Grandpa’s Guide to Driving in Cloncurry

A very cold day to my avid fans! It’s really cold right now here. I’m thinking that if the temperature gets a little colder, I’ll see frostbites under my nose. I’m wearing, I don’t know, a few layers of clothing? That’s how cold it is here. I haven’t eaten anything since I woke up this morning. I don’t feel like eating because it’s so cold. And I’m also not in the mood to move a lot. Good thing that the laptop was within reach. *brrr*

I want to do something to help me pass time and forget about the cold. I’m not in the mood to do any “strenuous” activities right now so; I think that I’ll just sit here in my bed and type. I won’t think about the cold but instead, I’ll think about the warm experience I had in Cloncurry.

Known as the “Friendly Heart of the Great North West”, Cloncurry is a town in northwest Queensland, Australia. It is about 770 kilometers west of Townsville City via Flinders Highway. It has a population of 2,384. Cloncurry is adjacent to the Cloncurry River and is the administrative center of the Cloncurry Shire.

Cloncurry holds the record for the highest temperature recorded in Australia (127.5 °F or 53.1 °C) on January 16, 1889. And because of the area’s extreme solar conditions, Cloncurry is anticipated to become Australia’s first solar-powered town once a solar power plant is constructed there.

And some of the places of interest that I visited in Cloncurry are the following:

1. The Boulia to Cloncurry Scenic Drive (if you’ll go to Cloncurry via Boulia)

The road is about 340 kilometers and will take approximately one day to complete —and it is only suitable for high clearance vehicles. This scenic drive is a wonderful alternative route between Cloncurry and Boulia.

You’ll pass through Malbon, which is the junction for the Kuridala-Selwyn railway, and the old town sites of Kuridala and Selwyn. You can have a stop over at Duchess (the only hotel that remains in this once-busy railway and mining town). Next, follow the footsteps of Burke and Wills to the marked tree.

After the stop, continue driving through the beautiful route to Cloncurry.

2. John Flynn Place Museum and Art Gallery

It is located near the intersection of Daintree Street and King Street.

The museum and art gallery commemorate the work of John Flynn and the beginnings of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The museum is a three-storey venue which also depicts the contribution from Fred Mckay and Alfred Traeger.

Flynn chose Cloncurry due to its mining camps and scattered pastoralists, all of whom were poorly given of medical services. John Flynn Place houses an excellent outline of the Flynn Legacy —from images of outback conditions to the history of Flynn himself. The museum also has personal memorabilia and explanations of how the Flying Doctor system worked in the early days.

There is also a Radio Gallery that serves as a tribute to Alfred Traeger, the genius who gave a voice to Outback Australia through the pedal radio.

Well, I think that’s about the warm town of Cloncurry. By the way, planning to visit the place and in need of a car, then visit this site (vroomvroomvroom.com.au) and be in awed of the best cars with very cheap rates!

Enjoy the warmth of Cloncurry!

-Grandpop Ben