And so we made it to Queensland!!
Our first few nights were spent in the hot & dusty town of Camooweal. A place where not too much happens besides arvo beers at the local, but nice enough while we waited for Fred’s parents to come & meet us. They were travelling from Townsville with their Jayco off-road camper trailer, ready to make a most unfair of trades – their camper trailer for our huge hire trailer full of all our crap!!
We cannot express our gratitude enough. Since our caravan turned cactus in Darwin we have been living the swag life. Yes it is beautiful to always be out in nature, sleeping under the stars & truly immersing in the great outdoors (do you feel the but coming on..?! LOL). Fred could live out the rest of his days in the swag, but I’m afraid I can’t say the same for me!! I love camping, but I also love having the option to be clean, tidy & organized & that doesn’t happen living out of the swag. Having the Jayco camper means having a bit more space for us all (Me, Fred & Barney), & having a bit more of a home for the rest of our journey up to Cape York & back down the East Coast of Australia. THANK YOU so so SO much Wendy & Glenn, we owe you big time!!!
It was wonderful to see them too, the first members of family we have seen since my mothership visited us in Port Lincoln back in March. Oh & can’t forget little Squeaky, even if he wasn’t so impressed to see his boofy cousin Barney!
We spent a couple days catching up, in between seeing the sites of Camooweal & me making everyone stream-watch my brothers AFL grand final from back in Tassie! So devastated Lauderdale lost, but well done to them on making their very first TSL grand final, next year boys!!
Once the swap was all settled & we had said our goodbyes (for now), it was time to hit the road once more. Oh but wait, things couldn’t be that easy, gotta throw in another hurdle just for good measure! As Fred was getting the car ready to drive away the starter motor decided to chuck a bit of a tantrum. It had been playing up a bit throughout the trip, but now had thrown in the towel. Luckily we have a mechanic on speed dial & he gave Fred the low down so we could get the car started again without burning the engine to a pulp! (The problem wasn’t that it wouldn’t start, rather that it wouldn’t stop. It was firing non stop, frying connections & making a great deal of smoke!). Thanking you Garrett for all your help!!
After sorting out a new starter motor in Mount Isa, we were finally back on track. Travelling through far north, western Queensland, if that makes sense! Near the NT border making our way for The Gulf of Carpentaria.
Adels Grove was a beautiful camp along the way. Surrounded by empty flat plains, it was a pleasant surprise driving in & tucking our camper away in the shade of a jungle of trees here. We could have easily stayed for a week if we had the time.
See below the epic rope swing they have for you to Tarzan your way into the nice cool river.
Just down the road from Adels Grove is the Boodjamulla National Park. And oh how amazing it was to plunge into some luscious Queensland greenery!!! It’s still largely barren out this way, near the Australian Savannah, where the land is flat & pretty dusty. So it was so nice to get a fix of some tropical greens!
Next stop was Bowthorn Station near Doomadgee, to see one of Fred’s old boarding school buddies, Jack. He’s a geologist working on finding either nickel or copper (I’ve forgotten which, I think it was copper! LOL) out this way. Shout out to you Jack & your lovely mrs Izzy, for showing us around & for your kind hospitality! It was awesome to go somewhere we wouldn’t otherwise of had the opportunity to see, thanking you guys!
Along the Savannah Way, Burketown was our next stop. The barramundi capital of Australia, or so they claim. We weren’t able to prove that theory right, though we gave it a crack!
Burketown is right down the bottom of the Gulf, apparently the only place in Australia where at certain times of the year you can see the natural phenomenon called The Morning Glory. Not what you’re thinking I can assure you!! It’s actually a natural wonder caused by the atmospheric weather, which creates ‘log roll’ like clouds. These clouds sit low to the ground, stretch over the horizon & literally roll in up the Gulf in the early mornings at a speed of up to 60 k’s per hour. Pretty darn crazy!! Unfortunately it was over cast the few mornings we woke up here, so we didn’t get to experience it, just the crazies that had come from all corners of the country to see it full frothing to tell us ALLLLLL about it, LOL.
We had heard stories about the famous Purple Pub in Normanton, though regretfully we didn’t rate it that highly. Perhaps if their service was a little better than full on rude, or their food tasted at least a little bit nice… You’re better off going over the road for a conversation with a statue of Australia’s largest crocodile!
We finally landed a sized barramundi on the river at Karumba. I say we, but lets face it – it was me (LOL!). And what a beauty!! Dinner for us for that next few nights at least. Made getting destroyed by sandflies worth it! I love catching fish for us to eat, how better a way to know where your food has come from, while keeping it local & sustainable than to catch it yourself!
*TIP: If you’re heading out on the water in this region do your skin a favour & cover it up! As well as “Bushman” the bageezers out of any skin left uncovered. If you have irritable southern skin like me you’ll save yourself weeks of insanely itchy nights & your sanity!
The waterfront at Karumba Point proved a great spot for a beach stroll.
And a great place to watch the sun set over the ocean while sinking an ice-cold beverage from the pub, ahhhhhhhh.
Once again thanks for reading, we hope you have enjoyed. For us it is now time to take the road toward tropical Queensland – Cairns. I bloody can’t wait for all the greenery & rainforests to smack us right in the face. Whoop!
Until next time.
Xo
Fred, Claire & Barney cut a lap 