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Published: October 23rd 2013
Three headed brolga
Shot through the truck front window - great shot, poor focus.After some weeks in the Northern Territory, it was time to move east and into Queensland. So we headed north from Alice Springs expecting to cross with some other friends who we thought were headed southbound, somewhere around Tennant Creek. We didn't see them along the way and they didn't respond to our UHF radio calls. As it happens, they didn't see us and we didn't respond to their UHF radio calls either. Friends they were travelling with had a caravan problem so we had settled for the evening at The Pebbles (or Devils Pebbles) camp spot about 15 ks north of Tennant Creek, and had done so before they finally arrived at Tennant Creek.
The Pebbles (down about 6ks of average dusty, rutted road) is a very pleasant spot to stop overnight. There are smaller boulders there, similar to The Devils Marbles. Because they are not as spectacular, the camp is free.
For ages we were the only van, then two more arrived and set up for the night. The third arrivals came in a car and set up their tent not from us, a task not completed until after dark. They then took their cooker and food
across to the picnic table to cook dinner. The food was left unattended for a few minutes when the young lady noticed two cats carrying her packet of steak off into the bush. She came and asked if they were our cats. No, but we had seen two feral cats earlier, so guessed two smug pussies dined at the Ritz.
Having made phone contact with our missing friends, we doubled back to Tennant Creek for an early morning cuppa before heading to three ways and towards the Qld Border.
A good road mostly, but the last 20ks to the border was near perfect - designed to leave good impressions?
The journey for quite some time had been through rolling country with trees and grass - savannah land. All of a sudden, there was not a tree to be seen - wide open pasture dried out white. Doubt that it would feed a flea at the moment.
We stopped overnight at another free camp (opposite Avon Downs Police Station) before crossing the border near Camooweal. We heard chatter on the UHF radio talking about cattle, and could soon see the best part of 500 to 600 head
being fed on The Long Paddock. The crew of 4 were well set up and even had a water tanker and portable water troughs for the animals. They had been eating in Qld the days before and were cleaning up the roadside in NT.
The landscape changed substantially between Camooweal and Mt Isa, with the flat savannah plains being replaced with a winding road between rocky hills. Good road through quite steeply sloped valleys.
Camooweal - a name we have heard for many years as Qld's border town is looking really shabby. Decided not to stop but drive through to Mount Isa.
We stayed in a very nice CP for 1 night at The Isa, and as a last minute decision, headed to Cloncurry and then north towards Normanton and Karumba.
This is an interesting driving route, mostly savannah land, but the road could be described as 'Challenging'. The road started normal enough and then we found that the bridges were single lane, something we hadn't seen since the north of WA. But that was just the appetiser. The engineering standard here is from the Victorian School of misalignment of road and bridge surfaces. But, wait,
there's more. Regular users of this road will be the chiropractors life long patients. Instead of free steak knives, the next trick is the road has a single sealed central lane , rough edges, and if required to pass another vehicle, check your insurance first. Anyway, we made it north to Normanton and Karumba without serious incident.
We have often wanted to see brolgas, Australians answer to flamingos, but not quite as pretty. They are often referred to as dancing brolgas. While we didn't see that, we noticed they were shy and disliked cameras. But we saw plenty of them in the Normanton region. Plus of course the black/white geese and wild jabiru as well.
Normanton is a historical town, and in earlier years an export port. Now it is most famous for its old rail motor train which runs to Croydon twice a week. Much less known is RM60, a 1930s rail motor built on an AMC truck chassis, front wheels removed and replaced with a bogie, and real wheels substituted with steel rail wheels. And, you have to hand crank the motor to start it. It was due to run in the afternoon of the 21st,
but we were committed to being south of Normanton by then. We had seen another RM based on the same vehicle, but set up as an ambulance that serviced the Atherton Table Lands. That one was in the museum at Mareeba. This one is in great nic and runs well.
Karumba is the only place with easy driving (not rutted roads) to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Since we have seen most of the other coastal waters of Australia, we thought it would be very remiss of us not to have a look.
Karumba is famous for Barramundi Fishing, and crocs. We saw neither, but enjoyed Barra and Chips as well as the very pleasant evening temps and sea breeze. It is a nice spot at the mouth of the Norman River, and has won the hearts of many southerners as a great place to 'Winter Over'. It is also famous for 'The Morning Glory' In December, from time to time, an amazing cloud formation is generated over the Gulf and comes rolling in over Karumba. The cloud is like a very long horizontal tube, and it is spinning around the horizontal axis. One would be mad to fly
through the cloud with the wing being up on one side and down on the other. The glory dissipates quickly over land. We didn't see this, but saw a long slender strip of cloud which under more humid conditions, may have started spinning.
Next stop - Winton.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Avon Downs Sunset
Now that is lovely