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Far North Queensland & Beyond

May - September 2023
4 months Long Service and Annual Leave 2023 Read more
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  • TravelerFar North Queensland & Beyond
    Day 34

    Last days at Curraghmore

    June 10, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We have enjoyed our 2 plus weeks at Curraghmore Station. The Station is listed in the Camps 11 book, which usually lists free and low-cost campsites. Information and bookings can be done on the Curraghmore Station website. Cost to camp is $30 per adult per night, which we felt was very expensive considering there are no facilities. However, it is a very popular camp destination for locals for weekends and holidays.

    We felt privileged to have been allowed to stay here as ‘parents of the caretaker’ with permission of the owner, however we would not have stayed this long if we had to pay. Calculated the cost of camping here for our 16 days at $960!
    It has been lovely just relaxing and unwinding, walking, bird watching, reading, talking, exploring and generally just pottering around.

    While we were camped up, we also tidied up some long grass and dead bushes around our campsite, which opened up the camp area and gave us a better view of the river. The owner and caretakers were happy for us to do this. The owner is going to do a burn in the next few weeks, so we are glad we were here before the burn as the blackened grass would smolder and smell for a while.

    Emma had to go into Cairns (a 2 hour drive each way) on Friday, so left us Grey Nomads in charge of the station and checking campers in. It was fun to do something different and meet some fellow campers, and we spent the whole day at the homestead working and catching up on downloading photos and our diary/blog.

    Another interesting thing about this Station is that there was a murder here in 2012. Google ‘Curraghmore Station Murder’ for more information.

    Emma and Billie had a camp out with 3 of the dogs and set up their small dome tent under our awning. They had barely room to move, and Emma hardly got a wink of sleep, I think she was glad to see the sunrise.

    Sunday 11th June. Our last night at the station was spent with Emma, Jason and his 3 fishing mates. Jason brought us back some frozen barramundi which we will look forward to eating. Emma cooked a yummy pork curry and after a few drinks they all headed off in search of red claw, and we headed back to bed as we were planning to be on the road early the next morning.    Read more

  • TravelerFar North Queensland & Beyond
    Day 36

    Elim Beach Part 1

    June 12, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Monday 12th June. We drove the 2 hours to Cooktown where we refueled and continued on through Hope Vale. The Lutheran Church originally established the Hope Vale community in 1886 as the Cape Bedford Mission at Elim Beach.
    The local Guugu Yimithirr people like all Aborigines in Australia have been here for approximately 100,000 years. The Guugu Yimithirr first came to prominence in 1770 when they engaged with Captain James Cook and his crew on the ship Endeavour. As is known in history, the Guugu Yimithirr hosted Captain Cook at present day Cooktown for 7 weeks. During this time, he not only had to repair the Endeavour he also met the local people and engaged with them along with Joseph Banks and Sydney Parkinson. Hope Vale is no longer run as a mission by the church but has its own elected community council. The small town has a population of over 1000 people, and has medical facilities, school up to Grade 6, a supermarket and other essential services. There were quite a few dogs wandering in the streets, that we were careful to avoid while driving through the town.

    Elim Beach is about 20kms further on from Hope Vale. We have booked in at Elim Beach for 3 days and wanted to get there early to take advantage of the first day.

    Elim Beach Campground used to be called Eddie’s Camp, home of Eddie Deemal who passed away aged 95 about 18 months ago. The campground is now operated by his son, Ivan Deemal. We had seen a DVD of the Gall Boys from Kedron Caravans who had spent time with Eddie, and this inspired our visit.
    We booked for a beach front site, but also knew that it was ‘first in best dressed’. The beach front sites were $20 per person per night, a total of $120 for 3 nights, but as we were to discover, it was so worth it.
    We had the pick of 3 sites on the beach but chose the one with grass as we had been camping in dust for the past couple of weeks. What a fantastic site. Right on the beach, about 10 steps to the sand, full sun for our solar, and a view to die for. The main campground was grassy and quite shaded, and was $10 per person per night. We were glad we arrived early to choose our site on the beachfront (we chose site 1A).
    There are cold showers and flushing toilets and a camp kitchen, but we are fully self-contained and arrived stocked with water and food. There are restrictions on bringing alcohol into the area so we only had about a dozen cans and some wine. No checks were done.
    We have nice neighbors, a family originally from Victoria travelling full time on the road in a caravan on one side, and a young couple also travelling full time in a 4WD, roof top tent and annex set up on the other side.

