it out
and we were able to walk fromthe van park.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Straight over the Bourke River, actually a
beautiful bridge and quitepicturesque walk with the kids
and with Ben and Deanne and, asyou're, I guess, entering into
town, there's a largeinterpretive sign that talks
about that ill-fated journey.
The adventurers back there,burke and Wills, back in 1860.
(13:03):
They left Melbourne, my birthtown, actually left on my
birthday, august 20, back therein 1860, not my official date of
birth Jeez tell.
No, and they got up here about ayear later and then they
continued.
They put water into their waterbags and then they continued on
(13:24):
up through to the Gulf and thencame back again through the
same area to grab some morewater.
They named it the Burke River.
About eight kilometres furtherdown the track, they named
another river system, the WillsRiver, and unfortunately it
didn't end too well.
A little further down the track, but you can actually take part
in an eight kilometre trail awalking trail if you like,
(13:48):
between the two, which would beinteresting.
We didn't have the time to dothat, but there is the
opportunity to do this trail aswell, so we headed straight into
the pub in town which is one ofthe most isolated pubs I think
you'll find in Australia, andit's called the Australian.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
How Australian is that?
Yeah, this was great.
And it was called theAustralian.
How Australian is that?
Yeah, this was great.
And it was a Friday night, sothey had their famous Fish
Fridays happening, which wasawesome.
So in we went the meals weregreat.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
I love it, the whole board.
Actually there's a special oneach night, but the Friday fish
and chips was my favourite.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Yeah, absolutely, and the meals were awesome,
everybody was happy, the kidswere happy.
It's always a big tick when yougo out somewhere and if the
kids are happy then you knowyou're going to have a really
great night.
And we got to have a yarn tosome of the locals and quite a
lot of laughs and, all in all,just a fantastic night.
By the time we got home, thelittle sheep were waiting for us
(14:47):
to say goodnight.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
I love that this pub has your local bar flies.
It really wasn't a traveller'skind of scene, like anyone who
lived there was at the pub.
So you're really in it.
But you can also separateyourself from that if you like,
because then as you kind ofwander through this old sort of
(15:09):
heritage building to anextension, out the back there's
a beautiful restaurant area andthen there's even an outdoor
play space with a kid's area andyou can sit out there as well.
So plenty of options to be init and amongst the locals having
a yarn, or to sit out with thefamily and just have a peaceful
dinner as well.
Very cool.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yeah, absolutely.
And look, we love Booyah.
This is our first time out here, or I should say Booyah,
because you've got to get yourAustralian slang on and run all
of those letters together.
You certainly don't want topronounce it as it's written.
That would be far too proper.
(15:53):
Yeah, and now you stand at thebar and you go oh, it's a very
nice place here in booyah, yes,and they'd all laugh at you, I'm
sure.
Oh yeah, absolutely, but uh, no, we really liked exploring.
The next morning we, we got upand we came back into town
before we were due to set off,heading further east, but to
check out what's on offer hereand look, there is plenty here,
of course, home to the famous,the infamous Min Min Lights.
(16:17):
Now, look, if you have notheard about the Min Min Lights,
we would encourage you to do aquick little Google, because it
is very interesting Googlebecause it is very interesting.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Look, there have been , I think, documented, over a
thousand sightings, interactionsWell, not exactly interactions,
but encounters, encounters.
Thank you, katie, that's theword that.
I am looking for with the MinMin Lights, a light that has
chased people in these outbackregions for about 130 kilometres
(16:51):
along the main stretch headingtowards Winton and then up to
500 kilometres also each side ofBoulia.
There have been sightings withfarmers, Indigenous people,
God-fearing men and women Likeany type of person.
Not just crazies, I guess, iswhat I'm trying to say.
(17:13):
It's not just the people whoare a bit woo-woo anyway, it's
real-life people.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Or with a remarkably similar story and a similar
explanation of what the lightslook like and how they
interacted with them out therein these really remote parts.
And look, we met a couple, alovely couple.
They're actually a young familyand we met them a few years ago
in Winton at the WintonFestival, the Vision.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Splendour Outback Film Festival it was.
That's right.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
And they were just a beautiful, normal family.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Both educators.
They were both teachers.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Yes, had two young children who Jasper loved
playing with, and the husbandhad had an encounter with the
Min Min Lights and as he wastelling us his story, it was so
real that I could feel the hairson the back of my neck standing
(18:16):
up.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I just thought, nah, this guy's not a wacko.
