Blog 47 - 1st to 23rd August 2014

Another large gap between blog posts, but time now to catch-up.....

Friday 1st August - today we are leaving Borroloola, and will drive back into Qld. After a few km's of tar, we are back on the dirt, and this will last all the way until we get to within 10km's of Doomadgee tomorrow - approx 300km's in total. There are quite a lot of corrugations, and several river and creek crossings,

where the road suddenly dips down to the water level, and then climbs back out again - you have to keep a constant watch-out as they approach very quickly. We are driving around the western part of the Gulf of Carpentaria, and the landscape is quite dry, with patches of bulldust. Once into Qld, we have another 50km's until we arrive at Hells Gate, our stop for the night. After setting-up, Di does a couple of loads of washing, with most of it dried before nightfall. We have a quiet night listening to the birds.

Saturday 2nd - once you get out into the bush, you quickly learn that most shops close at midday on Saturdays, and are not open at all on Sundays (not a bad idea really, as it gives people time off). So we leave Hells Gate early, intending to go into the aboriginal community of Dommadgee to do some shopping. For a small place in the middle of nowhere, it has a surprisingly good supermarket. We stock up with food stuffs for the next week or so, and then backtrack to the turn-off to Kingfisher Camp (KFC). From here it is 42km's into the campsite, which is a lovely patch of gassed area besides the Nicholson River.

We select a nice sunny spot to keep the solar panels charged, and settle in with a walk down to the river - but not too close due to the floating lizards (crocs). We collect some wood for the fire, and then chat with the campsite manager Brad, whom we had previously met when we broke down about 12 months prior at Bowthorn station (on which KFC is situated). After dinner is done, and the fire is going, we are joined by our neighbours for a chat.

Sunday 3rd - we decide that this spot is too good to leave, so we pay for another 2 nights ($20 p.n.) and then catch-up quickly with Mick, the manager of Bowthorn. We then decide to drive into Burketown for lunch and to finally see what the new pub is like - when we spent 10 days in Burketown last year, the pub was in the final stages of completion, but didn't actually open until a few months after we had left. We also made a quick call to Neil and Kristy whom we had met the previous year at the caravan park - they had settled into life in the small town, and over lunch, we caught up on all the gossip and goings-ons. Stopped in at the arts and craft gallery, and then back to KFC in the afternoon - a round trip of about 370km's just for lunch and to see the pub - why not???

Monday 4th - this morning we head off on the river walk - an 8km return trip. But the track is so overgrown, we decide to give up after about 2.5km's and turn back. Lots of spinifex and lots of sand and not really much to look at either. we had a lazy afternoon reading, and then a quiet night around the fire again.

Tuesday 5th - today we leave KFC and drive down to Lawn Hill NP (woohoo!!!!) - we both love this place, and really wanted to come back here. We drive south to Bowthorn, and then east to meet up with the Lawn Hill station road, and then about 170km's south through cattle country until meeting the station itself and the graded road into Adels Grove. This is a private caravan park just outside the boundary of the NP, and is situated on the same river. We stop in for some lunch before continuing to our campsite in the NP. After setting up, we go for a short walk down to the water, and then decide on an afternoon swim to wash some dust away.

A quiet night.

Wednesday 6th - after breakfast, we walk to Indarri Falls, which is about 3.8km's. The lookout from the top is magic, and the views over the gorge and falls are beautiful.

A steep climb back down to the campsite, where we relax again for the afternoon (still quite warm). Prior to dinner, we wander down to the jetty and dangle our feet in the water watching the birds.

Thursday 7th - another walk this morning, this time to Island Stack, which has a 200 metre climb up to the top of the plateau, and then a 1.6km walk around the top, with views over the surrounding countryside (very dry) and also another of the gorges where the spring-fed creek flows out to the gulf.

After lunch, we drive out to Adels Grove for a sticky-beak around and a coffee / ice cream to waste the afternoon.

Friday 8th - yet another walk, this time to Constance Range, which is 3.6km's, and climbs the nearby mountain for spectacular views off into the distance, and you can even see Adels Grove and the nearby Century Zinc mine site with massive dump trucks carting their loads of ore.

After lunch, we head down to the river to hire a canoe just before 2pm, this way ensuring that our 2 hour hire goes until after the caretaker has left, and we can keep the oars until he returns at 8am in the morning - this way we can paddle until late in the afternoon, and then go for a quick paddle in the morning. We set-off up the gorge, paddling past palm trees,

then through the gorge itself,

and finally arrive at Indarri Falls, where we drag the canoe around a side track and re-launch ourselves in the water above the falls to keep going. Some more paddling past palms and more gorges, before we negotiate some rocks and continue to the 3rd gorge and finally the end where the water is flowing over the grass. We are told that the springs are another 20km's further upstream, where they buuble up from out of the ground. Turning around, we slowly paddle back the way we had come, taking time to get lots of photos, and take in the scenery. On the way back, we see 2 freshwater crocs and lots of water lillies. We have a swim at the waterfalls, and don't get back to the campsite until after 5pm - over 3 hours of paddling and we are tired - a quiet night and early to bed.

