We left Charleville around 10am stopped at Augathella.
According to Wikipedia" Augathella lies on the Matilda Highway, on the banks of the Warrego River and is 85 kilometres (53 mi) north of the town of Charleville, and 748 kilometres (465 mi) west of Brisbane (Queensland's capital). The town came into being initially as a resting place for bullock teams lying at the convergence of three bullock tracks from Morven, Tambo, and Charleville. Originally called Burenda it was renamed Ellangowan (still the name of the local watering hole) and when gazetted in 1883 called Augathella. This is apparently an Indigenous Australian word meaning "camp on a waterhole", referring the Warrego River. A service centre sprang up to service their needs and the needs of the burgeoning grazing industry."
A twentieth century resident of Augathella who died in 1972 was the real person upon whom Moore Raymond based the character of Smiley in his 1945 novel of the same name, about a young Australian boy who is determined to buy a bicycle for four pounds.
The novel was made into a movie in 1956 in a joint British and American production that also featured a number of Australian actors including the debut of Chips Rafferty, an iconic Australian actor who had been a shearer on a sheep station near Augathella.
Movie Poster from the movie Smiley from 1956
The town has chosen to feature murals about the movie on some of the buildings in the town including the historic pub.
Noeline had a conversation with some locals outside the pub and learned that on most days of the week 9 retired shearers meet together outside the pub at 9 am each day to share a drink and some yarns.
There is a strong arts society in the town and other murals and artwork on some of the buildings. Below is a gallery of some photos taken while wandering around the town.
Noeline bought some postcards about "Smiley" from the post office and sent them to our grandchildren.
The local park featured a sculpture of the big meat ant! Something Augathella also hopes will put it on the map!
home of "Smiley" a bush lad portrayed in a movie starring among other Chips Rafferty who was known to have been a shearer at a local property. The local park featured a sculpture of the big meat ant!
We then travelled through Tambo to Blackall home of the "black stump" a petrified tree stump used as a trig platform by early surveyors to determine latitude and longitude. This gave rise to the Aussie saying "beyond the Black stump" when talking about how far into the outback people lived.
Another treat for us with a delicious Angusbeef roast dinner cooked in the hot coals camp oven with roast vegetables and gravy. Once again a local country and western singer entertained campers before tea.