Mt Isa to Birdsville

The last 100 kms into Mt Isa went swiftly, although we did witness a burnt out wreck and police and ambulance attending the scene. We weren’t quite sure what accommodation would be available in Mt Isa, as the rodeo had commenced and campsites would be at a premium. We were informed by the Tourist Info Centre that the Irish Club had an area nearby that campers could use and once we had registered at the club, we were only a couple of streets away. Well, guess what? It was a paddock of red dirt but at least we were in town. We discovered that the facilities were quite basic – ladies’ and gents’ toilets but the ladies’ had no showers and the showers in the gents’ were cold. Despite this, we were so desperate for a shower that we gals opted for cold ones while Ian and Geoff kept watch outside. Then it was off to the club for a beer, naturally it had to be a Guiness, before ordering a meal from the buffet. We then decided to check out the rodeo venue and caught the courtesy bus from the club.

We were in time to see some of the Official opening including the line up of some of the cowboys, and events such as the bull ride, bareback bronc ride and saddle bronc ride. All in all, it was an exciting start to the rodeo which is touted as being the biggest and richest event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. It attracts 20,000 visitors over a 3 day weekend.

Next day we were back for more of the same including team roping, steer wrestling, the ladies barrel race and the QR Silver Spike heats. This is Queensland Rail’s best track layers competing to lay 13 metres of track in the safest and fastest time. They lay sleepers, the track and nail in 160 dog spikes before racing a pump car along the track to the stop block. I’m going to try and include a couple of little video clips.

Although the van has come through the rough roads relatively unscathed, there has been a bit of red dust that has found its way into some parts, so I spent a couple of days cleaning and washing to get rid of it. The bike copped a fair bit too but once I’d cleaned it, I was able to get out on the road early one morning.

Over the next couple of days I caught up with friends Jane and Klaus, went out walking around Mt Isa, drove out to picturesque Lake Moondarra, checked out the lookout above the town and stocked up on provisions for the trip to Birdsville and the races. I’d spoken to several people about the condition of the roads before making up my mind about the trip so I was happy to be going out to Birdsville. (And I still had the option to divert to Winton via Boulia, if I so desired.)

Seeing such a vast expanse of water at the man-made Lake Moondarra was hard to believe in the middle of the outback. But it’s such a tranquil place. The mine, by contrast, which is set right in the middle of the town with its 270m exhaust stack from the lead smelter, has plenty of activity. It is Australia’s deepest mine and is the world’s largest single producer of copper, silver, lead and zinc.

The road to Dajarra, while only a single sealed lane, was good to drive on and there were enough places for vehicles to overtake. Not a lot to see at Dajarra except a hotel, a school and a museum but the sunsets were quite lovely. Had 2 nights there and set off for Boulia. It was Sunday morning and it was an interesting drive especially as I had Ian McNamara to listen to while driving along the almost deserted road. Single lane sealed road again with flat plains, dry grass along the roadside, cattle munching away, blue skies and an enormous snake, which I had to wait for, crossing the road. I truly was in the outback. The other motorists that I passed were most courteous and pulled off to the side which made it less precarious on the dirt.

I arrived in Boulia and at decided to book into the caravan park. Boulia is at the junction of the Diamantina and Kennedy Developmental Roads and is best know for its association with the Min Min Light. And of course the first Europeans to pass through the area were Burke and Wills. Burke gave his name to the river which the town stands beside. It also became an important resting place on the stock route between Camooweal and Windorah.

 A friendly camper came over to warn us about the bush rats which invade the campsites and advised us to leave  our cars with the bonnets up and spray the cables and wiring with WD40, which I lost no time in doing, and so did many other campers. By sunset several of the little blighters were on the move, scurrying around the campsite.

Fortunately, there was no evidence of any visitors during the night when I checked the engine the next morning. I went into town to do the MinMin Encounter, which is quite a unique theatrical experience incorporating lots of high tech wizardry. It’s based around the accounts by people and their experiences with the famed Min Min Light phenomenon. The show runs for 45 minutes and introduces various characters who claim to have seen the mysterious light. Talking afterwards to one of the attendants, she remarked that the most recent sighting was only about 6 weeks ago. Unfortunately none of the 10 people thought to take any photos or video footage. Spooooooky stuff!

I also went on to see the Stone House Museum which has become one of Boulia’s most treasured tourist attractions and houses many artefacts.  The museum is also home to a fantastic fossil exhibit and this is when you realise that Boulia, over 100 million years ago, was part of an inland sea. The curator, Dick Suter says that there are new discoveries of fossils regularly. An interesting man to talk to but beware, once he has you there, he’s very hard to get away from, once he starts talking to you about his life’s adventures.

