Kingfisher Camp - our 1st crunch-it-all

Tues (30/7) we left Adels Grove early and headed north to Kingfisher Camp on the Nicholson River. It's marked as 4wd but the road was fine. Bit corrugated and dusty and a couple of creek crossings just out of Adels Grove.

And several gates to manoeuvre. See gate, stop, count to 10 and watch dust swirl past, get out and open gate picking side upwind of vehicle to stand and wait, drive through, close gate.

This is How Mike copes with the dust.

We did a total of about 140km in just over 3 hours. That included stops to spy on a jabiru, stalk a feral cat with a slingshot and have a lovely morning tea under a shady tree hoping a car wouldn't come because we realised we were on the down wind side of the road! Luckily we saw hardly any cars all day.

We got to Kingfisher early afternoon. Nice grassy camping area with shady trees and a resident friendly bull, 'Big Mac'. We went for a walk up the river and saw our first freshwater croc sunning himself on the opposite bank. After a while he slid into the water and floated down the river. They have also seen a salty here, so we stayed a respectful distance from the river.

Kingfisher Camp is aptly named for the kingfishers who inhabit the area, relatives of our own laughing kookaburras. These have a rather raspy, discordant wanna be laugh - a bit like a kooka without the burra according to Mike. 

There were only about 8 groups at the site so it was a very quiet and mellow evening. We had a 3 course meal - broccoli soup (thanks Mum) and omelette and a green salad, finished off with tea and Lindt balls.

Robinson River - into the NT

Wed (31/7) once again up and away early. We drove east to the main road (Savanah Way) and Hells Gate Roadhouse. We stopped for fuel, bought a couple of sangers for lunch and filled up the water tank. Then across the border into the NT.

Note Mike's mask, the dust on the van and the taping on the door. Yes another dusty, corrugated day. Actually the road was okay with some nice, smooth, even bits interspersed with the less tasteful bits.

We found a nice spot for lunch by a river. Karyn was a bit reluctant due to the big sign on the road warning about crocs. But we found a nice shady spot high enough to give us a fighting chance of winning the race.

After Hells Gate there is nothing for 315km until Borroloola. We drove a total of about 300km in about 7.5 hours. Once again we saw only a handful of cars all day.

We stopped for the night at Robinson River which is about 110km east of Borroloola. We are down a track on the east side in a beautiful spot just above the river. Mike set up the shower so we had a lovely cool shower with river water to remove the dust.

Lawn Hill Gorge

Sun (28/7) We juddered our way into Lawn Hill Gorge, 10km of corrugations. We got in early and did the longest walk in the cool of the morning, about 3.5 hours. Absolutely spectacular gorge with steep red cliffs, pockets of palms and other subtropical plants mixed with the eucalyptus bush on the more open areas. The Lawn Hill 'Creek' is an amazing emerald green water course, wide and deep with large deep waterholes and cascades. There were some gorgeous lookouts along the way. At one we had a chat with canoeists way below us.

It was a hot day, probably well into the 30s, but a very dry heat. After our walk we cooled off with a swim and had some lunch. Then a shorter more shaded walk in the afternoon out to an aboriginal cultural site with some rock paintings and carvings.

Alas not a crocodile to be seen! 

We got back to the camp site late in the afternoon and chilled out with a glass of wine and watched 2 young families come in and set up near us. Very entertaining and a lovely scene.

Mike took some great photos and I will let them do the talking (when we figure out how to get them from the camera to the laptop to the blog).

Adels Grove - R&R

Mon (29/7) We thought about going back to the gorge for a canoe trip, but opted instead to have a relaxing day 'at home'. Instead of investing in canoe hire, we have instead invested in massages. Yes there is a resident masseur in the campground!

I also took the opportunity to do a big wash - I was lucky enough to get a machine (hotly contested as they are, but line space proved more elusive. Mike and his bag of ropes to the rescue.

Knitting, reading and blog writing were also on the agenda. Kirsten wanted a progress report on the patchwork blanket. Notice the sporting theme in the middle. Essendon at the centre surrounded by Easts, Commercial, UQ and Redsox.

Adels Grove

Sat (27/7) A shorter drive today - about 100km. But the whole drive was dirt road, a lot of it corrugated. We followed a number of vehicles in, so the dust was pretty horrendous. We have taken to taping the door to try and reduce the dust in the van. It works well.

