Day 228 / 2014 - Charleville to Mitchell

We are camped near a small town called Mitchell about 160 Km East of Charleville or 89Km west of Roma The town is about the size of Pemberton or Donnybrook with the campsite located just out of town about 3 km at a spot called Neil Turner Weir.

Leaving Charleville we headed East on the Warrego Highway towards Roma which was to be our next destination for a few days. We travelled through a small town called Morven then onto Mitchell the next town along the road. It was lunch time and we spied the turnoff to Neil Turner Weir about 3 Km shy of Mitchell and thought well they should at least have parking and a picnic area. We were surprised as we drove in to find a large number of caravans and motorhomes parked along the edge of what appeared to be a river not realising we had stumbled upon a camping ground and a free one at that.  We did a quick look in Wiki camps and Camps 7 to confirm that we could actually stay here and for how long then found a nice spot next to the river bank. We get the sun in the morning so the solar panels can charge the battery and by afternoon we get the shade to help keep us cool.

The camp area is quite large and will accommodate pretty much all size of RV’s. There are a number of site dotted along the river bank with shade but there is a large area which is useful for overnighting with one paddock even having a large concrete slab left over from an from old demolished building site. Neil Turner Weir is a free Camp / Rest Area provided by the local shire in an attempt to get travellers to stop for a day or two and spend some time and hopefully money in their town. The camp area itself is designed for self-contained RV’s but offers a flushing toilet, town water tap, Telstra 3G coverage and BBQ’s with shaded picnic tables in the centre of a large grassed day use area. The town itself offer’s all the basic facilities such as Medical, supermarket, hotels, bakery and other small specialty shops. There is also a Public pool where for $8.00 per person you can while away the day sitting in either the hot pool at about 38 degrees or the cold pool at about 20 Degrees.

For tourist attractions there is the heritage museum which was the old road works depot kindly donated to the museum committee by the Booringa region administration before it became part of the Maranoa region as part of the local government amalgamation. There is also the old court house which has been restored and tells the story of the Kenniff Brothers Patrick and James who were tried there for the murder of local policeman George Doyle and Land owner Albert Dahlke. Patrick and James were sentenced to death but James’s sentence was commuted to life. Patrick was hanged at Boggo Rd Gaol.

Most of the time we spend sitting or walking around the camp grounds and its surrounding area. There are a number of tracks to wander through or you can choose to walk up and down the river banks crossing over at the weir which is about 500 metres from where we are camped. Anne has spent time sewing while I have just been reading. We visit the local spa pool or just sit and watch the comings and goings of other caravan and motorhomes or strike up a conversation with someone new who has just pulled in. We watch the birdlife going about there daily business by the river and at night you can light a fire and watch the stars through the crystal clear night sky. This place is a lot like Coronation beach camp area except there is no beach but on the upside there is plenty of drinking water a few hundred metres away and it’s all free. We’re not in any hurry to head further south as it is still cold and raining so we think we will just stay put for a few more days.