On the way to Blackall we stopped of at Tambo for a couple of days , staying at the Stubby Bend Campsite. Tambo population 430 in the town with temperatures right know about 6 at night still cold but getting to 25 in the day very nice. We are here for a morbid reason to see the site of the Qantas flight plane crash of 1927 . It was the first plane crash to cause deaths in Australia. On a brighter note this little town is very clean and pleasant so we stay a couple of nights in the free camp. We are getting quite good at this free camp bit, between the bigger towns with their caravan parks that know how to charge . We stay in caravan parks to boost our power and recharge everything, do the washing and can leave the van and go off and do our thing knowing the van is safe. Tambo is of course on artesian water and it comes out the ground quite hot. While waking we find some pieces of quartz , all this area is gem stone country, ruby, opal, emerald and of course gold and silver.

Onto Blackall population 1500 winter temps 6-28deg c . Artesian water temp 58-62 bore depth 800m.
Blackall named 1860s after second QlD governor Sir Samual Blackall.
We stay town supplied parking area for $5.00 a night.

The best thing is this is the first swimming pool open as it is winter and no one wants to swim. We do and the water is hot and has to be cooled , the pool is 50 mt and outdoor and absolutely wonderful . We get to swim laps at last, it has been a couple of months we need it and do not want to get out, who cares if it smells of sulphur, the smell passes . So first thing in the morning we go swimming again before we walk.
We do the usual bird watching and walking, look at town sculptures. One in the park is a eagle and nest made from old railway dog spikes.--- photo
In the main street is a large fossilised tree stump, it is a conifer & related to hoop pines of today. The stump has been preserved by silicification and is believed to be between 1 & 225 million years old.
The saying beyond the black stump comes from here and relates to a tree stump used for surveying purposes in 1887 . They rested the equipment on the tree stump instead of legs as it was more stable., when making their longitude and latitude observations, and any thing on the outside of the town was beyond the black stump.

The town has also got a steam driven wool scour which was operated between 1908 to 1978 during the time known as the time Australia was ridding on the sheep's back. This was the central area for wool and sheep were brought in and shorn on sight then the wool washed and dried packed for export. Wool was getting very high prices especially as it was clean. The shearers and scour worked day and night in shifts. It would have been hot hard work, as only part of the big machines are working now and only for show, and it was loud and hot. But imagine stoking wood into the big furnace to get the steam to drive all the washing/ scouring machines as well as all the steam driven shears. The water of course was already hot coming out the ground, it was also pumped into watering dams left to cool for the sheep to drink . 
Back years ago they used a rail ambulance because it was quicker to get to the next base hospital and was most likely to get through during times of flood.
It was time to say goodbye to the swimming pool and head north again , heading to Longreach with a quick stop in Barcardine for sourdough bread, something else I have missed and this little place has a baker that makes sourdough. They also have along their main street a display of old farm and road machinery [ some of the very first]so we take time to take a look before heading to a night stop on the highway to Longreach.