This guy has encounteredsomething that has made it embed
in him to be able to expresshis emotion of that moment so
clearly that it actuallyimpacted us.
I was like, wow, righto.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
It's fascinating stuff, look.
Part of me is a little bit sadthat we didn't see a Min Min
light for ourselves while wewere out here in Booyah.
But to be able to, I'm okaywith it.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
I don't need no Min-mins in my life.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Look, the accounts are very similar to our own
personal experience out there,from Devil's Marbles Kalu Kalu
Conservation Reserve, out therein the middle of Central
Australia, in the NorthernTerritory, where we had the
encounter with that incredibleblue orb of light that was
(19:11):
floating its way towards us,getting larger and larger in the
middle of winter, you knownowhere.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Middle of Australia.
That was, I guess, a momentthat cemented for me that I need
to be a little more open-mindedand not just think crazy person
here.
Because now I am and you areone of those crazies, because we
had that encounter with Jasperand with another lady, claire
(19:38):
from the UK, who we'd invited infor dinner that night, and even
she was just like, whoa, isthat normal guys?
And we're like, nah, that'sdefinitely something out of this
world as we know.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Absolutely and look definitely.
We would suggest jump on and dosome research on the Min Min
Lights.
There is an experience here inBooyah, the Min Min Experience
Encounter that you can go in andlearn all about the Min Min.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Yeah, it's an animatronic and laser light show
that gets huge raps.
It's an incredible piece oftech that's now 20-plus years
old and still getting, you know,rave reviews.
Unfortunately, we were notallowed to film inside there,
(20:32):
but it is a way, I guess, to getthe full experience of the Min
Min's without you know havingyourself abducted or impregnated
by an alien life force.
Katie.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Yes indeed.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Keep your organs, baby.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Anyway, what else is there in Booyah?
Not a lot.
There's a little supermarketthat's really well stocked, a
couple of sweet little storesantique-y kind of quirky store
that has it all, and a couple oflittle cafes.
So it is a sweet little town.
There's fuel, of course.
You can pick up all thesupplies that you need before
(21:09):
you push further east towardsWinton.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
But on the way.
Okay, now, 203 kilometres later, you get to Middleton.
Later you get to Middleton andwe had been worded up through
other travelers, other locals,even back there at Gemtree, said
you have to stop an overnightin Middleton.
We're like what's there?
They're like nothing, just onepub.
(21:34):
And besides the pub there's apublican named Stoney Stoney
Kane.
This guy will change your life.
You've got to stop and see thisguy.
We were like, well, that's apretty big call, but let's do it
.
So, 203 kilometers down theroad at Middleton, there is the
pub.
There's a homestead for thefamily Stoney Cain and his wife
(22:02):
and his kid, and then across theroad is a big sign that says
the Hilton Hotel and on the signit says no air con, no TV, no
pool, no charge, free camp.
Love it.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Yeah, look, this goes down in the history books for
us as one of the best pub stayswe've ever had across the five
years of our travel, definitely,look, driving from Bulli, we
really didn't have any idea ofwhat to expect or even where
this Middleton pub was going topop up.
And then you know, you're justdriving through like hundreds of
(22:36):
kilometres of epic, incrediblelandscape, with these massive
jump-ups, or messes as they'recalled.
You feel like you'retransported into.
I mean, I feel like I was in alandscape you know from the Wild
West in America, from what I'veseen on the movies Utah and
Arizona and Death Valley.
Absolutely.
It's hard to believe that thislandscape is here in Australia.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Look, there is one outstanding stop.
There's a lookout there.
I believe it's called LilydaleHills and it is that, katie.
It's like you're waiting forthat.
You know, john Wayne moment.
There's Spaghetti West and allof the guys cowboys and Indians,
and it is stunning,breathtakingly beautiful.
It's such a surprise becauseyou do not expect to see it out
(23:23):
here, because there's vast landthat goes as far as your eye can
see, so you can see thecurvature of the earth and
there's nothing.
I mean there's barely a scrubor a trip like there's nothing.
And then you come across thesejump-ups.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Yeah, it's remarkable .
And the whole time I just keptsaying to Paul look, I really
don't know.
I mean I guess we'll see thepub when we see the pub.
And it's almost as if you justcome up over this little rise
after crossing a dry creek bedand oh, look, there's a pub.
Okay, we'll pull in.
So we pulled off to the rightand into the free camp area
(24:05):
which really, basically, is justthis massive cleared area that
look.