I found a nice camping spot beside the river and near the racecourse, so I decided to stay for the next 2 nights. There were other campers there, so once I’d set up camp, I had happy hour with them and even sat around the campfire later in the evening. The wildlife at sunset was fantastic, kites, an emu and kangaroo, green parrot, ibis and others. I wish I knew all the names.  The campfire was a great way to finish the day.

The second night I was not so lucky, as the rats had had a bit of a party in my engine, chewing through some of the  black  hose on the windscreen washers and some of the protective rubber around  hoses in a couple of other areas. No major damage but enough to put the wind up me about staying another night. A fellow camper kindly snipped off some of the hose, reversed it and clipped it back on. I decided that I would have it checked out in town by a mechanic, if there was one available. Now I was really undecided about Birdsville so back in town I refuelled, while chatting to several people about the rat situation.

1pm found me heading out on the road to Winton and Birdsville.  I decided to take the Birdsville road and I was soon on my way past flat, stony, treeless plains, but along a brilliant sealed road. This was a good omen I thought.  It was about a 3 hour trip to Bedourie (191 kms) as I wasn’t rushing, and I had several stops along the way to take photos.

The next day I was most relieved to see that the rats had not visited during the night, so I went for a walk around town taking a few pictures along the way. Bedourie is referred to as an “Oasis in the Desert” for it dates back to the 1880’s when the area was a major watering and rest stop for drovers moving cattle from the Northern Territory and Northwest Queensland to the collection point at Birdsville and onto the South Australian markets. The Royal Hotel took 4 years to complete and was constructed of sun-dried mud bricks and a thatched roof. The roof was replaced by tin some years later. It has continued to trade continuously. The town has excellent facilities including hotels and motels, school, police station and the administration centre for the Diamantina Shire. It’s also the home of the famous Bedourie Camp Oven which was invented in the droving camps along the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers, until in 1921, when a blacksmith started turning out hundreds of these professionally made ovens. 

Then I decided to venture over to the Artesian Spa and Pool for a relaxing swim. I was there all by myself – how wonderful.

After 2 nights there, I was on the road again and headed for Birdsville. I arrived about midday on Friday, a week before the races were due to start.  It’s a small town situated on the edge of the sands of the Simpson  Desert, the gibber plains of Sturt’s Stony Desert and the rich channel country. The town is only 12 kms from the SA border. But it’s quite a modern community with many services. One of the attractions near Birdsville is “Big Red”, the tallest of the sand dunes of the Simpson Desert, which I’m hoping to see on Monday.   

Anyway, I soon met up with some fellow travellers I’d met back along the track and, once I’d booked in to the caravan park, I lost no time going for a walk around town, visiting the famous Birdsville bakery to sample a - wait for it – a curried camel pie!  The meat was a little bit stringy but quite delicious. The Bakery by the way, boasts award winning pies, cakes and croissants. Then it was off to the iconic Birdsville Pub to take a couple of photos, but decided that a beer could wait for a while.

Next day I decided to ‘bite the bullet’ and pay for a scenic flight over Lake Eyre. WOW what an experience, simply breathtaking! We followed the Diamantina to Goyders Lagoon, crossing the outside and inside Birdsville Tracks and followed Warburton Creek to see it carry fresh water to north Lake Eyre. Then we tracked across the lake before heading north to ‘Big Red’ and back to Birdsville.

The Channel Country is a rich tapestry of vast gibber and grass plains stretching to the distant horizon, undulating red sand dunes and billabongs. Flying over the area, one soon appreciates the isolation and  hardships that confronted the early pioneers and settlers. The Diamantina covers over 94,000 square kms, yet is only home to 11 stations and 300 residents.  Despite this, there are many travellers to this area. We’re about to experience an influx of some 5500 in the next couple of days, during the race weekend.

Next blog, the Birdsville Races. Cheers, I’ll have a drink for you.

Cairns to Mt Isa

For several days now I’ve not been able to get mobile or internet coverage so I have a lot to report. But since leaving Cairns I’ve travelled through some amazing country in Queensland’s outback ranging from grassy downs, along some rocky roads, through semi tropical rainforest areas near the gorges and have seen some rugged escarpments too. I’ve literally been off the beaten track, across one swollen creek and am pleased to say that the Fiat has made it with not too many troubles. ( For those interested in reading my blog, you would be well advised to do it in a couple of sittings.)

