We've just spent two nights in Longreach. Visited the Stockmans Hall of Fame and the Qantas museum. There was a lot to take in, but it was fascinating. It's not until you are out here that you realise what a big, inhospitable place this can be, so I can only imagine what it was like for the pioneers, especially the women that came out with them.

Barcaldine was fascinating. Went to the Australian Workers Heritage Centre. There is a sapling growing from the original Tree of Knowledge. What's left of the tree after the poisoning has been sent to Brisbane to try and regrow something from it. It's so sad to think that there is someone out there with so little regard for the history of the country that they could do something like that. I wouldn't have even thought that John Howard would have been able to do it (but maybe Wilson Tuckey). It was disappointing as I have waited years to have the opportunity to come up to this country and I had always planned to sit beneath the great Tree of Knowledge.

We are now in Winton and tomorrow go out to visit the site of the dinosaur stampede. Then off to Hughenden and Richmond for more dinosaur exploration. I'll post dinosaur pictures later in the week. On the way to Cloncurry we will stop at the Walkabout Hotel, made famous for the Crocodile Dundee movie.

We've heard that Cloncurry only has 40 days of water left and what is there isn't much good. It will be interesting to see how a largish outback town is coping with so little water.

This posting is being sent from the Winton Library. Almost every little town has a library of some sort. I have been collecting their brochures. It has been surprising how sophisticated these little outback libraries are when they have so few resources.

Will post another message in a couple of days.