Silos at Drillham heading west from Miles

Roadside droving east of Roma

The Roma salesyard is the largest livestock selling centre in Australia with two sales every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There was over 4500 head of cattle auctioned on this day (the maximum being around 12000 per day).

Bidding was fast and then the whole show moved to another pen. Charolais were fetching around $1000 each with Charbray (Charolais-Brahman) getting around the $750 mark. All bidding is done in cents per kg.

It is a very efficient operation with the cattle cleared from the pen into larger holding yards after auction. Much of the buying and selling centres around carrying capacity of grazing country dependent on rainfall.

Jar Jar Binks fetched a good price despite causing mayhem in the holding pen.

The largest bottle tree in Roma. What did one bottle tree say to the other bottle tree – “Water you doing today?”

West of Roma near Mount Abundance.

Apostle birds at Amby

The Maranoa River at Mitchell

Neil Turner Weir at Mitchell

Emus west of Mitchell – Emu count today:11 Bustard count: 3

The kerosene tin huts at Morven date from the Great Depression in 1930.

“Hey ewe, yes ewe!”

Ooline tree at Tregole National Park south of Morven (protecting the largest stand of ooline in the world). Ooline is a rainforest remnant in western Qld from a time when lusher forests covered Australia.

The Warrego River at Charleville.

Charleville at dusk – the Corones Hotel our dinner destination.

ANZAC memorial in Charleville – a fitting tribute.