The Iningai people are the traditional owners of the land and this Nature Reserve located only a few kilometres out of town has been created in their honour in an effort to respect the land and showcase the area's natural flora and fauna. The long reach over the Thomson River is how Longreach received it's name. The river was named in 1847 by explorer Edmund Kennedy in honour of Sir Edward Deas Thomson. We first heard about Edmund Kennedy on a walking track in Mission Beach (Edmund Kennedy Track). The river is a life source in this outback town, situated about 700 kilometres from the east coast as it consistently flows with a slight gradient towards the Lake Eyre Basin in South Australia. Walking through the business centre of Longreach creates a pleasant vibe, its a very relaxed atmosphere. Older original buildings like the water tower, fire department, railway station and the old local car dealership have been well looked after over the years, small businesses along the main street and well manicured gardens give you a sense of pride taken in the town. We explored around the tracks in the Iningai Nature Reserve. The track is fully dirt, with foot holes deep enough to know that it could be a little unforgiving in the wet season. There are several tracks, but the one we took journeyed us alongside riverbeds, coolibah trees and iconically Australian wildlife. Theres nothing more in sync with nature than running on the flat open plains of outback Queensland, it also gives you an appreciation of water too.
527 kilometres in one day passing through the outback Queensland towns of McKinlay, Kynuna and Winton. We increased our speed today to 90 kph, but dropped back to our usual speed of 80 kph realising it's a smoother ride for our home, Florence. It made for a long journey, but we weren't in a hurry and are now excited to be in Longreach to check out the Qantas Founders Museum.
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November 2023
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