This stretch of road that we are travelling is called the Overlander Way and stretches (nearly in a straight line) from Townsville to Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory. It is over 1500km long. 

This route was travelled by pioneers on their quest for gold. As a result, many little towns popped up along the way to service the fossickers and then later, the farming pioneers. Driving along this road, we passed through the once thriving communities, many of which are now “towns” reduced to one pub or one shop. The occupants having closed their shops to go and work in the mining or grazing industries as they grew to be much more lucrative. 

This stretch of road was probably the most littered road we have come across. Not littered with rubbish… but with road kill. This morning we had to pull over and remove a huge roo off the road so that the caravan didn’t have to negotiate it like a speed hump. That was mens’ work so I stayed in the car in the relatively fresh smelling air, waiting with the hand sanitizer to disinfect the bits when they returned. 

A long stretch of road such as this can do with some interesting things to look at. The council responsible for road maintenance had installed interesting dinosaur feet for bins at the roadside stops that kept Caleb insisting that he needed to find rubbish to put in them. A great strategy for keeping Australia clean! Some councils down south (Melbourne) could take a leaf from this book. Maybe huge coffee cups?

We arrived in Charters Towers in the early afternoon. The town reminded me instantly of a Western movie. Rows of shops lined the Main Street on either side. Each had unique gold rush characteristics about them. The facades have been renovated over the years and give reminders of the opulence that was once associated with this town. 
We will stay a few days and explore.