We caught up to Tony and Jenny and started off to the Burdekin dam. We passed acres of corn, tomatoes and rockmelons on black volcanic soil.
The country is largely huge granite boulders and granite mountains. Similar to Magnetic Island, Bowen’s Horse shoe bay had granite boulders the size of houses. Tony wanted one for his front yard.
We decided to stop in Collinsville for lunch and enjoyed a very interesting drive, through some great country. There is a lot of water lying around in dams and ponds, we are very surprised since it is the end of the dry season.
After lunch we head off to the dam down the ‘back road’. (There is sealed road from Charter’s Towers, but this is not for us – hehe). The back road is a dirt road but is in very good nick. On the road we see a deer, Tony tells us it is an Indian spotted deer (Chital) and that they were released 100 kms the other side of Charters Towers 30 years ago.
Finally reach the dam and can’t see the camping ground, there is a “T” intersection, so Tony and Jen go to the left and Michael and I go to the right. Pretty soon Tony is calling us on the CB to tell us that there is no camp down his road. Michael and I drive down a very steep winding road to see the dam ahead of us – WOW, we have to drive on a narrow road right across the front of the dam wall. Still can’t see any camp, but we travel on across to the other side and up the steep road.and find the park overlooking the dam. 
Surprisingly, it is a very nice park, not at all what we were expecting, there is even a swimming pool and the cost for a powered site is only $15 for a couple. We have been paying $32 to $44 per night to date. The park manager comes around in the morning at 7:00 AM to collect the fees. There is a motel and several houses there, but the motel is closed and looks uncared for. The only houses that seem occupied are the dam manager and his offsider.
We find a couple of nice sites under some trees (not large or dangerous). There are sprinklers at either end of our ‘row' and Tony moves them closer to us to discourage potential neighbours. This works for him, but next day a couple with a large caravan pull in next to us and simply move the sprinkler. Sigh.
We have 10 peahens wandering about, numerous birdlife and as dusk falls we get hundreds of kangaroos. Lovely.
The next morning the park manager comes about and is inundated with questions (from us of course). The dam took 4 years to build and there were 1500 workers. A small village was built to accommodate them with a school to year 10, shops, medical facilities, police, pub, swimming pool and tennis courts. The town has disappeared, there are remnants of foundations about, the roads and some footpaths are still there, the tennis courts are still there but in a dilapidated condition, the town swimming pool has been filled in. Very interesting indeed.
We went for a walk through the park to the lookout over the dam. There are many picnic tables and chairs, assembly shelter and a camp kitchen, . Tony is convinced that he could make this park successful and a money maker.
In the small information centre there is a model of the dam that simulates different conditions, including a minor and a major flood (works electrically)
There was a green tree frog in the ladies loo, this is the first one we have seen on this trip.
It is hot and the pool is great, it is a little grubby (leaves) and Tony tells the manager that we will clean it out for him., Tony also appoints himself assistant groundsman and undertakes to move the sprinklers around. The park manager (who is actually the dam controller) is the only staff member there, a married couple is on holiday. This means that he is responsible for the dam, the cleaning of the camp ground facilities (not done while we were there) mowing and collecting fees. I think he was glad to have Tony’s help for a little while.
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