Mitchell outback Qld to Lightning Ridge NSW

Our departure from Mitchell coincided with the falling of soft welcome rain and a comfortable temperature of around 25°C. This is in marked contrast to the past few weeks when Mitchell was consistently hot and dry -- with the temperature up to 40°C and bush fires burning fiercely.

Groups of emus grazed the verge between Mitchell and St George, strutting away from our oncoming vehicle; necks outstretched, feathery skirts flapping.

As the kilometres slip by, my mind adjusts to the fact of our leaving Mitchell -- heading south to Phillip Island. It's a complete lifestyle change and a difficult transition in many ways; however, I believe change sweeps the cobwebs from my mind, gives me new focus.

Over the Queensland / New South Wales border and into northern New South Wales: after five hours on the road we've arrived in Lightning Ridge, the opal capital of the world.

Going Solar in Mitchell outback Qld

Sunshine falls generously from our Queensland sky so it makes sense to harness its power to create electricity. For this reason we decided to go solar.

Queensland is the only state in Australia that still gives a feed-in tariff (currently $.44 per kWh) that is almost double the price of electricity purchased from an electricity supplier. The Australian Federal Government gives a rebate to offset the cost of any approved solar system.

Last weekend, a father and son team of electricians installed a 3.5 kW system on our roof, with 16 panels, each capable of producing 235 watts of electricity per hour.

The panels were mounted on racks to tilt them at an angle of 25° -- the approximate latitude of Mitchell, Queensland. This ensures maximum efficiency of solar collection.

Today I watched Doug watching the two yellow boxes (solar inverters) mounted on our front wall. A digital read-out panel showed that $10 worth of electricity was produced today, exported into the grid -- with a second panel showing the total amount of electricity generated since installation.

By Doug's calculation we will have paid off the investment in four years, and from that point onwards, we'll be producing more electricity than we use.

Wonder of wonders, Ergon Energy will be paying us. That's the theory, anyway!

Eucalypts of outback Qld

Eucalypts are a growing interest for both Doug and me, although in hindsight a love of this most Australian tree of all, the eucalypt, has always been there.

Some of our closest friends, Heather and Bob Bowen share our interest and have a garden that specialises in eucalypts and other Australian natives. The lemon coloured blossoms (Eucalyptus platypus) came from their garden; while the pink Eucalyptus torquata flowers were found growing along the St George road.

The Bimble box (Eucalyptus populnea) is a new tree for me but common in and around Mitchell. When fully grown, it's a tall eucalypt with a bushy crown, but it's the leaf that appeals to me.

The leaves are shiny and round. Light bounces off their surface, especially when the sun shines after rain. Wind rustles the leaves, creating their own music.

One of Mitchell's respected Aboriginal elders -- Irene Ryder -- weaves charming bimble box hats using the leaves only. Old trees have massive trunks and often have burls. These are sought-after by the wood turning enthusiasts.

This week I've noticed the river red gums in full flower and alive with honey-eaters, flying foxes, beetles and bees. It's a busy time along the banks of the Maranoa River.

Bonus Downs Centenary: Angel Flight

All proceeds from the Bonus Downs Centenary Celebrations were donated to Angel Flight.

Angel Flight is a charity that offers air transport to patients and their carers attending medical appointments and hospital treatments. The Royal Flying Doctor Service transports critically ill patients, whereas Angel Flight concentrates its efforts on people who have chronic illness and live in remote Australia.

Private pilots generously donate their aircraft and time to offer this service.

A striking quilt was created by experienced quilters with the aim of raising money for Angel Flight. Helen, who's photographed beside the quilt, was one of the main creators. The quilt reflects the colours of the outback covered by Angel Flight and the changing seasonal shades of Bonus Downs. The quilt measures 145 cm by 145 cm. Tickets were sold throughout the weekend with the lucky winner the recipient of the magnificent quilt.

Angel Flight received a generous cheque towards carrying on its work to help people living in remote Australia who are experiencing ill-health and hardship.

Two men, a dog and a fence: Mitchell outback Qld

There's a brick and stone fence at the front of our property and although it serves no purpose other than decoration (it's not connected to any other fence or gateway) it is the perfect place for an informal chat with passing neighbours and friends.

Bathed in early morning sunshine and with a backdrop of the Maranoa River, Doug, Rob and 8 week-old Charlie exchanged news before Rob left for his Mitchell business Bulldog Bikes and Doug continued the exacting job of tiling our bathroom.

Hooked up and ready to go: Major my German shepherd

After a month of daily clicker training, Major now walks much better on his lead and is more responsive to commands.

While out walking (at this point in time) I keep him on two forms of restraint: a halti lead for close heeling, and his harness when walking on a longer a lead.

I attach a clicker to my belt, close to the pouch containing food rewards. In this way I can give a command, click and reward in very close succession. It's a process that's working well for me and my dog.

For food rewards, I use Goodos, with each Goodo cut into about six pieces. I give lots of food rewards, but each piece is tiny -- and tasty.

North of Worlds End Creek: Mitchell outback Qld

About three-quarters of an hour's drive north of Mitchell -- on the Forest Vale Road -- there's a waterway called Worlds End Creek. When in drought, this semi-arid creek bed would seem like the end of the world, especially if you'd run out of water. That's my interpretation, anyway!

A little north of this dry creek bed we stopped the car to look at a dead python squashed on the bitumen. It was a 2 m long carpet python with attractive patterned skin. No doubt it was sunning itself on the bitumen -- a dangerous place to be.

A kilometre further down the road was a sand goanna, also sunning itself on the bitumen. After stopping to photograph the reptile we eased it off the bitumen and onto a safer grassy verge. Amazed by how quiet it was, I let my eyes run over its handsome patterned skin, so like an exotic Persian rug. What a remarkable prehistoric looking creature.

Two wedge-tailed eagles rose up into the air from a freshly killed kangaroo. With mighty wings flapping they left behind the 'roo carcass, but I guessed they would return.

There is no doubt about it, a large number of animals, birds and reptiles are killed by cars on our roads. By reducing speed it's possible to avoid many of these collisions, so that's what we try to do. In addition, and wherever possible, it's wise to avoid travelling at dawn, dusk and during the night.