Since leaving Ilfracombe, we have followed a zigzag route through Windorah, Quilpie, Eromanga and Noccundra to Thargomindah: nearly one thousand kilometres of single lane bitumen roads.
There was little traffic and everyone seemed to be following the unwritten courtesy rules; give way to larger rigs and slow down so that you do not shower the other vehicle with rocks. Everyone gives way to road trains, and this means pulling right off the bitumen. The road edges are well maintained for the most part, and this trip is suitable for a standard car and black top tourer caravan with care and common sense.
It doesn't take long to develop a real empathy for what the landowners and townspeople are going through in this extended drought. They don't complain, however. Most say something like "It's gotta rain again someday" or "It is nature's way of culling kangaroos and feral animals".
It is therefore entirely inappropriate for RVers to come out here and whinge. We heard one woman at Ilfracombe complaining about the lack of grass on her site. Unbelievable in a town suffering the most severe drought in living memory; with level five water restrictions. If you need long showers in flash amenities, or can't stand dust, flies or the smell of artesian water, you may well be better staying near the coast, but you will miss a wonderful experience.
The compensations for travelling out here are many, including wonderful sunsets and sunrises, and pub meals where you get to talk to the locals.
The best part, however, is meeting the people who live in this stark, harsh but beautiful landscape.