Comet Queensland Road trip

The town of Comet originally called Cometville, Comet is located in the Central Queensland Highlands, 39 kilometres east of Emerald on the Capricorn Highway and up the road from Blackwater and on to Rockhampton the town takes its name from the Comet River, named by explorer Ludwig Leichardt who made observations of Comet Wilmot in around 1844 on one of his expeditions north, Comet has one pub/hotel now, The Comet River Hotel built around 1911 single floor the rooms (bed room) have been striped out to open up the pub, and it is a good country pub cold beer and good meals outback accommodation for the local mines and others and caravans welcome if you have a beer and a meal not a bad deal for travel. And give the Irish girls a game of pool?
The town now has mining, cattle, small crops, fruit trees, mainly cotton explore the river Nogoa River it is the oldest town in the region had in it day 11 hotel a race coarse going back to the first races in 1928 and a ball (dance afterwards) in the day this had the train station moving sheep and wool south the bridges took 2 years to build and the town had a good mix of people from all round the work living and working in the area.
Heaps of history in the town and is worth a day to explore the town, Cometville State School opened on 23 October 1877. In 1912, it was renamed Comet State School in 1912, On 19 March 1931, the town's name was changed from Cometville to Comet, Comet is home to the Leichhardt Tree, a "dig tree" established by Ludwig Leichhardt to indicate to others where he had buried food and journals, there is a walking trail through the town visiting points of historic interest.
“Extract Trove Brisbane Courier Monday 25 June 1933” COMETVILLE.FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]
June 25.THE new time-table for the Q. C. Railway gives satisfaction. A passenger carriage is now attached to the up train, leaving Comet for Emerald on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 5.40 p.m., and also to the down train leaving Comet for Rockhampton at 1.55 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This arrangement will prove convenient to persons travelling to intermediate stations, _ whilst through passengers will probably continue to use the faster trains leaving Comet daily Some three or four hours earlier. Wo congratulate the department on the desire shown to meet local wants and to keep pace with the times. Any further provision to improve the accommodation or increase the comfort of the public on the twelve hours' trip will be likewise appreciated. Proper accommodation for ladies, and a good refreshment station midway between the two termini, are said to be required and may be commended to the consideration of those who work the line in the interests of the public. Some time since I went down the line to Walton, ran up a creek, nniMiad a look at the Expedition Range. Many stories had reached me of the difficulty of ascent and the magnificence of the timber above. In the gorge by which I ascended I found a trickling spring of good water issuing from the rocks and almost hidden by bracken fern of the most luxuriant growth ; whilst on the summit of the spur were huge rocks piled up in the most fantastic fashion, stunted timber, black wallabies and rats in abundance. The view reminded me of that seen on the Main Range between Toowoomba and Highfields, on the Southern and Western line, The shadows: of the sun setting over the distant ranges, the beauty of the first moon, the freshness and pureness of the air contrasted with the mists in the gorge 1 clow and the extreme novelty of the position in a cleft of the rocks fully compensated for the difficulty of ascent and the hardness of a supperless couch. At sunrise I made tracks downwards to my camp among
the ferns in the ravine below, and was much struck with the extreme combustibility of the fuel above compared with the difficulty of " boiling the billy" by the springs below. Ten miles across ironbark plains brought me back
to the railway just in time to catch the evening goods train when, through the courtesy of the traffic manager, I was permitted to travel on the engine up to Comet. From a business point of view, the top of the Range has but
little to recommend it, and most of the timber I saw was in the broad plains below. As a sign of the times, and a hint to the initiated, I may mention that a block of 25 stirring miles, known as Range Downs, situated
about forty or fifty miles up the line west of here (between Emerald and Anakie Downs) recently put up to auction at 15s. a square mile, fetched £20 per mile. £500 a year rent is no small price for a 25-mile block of pastoral country I Eighteen thousand sheep were trucked here last month for boiling down in Rockhampton. The rains mentioned in my last gave some little spring to the grass, and so far we have been free from frosts. Some ten days after the rain the rivers came down from the mountains, and the waterholes in the Comet are now full.