Well worth it though. Adels Grove is an absolute oasis in this harsh land. A beautiful emerald green creek with waterholes that are perfect for swimming. The water is a tad chilly, but it's quite warm here, so very refreshing. We are camped in The Grove where generators and dogs are not allowed. We have a beautiful shaded spot. There's no electricity, but there is water, toilets and showers. We will be very comfortable here.

We have just climbed to the top of a hill where we have phone and Internet coverage, so I can update the blog! Here's a pic as the sun sets.

Gregory Downs

Fri (26/7) From the sublime to the ridiculous.Yesterday we. Travelled 20km, today 670km. We left Winton at about 8am and got to Gregory Downs at about 4:30pm. Very good sealed road the whole way, but quite a few road trains. 

We stopped for morning coffee at a little town called Kynuna and Mike made some new friends - 2 very friendly brolgas.

We had lunch at Cloncurry and then pushed on to Burke and Wills roadhouse about 180km north of Cloncurry. We were going to stop there but it was dry and dusty, with no shade. Not very inviting. So we continued another 140km NW to Gregory Downs where there is a camp behind the pub. Quite a nice spot,still dry and dusty but we managed to find a spot under a tree a bit away from the other vans.

Ran into a lovely couple from SA (Marian and Ross) with a Goldstream Crown similar t ours. It was fun to swap stories.

We had dinner at the pub and what an amazing experience that was! We are very lose to the Century mine, so it was a very eclectic bunch of mine workers, grey nomads,the local indigenous population and various other odds and sods, not to mention a tribe of dogs running around. A priceless experience and well worth the $20 camping fee and $1.999/lt diesel price.

Winton

Thu (25/7) today we drove in to Winton, a grand total of about 20km. Longreach to Winton is 175km. We have taken 3 days and about 650km to make the trip. But what a great 3 days it's been.

We decided to spend a night in Winton to clean out some of the dust (we've been on dirt road for 3 days), do a wash and do a shop. We are in one of the 3 caravan parks in town. A shower was certainly a luxury. It's dry and dusty here. Winton strikes me as a town that is being kept alive by the tourist trade alone.

The camel races are on Saturday, but we've decide not to stay. We are keen to get to Lawn Hill Gorge so we can stay roughly on schedule to be into the NT by Aug.

We have no Optus coverage here and no certainty as to when we will get it, so we have no phones. But we do have Telstra wifi coverage, so we can email. So if you need to contact us, use email.

Lark Quarry and Bladensburg NP

Wed (24/7) We stopped at Lark Quarry on our way to Bladensburg NP. I was a bit underwhelmed by the dinosaur footprints housed in a big building. But the guy giving the talk was great. We then did a 3.5km walk out through a spinifex plain and up on to a Mesa. It was spectacular. It. Really showed how this country is so vast and ever changing. The vegetation, colours, animals, birds are all so interesting and diverse. Mike took photos on his camera and I will add some later.

Then on to Bladensburg NP where we camped for the night at the Bough Shed Waterhole. Once again a lovely spot where there were only a couple of other campers and lots of space.

Here's a pic taken at Skull Hole in the park. It's arid but beautiful.

Here's Mike stalking a feral cat with his slingshot in the same area.

Mayne River

Tues (23/7) we left Lochern and headed across to the Winton/Jundah road. We then turned north toward Winton for about 40km to the Mayne River and a lovely little camping spot - our first free camp. We were told about the spot by the owner of the photographic gallery in Longreach. It's not marked on any maps and the river itself is not signed on the road, so we assume we are where we think we are! We didn't pass a car in either direction for the entire drive which was only about 140km and took just over 2 hours. After our 2nd day on dirt, we have picked up a bit of dust in the car and van, but nothing that a damp cloth won't fix. The fly population has also increased, but it's not time for the head nets yet. There's quite a breeze which is probably helping.

It's a really pretty spot above a waterhole. The bush is really easy to walk through, so we went for a lovely long walk, followed by a very restful afternoon.

This is the view from the door of the van as the sun comes up.

And here is Mike having a wash in the very cold waterhole. I chose to have a nice warm sponge bath in the van.

Tonight was the coldest yet - 1 outside, 3 inside.

Lochern NP - under the shade of a Coolibah tree

Mon (22/7) we left Ilfracombe and drove south to Isisford, the home of the Clancy of the Overflow pub. We had planned to camp there overnight on the Barcoo River, but there were lots of caravans in a so-so camp. So we continued on to Lochern which is west of Isisford, just north of Stonehenge. This put us on dirt road for the first time and introduced us to road train etiquette, I.e. they own the road and when they are coming, you get off! Quite simple really. And this is only a very small one.

