Borroloola to Karumba

Borroloola to Karumba

Now 30th July and we are heading off on the Savannah Way on our way over to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria. We went off with the intention of spending a few days to get to Burketown but found the road a lot better than the Gibb River Road and also the opportunities to camp were very few and no road houses open. About 90 km out of Borroloola on a corrugated section, we were flagged down by a couple who had just rolled their Prado while trying to avoid one of the many washouts on the side of the road. Fortunately they were not injured and the car was drivable, though they couldn’t get into any of their gear behind the front seat because the back and roof were crushed. The amazing thing was the car ended up on its wheels. A couple of the tyres were a bit low so Heinz was able to pump them up, hopefully enough to get them into Borroloola. By that time some other cars had come through and two of them agreed to accompany the damaged car back to the town. We hope they made it okay, although it probably would have had to be trailered to Katherine, or even Darwin. The couple were from Sydney, so guess that was the end of their trip.

After several creek crossings and some rough roads, we made it to the Queensland Border (17,300 km after leaving Sydney mid April) and decided to push on to Burketown that night, passing through Hells Gate, a drive of 474 km for the day. The Savannah Way also does not have the attractions of the Gibb River Road, where you can go into several national parks with beautiful gorges and camps are controlled by rangers. We still saw a couple of single bicycle riders who were game enough to tackle the rough conditions.

Burketown (population 235) seemed to be quite a neat town, with plenty of grassed areas and friendly people. It also claims to be “The Barramundi Capital of Australia” and another great base for fishermen. I think a few other towns would claim the same title!
There are also large cattle stations and again we saw lots of cattle on the side of the road, and many kangaroos. There are many warning signs to be vigilant.

After about 68 km of sealed road we crossed the Leichhardt River. This was one of the many we crossed which were very wide and dry. Some had more water than others, and even if there is not much water, there is still quite a lot of bird life. The rivers must be an awesome sight in the wet season. Once we had crossed the river, we were suddenly in a different shire and the road to Normanton from there on was unsealed, corrugated and rough in many places, with sharp dips and many narrow bridges over the rivers. We passed a few cars towing caravans but they must have had a very bumpy ride in places. We arrived in Normanton in time for lunch and then made our way to Karumba.

Karumba is on the gulf and the area is called the Gulf Savannah – Outback by the Sea. Large prawning and fishing boats go out each night to fish the gulf, ore carriers go out to mother ships regularly with zinc, and supply ships go out to the islands, so it is quite a busy port. Karumba is also a mecca for fishing and we had trouble getting accommodation. All the caravan parks and holiday units are full most of the time, and some motels have been taken over by the mining companies for their accommodation. However, we managed to get one night in an on-site van and then two nights in a cabin in a park right next to Sunset Beach. Some people spend all winter up there and book a year ahead.

For travelers, fishing and the beautiful sunsets are the big draw. There is the Sunset Motel, Sunset Carvan Park, Sunset Lodges etc.! There are also good walks along the beaches and we were able to take the car and put the awning up to have a picnic. The area adjacent to the boat ramps had dozens of cars with trailers, and when we went to the beach, the boats (mainly “tinnies”) were all out in the gulf hoping for a good catch. Many were very successful with 6 or 7 large salmon each. On return to the parks, the fish cleaning table is a hive of activity and a great meeting place for the men to tell fishing tales. (Some of these are called “brag tables”). Despite the warning about crocodiles, we still saw a guy standing in the water and throwing a bait net, and others standing in the water with rods. A large croc had been seen cruising the area the previous week but some people just take risks.

We had noticed a bit of a rattle in the exhaust system when reversing, but after putting it up on a bit of a ramp in a picnic area, Heinz found it was just a loose mounting and he was able to fix it. We were a bit concerned that the earlier welding job after the Gibb River Road had started to give way, but not so.

We went over one night to have dinner and watch the sunset and were rewarded by quite a spectacular sight. There were some lovely clouds which give more interesting photos.
Karumba is in quite a remote place but it has a lot to offer for a very relaxed holiday, particularly if you like fishing!