So I left Cairns and joined a convoy of 3 vehicles, (people I’d met on the Cape York trip). They were kind enough to let me tag along (little did they know what they were in for). I now had the call sign OBJ (Outback Julie) along with Storm (Ian and Joanne), Mother Hubbard (Geoff and Jenny Hubbard and Ian (no call sign ‘cos we couldn’t think of a name).

I’m now borrowing some of Joanne’s blog.

Toured the Coffee Works and the Heritage Museum, Tolga woodworks and then to Atherton.  We stayed at Atherton 2 nights as there was just so much to see.  Dairy - bought cheese, chocolates (we were all good and abstained) Humpy by the Road, fresh veg and nuts - yes we bought some of these.  Yungaburra and Yahoo we did get to see a great display of the platypus – (I’d already seen them so was able to direct them to the right place.)  Our 2nd day at Atherton was cold with showers, we all had to rug up in jeans and jumpers and were not pleased at all.  Visited the falls, Curtain Fig Tree and Lake Tolga.

Then it was on to Herberton Historical Village and then on to Undara Lava Tubes, situated SE of Mt Surprise. This is the longest lava flow from a single volcano in the world. We booked in to the campsite and experienced some bush camping. There was some entertainment during the evening, a poet who also thought he could play a clarinet - well he couldn't do either.  I nearly had to get up and tell some jokes, but there were children in the crowd. We were up early the next morning to do the guided tour. Our guide, same fellow from the night before, did a much better job explaining how the tubes were formed and the flora and fauna which now live there.

By now I suppose you’ve realised that we’ve been travelling the

Savannah Highway

. At Georgetown, Storm and I had to get a local mechanic to look at our vehicles.  I had blown a fuse and couldn’t get my 12v switch to work. I also didn’t know where to locate the fuse box and the mechanic just rolled his eyes when he knew it was a Fiat. Anyway, after a call to the motor home company, the problem was soon sorted out. Another attraction was TerrEstrial which incorporates the Ted Elliot Mineral Collection. This is a privately owned collection and has more than 4500 specimens. Such amazing colours.

About 90 minutes from Georgetown is Cobbold Gorge and we were to experience another spectacular outback adventure. The Gorge is owned and operated by Simon and Gaye Terry. The boat cruise took us past sandstone cliffs and we viewed the beauty of the 6km long, springfed gorge. This was after we had walked to the top of the escarpment for crocodile viewing. (I’m still not sure if the crocs we saw were real or just cement ones, as they didn’t seem to have moved at all when we returned to that spot.)

Then it was on to Croydon which once boasted 36 hotels in its hay day (there’s only one left but we can certainly recommend the beer there.) The local tourist bureau there can only be congratulated on the way it has presented the rich goldmining history of the town. The museum houses some fantastic collections of heritage items, photographs and information displays, along with some grand old heritage buildings which you can wander through by yourself. The Gulflander train, the RM39 is housed there and travels weekly to Normanton. Nearby Lake Belmore was also a lovely place to visit for lunch.

Leichhart Lagoon was our next stop.  Not a big drive but we had plenty of time.  It was a bush camp right next to a great lagoon.  The bird life was great and the sunset over the lagoon spectacular. Hope you enjoy some of the photos. 

Stopped at Normanton and bought up big at the Green Butcher, because we could have the meat cryovaked, so that we don’t need so much freezer space. (Not sure about the spelling)  We saw the Purple Pub but it was too early for a beer, and then took a 40 min ride on the old RM60 train, which needs a crank-handle to get it started. We then spent an hour at the info centre. Then we continued on to Karumba, only 70 kms down the road on the Gulf. It is well known for its fresh seafood so we lost no time in getting to the market to buy some.

One night we took the champagne, beer, camembert cheese, biscuits and prawns out to Karumba Point, set ourselves up on the lawn and watched the sun set.  It doesn't get better than this.

On Monday 8^th we left Karumba and travelled back to Normanton then on to Burke and Wills Roadhouse, stopping along the way to have morning tea with chocolate cake. I was having trouble with the CB radio (not working and possibly not charged). We decided to charge it through the 12v but that was the wrong thing as we discovered later. (Sorry, Glen, if you’re reading this.) Had lunch at Burke and Wills. Then on to Gregory Downs. Bought a beer at the pub because we were tired and thirsty after a long drive.