The road was quite interesting and not overly challenging. We stopped to get up close and personal with what the locals do with wild dogs. All up we covered about 240km.p

We followed a party of 4 into the campground and we were the only ones there. They camped further up the road and we chose a spot right on the water, so we basically had the place to ourselves. It was gorgeous. Lots of bird life and kangaroos. We heard wild cats but didn't see any.

With a bit of cloud in the sky the sunset over the water was absolutely spectacular - a regular outback light show. Then some dinner and snuggle into bed as the temperature plummeted. By morning it was 2 outside and 3 inside. But we stay remarkably warm and cosy in the van.

Longreach - doing it right

Sat (20/7) Visited Stockman's Hall of Fame - lots to read and see. In the Art Gallery we stumbled across a big book on the Bassingthwaighte family - Kirsten's married name. They are an old farming family that originated in England. Her husband Chris knows about the book, so we photocopied a few pages to take back for them. Very impressive that the family features prominently at the Hall of Fame!

We then did a sunset cruise on the Thomson River which included nibbles, dinner of a hearty beef stew around a campfire, light and sound show on the river and damper and tea to finish off. Ironically, the show was based on the story of Captain Starlight - who needs a lookout anyway! It was a very pleasant evening.

Sun (21/7) We booked an extra night at Ilfracombe so that we could spend a day doing a big clothes wash, excavate and repack the car and van and a general clean and straighten up. The weather has turned cold with the temperature this morning inside the van 6.5 and outside 4.5. Thanks to Brett for our indoor/outdoor thermometer.

Here's Mike waiting for his morning coffee. Yes he sleeps in the hat. But we are actually very comfortable thanks to good bedding and the right clothes. 

We have also done a bit of trip planning. We will probably be without Internet or phone access for the next few days as we head for Isisford, Lochern NP, Mayne River and Carisbrooke Station. We are planning a bit of a loop off the highway between here and Winton. Some of it is dirt road, so we'll see how the van goes. So the next post may be a few days coming.

Longreach - what NOT to do

Fri (19/7) We started the day with an early morning walk around Ilfracombe. We found the cemetery and realised that something nasty happened here in 1897 that killed a whole lot of babies and children. Need to do some research.

Then we drove into Longreach for the day. Spent some time driving around the back blocks looking at the houses. It's a very old town with lots of original architecture. Then a spot of shopping and some lunch before venturing out to Starlight's Lookout which is about 45km out of town on a dirt road. We checked at the Information Centre and were told that the road was good,  even though there was some rain in the area. We took off and got about 15km out and the dry road turned into a slightly damp road which was VERY slippery and very muddy. Not mud as we know it, but very sticky black gunk. We persevered in 4-wheel drive weaving along for a short distance, but then threw in the towel and turned back. We stopped at a pretty lagoon on the way back and got rid of some of the mud.

Unfortunately there had been a little more rain, so we picked up even more mud and when we got back to the sealed road we had to stop and de-mud the wheels, so that they could go round properly - they were totally mud bound. A quick call to Dad for advice and back into Longreach and the only car wash in town for some high pressure hosing down.....

And shovelling of mud.....

Into a wheelie bin, which we filled......

All up about $25 and 45 minutes of "fun".

The irony of this story is that this is exactly the spot that my parents were trying to visit when they got stuck for 2 days a couple of years ago. The Info Centre also told them it was good to go. Looks like our family is destined not to reach this lookout.

Anyway, all ended well. We are now far more knowledgeable about the fickleness of changing weather conditions in this part of the world. We headed back to Ilfracombe, a beer at the pub, a nice hot shower and a yummy dinner of barramundi and veges. 

Tomorrow we head back into Longreach for some more sedate tourist activities - Stockman's Hall of Fame and riverboat cruise. Hopefully, mud not included!

Ilfracombe

Thurs (18/7) - a new record. We were on the road at 7:38am! And off down the road west. On the way we encountered 2 huge 8 metre wide mining trucks that we got stuck behind for a while. I tried to take photos but they were videos that I can't upload to the blog (I pressed the video button when I thought I pressed the zoom button) - ho hum.

We passed through Barcaldine which is a fascinating outback township. It's home to the Tree of Knowledge which is a very sad dead stump in a cage with a long line of caravans parked in the street beside it. We didn't stop to add to its sorry distress. Instead we drove around the streets to get a feel for the town. Definitely worth another look next time we come this way.

