Blogs from Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 10

Too much driving today. Nearly 700kms. Road surfaces varied from smooth gravel, very dusty surfaces, rough stone, narrow one lane bitumen, bitumen wide enough for two vehicles to pass but with no shoulder. This was surprising for us as Mt Isa is a major town in north-western Qld. There were more Floodways, creeks (mainly dry) and river crossings (also mainly dry or with pooled water), than on any other road travelled so far. First stop was Bedourie, 191km from Birdsville. It is the headquarters of the vast Diamantina Shire which is bigger than the country of Denmark. Beef production, tourism and mining exploration are the major industries. From here it was onto Boulia, also a distance of 191km. Approximately 120km north of Bedourie we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn where obligatory photo was taken. We stopped ... read more

The second must do experience as we crossed the Savannah Way, according to many fellow travellers, was to visit the Undara Lava Tubes. There are only two licences issued by the government to visit the lava tubes, and Bedrock Village Caravan Park where we were staying in Mount Surprise had one of those licences. We booked a full day bus tour, and headed out at 7.30am to visit Kalkani Crater. It was brisk walk to the top of the crater, and we proceeded to walk around the rim, learning of the history of volcanic activity in the area that formed the crater. After enjoying morning tea at the foot of the crater, it was back on the bus to head for Undara Lava Tubes. Thousands of years ago, there was a volcanic eruption that was so ... read more

Birdsville Big Red Bash, day 1, done and duuussstteedd. The 35km drive out to Big Red surprised us as 27km was on bitumen and the remaining kms on beautiful gravel. The single track at the base of Big Red was a few centimetres of soft sand atop a hard base. Smooth driving. Parked in the day trippers designated area and went seeking our friends, Kerry and Dave. We were blown away with the sight of the setup, never having seen so many caravans and campers in one place and organised in a semi-circle fashion with the stage the centre point. Imagine a wagon wheel cut across the diameter. Now imagine throwing a stone into a lake and the ripples radiating out from the centre. The ripples were roads named as: Kelly Crescent, Barnes Boulevard, Burke and ... read more

In planning our journey across the Savannah Way, we followed the route on WikiCamps, and then looked at all the places to stay and of interest. One planned stay intrigued us, and that was the Talaroo Hot Springs, which was proudly owned and operated by the Ewamian Aboriginal Corporation. They acquired the 31,500 hectare property following a Native Title Determination in 2013, and indigenous rangers have managed the property since that time. We wanted to support this venture for the Ewamian people on their own country, particularly after hearing of many examples of the shocking treatment of indigenous inhabitants of the land as it was opened up by European settlers. The facilities were great, with a powered and water caravan site, close to hot showers and toilets. There was a great cafe at Reception, where the ... read more

At just about every Caravan Park we stayed at, people we encountered asked "Have you been to Cobbold Gorge?" We booked our Caravan Park in Georgetown and the tour of the gorge at least two weeks ahead, which was just as well, as many people not only missed out on the gorge, they also encountered No Vacancy signs at the local Caravan Parks. Thus, it was with much anticipation that we drove the ninety kilometres (mostly on dirt roads), from Georgetown to Cobbbold Gorge, which can only be viewed with a booked tour. The gorge is located on private property, and we had to take a bus from the Visitor Centre to the start of the gorge. We were taken by a guide from the start of the gorge up to the top of the cliffs, ... read more