After talking to Stoney later inthe day, he said to us you know
, sometimes we can have a coupleof vans in, like we've got
tonight with you guys andMalcolm actually, who's another
traveller, we met back there inBooyah.
Other times, like after theBirdsville big events, the bash,
the races, we can have hundredsof vans parked out there at the
(24:29):
Hilton Hotel and the pub isabsolutely heaving.
So we set up camp, we decidedwe'd walk over it was probably
about 4 o'clock in the afternoonby this stage We'll go and
check out this pub and as we'recrossing the road you know
looking left and looking rightto make sure that there was no
(24:49):
traffic coming Trust us, therewas no traffic coming the entire
time we were out here we cameacross a gentleman standing on
the balcony who was veryfriendly, gave us a really
cheery welcome and, lo andbehold, it's the man we've been
looking for, stoney Cain, thepublican.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
And he said come in, can I get you a drink?
And we're like absolutely andhe probably asked that question
another half dozen times we didgo for one and we stayed for
many.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Yeah, it's one of those moments.
It was a bit of a shame that weall had kids that were hungry,
because I think we could havestayed longer had the kids not
been nagging us that they neededtheir dinner.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
That is so true, this guy they refer to him a bit as
a cat because he's had ninelives and he shares stories.
There's only a true, authenticoutback character like Stoney
can of his adventures andmishaps and near death
experiences.
He's nine lives as a human caton earth, with helicopter
(25:54):
crashes.
He's a helicopter pilot.
He's he's just recently dodgedcancer.
He's remarkable interactionswith other travelers and you are
left wanting to stay longer andspend more time with Stoney.
He definitely enriches yourlife through his charm, his
authentic Aussie charisma andjust him as a person.
(26:18):
He's open with his emotions andwe loved every part of our stay
here.
So we cannot highly recommendenough that you go and say hi to
Stoney and stay out there atthe Hilton Hotel.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Oh yes, so many laughs we shared that afternoon.
And I've done a little bit ofresearch on the Middleton pub
since our stay just to get a bitmore history on it.
And originally owned byStoney's parents and obviously
he's spent many of his years outhere before taking over the
(26:54):
role of publican with hispartner and their two children.
I read this fantastic articleonline that basically said the
population of Middleton doubledwhen Stoney and Clara took over
the role of running the pub, sothere is now an official
population of four in Middleton,and this article was talking
(27:17):
about the ebb and flow and it'sactually interesting because we
had a good conversation withStoney about that.
There are times of the year whenthey'll be lucky to see a
traveller come through once aweek and then there's other
times, like I mentioned, aftermajor events like the big red
bash out there at Birdsville,where they're so full.
There's so many vanners there.
(27:37):
The pub is literally heaving,bursting at the seams, and this
article went on to say that oneof the first years that Stoney
and Clara had taken over the pub, they had all of these
travellers come through, but thepub literally had about 16
plates and random cutlery enoughto be able to feed maybe that
many people as well.
(27:58):
And how they scrambled throughthis particular evening of there
being hundreds of patrons hereat the pub and basically they
were making meals and thenwashing the plates in the
cutlery to be able to then serveanother meal to another patron.
And how they just scrapedthrough and all of this
craziness that takes place outhere in this remote location.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Amazing, amazing people and you know, we say it
all the time, but the people,they cement the memory in that
moment, don't they?
Yeah, you know, and they makethose moments great and they're
the stories that you sharearound the campfire later.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
Yeah, absolutely.
I love this man, all of hisenergy and what he gave to our
group, and also Malcolm, who youknow, who's a new travelling
friend of ours, who was there aswell.
We all got something that weneeded from our time with Stoney
and whenever Paul and I talkabout him, we both get this
(28:56):
smile on our face and thisreally beautiful, joyous energy
in our heart, recalling you know, oh my God, how's about when he
told us this story.
It was a really special moment.
I think, if you feel likeyou're lacking a little bit of
joy or connection in your life,go out and sit at the bar and
(29:17):
have a good few drinks withStoney and, yeah, you'll get
your fill for sure, absolutely,and he'll get your fill for sure
.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Absolutely, and he'll match your drink for drink as
well.
He's pretty good at lifting theelbow.
Now we had an outback cinemathat night with the kids, so
fortunately we had our ownfirewood.
There ain't a lot of trees outhere.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
No, that's a good tip .
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Yeah, bring your firewood.
