Lilley Vale Rest Area, QLD.

October 15th. Broke camp after a fantastic 9 hour sleep and poked along until we reached Middleton Hotel. We had coffee, Home Made Fruit Cake and a fun conversation with the Proprietors Val and Lester Cain. Their tales of Camel Treks, Movie Producers and Stolen Cars (theirs) left us laughing as we drove away.

The terrain up to  Middleton was mostly rocky gibber soils but following Middleton there was a distinct change to sandy clay soils covering vast flat plains of Mitchell Grass and NO trees.

We made camp at Lilley Vale RA (#393 Camps 7), a relatively small area with good views and leaving an easy 138 km run into Boulia in the morning.

The Free Camping Area at Middleton is labelled 'The Hilton Hotel'. This is directly opposite The Middleton Hotel.

The Middleton Hotel and Lester's original Cobb & Co Coach that was used on the Winton to Boulia Mail Run.

The front verandah of The Middleton Hotel.

Beside the Hilton Hotel is The Middleton Hall and beyond that is the vastness of The Mitchell Grass Plains.

Camped at Lilley Vale RA.

The flat plains abound in this area.

Atop Cawnpore Lookout looking back towards last night's camp. Since leaving Winton we have driven through country similar to this. Hard Rock crested ridges separated by Mitchell Grass Plains.

Cawnpore Lookout looking towards Boulia. From this point on there were no more ridges just never ending Mitchell Grass Plains. That is our caravan parked along side The Kennedy Development Road.

The Hamilton Channels RA. We only stopped for a coffee here but this RA even has showers! Just East of here there are about 12 causeways in rapid succession that are Named The Hamilton Channels. The fence around the facilities is to keep free roaming stock out.

This is all that remains of The Hamilton Channels Hotel. The Plaque outside the fence denotes that this was one of The Cobb & Co Coach stops. 

Some innovative plumbing here, Hot and Cold Taps are fed from a single water source.