2022 brings another year of destinations being added to the Brown Signs website. Over 650 destinations have been listed by the end of 2022, including big things and visitor information centres. There are so many more waiting to be added, we’ll be kept busy for quite a while. The top 10 list is a look at the ten destinations that attracted the most attention during the year. There are some new entries to the list with some familiar entries that are seen most years. The number one spot has remained unshaken since the website began and doesn’t look like it will shift any time soon.
1. 7 Mile Diggings
7 Mile Diggings has been number 1 in the top 10 from the first year it was added to Brown Signs and remains there for 2022 once again and a clear lead with over 20% of the views from the top 10 list. 7 Mile Diggings, also known as Seven Mile Diggings, was a popular 4wd destination until it was closed for 4wd access. It is still open to visit and with a permit camp at the top of the hill (yes, before going onto the off-road tracks) to wander around and look at the historical diggings site.
2. 26th Parallel Leaving The North West
The border of South Australia and Northern Territory lies on the 26th parallel. This destination sits a little further west near the coast of Western Australia. It is 330km south of the Tropic of Capricorn, between Carnarvon and Geraldton near the Gladstone National Park. There is a brown sign for both directions with a slight difference. The other sign says “Entering The North West”.
26th Parallel Leaving the North West
3. Yuraygir National Park Brooms Head
Yuraygir National Park has multiple points to access the park and they are not all accessible to each other. This brown sign destination is for the section of Yuraygir National Park had the most interest on Brown Signs. Accessing Yuraygir National Park via Brooms Head actually takes you to two parts. A set of camping spots just a few kilometres before reaching Brooms Head, and another part accessed from a dirt road turning off a little closer to Brooms Head to go to the Sandon campgrounds next to the Sandon River.
Yuraygir National Park Brooms Head
4. Thunderbolts Cave
Thunderbolts Cave has been on the Brown Signs list since day one, the second brown sign when the idea to follow them began. It is named after Captain Thunderbolt, a bushranger in the 1800s who used the cave as a hideout in 1867 and 1868. It is a quick detour off the New England Highway between Guyra and Armidale. If you have some supplies with you, it is a great alternative stop with some historical interest for a break on the inland road between Sydney and Brisbane.
5. Ulugundahi Island
Ulugundahi Island is in the Clarence River near the township of Maclean, set as an Aboriginal reserve in 1904. Prior, in the 1800s, the government rounded up Aboriginal people and put them on the island. Today, it is owned and managed by the Yaegl Local Aboriginal Land Council. There isn’t much to see of the island from the side of the river. There was a spike of interest in April that brought this brown sign into the top 10.
6. Churchbank Weir Reserve
Churchbank Weir Reserve is a common entry to the top 10 brown sign lists, and has been popular soon after it was available. Churchbank Weir Reserve is a free camp not too far from Brisbane, especially if you are on the south side. The weir is downstream from the reserve, so the water in the creek beside the camping area is plentiful. Another destination great for freshwater fishing and paddle craft.
7. Windmill Museum
The Windmill Museum has a number of windmills on display, located off the highway so you need to drive passed the local shop. It is located outdoors so it can be seen operating at any time of the day. It is also the location of the Big Windmill and the only Big Things entrant to the top 10 list. The Big Windmill is commonly called ‘Bruce’ or ‘Big Bruce’, and is one of only15 windmills with 35-foot fans. Big Bruce was a special order with larger than standard fans making it the biggest.
8. Lake Perseverance Active Recreation Centre
This is the first appearance of this brown sign in the top 10 list and is one I didn’t expect to see on it. Lake Perseverance Active Recreation Centre is operated by the Queensland Government Department of Justice and Attorney General, to provide youth-oriented adventure-based learning activities. It isn’t open for general access, primarily for youths referred to attend. It is also available to the Perseverance Aquatic Club and to schools and groups. It has access to accommodation, conference room, outdoor court (sporting), sports oval, canoes, and archery.
Lake Perseverance Active Recreation Centre
9. Boonah via White Swamp
Boonah via White Swamp has attracted a lot of interest over the years and has returned to the top 10 list in 2022. Information around about white Swamp is difficult to find, erased from the maps for many years until it was reinstated in 2006. The town doesn’t exist anymore and recognised as a rural place. The only remnant of the town is the White Swamp Cemetery. The actual location was not known to us when we visited. We have since found out where the cemetery is, although we haven’t visited since we found out. The location on the map has been updated.
10. Maclean Tartan Poles
Started in 2000 with the idea for the 2000 Olympic Torch taken through Maclean, the painting 6 poles with Scottish tartans was planned. There are now well over 200 poles with family tartan designs painted on them. The poles have extended from the centre of town to Harwood Bridge in the north and to Ferry Park in the south. Many more tartan poles are scattered on the streets throughout Maclean.
