Cloncurry to Lawn Hill NP to Mt Isa

16 May – Cloncurry

Burke's water bottle

We stayed at Wal’s Camp, Cloncurry for two nights, enough time to shop, wash, clean up and see the sights.  The sights included the small local museum at the information station that, amongst other things, detailed the Burke and Wills ill-fated exploration through this region.  Their diary has been typed up and, along with copies of their maps, details their experiences and slow demise.  To do what they did in the times that they did it really shows how talented and tough they were.  In the museum is the actual drink flask used by Burke – interestingly there is another original one in the National Museum of Australia.  There is one in Crazy Clarks too!. 

We also visited the very pretty Chinaman’s Creek Dam and the nearby historic Chinese cemetery.  All-in-all an interesting enough day but to stay another day would have meant that we would have been on the shelves of Crazy Clarks too.  We filled up with fuel at the cheapest servo in town - $1.69 less $0.15c per litre if you bought an original Burke’s water bottle at the local Woolworths for over $100. 

Chinaman's Creek Dam - Cloncurry

17 May - To Lawn Hill National Park

Over 400klm away in the north-west of Queensland is our next target – Lawn Hill - a dream of mine to visit for the last 20+ years.  I was excited to be taking something out of my bucket list rather than to keep putting things in.  We decided to drive straight through avoiding a bush camp half way somewhere along the way. We checked out potential bush camps on the way up in preparation for our return journey out of Lawn Hill.  We travelled the 180klm north on good sealed roads to Burke and Wills Roadhouse.  We again filled up the tank for $1.71 per litre as the cost of fuel in the remote regions we are travelling to requires me to have a blonde wig, a poodle and a red light to pay for it – then again Julie’s here too.....

A flattering photo of Gregory Downs Pub

Turning NNW we travelled on ever diminishing tarmac and ever expanding dirt roads towards Gregory Downs.  Arriving here we again fuelled up the car as well as ourselves by having lunch at the pub.  Fuel was $1.90 per litre and lunch only $16.00.  

After putting in the coordinates for Lawn Hill NP into both TomTom and Nissan GPSs both said turn right and, although neither of them could agree on exactly how far or how long it was to Lawn Hill, both agreed on the direction.  Away we went on totally diminishing tarmac after a few kilometers and onto full dirt, bulldust, corrugated and washed out roads.  Julie meanwhile sat with hardcopy map constantly glancing at the two GPS’s and back again. 

The road to Lawn Hill

After 1.5 hours driving Julie came to the conclusion that the GPSs were going on a holiday all their own and were not going to Lawn Hill at all.  We stopped by a tree on the side of the road and, apart from there being an original Burke’s water bottle lying under it, we worked out we were on the 4WD only track to Riversleigh Station – an additional 54 klm of rough dirt roads on top of the 100klm we were supposed to do. 

Crossing the Gregory River near Riversleigh

We crossed the Gregory River four times with each crossing providing strong warnings about the dangers of crossing it.  At times the van disappeared in the bull dust holes; the corrugations shook the bolts loose on our camp chairs while all the time the sun was blazing in the front windscreen.  We were starting to rue the fact that we never bought some of those original Burke water bottles back in Cloncurry.

Our camp at Adels Grove Camp - Lawn Hill

After an 8 hour trip which included 7.5 hours of driving we arrived at Lawn Hill NP – Adels Grove Campground - an oasis in the middle of the dry floodplains of the Gulf Country.  Here water bubbles out of the limestone rocks to form a permanent pure water source, as it has done for thousands of years.  Aborigines have lived in this area for over 30,000 years with scientists believing this to be the oldest inhabited part of Australia.  After setting up camp and relaxing back in or chairs (with the bolts tightened up) I opened a bottle of Chivas Regal Scotch given to me for my birthday by Mum and toasted her, Burke and Wills, their water bottles, Lawn Hill, the Queen etc etc.  After the long hard drive and so much toast I slept like a baby all night.

18 May - Our first morning at Lawn Hill is sunny and relatively cool for these parts – around 20 degrees.  Off we drove to the National Park 10klm away to get into the walks. 

Lawn Hill - start of walking tracks

The region reminds us of the East/West Macdonnell Ranges near Alice Springs as well as Kings Canyon on the way to Uluru.  Towering red cliffs look down on the gorge with its palm trees and pandanas palms lining the edge of the emerald green river. Freshwater crocodiles, barramundi and archer fish are easily seen.  The archer fish is the one that squirts water at insects above to knock them down and eat.

We did two fine walks – Island Stack Lookout and Wild Dog Dreaming - we looked for Two Dogs but to no avail.  Both walks follow the river and gorge, the first looks down on it all while the second travels along the bottom of the cliffs and passes 3000 year old Aboriginal art and ancient middens filled with mussel shells and bones.  

Island Stack walk- lookout.  Main gorge is centre left.

While up near Island Stack Lookout we looked down into the very clear water below and saw a large (2.3 metre) freshwater crocodile lying still on an underwater rock ready to pounce on a large barramundi feeding under the other side of the rock.  