Saturday 9th - we are up early to be able to be on the water by 7am, to at least get 45 minutes of paddling done before we need to return the oars. It is magnificent to be out on the water as the sun rises from behind the mountains and the first rays hit the walls of the gorge.

We are the only ones out on the water, and we see another 2 freshies.

Back to camp for breakfast, and to also do a quick pack as we need to move sites as we want to stay an extra night. After this, a quiet day with Di doing some drawing. We have an afternoon swim and simply relax and enjoy this special place for the last time.

Sunday 10th - after packing, we move the car to the day visitor area, and go in for one last swim, before driving out through Gregory Downs to the tar. From here to the Burke & Wills roadhouse, and then south to Cloncurry, where we book into a caravan park as we desparately need to recharge the batteries in the camper - it has been 9 days without 240v and we are running very low. The hot showers were nice too.

Monday 11th - after packing, we drive around the corner to Woolies to restock the pantry, then refuel and regrog too. Today we are driving southeast to Winton, stopping along the way at McKinlay where the pub called Walkabout Creek from Crocodile Dundee is situated. We have a drink in the bar, and then continue our journey, and set-up at the caravan park in Winton. We go for a wander along the main street, stopping in at the info centre. Back at camp, we chat to an old bloke Macca who is on his own, and who used to be a head stockman up in Cape York. We invite him to join us for dinner, and we chat into the night.

Tuesday 12th - Winton is famous as the site of many dinosaur fossils, so we venture out of town to the Age of Dinosaur museum / laboratory / storage area. It is atop a jump-up, with a magnificent 360 degree view of the surrounding plains. We start the tour in the laboratory, where our guide shows us hundreds of hessian wrapped lumps of stone, that each hopefully contain parts of a dinosaur. The next section shows us people working with tiny air operated drils and chisels, as they painstakingly slowly remove the surrounding rock from the remains of the bones - very slow work, which can take up to 10 years to reveal only up to 30% of the bones of 1 dinosaur.

Back to the main building, where we see a short film about the types of dinosaurs in the area, and then an in-depth study of the 2 major finds they have had - Banjo a smaller dinosaur like a velociraptor, and Matilda who was much bigger and like a brontosaurus. They have uncovered approx 30% of the bones of each dinosaur, and have been able to determine the shape, size, diet, and speed across the land. Very interesting. Back to town to the Waltzing Matilda museum and exhibition.

Supposedly AB "Banjo"Patterson wrote the song while staying with friends in Winton, and the town has clung to this small piece of history. The museum is quite good, with lots of info from the times, and also a great interpretation of what the song means and its origins. Back to camp, where we catch-up with Macca for some more chatting at happy hour and then some dinner.

Wednesday 13th - a cold morning - is this the start of something??? We explore a bit around town looking first at Arno's wall (lots of junk enbedded in a cement wall around Arno's property)

 and then the Musical Fence (a must visit if you get a chance),

before driving south to Lark Quarry to see the Dinosaur Stampede. This is a large area of rock which have been incredibly well preserved over time where a large carnivore dinosaur has snuck up on some smaller dinosaurs, and a stampede has ensued. The footprints left in the mud, and long since converted to stone, clearly shows a large predator chasing after small prey, with steps changing direction to evade being eaten. Not bad for 93 million years old.

From here we drive to Old Cork homestead ruins beides the river and set-up camp. We get a nice fire going, and cook a nice chicken paella in the camp oven over the coals - yummo.

Thursday 14th - another cold morning, and we leave camp late after Greg chats to the neighbours for a long time. Today we are driving into Diamantina NP, which is near the top of the Channel Country which flows all the way down to Lake Eyre in SA. We stop at Janets Leap lookout for lunch, then at the visitor info shed, and then set-up camp at Hunter Gorge besides the waterhole with heaps of corellas and pelicans. A beautiful sunset with clouds off in the distance. And LOTS of flies for the first time in ages.

Friday 15th - cold again - maybe this is what winter is all about - will probably start getting cold at night too??? We leave camp headed for Bedourie, which is another 300km's away, all of it dirt road, with a fair bit being loose sand and soft black soil - not good for fuel economy. The scenery is interesting simply because it is so lacking, with very little to see along the way. Once in Bedourie, we stop at the info centre, pay our camping fees, and grab a key to the swimming centre to use the artesian pool. The water is quite hot, but after a while becomes too hot and you have to sit out for a bit in the wind before cooling off enough to go back in. After dinner, we wander across to the pub to watch the footy - the Eels lose in a close match to the cheating Bulldogs.

