We had stayed a night at Roma, in the small caravan park – on our big trip around Oz in 2018. We liked the town and had a meal in a pub. We were heading for Carnarvon Gorge but the flood waters had forced the closure of the road in (we did get in later, click here). This time we stayed at the Ups and Downs caravan park and farm stay, which was about 10km from Roma. This was funny and very quirky. There is plenty to do in town but unfortunately we lost a day through incessant rain that affected most of eastern Australia.
We got to Roma on 30th May 2024 stayinh for 4 nights.
Kerry’s snippets in fuchsia
History
First Nations
Unfortunately I found very little information on the First Nations people of the area.
The area of what is now Roma was home to the Aboriginal peoples of the Mandandanji Nation. Mandandanji (also known as Mandandanyi, Mandandanjdji, Kogai) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Mandandanji people. The Mandandanji language region is within the local government boundaries of the Maranoa Region, particularly Roma, Yuleba and Surat, then east towards Chinchilla and south-west towards Mitchell and St George.
The way of life of the First Nations people can be read here in the first 5 or so pages. This is not specific to the Mandandanji people but provides generic information widely applicable.
Colonial History
When it was surveyed and gazetted the settlement, which was really nothing more than three pubs, was named Roma after Lady Roma Bowen, the wife of the Queensland Governor of the time. Before her marriage she had been known as Countess Diamantina Georgina Roma. Roma was established in 1867.
To read more on the history of Roma click here
Conflicts between First Nations people and British settlers
It was not long before there was furious conflict between the settlers and the Mandandanji people. To read about some of these click here
Roma today
Roma is a substantial rural service centre which lies at the heart of a rich sheep and cattle grazing area. From the 1840s it has always been seen as a land of plenty. Today, calling itself the Capital of the Western Downs, it is a prosperous town with a number of historic buildings and considerable pride in the fact that it was the first place, in the vast Surat Basin, to discover gas and oil.
The population of Roma in 2021 was 6,838 people.
Day 1 – Thursday 30 May 2024
Getting there
It’s a short drive.
Chinchilla > Miles (46km) > Roma (141km) ~ (187km)
The landscape varied from extremely flat agricultural lands to forested areas alongside the road. Parts of the road was quiet bouncy with no warning. Bouncy isn’t the word for it….talk about a rocking horse ride!!
Then surprisingly we came upon a wind farm. Good to see.
Then a big sign welcomed us to Outback Queensland. The landscape was now mostly forested lands with long straight roads.
We drove through Roma town to the Ups and Downs Caravan Park and Farmstay, a 200-acre working farm 8km from town centre. The facilities are not modern but perfectly functional – there were 4 or 5 toilets/showers units behind a comprehensive camp kitchen. The best part was the happy hour at 4:30pm at the fire pit.
We could choose any site which were generally on sandy grass between bush dividers. There was room for 2 vans in each site. There was plenty of room and we were able to drive through to our site. Have to recommend this – so easy to drive onto the sites.
There are many rusted relics of cars and trucks dotted around the can park area. And the memorabilia around the camp kitchen/fire pit is really interesting and quirky. A lovely rack of old stilettos (shoes guys – not knives) – brings back fond memories of similar stuff at the Daley Waters Pub.
Day 2 – Friday 31 May 2024
We got going early to look around town, firstly to see the largest Queensland Bottle Tree in Roma. We had seen many of these trees through the town so were looking forward to seeing the biggest. We were surprised at how big it really was. Even more surprised to discover that Bottle Trees are totally different than Boab trees.
As the sign says it is 9.62m in girth and 15m in height. We also notes that this is not a boab tree but a native tree, now a protected species. It can sustain temperatures from -5C to 45C. It certainly is distinctive.
Next we went to the Big Rig, which we did not enter. Not sure about paying to see an oil rig no matter how big it is. Much more interesting is Lenroy Slab Hut, built in 1893. Incredible that he lived there with his wife Harriet and 9 children. How could they all fit in? And how could they find the privacy to keep the production line going. Surely they couldn’t have fitted in beds for everyone – let alone chairs to have meals.