The sign said’ NO CAMPING AT THE RIVER’ but after talking to a couple of guys in the pub, we realised that people simply ignore this instruction, as there were dozens of people there already, taking  advantage of the swift flowing water for a refreshing swim and the magnificent campsites. Unfortunately we were a little too late to get a good spot so we camped a little further up, away from the water’s edge.

The trip out to Burketown next day was interesting as we stopped to take several pictures of large eagles feasting on the roadkill along the way. We had to take care in case we ran into a Brahman cow munching along the roadside. Morning tea for us was at a delightful spot called Beames Brook. (More chocolate cake) Continued on to Burketown and got some advice from the Shire about road conditions to Adels Gorge and Lawn Hill. I decided that I would take a chance and drive there myself in my van instead of taking my tent and driving with Ian and Jo. We looked at saltpans, the boiling water of the artesian bore, which has also built up mineral deposits in all colours of the rainbow. We were amazed at the numbers of brolgas we saw. 

Visited the pub to buy some beer and then went out to Leichardt’s Falls (absolutely magnificent.) Lunched nearby, headed back to Gregory Downs, arriving at about 4pm to pack the last things in our vans before setting off for Adels Gorge.

Ian and Jo got a flat tyre just out from Gregory so they stopped to fix it and suggested that I continue on towards Adels Gorge. The road was pretty rough and the van seemed to rattle and shake at every turn in the road. However, I mooched along until I came to a rather deep creek crossing where I waited until Ian and Jo arrived about half an hour later. Once they were across I felt I could do the same. It was deeper than I thought but I managed to get across without any problems. (Although later I discovered that the water pump wasn’t working properly. Fortunately, next morning it seemed to have righted itself). Also lost half a bottle of beer to the corrugations.

Adels Grove is well named for it has lots of shady trees .We booked in and selected our campsites. Then it was time for dinner (sausages, beans and mashed potato).

Next day we planned to drive out to Lawn Hill with me as the terrier again in Joanne and Ian’s car. (They christened me this because every time they opened the back door, I’d jump in.)  Another rough road so I was glad to be a passenger and the fact that it was only 10kms was a relief too. Decided to have lunch before doing our canoe trip. Canoe trip was fantastic even though I was a little apprehensive about doing it, owing to the fact that I probably haven’t been in a canoe for 40 years.

We took about 3 hours to go up and back stopping at a couple of places to swim near waterfalls and carry our canoes across a bit of dirt and rock to get to the next point in the river. Soooooo nice to swim there as the day was quite hot. Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) would have to be one of Queensland’s most scenic spots because it features spectacular gorge country and sandstone ranges which I hope you’ll see in my photos. Again it is fed by underground freshwater springs. To the Waanyi people,it is known as Rainbow Serpent country.

We were back at Adels Grove by 4pm feeling very exhausted but pleased with the day. It would probably rate as a10 out of 10 type day.

Camp oven meal tonight was a group effort – damper, roast lamb, bread and butter pudding and a fruit cake for tomorrow. Another scrumptious meal. Glad I put in the camp oven.

Next day, Thursday, we were up and packed early so that we could drive out to the gorge again to do the Indarri Falls walk. The loop took us to the falls and returned us via the hilltops and gorge rim. It was a moderate to difficult walk but we were pleased that we had all walked off some of the previous night’s dinner. The views were simply stunning.

Then it was back to Adels Grove to do the last minute things before heading back on that goddamn awful road to Gregory Downs. I made sure that I had the tarp ready to put over the front of the engine when crossing the creek again. I set off and got there before the others to find that a water truck was pumping out water from the crossing. However I wasn’t taking any chances and by the time the others had crossed over before me I realised that the level was much lower that expected. Phew, what a relief.

And with the extra packing I had done of the cupboards etc with towels, taping the glass lids over the sink and cook top and removing the TV and placing it on the bed, the drive back was much more secure and less rattling.  We were back at Gregory Downs by about 3pm and managed to get sites right beside the river, as the photos show. We all agreed that it was a perfect place to have the night.

Friday 12^th saw us on the road again heading for Mt Isa and the rodeo. 130 kms of rough road again but at least I was  prepared for it this time. Stopped for morning tea and lunch before meeting up with the sealed road some 40kms N of the main highway. Sooooo good to be back on the tar.

I’ll leave the Mt Isa Rodeo till my next blog.

2^nd August

So much has happened since my last blog, a month ago, I hardly know where to begin. I might as well start with Cairns. I arrived to a week of wet weather so it gave me time to catch up on house keeping, repairs and relaxing while waiting for my friend Sue to arrive from Perth.