We arrived at Ilfracombe (about 20km east of Longreach) at about 12:30. The caravan park is on the highway and we picked a great site at the very back, tucked away in a corner with a great view out across the vast expanse of brown flat country. We have booked in for 3 nights and will use this as a base to explore Longreach.

We had a rather hilarious setup that mimicked a script out of Monty Python. The site is not quite flat so we needed to "chock" one of the wheels of the van - which we have done before quite successfully. Somehow this time the van rolled of the chock, so we decided to hitch it up to the car and try again. Unfortunately, we didn't secure the hitch on the ball and as we moved the van it fell off - woops. So then we had to jack the bloody thing up so we could get the jockey wheel on and get it back on the car. You get the picture! Luckily, having picked a very back spot meant that we didn't entertain the entire park with our antics - just a fortunate few nearby.

I just wish I had photographic evidence. Anyway, all that wonderful extra time we had up our sleeves from such an early start got gobbled up with our course in "Site Setup 101 - How not to do it."

All was good in the end and we have a lovely site. We went for a walk around the town - which took all of 20 minutes and stopped at the home of 14,000 bottles and various other fascinating junk.

Then an ice cream from the general store, followed by a beer at the pub.

And then a dip in the warm artersian spa.

This is a very friendly and social park. We went to the happy hour in the camp kitchen where we were entertained by a country singer and the park owners doing a stand up comedy routine. Mike referred to it as the "RSL club for caravaners".

Emerald to Springsure

Wed (17/7) - this was just a day trip. We drove back to Emerald and then on to Springsure via the Fairbairn Dam and Lake Maraboon. There is a lovely caravan park at the lake and vans were lined up at 11:30am. Mostly Victorian number plates. Here's Mike with the biggest fish he'll ever catch.

Then on to Springsure and the Minerva national park where we got into 4-wheel drive for the first time. Lovely spot for lunch looking down on Springsure.

We came back to Emerald via a dirt road on the other side of the national park where we were lucky enough to find the historic site of the massacre of the Wills family by aborigines in 1861. Mike and I had both read the book about it, so it was a real find. The following pics tell the story. Note Mike immersing himself in the experience.

We finished the day at the Rubyvale pub watching State of Origin.

Rubyvale

Mon (15/7) to Thu (18/7) - we escaped the Victorian refugee camp that was Yeppoon. We tried to go to Blackdown Tablelands NP but there was "no room at the inn" - damn grey nomads clogging up all the good spots! So we ploughed on to Rubyvale which is about 40km west of Emerald. Really easy trip, the road was great and we easily sat on 100 all the way. Pretty lunch spot at the Whistle Stop park in Comet. We are following the Tropic of Capricorn along the Capricorn highway.

The drive was through coal country and we saw heaps of coal trains - very sad for the environment.

We are at the Gemseekers Caravan Park. Lovely park within walking distance of the town which has one general store, one pub and many many gem stores all willing to sell you all manner of cut and uncut stones, not to mention the numerous mine tours and fossicking opportunities. A really pretty little town and we will be happy to make our base here for a few days and explore the area. 

We have "set up" for the first time. Here's a pic.

Tue spent exploring Rubyvale and surrounds on foot. We started off by walking about 1.5km out of town to the Heritage Mine where we had a tour of a sapphire mine with Jill, a real character. It was great fun. Then she directed us to a dirt road alternate route back to town which took us past a whole bunch of working mines - a real motley collection of machinery and accommodation options. Here are a couple of pics of the walk back. Sorry about the thumb in the one with Mike. I'm sure I could edit it out if I knew how.

Then it was back to the van for lunch and a bit of r&r. My patchwork blanket is coming along. Later in the afternoon we walked back into town for some coffee and strudel (recommended by Barry and Kaye). We met the most amazing Austrian guy who ran the strudel hut and the gem shop. He was quite brusque until Mike warmed him up and we ended up having a great chat. Here is a pic of the tropical garden setting at the Strudel Hut, which is completely at odds with the rest of the countryside.

We had a drink at the pub and booked in for dinner tomorrow night - State of Origin. Should be a hoot.