Looking at the croc

The crocodile was very patient – we weren't and decided to leave before we saw the inevitable outcome.   We're planning to canoe the gorge tomorrow and hope we don’t come across the same crocodile up close.

The croc laying on the rock

We've been tipped off by the staff that we could get phone reception if we walked 15 minute each way from our campsite up Lookout Hill.   So this afternoon we headed off carrying our  Burke's water bottles,  iPhones and iPad and caught up with our emails & the news for the day.   We don't have TV or phone reception in the van and we're staying here for 5 nights.

Lawn Hill NP - Wild Dog Dreaming walk

19 May – Day 2: Lawn Hill NP Gorge paddle. 

We were up early and down at the canoe hire by about 8:15 am.  Launching occurred at 8:25am and the first of many photos was taken at 8:26am.  Being first on the river and through the gorge was a bonus.  We were the ones with the responsibility for disturbing all the wildlife together with the peace and tranquillity of this beautiful place at the start of the day.  Having fulfilled this responsibility we settled back and slowly paddled the emerald green, calcium laden water that flowed through the blood-red cliffs towering above either side.  In stark contrast, white barked snappy gums, growing out of the cliffs, hung on precariously while overlooking this beautiful part of the world.

Lawn Hill Gorge

Paying passengers

Hired help dragging canoe between levels

Engine room

Waterfalls over tufa

Start of Lawn Hill Creek

Archer fish having morning tea with us

Darter

Lawn Hill Gorge - Julie getting her paddle wet just for the photo

Disappointed and relieved we didn't come across a freshwater crocodile, we did however see their sunning spots and slides.  Snapping turtles, cormorants, archer fish and various birdlife did fill our interest and camera lenses. 

Heading for home

The gorge ‘runs out’ after about a kilometre where we encountered numerous 1.5 metre waterfalls flowing over the tufa (calcium build-up over the centuries).  Dragging the canoe up a slide and along outdoor carpeted rocks we then relaunched the canoe and entered the upper reaches of the gorge.  This led us to where the Lawn Hill River starts its life. Again flowing over tufa, the heavily mineral laden waters gush out of a 2klm long narrow flood plain from where  numerous springs create the ultimate source of the river.  As we drifted around all by ourselves, little Grunter fish shared our morning tea with us amongst the purple water lilies sitting on their dish sized floating leaves.  After 10-15 minutes we then retraced our steps (paddle marks) back to the start passing a number of other canoes heading upstream - a total of 6klm of paddling easily fulfilling one of my big bucket list items in Australia and for this trip.

Lawn Hill - roast veges on the campfire.

Arriving home for lunch we rested for the rest of the day – well sort of.  Putting the generator on I did a load of washing after which I collected firewood for dinner, and then dug out some sealant to hopefully close the tiny gaps that let in bulldust through the drivers wheel arch in the van on the way here.  Then I had a rest – well sort of.  Roast vegies in the camp oven was tonight’s dinner option, so I cut up the wood and lit the fire.  Julie brought me a coldie, and for herself, a wine, while we sat back and watched the fire burn from 3 metres away as the day was so hot.  With a nice bed of glowing coals, and with a mild glow ourselves, we roasted the vegies and had dinner around the campfire. After dinner I then did have a rest as we lay back and watched the Milky Way appear before our eyes as the sun set, the heat of the day went and all the flies fell asleep in their little dung heaps for the night.

20 May - Day 3: Lawn Hill NP walks

We were up and away early as the clear blue skies appeared after the orange sunrise of the cool morning.  Today’s 4klm Indarri walk took us to a couple of lookouts overlooking the gorge we paddled along yesterday. 

Upper and lower gorge

We sat perched above the canoe ramp and were entertained by the many confused canoeists trying to work out where to get out and when they finally did so - in the wrong spot – they had to manoeuvre their canoe over additional boulders to get to the start of the proper canoe race.  The sudden awareness that spread over their faces about where they should have comen out was visible even from where we were sitting.  The day warmed quickly and so did we, so by 10:30am we had finished our planned walk and sat and had morning tea at the ranger’s station where the internet was in abundance.  Checking news, weather and emails we then headed home for another relaxing afternoon like I had yesterday.

View above the start of the Gorge

Temperatures at the moment are a very dry 35 degrees during the day and around 18 at night.  Fortunately it cools down quickly when the sun sets making the evenings beautiful.  With no light pollution the night skies are just magic with the Milky Way, the Southern Cross and all the other stars just so bright.  The complete lack of mosquitoes and only a few flies makes for a pleasant change too.

21 May - Day 4: Lawn Hill NP walks

The weather today is the same as earlier days – perfect but very hot mid-afternoon.  We again left early in the morning to start our walks.  Our walking pleasure today was provided to us by  the Constance Range Climb and the Cascades - the latter being our last walk of all the walks in Lawn Hill.  Neither disappointed us. 

Constance Range Climb

Constance Range Climb tracked along the Lawn Hill Creek for a kilometre or so before heading uphill to a circuit walk along the cliffs of Constance Range.  We sat on the cliff edge for quite a while, all by ourselves, overlooking the Gorge, the deep-red escarpments and the floodplain below.  The road into the National Park snaked away the 10klm to our camp below us.  Occasionally the road erupted in dust trails as a 4WD entered the Park. 

