Every five years local associations run a reenactment of the last Cobb and Co coach ride in Australia from Surat to Yuleba in August 1924, with this year’s being the 100th anniversary.
On Thursday 22 August 2024, six willing riders headed out from Condamine on the Leichhardt Highway, then onto the Condamine-Meandarra Road, passing the beautiful Caliguel Lagoon, which has good camping and caravan facilities. At Meandarra we turned into the wind along Surat Development Road, stopping overnight at Glenmorgan (80km). At Glenmorgan there is free camping and a shower at End of the Line Park, with a café and hotel nearby.
Always suspicious of an isolated patch of green, the riders checked for automatic sprinklers, didn’t find any, and confidently set up camp. However at 2am the sprinklers popped up. Ian, ever alert, heard the rain on his tent and checked BOM for any unusual cloud formations. None were shown and he concluded it must be one of those rare weather phenomena that BOM has not detected.
Next day we rode to Surat on the Surat Development Road (65km). Extra camping locations had been provided for the festival, with showers nearby and according to the couple I met in Meandarra “Surat was rocking”. Unfortunately for our crew music from other campers continued into the night, with a fairly short play-loop, forcing Robert to de-camp to a spot behind the local hall.
Saturday was a free day in Surat. The museum and art gallery are excellent and include a large aquarium of Balonne River fish. For this occasion Governor Dr Jeannette Young attended, opening a new display in the museum. There were riverside markets, Clydesdale horse, bullock and camel rides, and the heritage-listed Surat Shire Hall was open for viewing.
The reenactment ride on Yuleba-Surat Road began in Surat on Saturday morning and involved dozens of horses and buggies ahead of the replica coach. It stopped overnight at Wallabella State Forest, concluding the trip on Sunday with the Governor riding the last few kms in the coach.
Yuleba-Surat Road was officially closed to traffic for the two days of the reenactment ride, but we had permission to head out on the Sunday morning provided we stayed behind the horses.
Surat to Yuleba was a very hot ride but with some interesting historical sites along the way (76km with 35km of dirt). At Yuleba additional camping had again been provided for the festival with showers at the Yuleba Golf Course.
On Monday we rode Yuleba to Miles on the Warrego Highway (82km), not as difficult as we’d expected, with a reasonable shoulder and the towns of Jackson, Dulacca and Drillham along the way. We stopped at the Miles Crossroads Caravan Park, somewhat noisy from the highway and not helped by a refrigeration van running throughout the night.
On Tuesday we completed the short ride on the Leichhardt Highway back to Condamine (34km). This was a little more problematic, with moderate traffic and no shoulder. Nevertheless the ride finished with no injuries and the only mechanical was Ron’s flat tyre.
Helen Walker