Before leaving
Clermont (the main town close to Theresa Creek Dam) we had to check out a few
of the attractions we had been told about. The first was a piano up a tree and
the 1916 Flood memorial. Both these things were located near a beautiful lagoon
on the edge of town, on a flood plain. The piano was a replica of a piano that
ended up in a gum tree after the disastrous flood. A photo of the original piano taken in1916
was on display as well. Apparently the original town was built on the flood
plain in the 1860s, despite the Aboriginal people saying not to build there.
The whole town was washed away and 65 people perished. The town was moved after
this disaster. I was also able to find out a little of the history of the town.
It originally started as a settlement when gold was discovered in the 1860s. A
coal seam was also discovered here at the same time. The Blair Athol mine operated
right up until 2012 when it was exhausted. (No wonder the whole town supports
the Adani mine.) Rio Tinto really improved the infrastructure during the boom
times of the 1980s so the town is really well serviced with parks, sports
grounds and swimming pools. The other industries included sheep but that
industry declined due to a certain type of grass that took over and the sheep
were not able to feed on it and also dingos attacked the sheep. Cattle seems to
be the other industry that still continues to go well here. From here, we drove on through the large
regional town of Emerald and past some very interesting rock features in the
Minerva Hills National Park. We decided to stop around lunchtime at the tiny
town of Rolleston so we could catch up on some washing. Tomorrow we are heading
to Carnarvon Gorge for at least 2 nights.
Found this on a fence of a property in Rolleston, I think it some sort of mechanical repair place for trucks!
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