6/9/13
Croyden to Georgetown We spent the morning sightseeing Croyden, surprisingly there is a lot to see in this little place, mind you it used to the the 4th biggest town in Australia in the 1890 gold rush days - the main street was 18 Kms long & they had 36 pubs & 10,000 residents.

Theses days it's down to 1 pub and about 200 residents . They have a very interesting 17 min movie at the info centre, and a lovely street displaying some of the original buildings, we think they are still in their original locations -you really get a sense of life in those times. The courthouse even has an audio visual court case from those days. The local store, and coffee shop is the longest continuously run store in Queensland, built in 1894, and run by a very friendly lady. $5 gets you coffee and raisin toast, good coffee and good value.

The road to Georgetown is good for the first half, then it turns into a single lane of sealed road, for most of the remaining 80 Kms ( we are told that it will soon be upgraded).

Georgetown info pointed us in the direction of the Goldfields Caravan Park, where Tony (originally from Malta) met us with a wave and a smile. After lunch, we walked down to the Terrestrial Centre, for a look at the Ted Elliott Mineral Collection. Over 4500 exhibits on display - in air conditioned comfort, they are magnificent and believed to be one of the largest and most comprehensive mineral collections in the world. ($9 for Seniors).

Exploring the rest of town gave us some exercise, before sundowners and the chance to buy some country meat from the Georgetown butcher. Do not go past this butcher without stocking up - his meat and especially his sausages are much more than "the best in town" - they would win national competitions. There is only one butcher in town, a delightfully old fashioned butcher with no meat on display, you order he cuts it out the back.

Our gourmet meal back at camp - was green Karumba prawns in garlic butter, with Barramundi, tomato salad and delicious roasted pumpkin cubes, ala Tony & Margaret.