Katherine to Borroloola

Katherine to Borroloola

After a couple of nights in Katherine again to shop and get ready for the next part of the trip which was to include the Savannah Way from Daly Waters to Burketown. As we really didn’t know the conditions ahead and the road was to include 500 km of gravel we expected to be camping along part the way so stocked up on cryovac meats, fruit & vegetables, petrol, water etc. Also, although the Hema Map showed a few roadhouses along the second part, we were informed they were no longer open. We also visited Knotts Crossing, the original ford to where the town of Katherine was first founded.

The first day we headed south along the sealed road, destination Daly Waters, an important allied force base during the WW11 period, with up to 6 aircraft landing every 15 minutes. We drove through the town of Mataranka, home of the Never Never Graves, but didn’t stop there.

On the way we saw some runners and caught up with the support vehicle to find that they were part of a group called World Harmony Run, running around Australia, and they had then covered 15,000 km in 111 days. We didn’t envy them as it was already 28 deg. C and only mid morning. We also called into the Alexander Forrest memorial, a point where he reached the overland telegraph line in 1879 after an epic journey from De Grey on the W.A Coast.

We had lunch at the Historic Daly Waters Pub, which has to be seen to be believed. Every conceivable bit of memorabilia is hanging or pinned up. Along the top of the bar are discarded bras and pants and many travelers leave their business cards or in the case of some of the back packers, ID cards. The pub is very popular with tourists, bus groups etc. as a stopping off point for lunch. While we were there a group of World Youth Day pilgrims from Europe came in and said they had never seen anything like it. Also many other quirky sayings and some of the buildings opposite were great fun.

On the way out we visited the Stuart Tree, where the explorer John McDouall Stuart is believed to have carved his initials on his successful expedition from Darwin to Adelaide in May 1862, what was left of the Overland Telegraph Station, and then took a look at the old airstrip and hangar which is now under the control of the National Trust. When we arrived at our motel on the highway, we noticed the tyre which had been damaged on the Gibb River Road was a bit low, but we were able to have a tube inserted which seemed to fix the problem. The car had travelled 3500 km on Heinz’s repair job, over quite a lot of gravel roads, some 4WD, so we thought this was very good.

Next day headed off on the Alternative Savannah Way to Borroloola, via Cape Crawford. This section was sealed, even if some of it was one lane. There were a lot of cattle on the sides of the road and you had to watch carefully. Cape Crawford is a very pleasant spot and is at the junction of the Savannah Way and the road up from Barkly Homestead. The hotel is called the Heartbreak Hotel, after the famous Elvis song. We noticed a Telstra Work Van with one driver in the park nearby setting up his camp for the night, which was just a “camp cot” with a net, a couple of plastic crates, and his clothes in a “$2 shop” red and blue bag. Apparently his living away allowance didn’t include a room for the night! Some Rosella Parrots were having a great time flying through the sprinklers.

On the way to Borroloola we stopped off in the Caranbirini Conservation Reserve where there is a lovely lily carpeted lagoon and a walk which takes you past ancient sandstone rock formations, some 25 metres high, created by millions of years of erosion. Heinz did the walk up to the lookout for a better look.

We arrived at our cabin late afternoon. Borroloola is now aboriginal town and in the mid 1850’s was considered a lawless outpost. It is now a remote fishing community on the Mc Arthur River and tourists come from all over Australia to fish and camp during the dry season, chasing the elusive barramundi. We felt the town is still struggling with the bank foreclosing on the only hotel/motel. The owner is now only allowed to operate as a “licensed” restaurant. The licence covers low alcohol beer in cans and cask wine served by the glass with a meal. The meals themselves were excellent. As in Katherine, there were strict rules on the purchase of alcohol, which seemed to be a bit strange. Only 1 cask or bottle of spirits/per person/per day (with ID), yet in Katherine you can buy as many slabs of beer or bottles of wine as you like. The liquor stores were not able to open before 2.00 p.m

The next day we took a drive up to a lookout at Bing Bong, about 50 km each way, hoping to see the Gulf of Carpentaria for the first time. However, the Mc Arthur Mine port loading facilities are in front of the lookout so you can’t see much at all. On the way back we drove out to the King Ash Bay Fishing Camp on the estuary and couldn’t believe the number of caravans, boats, trailers etc. set up there.