Day 105 – 28/8/2019 on a Midlife Adventure.
With no more car issues (and touch wood no more for a while!), it was back into touring today.
So off to just out of Charters Towers, Qld to the Texas Longhorn Tours at Leahton Park.
Inspired by a Texas Cattle Station with a major Australian flavour.
With a definite nod to the American Heritage.
The tour starts off with some information about the Texas Longhorn breed and morning tea.
The morning tea is some freshly cooked damper, billy tea and some Anzac Biscuits and American Brownies.
The tea is served from a traditional wagon built in the US.
Following the talk it was time to get onto the tour wagon which was being led by two new horses that until recently were taking people on tours around Melbourne CBD.
Driving us out into the paddock we were able to get very close to the cattle that are happy to have us touring around.
The Texas Longhorn are truly an amazing looking animal.
Holding the Guinness World Record for the longest horns was JR who’s horns are still growing, but has been beaten by another Texas Longhorn in the US.
These cattle actually know how wide their horns go and when going through a gap will turn their heads accordingly to fit.
They also have some other cattle including American Bison.
At the end of the wagon ride we are taken to the Love Shack.
To learn how they Artificially Inseminate the cattle from primarily American Bulls.
Then to the saddle shop where they custom make beautiful saddles with great detail.
The detail when you look closely is amazing.
Then it was into the shop where they have some well priced items available including something I’ve desperately needed a good wallet as mine has been leaking coins for about 2 months.
Here is a gallery from my shots of the day.
I then headed back into town where the Information Centre recommended a tour of the Gold Battery.
Our tour leader talked about how they extracted the gold that was extracted from the nearby mines, at one time there were around 100 of these gold batteries in the district to service all of the gold and this was only one of the medium handling centres.
They provide a story of the battery and the gold history in brilliant holographic display.
The tour is very informative for a static display and well presented.
On the way out back to my campsite there is also a mine shaft.
The caravan park was doing dinner again tonight of Sausages with Mash and gravy, it was too good to take a picture of or I forgot.
That’s a wrap for the Charters Towers area as I head off tomorrow. As at writing this I still have no idea which way I will be going or where my destination will be tomorrow night…. could be a very interesting day tomorrow on this Midlife Adventure.
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