Doomadgee

Across the river at entry to Doomadgee

The name of this town and its history is fascinating. In the middle of the Burke shire this Aboriginal tract of land (quite large area) is owned and run by the Doomadgee Aboriginal Council. The town itself was originally located on the Gulf and was a Mission run by the Brethern. After being hit by a cyclone in late 1800's they moved inland and settled on the banks of the Nicholson river The mission continued to run until early 1980's when Doomadgee then came under the Queensland government. The Aboriginal council was then formed and took control.
Like many Aboriginal communities it is a 'Dry' area and whilst travelers can pass through with alcohol - none is to be consumed or sold within the Doomadgee Council. Sadly on the edge of the town you can see the evidence of how they get around this.

Calvert River

Hells gate

Beautiful spot on the river 

What our poor van looks like now !

After Doomadgee we headed to Hells Gate. Named back in the early 1900's it signified the end of police jurisdiction and those who passed beyond were on there own. Sad little place now with just a servo, camp ground and airport. After a quick snack we headed off to the Northern Territory border. QLD Government you should be ashamed - this was the worst bit of road we've ever been on. Luckily it was only 50km as we were only doing 10km/hour on most of it. As soon as you crossed into NT the road improved significantly and after checking everything was still ok we continued onto Calvert River were we camped for the night. Our day wasn't yet finished though - as I was getting Dinner organized there must have been a gas buildup in the cupboard to the hws which took that moment to explode. Needless to say it was a bit of a scary moment for us all as the noise was deafning. Thankfully although we are now down one cupboard / seat - no one was hurt. Just took awhile to convince me to go back inside. Ahh well call to GIO when we reach civilization.
We enjoyed a beautiful night by the fire afterwards - a very pretty spot.

Burketown

River at Burketown 

We arrived back in Burketown on Saturday after another enjoyable night on the river to refuel and repower up. Unfortunately life had other ideas and we lost all 12v power to our van. Panic stations - we are in Burketown hours from anywhere. Firstly a Big Thank You to Jake - Manager of the park - he was so helpful and couldn't have done anymore to assist us. Secondly our thanks to Greg an Auto Electrician who stays in the park. Whilst we had to stay an extra night (Greg was off fishing) Greg was able to source the problem and patch it up to get us up and running again.
Late start Monday morning as our car battery which had been starting to pack it in - did. Pretty good going really as it was nearly 6 years old (original battery).
Luckily we were able to purchase a new one without paying an arm & a leg.
Burketown is a clean/tidy little town for the main town block however becomes a little dodgy beyond that. People are very friendly & helpful. But why would you live here - the Barramundi of course !!

Lawn Hill National Park

Gorge - lawn hill national park

Garry & Jen paddling

View overlooking Gorge

What an amazing view!

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Rob & I had the pleasure of visiting Lawn Hill National Park and adjoining Adels Grove last year - it was such a spectacular place that we couldn't wait to share it with Jen & Garry.
We had been warned that the access road from Gregory was appalling but we weren't to be daunted and headed off from Burketown full of anticipation of how our vehicles would handle the conditions. To our absolute delight the Council had just finished grading the road and laying dust inhibitor down - no corrugation or bull dust
Once we had set up camp we headed off to the lagoon for a well deserved swim and cool down.
Camp fires at night, long walks to enjoy amazing views of the gorge and a leisurely canoe up the gorge made our few days stay very enjoyable.
Sadly our time came to a end and it was back to Burketown for a couple of nights.

Karumba to Burketown

Leichardt River

Checking for crocs

Free camp at Burketown -Ahh the serenity

Morning clouds over the river

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After a slightly delayed start on Monday morning (Thank You Leonard for the jump start) we said Goodbye to Karumba and resumed our travels. We enjoyed a morning tea break at Burke & Wills camp 119. Not a lot left there but great signage and a good appreciation for the white explorers in such a foreign and harsh land.
We crossed some beautiful creek beds (Ahh water at last but sadly still unable to swim thanks to the smiling handbags)
Leichart River was particularly impressive and somewhere that would be worth a return visit in the wet season. The deeps of the river bed and heights of the banks a clear indication of its might.
We camped the night on the Albert River near Burketown. Now this is a great free camping area on aboriginal land and well looked after. Such a beautiful peaceful setting.
Whilst enjoying sunset & a beer on the river bank - Jen pointed out this wild cat on the opposite bank. We had opportunity to grab the binoculars and have a bit of a study of it. About the size of a medium dog. Golden color and stripes on its side. We were pretty happy it was on other side of River.
Rob & I bounced out of bed in the wee hours this morning to enjoy the sunrise over the water. It was just amazing with the rolling cloud & mist. We were told in town later if we'd got up a few hours earlier (3am) we would have seen a Morning Glory cloud. Bugger but maybe in our return. (Look it up - amazing cloud formation)

Our last week in Karumba

Beautiful Sunset at the Point- Karumva

At last we sighted a Croc!

The Point at Karumba 

Well I've finished my last week of work in Karumba and now it's time to pack up and continue our adventures. We've been joined by intrepid travelers Garry & Jen and leave tomorrow morning to experience another part of the Savannah Way.
I was lucky enough this week that the Skipper of the Vixen (one of the Wren Mackerel fishing boats) gave me a full tour of the boat. Needless to say I've taken being a fishing hand off my list of possible employment. What cramped conditions and hard work. 3 to 4 weeks at sea at a time and they are lucky to get 6hrs sleep a day and that's in 2 hour blocks 😔. It was a fantastic opportunity and I was only sorry that I couldn't get Rob aboard also.
We enjoyed the Croc & Sunset tour for a second time on Friday night and "Bingo" we saw our one & only croc for Karumba. He was a pretty big guy too. The sunset was amazing as always - just beautiful setting over the water.
My lovely workmates all came over last night for a farewell (well let's face it we will use any excuse) and a great night was enjoyed by all. Thankfully the caravan park has a 10pm curfew.
First stop tomorrow is Burketown then Tuesday into Lawn Hill National Park!!

Karumba

Sunset at the point - Karumba

Stock on the way to Gilbert River

Gilbert River on the Burke & Wills Dev Rd

Gilbert Ricer (1,000's of Corellas in tree on rhs)

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Well we are into our last week at Karumba and will miss some great new friends we've made.
Went to dinner at Sunset Tavern on Thursday night and enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the gulf at low tide. Not sure the picture reflects the real beauty of it. On Saturday we did the bread run to Normanton again and with the full moon from the night before - sunrise was quite spectacular. Saturday night we had a bit of a party in the park with a few friends and other caravaners. With a fire bucket, bbq and few bottles of wine it was a great night.
Sunday saw us head out for a bit of a drive around the area. Headed out the Burke & Wills Development road until we came to the Gilbert River. Surprising number of water holes along the way and lots of stock (although pretty poor). Gilbert River had water, fish I've heard and the odd croc, although again we didn't see any. Couple of guys had been out pig hunting and we got a sneaky photo of their catch.
We then took a detour back through Delta Downs which was really interesting and slightly different landscape.