Flooding is clearly a major issue for Roma – the recorded flood levels are plotted on a nearby building. January 2012 was the highest flood level. Nearby was one of the flood rescue boats.
Birds of the area are shown on 2 panels.
We then walked around town finding many interesting buildings.
Through the day we tried every single 4WD, caravanning, and camping shop looking for a sacrificial anode for the van. (Including the one mentioned below) – The water through the taps was playing up – coming out in fits and starts and surges rather than a constant flow. We thought it must be the anode in the hot water system and Professor Google seemed to confirm that. But every shop said they did not have a single solitary anode. We thought we may had more luck in Emerald.
There is nothing quite like getting half way through a shower, with shampoo in your hair etc etc, and the bloody water running out completely. I feel like giving up and going home.
Day 3 – Saturday 1 June 2024
It poured rain virtually all day. Later in the afternoon I walked around the van park area and went to see some of the animals.
Meanwhile I got back onto the web trying to find a sacrificial anode. And guess what – I struck lucky finding one in Supa Cheap Auto in Roma. I called them immediately and told them to put one aside for us. We scurried to the shop, got the anode and the right sized socket to get the old one out.
It took some fiddling and lots of WD40 to get the old anode moving. Then I stood back as I screwed the old one out. We had seen once before that when the anode comes free it is under pressure and shoots out the water in the hot water tank under some pressure. I stood well back and avoided most of the muck that flew out. The top 60mm of the anode was down to the small centre core and the rest was corroding away as well. Doing the very job that was intended.
Apparently we should change that anode at least once a year. The result was not as great as expected. The tap water did improve a bit but not to a normal flow. Maybe it takes time.
Day 4 – Sunday 2 June 2024
Lovely day, although bitterly cold in the early morning and late afternoons. We went back into town and firstly walked the Adungadoo Pathway. This walk follows the peaceful waters of Bungil Creek, along a 1.7 kilometre shared concrete pathway. It starts at the miniature railway line at the Big Rig and crosses over the Creek on a large timber bridge.
There are some large and lovely trees along the Creek, including a magnificent river red gum. The pathway continues to Shady’s Lagoon, up to the end of the walkway.
Back at the start the miniature railway was going.
From there we went to the Roma Salesyard. What a fantastic place to visit. It is the largest cattle selling centre in Australia, with 220,676 cattle sold through the yards in the 2021/22 financial year. This is fascinating. Roma is the largest cattle sales yard in the southern hemisphere. Such a pity we weren’t here on a Tuesday to see it all happening.
We were impressed with the state-of-the-art interactive centre telling the story of the cattle industry. As you enter, a video encompasses the entire curved wall – they say you could be forgiven for thinking you’d joined a cattle drive on the long paddock. Check this out in the video for the post – see below.
The interpretative centre gives a great context and picture about what we could see on the outside. Auctions are conducted every Tuesday commencing at 8am, with special sales such as Bull Sales, Herd Dispersal Sales and Special Breed Sales held according to demand.
It would be great to be there for a sale simply to see how everything is managed – all those animals. Thankfully each pen had water and some food provided. It must be a well defined event. Would love to see how they clean out the pens at the end of the day. Everything looks pretty clean and well looked after.
The photo below is the bull sales area.
At the other end of the massive years were a couple of dozen cattle waiting for their turn.
Next on the agenda was Bush Park. It’s a lovely walk around the water, especially looking at and listening to the bird life. We saw one woman that had a camera lens she could hardly lift – she carried it around in a pram.
But I could not find out much information on the lakes. Here is what all the websites say: Encompassing the picturesque Railway Dams, this leisurely walk is a must for enthusiasts of the Australian bush. The 14 hectares of gardens showcase eleven vegetation communities local to the Roma region, with plans to further develop this regionally significant garden. The walk offers a first-rate place for bird-watching.
Back at the van park I took some more photos of the quirky setup.
To view photos for this post click here
To view video for this post click here