    We spent a bit of time getting to know our neighbors and enjoyed some nice chats, especially with young couple camping nearby, Jess and Mika. Jess is learning fire twirling and entertained us after dark with her skills. She had been using LED lights for twirling, but this was the first time she had actually used fire and it looked and sounded amazing. She said twirling was a real upper body workout, and she was tired after each session. It was a great spectacle on the beach at sunset. We were so lucky to witness it. Jess was very good and said she may think about busking at Mindil Markets in Darwin. We may meet up with them again as we may travel to Darwin before heading down south.
    I was reminded of a younger self travelling around Australia in a Kombi in the 1980’s, although their set up is much more sophisticated that the old Kombi.    Read more

  • TravelerFar North Queensland & Beyond
    Day 37

    Elim Beach Part 2

    June 13, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    While we were enjoying our stay relaxing and walking along the beach, there are a couple of places to visit nearby and drives that you can do while staying here. One is to visit the Coloured Sands, and the other is a 4WD trip to Cape Bedford.

    The coloured sands are accessible by 4WD driving on the beach and can only be accessed at low tide. We drove past a wreck of a vehicle stuck in the sand, apparently it rolled and was trapped by the incoming tide and has been there for many years as it was completely rusted out.

    The coloured sands were interesting to see, all shades of red, pink, yellow, brown, orange and black on the cliff face, blending at times, looking spectacular against the white sand.

    After leaving the Coloured Sands, we started to drive to Cape Bedford, but the track became too sandy, and as we were travelling alone, we/I decided not to continue, much to Theo’s disappointment. His nickname for me is now the ‘handbrake’. We did travel for a couple of kilometres parallel to the beach on a narrow sandy track, through several deep freshwater crossings until the track started to get very sandy. I became anxious and I really did not feel comfortable travelling by ourselves in case we got bogged or scratched the sides of the car, so we abandoned our plans.

    There are quite a few shacks on the beach used by locals, some quite sound and others are in ruins or falling down. Campers are given quite firm advice not to visit the beach shacks.
    The beach is a mixture of mudflats and sandflats and looks wonderful when the tide is in, but when the tide is out the mud is exposed. Ivan said that there are no crocodiles here, as apparently, they don’t like the mud flats as there is no food for them, but further down near the river mouth there is a resident croc.

    We were also told that there are no stingers, but as beautiful as it is, it is not a swimming beach, as wading into the water near the shore, you end up with mud up to your calves. We watched some kids having fun, rolling around in the mud in front of the camp near the mangroves. Another beautiful sunset, another fire twirling show by Jess, and another balmy star filled night sky.    Read more

  • TravelerFar North Queensland & Beyond
    1
    Day 38

    Elim Beach Part 3

    June 14, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    It is our third day camping here and we are totally relaxed and enjoying the sea change. After breakfast we would sit outside under the shade of the awning, reading, talking and watching the waves recede with the outgoing tide.

    High tide is about 6.30am, and after breakfast, when the sandy beach is exposed, it is the best time to take a walk along the sand.
    We walked along the beach, for about an hour and then out to the exposed sandbar and then back to camp. There are a lot of freshwater springs seeping out of the sand dunes all along the beach, and we had a refreshing drink while doing the long walk.
    While walking, we noticed several corrugated iron drum/circles in the water at various locations. On closer inspection we realized that when the tide is out, fresh water pours out of the drums from an underwater aquafer flushing out the saltwater Ivan said that the drums are put over a freshwater spring, allowing the locals fresh drinking water. It is amazing to see and taste because there is no trace of salt in the water.

