It's Easter Thursday as I write these words and it's great to be back in North West Queensland, as Mount Isa and the region heads into the nicest part of the year.
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As I explained a couple of weeks ago, I had to go to Brisbane to meet my 79-year-old father who is capable of the arduous trip from Ireland to Australia but who won't take the last step and fly to our region.
This is not a particular snub to our region, even though my dad has always been a bit of a "prefer the devil you know" kind of person, but south east Queensland is closer to Sydney where my brother's young family lives and it is also closer to where my own daughters live.
And we had a lovely few days in the Gold Coast as the entire Australian branch of the family caught up, even if I was feeling the cold, especially in the evenings, as I'm clearly acclimatising to the warmer temperatures of our region.
Then it was back in the car for the long but never dull drive back to the north west.
It's an easy drive with cruise control and a phone armed with interesting podcasts.
Outside the view is always fascinating, watching the country slowly change from the lush Darling Downs to the brigalow to mulga and on through the channel country to our spinifex region.
It seems hard to believe following the rain and flooding that much of western and north western Queensland got in February and March but there are parts of the state, particularly in the south west that remains in drought conditions.
My original plan had me heading straight to Boulia, a journey I was looking forward to - especially the particularly beautiful Winton to Boulia stretch.
But the effects of the floods continue to be felt as the waters slowly descend the Georgina and Diamantina systems and with several roads closed the Boulia races, rodeo and campdraft people reluctantly had to postpone their Easter event.
And with the Yelvertoft Easter draft also postponed, it may be that all roads will lead to Buchanan Park on Saturday for an impromptu Mount Isa Easter races.
I'll look forward to that and catching up with some rest ahead of a busy events calendar to come including Anzac Day, Winton Way Out West, Barra and Blues at Karumba and MineX - Derek Barry
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
