LONGREACH

The main attractions in Longreach are the Stockman's Hall of Fame and the Qantas Museum. 

The Stockman's Hall of Fame was much better than expected with extensive and detailed displays covering Australia's prehistory onwards, all beautifully presented.

The 'show' was more stand up comedy (if you can apply that term to a bloke on a horse) than rodeo style and highly entertaining.

Eric was keen to see the Qantas exhibits.  It was very strange driving into Longreach through open plains of grass to suddenly see the tail fin of a Boeing 747 stuck out in a paddock.

Viewing of the 747 was closed as the nose is sinking into the ground.  Instead, we got to see over a  Boeing 707 short, the first of only 13 ever produced. It had been given a luxurious fit out in the hope of selling it to a rich Arab.  Unfortunately, they covered the armchairs with pig leather, so the Arabs wouldn't touch it. The 13th plane, we were told, is owned by John Travolta.

A slippery drive along some muddy tracks took us to the pretty Lilly [sic] Lagoon on the Thomson River.