Day 185 - 15 Jun 09

I ended up significantly over-staying the “legal” limit at Bushy Parker Park at Rollingstone, but it was such a beautiful site that it was very easy to stay for “just one more day.” I was all squared away and ready to move yesterday, but after having a glass of juice and a cup of coffee for breakfast, I just couldn’t be bothered hooking up so stayed another day.

A walk along the creek brings you to the railway and highway bridges over the creek as well as an old bridge on what appears to be the old highway and is now a bypass road. A couple of deep holes which make great swimming holes, but what struck me was the artwork on the supports under the bridge. It is amazing what some people can do with spray cans. If only they would do more of this and less of the “tagging.”

Drove through to Innisfail via Ingham, Cardwell and Tully. Beautiful scenery all along the coast and through plantations of bananas and sugar cane. Hinchinbrook Island would have to get the nod for the island the least distance off the coast, it's only a matter of metres and I think that at low tide, you'd just about have to call it part of the mainland.

Booked into the River Drive Caravan Park in Innisfail. Was originally going to stay for just 2 nights, but, unlike the majority of parks, the manager only charged me $15 per night because I was on my own, rather than the usual “2-person” standard rate, so I stayed for an additional couple of nights.

The information centre in Innisfail had a “1 for 1” free book exchange, so I took advantage of it to swap about 15 books, which should keep me going for another 3 weeks or so.

If I was going to go into business, I discovered a possible money-earner. I searched all over town for an axe. Had great difficulty even finding a place that sold them (you’d think hardware stores, but no luck.) Finally found a couple of places and the cheapest I could find was $78.00!!! Bloody Hell, you can buy a cheap chainsaw for not much more than that.

Day 189 – 19 Jun 09

OK, time to head for the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Took off from Innisfail this morning and headed over the Great Dividing Range via Millaa Millaa, but by-passed the Atherton Tableland (been there, done that). It rained the night before in Innisfail and the weather was still very overcast when I left. The result of this was that the high passes over the range were blanketed with fog, and I mean foggggg. Visibility about 50 metres and this is in broad daylight, but by the time I got to Ravenshoe on the other side of the range, the weather had cleared and it was fine and clear again.

Stopped for the night at a roadside rest area called Archer River and again it was a delightful spot. I think Queensland has to take the prize for having the best rest areas I've seen. No facilities except toilets (and they were backed up), but a really pretty area and some nice bushwalks along the creek and up the local hills. It has been fairly chilly here recently, getting down to 8 degC overnight and only up to 25 deg during the day, but it is all relative. It is the middle of winter, and it’s a hell of a lot colder in the south, I heard on the radio that it was minus 5 in Stanthorpe yesterday, and Lord knows what it is in Melbourne.

Day 192 – 22 Jun 09

A long run today, close to 400 km from Archer River to Gilbert River via Mt. Garnet, Mt. Surprise, and Georgetown. Gilbert River is only a Roadside Rest Area, with no facilities whatsoever, but there is plenty of room and plenty of shade and plenty of firewood.

It is very, very, very dusty here at the moment, evidently last wet-season the Gilbert River overflowed and covered the campsite, so it dropped a lot of silt which, now that it has dried out and been churned up by vehicles, has turned into a really fine powder or “bull-dust.” But what sunsets, and the sound of the birds in the mornings is magnificent.

Seems to be a popular spot, 13 vehicles here overnight on Tuesday night, 3 on Wednesday and 16 on Thursday. Most only stayed overnight, but a couple stayed for 2 or 3 days like me. I took a wander down to the actual river and it is amazing that a river so big can have so little water in it. I wonder if they are like the rivers in the NW of W.A. where the river acually keeps flowing, but beneath the sand.

There is a phenomenal number of vans and motorhomes on the road. I didn’t bother to count, but I would estimate 50 or 60 a day at least and it isn’t even school holidays yet.

Day 196 – 26 Jun 09

Well, I’m here at the Gulf. Left Gilbert River this morning and drove to Normanton via Croydon, about 220 kilometres.

I stopped for a couple of hours in Croydon and had a good look round. Evidently when it was a gold-mining area, there were over 8,000 people in Croydon and some small surrounding towns, but now has a population of around 150. The locals have preserved a lot of the old buildings and restored them for public display.

The general store claims to be the oldest store in Oz, built in 1884 and, whether this is true or not, they make an absolutely fabulous hamburger. A big meat pattie, egg, heaps of crisp bacon and oodles of salad and only $7.50. Got to be great value, I can scoff a couple of quarter pounders or double whoppers at a sitting, but this burger was a feed and a half. A bloke at Gilbert River said that the burgers at Burketown are the best in Oz, so I will have to get one there and make a comparison.

I’m at the Caravan Park in Normanton for a couple of days and will have a look around and take a side trip to Karumba tomorrow, before heading off to Burketown. Look for some photos in the next post.

The bloke who told me about the burger told me that the road from Burketown through Hell’s Gate and Booraloola is in really good condition so that bodes well for the future, I really don’t want to have to go back to Cloncurry and Tennant Creek unless I absolutely have to. He also said that the road via Roper Bar is in great condition, so if I can go that way it will be a real bonus. I was planning to go from Booraloola to Daly Waters, but Roper Bar would cut several hundred kilometres of the trip. Time will tell.