Saturday 16th - we hang out some washing whilst we pack-up, and then leave town. We are heading south to Birdsville about 190km's but after stopping at a waterhole and chatting to some people we had previously met, and then having a look around the Carcory homestead ruins and then some lunch besides the bore, it takes us all day. First stop in town is the info centre, where we watch a DVD about the town and its history, then to the caravan park to set-up. From here it is only a short walk to the iconic Birdsville Hotel,

where we have a drink, and due to the cold weather outside, easily decide to stay for dinner where we chat over dinner to a couple who have just completed their crossing of the Simpson Desert from Dalhousie Springs.

Sunday 17th - the 2nd thing you do when in Birdsville is drive out to Big Red and climb your vehicle to the top for a photo. After 35km's of very crappy dirt road, we hit the dunes, and not long after are pointing the nose of the Triton towards Big Red. Low-range 2nd, and we are off. A change down to 1st near the top, and we easily crest the dune and park off to the side to take some pictures.

The wind is blowing nearly a gale, and sand is getting in everywhere (in the teeth and the ears too). The view from the top is awesome, with endless dunes off in the west, and barren flat country to the east. We head back to town and stop at the 3rd Birdsville icon - the Birdsville Bakery. The pies are very yum, with Di sampling a curry camel and me a spicy chicken. Back to camp and then a walk down to the waterhole, but the wind is still blowing strong. Back to the pub again for dinner, enjoying a meal with our neighbours.

Monday 18th - we have been told by the lady from the info centre that of the 3 separate ways down to Innamincka, the Walkers Crossing track is the best road and also the most scenic. So we drive about 100km's down the Birdsville track before turning left to follow the the track for the next 240km's. Suffice to say, she was wrong on both counts. Took us over 5 hours to do the 240km's, and there was not much to see along the way. And once we arrived at Innamincka, our neighbours tell us that the Cordilla Downs track had recently been graded and was a nice pleasant drive. Oh well, not many people get to drive the Walkers Crossing track as it is usually closed due to flooding. We camp in the town common area besides the Cooper Creek, and watch the birds flying across the water.

Tuesday 19th - after yesterdays long drive, we vow not to sit in the car today. A liesurely morning, followed by a walk up to town to wander through the trading post and then the pub. Then a wander through the restored nursing home / hospital that forms the remainder of town, before back to camp for some lunch. Later in the afternoon, we walk along the banks of the creek downstream for a few hundred metres, enjoying the views. A cold night to now join the recent cold mornings we have been having.

Wednesday 20th - when we were last at Innamincka, the road out to Coongie Lake was closed and we were not able to explore out there. So today we decide to get our permit to the area and drive the 103km's out to the lake. The first 77km's is good dirt track, and the gas and oil mining companies take their rigs aong these. But the last 26km's is quite bad, with lots of corrugations and dips. We drive to the last camping area and walk over the dune to see the lake, with brolgas off in the distance.

 

Then we drive along the lakeside track, which winds around among the sand dunes and goes for about 10km's along the edge of the lake. We find a nice sheltered spot for lunch, and then climb the sand dune for a wonderful view of the lake. We continue to the end of the track, climb another dune for another look, and then return to camp at Innamincka. A lovely place, and we can now tick it off our list of places to see. Another cold night.......

Thursday 21st - today we leave the Cooper, and head back into Qld to Noccundra to camp beside the waterhole. We did plan to stop at the Dig Tree, but didn't see the sign and didn't realise until too late so missed it. We pass lots of oil and gas rigs out in the desert along the way, before stopping 5km's from town to get some wood for the fire tonight - will probably be another cold night again. The last part of driving today was on tar, so we pumped the tyres up and made better time. Lunch of burgers at the pub, before setting up camp down at the waterhole beside the Wilson River.

After dinner we are joined by our 2 sets of neighbours to chat into the evening.

Friday 22nd - up early for a walk / run before a nice hot shower. Give our donation to the RFDS and continue east to Thargomindah, where we stop in at the info centre, and then the cafe. From here to Cunnamulla to the Warrego River caravan park where we stayed last April. All day on tar again today. Di listened to a singer in the afternoon, and then went for a walk down to the river. Cold again - maybe winter is finally here!!!

Saturday 23rd - we pack early and leave the caravan park on the banks of the Warrego River, and after a stop into town to do a small shop for food,

we then head west to St George, travelling through Bollon where we stop for some lunch besides the river. It is all tar again today, but the condition of the road leaves an awful lot to be desired - probably the worst bit of tar we have driven in a VERY long time - very flat driving, not too many bends to negatiate, but lots and lots of bumpy bits - bouncing all over the place. We set up camp at the caravan park to get power to do this blog, join the visitors at happy hour, then have spag bol for dinner, before sitting inside to type this up - way too cold outside.

Tomorrow we will continue east, and on Wednesday plan to stay with some friends we met at Cape York last year, and then finally to a rodeo next Saturday. From here we will start to make our way towards NSW, and the final stretch of our trip (maybe.....)

More to come soon.

Di and Hammo