11^th June: Camooweal

We are camped,with about15 other vans & tents in a park behind the BP roadhouse. Truckies stay in the various cabins and although this is a very remote place, it is very busy!

The road today was a repeat of yesterday to start with, except with more trees and fewer cattle. News is that most graziers have sold off their cattle as they can't feed them. Then suddenly, as we crossed a dry creek, the terrain changed from black soil plains to red clay

and as we approached Cloncurry, red, hard, rocky – centred mountain ranges started to appear. It really did look like mining country. The number of ore-carrying road trains seemed to increase and lots of caravans were trundling down the road. In Mt Isa, we were given directions “Turn right at the mine.” You literally drive almost into the mine and turn right. The mine with its tall chimney stack dominate the surroundings. No parks and so we drove out to Lake Moondarra for lunch. The dam is very low, the water asaresult of one decent storm after reaching empty status earlier this year. Prospects are not good. Everytime bwe curse the rain, we will think of the people up here!

Not much in Camooweal: roadhouse, a PO and General Store and trucks, trucks, trucks!

And of course, grey nomads and their vans, mostly enormous. They must chew through the fuel!

12^th June: Cape Crawford

An intersting night at Camooweal. Cattle trucks stopping outside the park for a rest with all their attendant noises :air brakes, motors stopping and then winding up and cattle bellowing and moving; Gail had a couple beside her who didn't say a civil word to anyone including each other, with two spaniels which whinged all night; we had a gvuy playing a guitar and singing off-key one side and a television playing so loudly I could follow the plot of the movie through the dialogue and music on the other!

And Glen had an argument with Telstra – again! Optus has no coverage out here and so we have a Telstra sim card. However, when he rang up to register it, he was told, after some toing and froing on Gail's phone, that his sim card was invalid and could he please just take it back to where he bought it. He couldn't seem to get the girl to understand that no, he couldn't; that was 2000 kms away! Well,to cut along story short, he went to buy another sim card. Not possible as none were available at the roadhouse, the only place

open by this time. So he bought a new phone, Telstra locked. So now we have a new Telstra number! The irony is that there is no coverage of any type here!

We got up early and left Camooweal, along with all the other vans, by 7.30 am as today involved over 600 kms. We crossed the Georgina River which is wide with some water in a pebbly flat depression. We were able to see the old road and bridge a long way down from the new high bridge – a testament to the fact that there are substantial floods here. I remember dribing the Mazda with the Chesney Campa down onto the creek bed for Morning tea and to allow the kids to run around and play. How things have changed!

We crossed over into the Northern Territory on a great road on which one could travel 130 kph. One didn't, of course! But it was nice to think one could! This was the southern Barkley Tableland, the place where I learnt 37 yrs ago that I had a budding satirist in my son. (The children were in the back seat absorded in their reading and when told to look out the window to see the scenery, 3 yr old Richard looked up and said “Ah, yes. I see a tree.” Cheeeky twerp!) But, once again very flat black soil plains with very few trees. Absolutely featureless scenery!

                          

After 21/2 hrs of nothing, we arrived at the Barkley Tableland Homestead where petrol is $2 a litre and diesel $2.20. (They use 500 litres a day to run the generator. No wonder the diesel subsidary is so important!) It is a necessary stop for everyone as that is it for another 200 kms. Galahs, the feathered type (& the others too), everywhere and underground water constantly sprinkling the very green grass. An enjoyable pause for us! We then turned right and headed north to Cape Crawford. It took us the rest of the day to get here through very isolated and uninhabited country. Fabulous grasslands, well watered, even swampy, and well stocked, as we came north. 337 kms of single lane bitumen, without even toilet stops and virually no traffic. 3 cars and 2 roadtrains provided the only 3 excitement in 6 hrs driving! We did stop for lunch and afternoon tea and stretch our legs! We saw a flock of brolgas near the road.

Cape Crawford is over 100 kms from the gulf So why the name, you ask? So did we! A cape is also where a river meanders on itself and creates a “cape”. The Mc Arthur river is an important feature here. We booked into the Heartbreak Hotel Van park and found we had to share the few facilities with the general public at the pub. But it was only $10 perperson and so we will make do! Some awful live music at the pub this evening- a very flat and nasal Country & Western singer who whined along for two hours!

13^th June: Cape Crawford.

Full moon tonight. We have had an interesting day. This morning we thought we would drive to Borroloola to see this legendry fishing spot. It is an aboriginal community with a school, 3 petrol stations, a pub and a caravan park as well as lots of houses and a museum. It is 25 kms from the gulf and we couldn't find the road to King Ash Bay where the Fishing Club Campsite is. We also couldn't find a park with toilets and so we had MT in the showgrounds. Nearby, the McArthur River flows under a very high new bridge on the road to Doomadgee – a lovely spot. Fuel was cheaper - $1.80 because it is 100 kms closer to a port facility at Bing Bong (I kid you not!). Copper & silver ore from the McArthur mine is shipped from here. There is also another new mine, the Roper River mine, to the north but I have yet to discover what the mineral is.

                        

We came back to go on a helicopter flight into the closest Lost City. The map shows 2 Lost Cities way north in the Limmen NP but this one is just on the range on McArthur station, and not marked. Fascinating place. 1.4 billion years old(twice the age of Uluru), it is a part of the sedimentary range that has eroded into hundreds of tall columns up to 20m high. The structures to the north are similar but inaccessible except by a very long, rough 4WD track. We walked around for 11/2 hrs. The only access is by helicopter for which one pays dearly but it was well worth it.

Half a dozen road trains have passed down the road so far tonight, lights like long elongated Christmas trees.We have come to the conclusion that travelling at night on the road to Barkley Homestead could be hazardous! The singer is back at the pub. We think we will go to bed and read to block his voice out.

14^th June: Mataranka Hot Springs

It was an uneventful trip today – in fact boring! We arrived for lunch here and then wen for a swim in the springs, along with dozens of others. The vans and campers are packed in like sardines and at nearly $30 a night, there is a goodly income involved. But the swim was lovely and as the water is only just warm and a cool breeze was blowing it was very refreshing – in fact cold when we got out. Glen went swimming with the van keys in his pocket, he discovered once in, and then he lost them. Panic stations while Gail and I searched in the clear water which was too deep for me to touch bottom. (Glen couldn't see anything and had to come back in with his glasses on!) Gail found them and asked someone to dive for them as she had contacts in!

A band is playing here tonight. Very good and the guitarist is excellent. We are having a rest day here tomorrow. Glen had another argument with Telstra this afternoon and now we have access. I will finally be able to post the last few days” blog.