We left Cairns on Monday 4^th July and headed towards Kuranda. For those who have visited there you’ll know that it’s a delightful little mountain village which attracts visitors for souvenir shopping and artists’ galleries, not to mention the walking trails, wildlife and river cruises, if you’re so inclined. We resisted the temptation to buy anything other than an icecream at the markets.

From there it was a short drive to Mareeba to shop for some essentials before heading out to Granite Gorge, our stay for the next 2 nights. It is not well advertised because it is privately owned. Once there, we fell in love with the place as it is quite remote and the facilities basic.

With the early morning light in the sky just after 6.30am, we went for our morning walk and were justly rewarded with a lovely sunrise. We ventured further out to the rocks and were greeted with a dozen or more hungry little rock wallabies waiting for their breakfast. We lost no time feeding them from the packet of food we’d been given by the campsite attendant the night before. They were so tame and no doubt used to being around visitors. Granite Gorge proved to be a photographer’s dream as we spent a lot more time exploring the rock pools and taking several photos before returning to camp for a well earned cuppa with our breakfast.

Back in Mareeba we sampled the coffee and the liqueurs and the chocolates at the Coffee Works before returning to the gorge. Then it was time to visit the wallabies again just before dusk and we found them to be not quite as hungry as before, probably due to the fact that there were several other visitors who had been feeding them.

Our next two nights were at Lake Tinaroo camping in the National Park. We almost had the campsite to ourselves and we certainly took advantage of the views and the sunsets, practising different shots with our cameras. We even put our culinary skills to the test cooking damper and casserole in the camp oven. Talk about clever little girl guides.

We then moved around to the other side of the lake at Yungaburra and again had a beautiful lakeside campsite for another three nights. This gave us the opportunity to go out each day to visit other parts of the Atherton Tableland including many beautiful waterfalls, villages, the historical town of Herberton, lakes and marvelling at the hilly and picturesque countryside. But the highlight for both of us was viewing the platypus feeding at Yungaburra.

On returning to Cairns we spent a couple of days packing and preparing for our Cape York adventure, and what an adventure it was.  Having left the motor home in the capable hands of the caravan park owners, we were picked up at 6.45am along with a dozen or so other campers and delivered to a place just outside Cairns, where we joined the rest of the group (we numbered 19 in all). We boarded our 4x4wheel drive truck, which would be our means of transport for the next 12 days. It didn’t take long to get to know the rest of them and we were soon on our way to Cooktown via Mossman Gorge and the Bloomfield Track. The road proved to be pretty rough in places and the creek crossings quite steep and narrow. We had time next day to explore the historic port before arriving at Lakefield National Park via cattle stations, and the old coach road.

Then it was on to Musgrave, the old telegraph station and Coen to Archer River. We crossed the Wenlock and Pascoe Rivers before entering Iron Range National Park for 2 nights.

We visited significant historical sites and Portland roads which was once a vital seaport for miners and the wartime airfields. Chilli Beach is wide and long and fringed with palms and we decided well named, as it was quite windy the 2 nights we stayed there. We learnt about the airfield at Iron Range and where there were major military installations during WW2.

Then it was north west to Weipa on the Gulf of Carpentaria, where some were able to do a tour of the Weipa Mine. From there it was on to Moreton Telegraph Station passing firstly through cattle runs and the Wenlock River again. We encountered some fast flowing streams and rugged 4WD tracks to reach Twin Falls which we all thought were beautiful as we splashed in the cool waters.

Day 9 and we crossed the Jardine River by barge and had a brief visit to Bamarga before arriving at Punsand Bay. This was to be our camp for the last 3 nights. The highlight of Day 10 was a cruise through the Straits to Thursday and Horn Islands.

Our last official day of touring would see us standing at the very tip of our continent at Cape York. Monday 25^th and we were transferred to Bamaga Airport for the flight back to Cairns. Some of the group were returning via barge so we said our goodbyes at the airport. It had been a great experience.  

Some of the memorable events include: the cooking, the joke telling, swimming in the Falls, collecting firewood for the evening, photographing the sunsets, putting up the tents, sleeping on 2inch mattresses, the occasional encounters with snakes, using the “drop” dunnies, night walks to search out wildlife including cus-cus and tree frogs, wading through the creek crossing to get a good shot of the truck coming across, corrugated roads and our “Awards Night”. Hopefully you’ll see some of these in the photos.

It was great to be back in Cairns where we enjoyed the luxury of big comfortable beds and our own facilities for the next 2 nights. For anyone thinking about the next holiday, why not consider a trip to Cape York with Oztours.