Wellford NP - Lochern NP - Kooroorinya

At last the opportunity has presented itself allowing us to tackle the Savannah Way.

This trip we’ll be going from Warwick to Cairns where we’ll meet up with daughter and grandchildren who will also be holidaying in Cairns.   From Cairns we’ll cross Cape York from Chillagoe to Karumba on the Burke Development Road, then skirt around the edge of the Gulf of Carpentaria up to Rober Bar via the Savannah Way.

As we will be visiting a friend at Thargomindah some nine hundred kilometres to the west, the Warwick to Cairns leg of our journey will be somewhat disjointed however this route will give us the opportunity to visit several National Parks that are on our “to do list”.

Leaving home late morning our first overnight stay was at the Talwood showgrounds approximately three hundred kilometres west.   From Talwood we continued west stopping at St George for coffee at a local vineyard, followed by a spot of shopping for fresh fruit to take out to Jan at Thargomindah where fresh fruit is a scarcity.

After refuelling our next stop was the riverside camping area at Bollon.   With rain forecast and the camping area being on red soil we were conscious to ensure there was nothing hindering a speedy exit should we need to leave the camping area in a hurry.

Friday morning we were greeted with questionable skies in the west heralding possible rain.   Shortly afterwards we received a call from Thargomindah advising they were receiving substantial rain and numerous dirt roads in the region were closed.   Having no intention of going off-road at this point in time we weren’t really concerned although we would still have to be cautious as most in this region are one lane only.

Leaving Bollon at a civilized hour we headed for Eulo stopping briefly at Cunnamulla to refuel.   Five kilometres out of Cunnamulla the rain started and by the time we reached Eulo the roads were awash.   Pulling in behind the Pub that from all accounts was owned by a less than amiable publican we weren’t disappointed when “greeted” by a rather gruff and disinterested gentleman who after taking our $10 left us to our own devices.

Following dinner it was over to the pub to socialise with fellow travellers.   It wasn’t too long during general conversation when it eventuated that the Publicans wife went to the same boarding school as Leigh while the Publican went to a school that Leigh played Rugby against.   Needless to say the ice was broken and before long they were exchanging names and tales.

With clear skies and mud everywhere we departed Eulo arriving at Thargomindah a little after noon.   Fortunately for us Jan had booked a site at the local van park that as a result of the rain was full of travellers whose travel plans had been disrupted.

Following a pleasant afternoon and dinner at the one and only restaurant in town we departed Thargomindah for Quilpie via Toompine stopping briefly for coffee and a browse through a very old country pub built in 1800’s when due to the lack of building materials floor boards weren’t considered, a fact Leigh discovered when he went out the back and very nearly knocked himself out on a low rafter.   In an effort to attract clientele the pub offers free camping including access to power and the use of their conveniences; other than a nearby river, there’s not much else there.

Eventually arriving at Quilpie we opted to camp beside Lake Houdraman on the outskirts of the town.   Opening a nice bottle of Pinot Noir to have with our evening meal we’d barely had a sip our evening was disrupted when Leigh witnessed a 9 year old boy coming off his trail bike next to our van.   With the lad screaming in agony we rushed over to him and it became very obvious that he had sustained serious injuries. After much frustration with the emergency services, one hour later an ambulance eventually arrived much to Mita’s relief who had spent the entire time cuddled up to him trying to keep him placated and warm.

The boy was subsequently airlifted out of Quilpie at 02:00 the following morning by the Royal Flying Doctor Service and flown to Toowoomba where he has since had a rod inserted in his leg and a plate in his thigh.

The following morning after photographing the fog shrouded lake we camped beside it was into town for breakfast, followed by a brief stop at the police station providing statement of events, a visit to the hospital to recover our blanket that we’d used to keep the lad warm, and eventually we left town at 11.30, a bit later than we would have liked to.

Our next destination was Welford NP located between Jundah and Windorah.   The drive was quite uneventful with little or no traffic, good road conditions, great weather and only the occasional on-coming oil tanker transporting diesel from the Eromanga oil fields that supply the bulk of diesel fuel to this region of outback Australia.

