Today we continue about 420km west on the Capricorn Highway to Barcaldine.

Just outside Emerald, Sulphur-crested cockatoos were foraging through the last of a sunflower crop.

Brekkie over, time for a squark.

The Big Gem at Anakie – an addition to our multi-faceted day.

Also at Anakie is this sculpture celebrating the colours and facets of the local gems.

Sapphire is a sapphire town and in another example of lazy Australian nomenclature, so is the township of Rubyvale. The Big Pick, Shovel, and Sieve in Sapphire. This sapphire miner (at Sapphire) argued about how to the use the sieve properly – it strained our relationship.

We did a walk through the Gemfields Wetlands (minus any water) at Sapphire.

The Big Sapphire Ring at Sapphire. Advice for those thinking of getting engaged, consider this carefully – on the one hand, you get to wear a pretty ring like this. On the other hand, you don’t.

The Big Spanner is also at Sapphire – sound advice.

The Big Miner at the Bobby Dazzler Mine in Rubyvale. Bobby was happy to work in a tourism mine – many of his other mining mates were shafted.

Policeman’s Knob is a volcanic landform just outside Rubyvale. A friendly local police officer gave us good directions to get there.

A 1km walk leads to the summit comprised of large basalt blocks.

Rock wallabies are scattered among the boulders. We saw six.

Some were inquisitive….

…some were less than impressed….

…and others just on got with their day.

Rubyvale wisdom.

Loose uncut gemstones at a Rubyvale store….

…and the finished products.

Bogantungan railway station. Our family Perry ancestors were here in 1883 before travelling by Cobb and Co coach to Blackall.

The Drummond Range Lookout is just off the highway west of Bogantungan. The railway line curves up the range just below the lookout.

Alpha is a small service town on the Capricorn Highway named after Alpha Station from 1863. There is a Fossilised Forest of Alpha display in the main street….

…and a sustainable water supply.

We found the Alpha mail in town.

Barb wire sculpture in Alpha – steer clear from this one.

Great Dividing Range – between Alpha and Jericho – one of the most inland points of the range – here it is about 450km from the coast.

Jericho mural in the main street – lizards having a drink – how to effectively monitor the bar.

Jericho drive-in picture theatre – one the smallest and last remaining drive-in movie theatres in Australia. Some cars aren’t allowed at the movies here. They have spoilers.

Jericho in Qld is named after Jericho that is mentioned in the Bible. A group of local artists and historians in Jericho have created a structure Crystal Trumpeters that tells the story of how Joshua won the battle of Jericho. The Israelite army destroyed the walls of Jericho in their conquest of Canaan.

Pale-headed rosella at Jericho

Grevillea between Jericho and Barcaldine. My Johns ancestors lived and worked in this area in the 1860s as carriers to sheep stations. My great grandmother was born on a station northwest of here near Aramac and her sister born at Alice Downs Station south west from here.

Barcaldine (Barcy to the locals) sunset.

Tree of Knowledge in Barcaldine – a ghost gum stood on this site up until 2006. Workers of the 1891 Shearer’s Strike met under this tree and it symbolised the foundation of the Labor Party in Australia. It was deliberately poisoned. Police have never found the culprit. This feature houses remnants of the trunk which were preserved. The  National Arboretum in Canberra has a tree grown from an original cutting of the Tree of Knowledge.