Over the Great Dividing Range, North Queensland

Now where were we? Right, from Townsville we turned West and bussed out into the Oz Outback. Let's see what photos I have.

Ah, the classic Outback shot. The local pub! The joke is that Queenslanders call their beer XXXX because they can't spell "BEER"!

Drink your XXXX here!

And the really funny part is that it isn't really a joke. The Irish guy who invented this new beer was illiterate so, at the patent office, filling in the form, on the line where he was meant to write the name of the product, he wrote "XXXX" and thus it's been called that ever since. However, you don't front up at the bar-counter and say "I'll have an XXXX" because that's crass and makes you look like a tourist. What you do is drawl "I'll have a Four-X, please!" And it's a great beer so you'll be pleased you did!

Ah, here's something completely different to the above photo. Something great and grand and mighty! Just look at this:

The Inland Sea!

Australia is old. Very old. And every now and again you see something that makes you realise just how very, very old it is. That shot above is taken from the shoreline of Australia's ancient Inland Sea. Dried up nearly 60 million years ago. Let's see if I can find a better one where you can see it all more clearly.

Another shot!

Still can't make it out clearly? Sorry, that's the best I've got. But here's one taken as you approach "the drop off".

Land formerly known as "the beach"!

Those "blond bits" are all fossilised sand and the drop there is down to what was formerly the ocean floor.

And have you ever seen fossilised sand? Here you go!

Substance formerly known as "sand".

This easily turns back into sand if you crumble it, but it would be interesting to find out if "crumbled fossil sand" is the same a regular sand.

And, as you're leaving this idyllic spot, pondering the unimaginably mind-boggling age of the land you're standing on, turn your eyes to the left:

The Rotunda!

There's the spot where the brother of our friend Danny-the-Pilot was shot dead by The Box Car Killers. He was the most handsome man, with gorgeous hands, turquoise eyes, and played the guitar in a Blues Band. And, boy, could he play! And compose! Gorgeous, soulful, beautiful songs! It was a sad loss to us all. And isn't it awful to know that someone so gifted could be senselessly murdered by a bunch of stupid, ugly, dumb, nothing-men who decided to go on a killing-spree! And talk about "wrong place, wrong time!"

So, as you pass this spot, give it a quiet salute in memory of a beautiful man, a pair of turquoise eyes, and all the music that none of us will ever hear!