Irvinebank

We could have stayed longer in Chillagoe but decided to move on to other places. Having 'back tracked' along the Wheelbarrow Way to Petford we elected to take an alternative route to the historic town of Herberton through Emuford and Irvinebank. This route is about 70 km of mostly good gravel road with many causeways over the creeks at the the frequent gullies. This was a dusty and slow, but very interesting drive. We only met one other vehicle during our drive through the hills.

Not much here at Emuford.

A few ruins over the fence, that's all.

Emuford was once a Cobb & Co relay station. I guess that is what the remaining ruins are from.

We eventually reached Irvinebank, another of the many old mining towns throughout this area. There is a free camp in the centre of town with a donation box for the hot showers.

We were very relaxed until we noticed this sign in the free camp area. I think Jude would have been awake all night.

Once we located the Irvinebank Tavern our thoughts of being washed away during the night were allayed. We had dinner here and learned that the Ibis Dam had been drained and repaired and was still empty. That sign should have been removed before our arrival.

The town weir with some of the hilly terrain surrounding the town.

Another view of the town weir.

Some of the old buildings in town, the Mining Museum is perched on top of the hill. You can see how steep the hills are in the town.

An external view of The Mining Museum.