The highlight of the drive out to Welford for Leigh was the opportunity to be able get some close up photographs of a Wedgetail Eagle, something that has eluded him for ages.   Seeing a “Wedgie” gorging itself on a road-kill we pulled up half expecting the eagle to fly away as per usual.   Much to his delight the eagle totally ignored us and continued feasting.   With that, Leigh armed with camera, gingerly approached while taking photographs.   The eagle decides Leigh is getting a little to close so starting walking down the highway with Leigh in pursuit taking photos however the eagle eventually sent a very clear message of “don’t mess with me”.

 

 

Two hundred kilometres after leaving Quilpie we turned off the Diamantina Development Road onto the dirt Jundah Road arriving at the entrance to Welford NP some sixty kilometres later.   Regardless of the recent rain the Jundah road was in surprising good condition probably because it had been prepared for sealing.   That aside we were somewhat dubious about road conditions once we entered the park proper as we knew from past experience it could well be a totally different story however much to our relief, other than a few muddy areas and the odd “bull dust” patch the road to the camping area located some ten kilometre away was quite navigable.

Arriving at the camping area late afternoon we set up camp within metres of the Barcoo River and some two hundred metres away from the only other resident within the park.   All in all it was a very tranquil setting complete with river views and an abundance of birdlife, made even better by Leigh cooking dinner on the barbeque while I sipped a Pinot Noir watching another glorious sunset.

 

Having to maintain our schedule for a timely arrival in the Cairns region, following a casual breakfast the next morning we departed the camping area just as several other Off-Road vans arrived.   First stop of the day was a refuelling stop at Jundah (population 93) and to replenish our water supplies. That done and following a coffee at the one and only shop served in stylish modern era Styrofoam cups no less we continued north towards our next destination, the Lochern NP a further one hundred fifty kilometres away excluding detours.   Sixty five kilometres later we detoured into Stonehenge, a town that has piqued our curiosity for some time as we’ve always had visions of there being some resemblance to the monolithic structure in the UK; nope nothing except a barren countryside, a pub, a community centre, an airfield, a dozen or so other buildings, and a free community sponsored camping area complete with all facilities which was well patronised.

So much for Stonehenge.   Continuing north the next point of interest was the Swan Valley Jump-up that appeared out of nowhere.   The views were quite extraordinary.

 

 

We eventually arrived at the turnoff into the Lochern NP located forty kilometres off the Thomson Development Road.   Not quite knowing what the road conditions would be like, we’d already decided that if they weren’t to our liking we’d cancel our plans to visit Lochern NP and continue onto Longreach.

Forty kilometres later we arrived at Lochern and with the exception of the last five kilometres that had minor corrugation we cruised quite comfortably at 70-75kph for the bulk of the drive having to only slow down for the occasional cattle grid.    The camping area at Lochern was located only matter of a few kilometres from the entrance to the park which was a pleasant surprise when you consider that most camping areas in National Parks are usually located quite a distance from the entrance.   The only problem we encountered was the scarcity of campsite capable of accommodating larger vehicles.

The park itself is very isolated, there is no phone or television reception, UHF2 is supposedly monitored by the park rangers although when we tried to contact them to advise them of our arrival we received no response, and there are absolutely no facilities available.   However none of the preceding were of any concern to us.

Camped beside the Thomson River, we were again privy to a beautiful sunset that I enjoyed while my “Man Servant” prepared dinner on the barbeque.

 

Leaving Lochern the following morning we opted to follow the road sign posted “scenic route” to Longreach.   While probably twenty five kilometres shorter in fact was a dirt road whose sole purpose was servicing the various cattle properties in the region.

Arriving Longreach lunchtime on the Wednesday and after finding a suitable parking spot, first stop with the visitors information centre in search of road information between Longreach – Muttaburra – Prairie.   Having failed in that endeavour Mita headed to the local supermarket while I went to the Post Office collecting spares that had been mailed to us from Bushtracker.   Those chores out of the way, we refuelled, visited the dump point (one of Leigh’s favourite tasks) and then headed for Muttaburra with the intention of camping beside the river in a community sponsored camping reserve that stretches for some twelve kilometres.