There is a couple of points ofinterest as well that, if you
love your history, there's aCobb Co stage car.
This was one of the stagingpoints for the Cobb Co and
between actually Winton andBoullier there were nine stops
and the Middleton pub was one ofthose stops for the travellers,
and that distance betweenWinton and Boullier used to take
(30:02):
four days.
Unbelievable it was incrediblyrough, and so you know to be
able to do it now in the LandCruiser.
It's a good reminder that wegot it pretty bloody good.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Now our takeaway for this week actually comes from
His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Oh yes, hhdl, yes, hhdl.
Once a year, go somewhereyou've never been before.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Isn't that fantastic.
I love that.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
If it was just one place that you could go on this
next year, go to Middleton.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Oh, absolutely.
Look.
If you're in Australia andyou're looking for something
really unique where you can goand absolutely 100% leave
Richard for the experience, wewould encourage you get out here
to the Middleton Pub.
You know, I think it's.
We always talk about the impactthat is on us personally when
(30:59):
we meet these amazing people orgo to these incredible places as
a traveller, you know, and howthat leaves us richer for the
experience.
But knowing that people aregoing out there and leaving a
lasting impact on Stoney and hisfamily as well because, let's
face it, they're so remote outhere, you know, and so really
(31:22):
the only connections thatthey're getting outside of each
other are the people who arepassing through the pub so we
would 100% encourage you to goout there and be impacted by
your time there, but also toleave a positive impact on
Stoney and his family too.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
Love that A little side story, a little bit of a
walk down memory lane for you,Katie, and for me.
We both met at Australia Zoo.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
Yes, we did.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
Katie was the Irwin family's executive assistant
Very fancy title.
She basically got told to runand get stuff and look after
their travellers and all oftheir legals and stuff.
You were doing a lot back thenand I was taken on.
I was doing a show with Bindiand Steve at the time, but I was
taken on as the entertainmentdirector of Australia Zoo and
(32:10):
that meant that we had majorevents.
And one of those major eventsat Australia Zoo in the
Crocosium the famous Crocosiumwas to have His Holiness the
Dalai Lama HHDL Dalai that'swhat he was on our run sheets.
That's right, he was HHDL.
It was just much quicker for usto use the acronym for His
Holiness and I had to introducehim.
(32:33):
I was the emcee, I was also theproduction manager of these
events and I had to introducehim.
And just before we're about togo on stage, I get a call on my
radio Entertainment Paul copyEntertainment One.
And I'm like yeah, copy guys,what's going on there?
We can't hear the Dalai Lama,his microphone isn't working.
(32:55):
I'm like you're kidding, so,anyway.
So I go over to him and I say,excuse me, mr Dalai Lama, your
microphone isn't working and hegoes oh, oh, he's so jovial and
just beautiful.
He has this big booming laughand, uh, he said, oh, what do we
need to do?
And I said, uh, where, where isit so?
(33:17):
Anyway?
Then he starts to undo hisrobes and I'm just thinking,
holy holy delhi lama, holywhat's going on here and um,
yeah, so he undoes his firstrobe and then he does the next
bit.
And there, pinned in, was thepack, you know the transmitter
pack for his microphone.
And I looked down at it andit's on mute and I said you're
(33:41):
kidding, mate, you're on mute,the Dalai Lama's on mute.
So I unmuted.
The Dalai Lama radioed back upto the bio box to the audio guys
and said hey, we're all good,I've just unmuted.
The Dalai Lama radioed back upto the bio box to the audio guys
and said hey, we're all good,I've just unmuted the Dalai Lama
.
Hhdl is good to roll, yep.
Re-robed and on stage he wentTied up the robe.
Yeah, and that's right.
The magic of entertainment andwhat a great experience that was
(34:04):
.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
Oh look, absolutely and certainly grateful for our
time there at Australia Zoo, notonly with Steve, the incredible
human that he was, but also forthe many incredible experiences
we had with fascinating peopleall around the world who would
come to the zoo for events orjust to experience the amazing
(34:28):
legacy that Steve has createdthere.
So we've certainly got somegood stories from that time of
our life.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
That could be a whole other podcast.
I'll tell you what it could be.
It seems you know a previouslife in many ways, katie.
Now next week we share our backQueensland adventure with
Winton's Top Ten.
We've done Winton many times,but you're going to love this.
(34:55):
Some new experiences next week,so good.
For now we'll say dream big,look after yourself and look
after your family and happytrails.
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