Yeppoon/Rockhampton

Fri (12/7) to Mon (15/7) - we came through Biloela (ho hum) and Mount Morgan (fascinating old town - definitely warrants a return visit). Arrived in Rockhampton at about lunch time and drove out to Emu Park. Checked out a couple of camp grounds with "no room at the inn" before ending up with the 2nd last sit at a park in Cooee Bay, next door to Yeppoon. Apparently we are competing with the Victorian refugees who are fleeing the southern climate and arriving here in droves.

We've decided we like national park campgrounds MUCH better than town ones.

My pet peeve for the day is road works! Took us about an hour to cover about 30km in one stretch. And the traffic controllers are not the brightest crayons in the box. But we just sit back and relax and sip tea from my most excellent thermos.

Had dinner with Jack, Gillian and Anne from Capricorn Caves on Friday night.

Saturday shopping for the bits and pieces we forgot followed by Jack's AFL game. His team won convincingly amid on-field brawls, spectator verbal spats and 2 ambulance attendances. 

Weather has been fabulous. Very mild days with cooler nights, but we have been very snug in our little van. Our first big rain storm was Sat night which happily coincided with our first big load of laundry. I looked upon it as a second rinse cycle!

Sunday was a visit to the Heritage Markets in Rocky followed by a tour of the Capricorn Caves. Then on to Byfield National Park where we checked out some campgrounds, but decided to bypass that experience given it is a bit rainy and windy. Lovely drive and worth a look at a later time.

Cania Gorge

Wed (10/7) and Thurs (11/7) - Much bigger drive today through Maryborough, Childers, Gin Gin, Mount Perry, Monto and on to Cania Gorge. Thanks to Zoltan and Heather & Mick for the tip. This is a lovely spot and a beautiful caravan park. We are at the Tourist Retreat, not the Big 4 - smaller and simpler and closer to all the walks.

We walked through the old Boolboonda rail tunnel near Gin Gin, aka the "bat cave". Mike assured me that the bats would not eat me! This is Mike doing a hanging bat impersonation at the tunnel entrance.

And this is me about to get up close and personal with hundreds (maybe thousands!) of little bats.

We have finally picked up the pace a bit having covered about 250km. We are spending 2 nights here so that we can do some walking.

Cania Gorge is beautiful - we walked for about 3 hours on Thursday morning and then had a lazy afternoon. Lovely campsite with some very interesting people. Here are some photos from our walks.

Ok, so if we ever say we are joining a caravan club - SHOOT US. We encountered a part of a club (about 6 vans) here. Hmmmm, not our favourite people - loud, domestics in the camp kitchen, and then as they left, one couple blocked the entrance "waiting" for the others causing a big long line of vehicles trying to exit the park. They were heading for a club "convention" in Gayndah, thankfully in the opposite direction to us.

Boonooroo

Tues (9/7) Boonooroo is just south of Maryborough. We are making a cracking pace! At this rate we should be in Darwin by 2015! Very leisurely morning with Mike making a few "adjustments" to the van, followed by a lovely lunch with Heather and Mick. We hit the road at about 1:30 and took the back roads to Tin Can Bay and then on to Boonooroo - a grand total of less than 100k. Boonooroo is a nondescript little fishing village on the Fraser coast with a very nondescript little caravan park, but very adequate. Quick drink at the local bowls club, the only game in town apparently. Tonight we get to cook in the van for the first time.

Check out time is 10am, so tomorrow we will be on the road before noon whether we like it or not.

Day 1 - Kin Kin

Monday 8th July - our journey starts at the public weigh bridge at Rocklea at a respectable 12 noon. All good to go.

Then on to Nambour for afternoon tea with Dennis and Eva. Followed by a leisurely drive to Kin Kin in the Sunshine Coast hinterland where we set up camp in Ken and Barb's back yard with one of Barb's terrific curries for dinner. Life on the road sure is tough!!

Departure day gets closer

Mike and I finished work on Friday. Mike has 4 months long service leave and I am either retired or on an extended break - Brett refers to it as an "income pause".

We are now packing in earnest. Today's projects included hunting for sun and privacy tarps, roof basket and moth balls for the clothes that aren't coming with us.

Departure is next Monday. Here is our "rig" in the back shed. Note that the watercraft aren't coming with us - but don't tell them that!

This adventure is to Darwin and back in about 3 months.

Our Rig

The "tug" is a 2002 Prado, auto, dual batteries, fitted with a 40lt Engel fridge and 2 drawers in the back.

The "tugee" is a Goldstream Crown off road van with a van version of a queen size bed, microwave, dometic fridge, 4-burner gas stove and grill and air con.