Longreach

There are two things to see in Longreach. One I

wanted to see and one that Nathan wanted

to see! We started with the Stockman's hall

of Fame.



It is an amazing museum! First of all you are greeted by a "Ringer" sculpture and then a real one rounding up the sheep grazing on the round about at the front entrance!We wandered about the museum checking out pioneer homesteads. Nathan and the boys were fascinated by a map that light up the various explorers journeys. Then we went and saw a stockman's show.

This ringer recited "Clancy of the Overflow" riding around on his horse and cracking his whip at the
same time!



The boys loved this jumping dog. He was a great performer but a very poor cattle dog!

This particular bullock reminds me of the song "Cows with Guns"! Remember that one?

Matthew, Ryan and Ben!!! lol This was as close as Ben would get!

I really liked the Hall of Fame. It is a very interesting part of Australian culture that as a city person or "townie" it feels like the outback culture is a myth but what they say is all true. It is as hard as they say and people do end up with the outback as part of their spirit and don't want to leave it!

So with my touristing over it was on to the part of the trip that Nathan was most excited about......the Qantas Founders Museum!

We stood inside an engine which is apparently the only place in the world you can do so!

We managed to get the whole 747 in the shot

but they boys look like ants!

I got sick of planes and engines and the like so started taking photos of the fashions of the flight attendant! Noice!

Nathan dreaming of being a Qantas Pilot!

The boys checking out the cockpit of the 747. During the tour the host kept asking questions expecting to stump people and I kept shoving Nathans hand up so he had to answer. In the end the guy asked him if he worked for Qantas! When I told him Nathan was an aero eng and he got a bit nervous!

We had to take a photo with the boys and this one!

This was the first 707 Qantas ever purchased. The only other one remaining in the world is the last one ever made which is owned by John Travolta.

And the highlight of my visit to this museum was that Madonna hired this plane during one of her tours and my touched the very same seat that Madonna's touched! There is no photographic evidence of this unfortunately because there is no photography (or pornography, for that matter!) allowed inside the plane. As ordered by the Saudis who last owned the plane! :-(

And this is the very first hanger of Qantas. It was full of old junk, I mean very important historic airplane stuff that Nathan drooled over!