Karumba to Cooktown

Karumba to Cooktown

From Karumba, we went back down to Normanton and filled up with petrol at a BP garage. There is obviously a big business in mending or changing tyres in this town because the BP garage had a “waiting room” of old chairs of various descriptions for its clients.

We made our way over to Croydon for lunch, a small town which at its peak was the 4th largest town in Queensland. Gold was discovered in 1885 and by 1887 the population was 7,000 with factories, foundries, schools and 37 hotels. Now there are 322 people and 1 hotel, which the present owners are trying to restore, with grazing and tourism providing income. It is a very proud little town and some interesting old buildings and a “historic precinct”.

Our stop for the night was at Georgetown, the centre for the Etheridge Goldfield. The Terrestrial Centre, home of the Ted Elliott Mineral and Fossil Collection, containing over 4500 mineral specimens from throughout the region and the world with hundreds of fascinating colours and shapes. The Terrestrial also incorporates a visitor information centre, and the Shire’s artworks and historical photographs. Some travelers obtain permits and fossick for gold and precious stones

In the morning we set out for Undara, the home of the lava tubes. The only way to see the lava tubes is to go on guided tours. The resort is on the site of the original Savannah railway and accommodation is in various forms – old railway carriages that have been restored, dormitory accommodation, safari tents, or the caravan/camping area. Railway carriages are also used for the main dining room, bistro, bar and entertainment areas. We had opted for a deluxe safari tent, which meant there was a small verandah and an “al fresco” kitchen – a frig and a sink.

We had booked on a 2 hour tour for the afternoon and met our guide, Levi, who was very interesting and entertaining. He drove us out to the beginning of the walk, explaining quite a lot about the history, and the birds and animals that inhabit the area, as well as the geology. He also showed how the early explorers marked the stock routes using an iron bark tree which is poisonous and termite resistant. Granite and basalt are the main rock formations. The lava tubes were originally discovered by Ludvig Leichhardt, but he was expecting to find water and really didn’t place any importance on them, not being a geologist. The Collins family were the first white settlers in 1860 and six generations of the family have explored the tubes. The family opened it up to the public in 1990 with the aim of preserving the area for future generations, and now work with state environmental agencies and the Savannah guides. We descended into the tubes, formed hundreds of thousands of years ago during volcanic eruptions when the lava forced itself down through the basalt. Over the years, water with a high calcium content has leached through the basalt and granite and formed beautiful patterns. During the floods earlier this year there was a high level of water and the rangers were able to swim in the pool.

That night we cooked in the camp kitchen and then joined some other travelers from Queensland who had set up a roaring fire. Very relaxing I must say.On our way next day, destination Chillagoe. We decided to take the option of going up the gravel road behind Mt. Garnet, which was different again to those we had been on before. A lot of corrugations, dips and sharp curves, but very interesting. We met a few road trains and as Heinz was on the UHF we heard ourselves described as “one of those ****### little Subaru’s coming through”. We were quick to correct them that we had a Toyoto! And the driver apologized! And advised us there were no other road trains coming through.

Chillagoe is another one of those North Queensland towns that has had highs and lows with the mining industry, and in the present day there is another mining boom. However, it is a pleasant little town with one of the main attractions being able to visit the limestone caves with a ranger. This we did in the afternoon. We visited the Royal Arch Cave, named after one of the rocks resembling Queen Victoria, a similar rock we had seen on the Gibb River Road, and this one was easy to pick. We went down into the caves complete with our lights and power packs. The caves were certainly interesting, with some very narrow passages and at times you had to crouch down to get through. We went to several, some open caves where there had been a collapse of the surface rocks.
Again, with the floods earlier this year the rangers were able to swim in one of the caves. The water level was some 2 metres higher that when we were there.

The next morning we walked out to one of the primitive aboriginal art sites, and then up to the “balancing rock” (can’t understand how it hasn’t fallen). On the way up a wallaby bounded past Heinz at a great rate. From there we visited the old government smelters. One can only imagine what it was like to work there in 40 deg. temperatures where conditions were dusty, smelly and very hazardous.

Then it was time to head for Mareeba along the Wheelbarrow Highway, where we were to stay overnight. There is an annual wheelbarrow race, and we met one of the locals in Chillagoe who completes the race each year on his own, taking three days. The vegetation along the road changed completely from “limestone” country to farming, sugar cane and mango farms. Also, Mareeba is a premier coffee producing region. In early years it was a big tobacco producing area with a lot of Italians moving into the area. A bit of excitement early in the evening when we discovered quite a large frog in the toilet bowl. Fortunately Heinz was able to dispatch it to the garden and we kept the seat closed after that. We had been warned in several places about likely frogs but this was the first time we had encountered it.

Early next morning we departed Mareeba for Cooktown, visiting the Mareeba Wetlands on the way. We were hoping to see more bird life and the water lilies were not out, but it was early. I’m sure at different times of the day and in different seasons it would be wonderful. Now we started passing some of the large mountais in the Great Dividing Range, and then Black Mountain, a huge mountain of black rocks, which looked like the remains of a coal mining exercise. The only vegetation is the occasional fig tree, whose roots must travel a long way to get to the water.

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!