While the riverside camping was very nice with individual camping sites well spaced apart and VERY large, the local community caravan park was offering accommodation at $6 per night inclusive of power and modern amenities.   By now we were running low on clothing and the van was starting to smell of bulldust it wasn’t a hard decision, the caravan park won.

Our first night in Muttaburra (population about 100) whose claim to fame was the discovery of Australia’s largest dinosaur, the Muttaburrasaurus was spent at the local pub where after dinning (Mita having ½ a rump that hung off the edge of the plate and Leigh having a Barramundi that was equally as large) we watched the State of Origin grudge match.   And of course we ordered a wine from a selection of four red dust encrusted bottles and were presented with two glasses also coated with red dust

Three days later we left Muttaburra after de-ferrelling the van interior, doing our laundry, and socialising with the locals including the local nursing sister who relocated from Sydney, has just received her Heavy Truck licence and is in the process of learning how to weld, and loving it.

Our initial intention was to go to Prairie and camp behind the pub however we were advised by a fellow traveller that due to a change of ownership it has become very much a case of “Oh I don’t think I’ll bother opening today”.   As an alternative he suggested we should go to the Kooroorinya Lava Waterfall Camping Reserve located on the Muttaburra – Prairie Road.

Albeit having failed in our various attempts to obtain any information about road conditions we set off for Kooroorinya one hundred sixty five kilometres north of Muttaburra and fifty seven kilometres south of Prairie.   The first twenty kilometres of the road was essentially a “gibber road” hence wasn’t all that pleasant however it suddenly changed and before we knew it we were once again cruising quite comfortably at 75–80 kph. Ohhh how we were lulled into a false sense of comfort.   The last thirty five kilometres were equal to some of the worst road conditions we have travelled for a long time forcing us down to a crawl and at times having to stop to allow the harmonic vibration that occasionally occurred to dissipate.

 

Eventually arriving at Kooroorinya some 3 ½ hours later we were greeted by caretakers Phillip and Pauline whose lifestyle is travelling Australia managing these types of properties.   Being the only campers at the time of arrival we were shown to what they felt was the best site available and then given a “run down” on the area, asked if we want firewood, fishing and yabbying information, walks and scenery that were available, plus warnings.

Following the introduction we were left to our own devices.   After setting up camp it was time to put our feet up, relaxed and enjoyed the tranquillity, and enjoy another spectacular sunset.

Following breakfast next morning, it was off exploring.

 

 

After two nights at Kooroorinya we packed our bags and headed into Hughenden to refuel plus purchased a few essentials prior to continuing north towards the Atherton Tablelands via the Kennedy Development Road, eventually overnighting halfway between Hughenden and “The Lind Junction”.

Arriving at “The Lind Junction” next morning Mita suggested a milkshake while I reinflated the tyres that had been deflated some five hundred kilometres earlier to reduce vibration.   No such luck, not only didn’t they make milkshakes their air-pump was also out of order.   Muttering to himself Leigh unpacked our heavy duty air-pump plus a camp stool and proceeded to reinflate the tyres while eating an ice cream.

There has been a surprising amount road works on the Kennedy DR with well over 50% of the road now sealed while 25% is in various stages of preparation for sealing hence was in very good condition; as for the remaining 25%, well it was pretty ordinary.

Leaving “The Lind” we joined the main highway North together with heavens knows how many other Motorhomes and Caravans escaping the southern winter.   By the time we reached Mount Garnett we’d had enough of “convoy driving” turning into an old favourite of ours, the Mount Garnett Racecourse, spending a peaceful night camped beside the racecourse.

Tuesday morning we awoke to a “pea soup” fog with visibility less than twenty metres.   Next destination was the Mareeba Rodeo grounds stopping en-route at Ravenshoe to refuel and breakfast before continuing to Atherton stopping briefly to collect some spares that had been mailed to us, then to Mareeba dropping off several parcels for our next door neighbours parents before heading out to the Rodeo Grounds to discover much to our horror one hundred eighty six other RV’s already there; Leigh convinced the receptionist that he had “grumpy anti-social tendencies” (probably not too far from the truth) and that it would be in their best interests that we should be put somewhere away from the maddening crowd – consequently we ended up in the “naughty corner” 200 metres away from the crowd; that suited us fine.