Walking the remainder of the loop and, just where it started to descend, we again found a suitable rock under a snappy gum tree to sit and gaze over the Gorge. 

Pulling out our trusty homemade muffins (courtesy of Julie) we had morning tea and drank in the beautiful scenery before descending back to where our car was parked. 

End of Cascades walk

Picking up the trail to the Cascades, we walked further up the Gorge crossing ancient tufa and several old Aboriginal middens (mostly containing mussel shells).  The track ended at the base of the Gorge cliffs at a mirrored pool framed by pandanis palms.  A beautiful spot and a fitting end for our walks in Lawn Hill. 

Midden shells

Returning home we relaxed under the awning during the heat of the day. I fruitlessly hosed the awning, van and ground to try and get some relief from the baking heat. It again was 35 degrees in the shade and in our van. After about 5pm it slowly started to cool down a bit, aided by my two remaining beers.  We had dinner around the campfire although we did sit some distance from it.  After watching the fire and the smoke rising straight up into the still night air we retired for the night.  Tonight was the hottest we have had so far.  At 9pm it was still 29 degrees and the humidity has risen from 32% to 83%.  Tomorrow we head back south again towards Mt Isa.

Wed 22 May - Lawn Hill south

One of many passing road trains

We broke camp early and were away by 8am.  The skies were cloudy in the south and they were moving north during today.  Showers are forecast so we are keen to have the 100klm of dirt and triple road trains behind us before they arrive.  Arriving at Gregory Downs Pub we topped up with enough fuel to safely get us to the Burke and Wills Roadhouse where it is 20c a litre cheaper at $1.71.  All went well with car and caravan, the dust was kept out of the wheel arch and nothing broke loose over the severely corrugated roads. 

After having lunch at the Roadhouse we drove south towards the ominous dark clouds.  The temperature was 38 degrees outside - in 60klm it had dropped to 24 degrees and the showers had started.  We pulled into our bush camp for the night - Terry Smith Lookout 80klm north of Cloncurry.  The camp is high on a ridge and has views over the plains below to the west.  By then the showers had turned to drizzle but we were lovely and dry in our van.  The weather, plus the availability of internet, allowed us to catch up on emails and this Blog.

The van after 250klm of dirt - the photo doesn't do it justice

Road Trains at Burke and Wills Roadhouse and the coming rains

23 May - Terry Smith Lookout (Bush camp) to Corella Dam (Bush camp) via Cloncurry

The rain set in for a while overnight but we had a good site at Terry Smith Lookout with our back (driver’s side) to the rain and wind.  The awning was out giving us a dry area of ground when exiting the van.  The car remained hooked up with the dolly-wheel on to level the van.  We spent a comfortable night in the van with much cooler temperatures and the patter of rain on the roof.

Terry Smith Lookout - bush camp out of Lawn Hill 80klm north of Cloncurry

We woke to clear skies and a car and van well washed of much of the dust that had settled on them over the last week.  While waiting for the awning to dry we walked around the now near empty campground, drinking in the views over the plains below to the distant red range in the distance.  The lookout was named after Terry Smith who, for over 46 years, travelled the road from Cloncurry to the Gulf initially as a truckie and then as a postman.

Travelling south to Cloncurry we had morning tea at our favourite café.  Every time we have been to Cloncurry we have had morning tea here.  Calling into the visitor information station, we filled up with wash water and topped up our drinking water tank for our next bush camp at Corella Dam, about halfway between Cloncurry and Mt Isa. We arrived there around lunch time and picked a site overlooking the dam and the dam wall.  There are 100’s of campsites here with the most popular being those with water views. 

Facing NEWS

Positioning the van is a tug of war between facing it north to catch the sun for the solar panels, facing it east to get the morning sun with our backs to the setting sun, facing it west to turn our back on the biting winds blowing over the dam facing it and south to get views of the dam.  So we faced it NEWS so we could keep to date with current affairs.

Our 2nd full moon of the trip

On our second day here we took a drive to Mary Kathleen, previously a town of over 830 people supporting the now closed open cut uranium mine in the 1950’s and 1980’s. Now the town no longer exists.  The old roads and building slabs are all that remain.  We strolled the old streets, together with the grazing cattle, identifying the shopping precinct and residential streets.  Interesting it is a great place to camp. 

Mary Kathleen town centre

Many old campfires can be seen around the old town and you can have your pick of house slabs to camp on over a huge area.   Given no-one was camped here, we’re not sure if you’re able to but if we come this way again we will call in and check it out.

Corella Dam camp - our van on far right

Returning to camp we relaxed for the rest of the day, watching the myriad of birds feeding around the dam.  Tomorrow we are off to Mt Isa to get the car serviced, to clean the dust out of and off everything and shop in preparation for the next part of our trip – to the Northern Territory.

25 May - to Mount Isa

Just an hours drive today from Corella Dam to Mt Isa.  We didn't leave until 11:00am and arrived at the fully booked out Sunset Van Park.  We will stay here until Tuesday, do the washing, cleaning the car and van of all the red dust and dirt, and of course do the supermarket shuffle.