    Theo enjoyed sitting on the beach by the incoming tide at sunset, with fishing line in one hand and beer in the other, but only caught one small fish. Other campers around us tried to catch mud crabs in the mangroves or waded out to the sand bar to fish but had little or no luck.

    After dinner, we would sit outside and look up at the amazing sky full of stars, counting the satellites and shooting stars before coming in to shower off the salt and sand which sticks to your skin, along with the humidity making everything feel damp and sticky.

    Temperature during the day is 28-30 degrees and very humid, and drops down to about 24 degrees at night, which is quite warm for sleeping.

    One great thing here is that there are no flies, bugs, no sandflies, or insects to make life unpleasant. This may change at different times of the year. We did get one or two bites but nothing to worry about.

    We have had a lovely time here, prime beach campsite, lovely neighbours for 2 of our nights here. After Jess and Mika left, another caravan moved in within 3 minutes of them leaving and they shut themselves off in the corner with their privacy screens and did not acknowledge our greetings and just turned their backs on us. Guess some people just want to be alone!

    We are leaving here tomorrow morning. We plan to go back to the Station for a couple of days but may stop somewhere in between if we see somewhere nice to camp.

    We have really the enjoyed swapping dust and dirt for sand and sea.    Read more

  • TravelerFar North Queensland & Beyond
    Day 39

    Elim Beach to Endeavour River Escape

    June 15, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Thursday 15th June. Next entry NO. 1
    After a great night’s sleep and breakfast, we hitched up the caravan, said farewells to our lovely neighbours next door, Grant and family in the New Age caravan who have been on the road for 14 months, originally from Rosebud, Victoria, then left our amazing campsite.
    While we were packing up, we noticed that the unfriendly neighbours on the other side had also partly packed up and we were to learn from Ivan Deemal when we spoke to him before leaving, that they had requested to move on to our site. Seems that they were watching and waiting until we moved out. Who could really blame them, after all we did have the prime, best beachfront site at Elim Beach, site 1A.
    On the road out, we drove over a wooden bridge where we stopped to take a photo of the original post and beam bridge below which was falling apart. Even when new, it would have been rickety driving over it. The new bridge was rated at 2.6 ton, and on the way in to Elim Beach, we drove the longer bypass around the bridge as our weight is 6.5 ton, but after talking to Ivan who said that trucks drive over it, we took the shorter route on our way out.
    We arrived in Cooktown about lunchtime and refilled our water tanks, used the dump point, went to the hardware store for some parts we wanted, walked along the waterfront brought fish and chips for lunch, visited the Tackle Shop, IGA and liquor store, and we were happily back to being fully stocked again and ready to hit the road.
    As we had no internet at Elim Beach, but had prepared and typed up our diary, we posted two blog entries while in Cooktown.
    We decided to stay at Endeavour River Escape camping ground about 10 minutes north of Cooktown, on the other side of the Cooktown Airport, which we had read good reviews about, driving for 5kms on an unsealed road until we got to the homestead. Owner Terry went ahead on his quadbike while we followed him to Campsite No. 12. It was a lovely green, treed, shady camping ground with 32 campsites, all set spaciously apart. Hot showers and flushing toilets, camp kitchen, firewood for sale and some rainforest walks to the Endeavour River. Cost $30 a night. We sat outside for a while and walked to the boat ramp but there were lots of mozzies buzzing around. We had sprayed Bushmans and the mozzies gave us a couple of bites, decided not to have a campfire due to the mozzies and insects, and cooked a quick dinner outside on the induction hotplate, then retreated inside to shower and have an early night. One night at this campground is enough for us. It is nice and green but it is far too shady and rainforest-y with too many mozzies for us. Not enough sunlight.    Read more

  • TravelerFar North Queensland & Beyond
    Day 40

    Back to Curraghmore Station

    June 16, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    After a quick walk in the morning, we packed up and headed the short drive back into Cooktown for fuel and water before driving back along the Mulligan Highway and back to Curraghmore Station. Emma and Jason want to go camping and fishing at Lake Tinaroo, so we plan to stay the weekend then all head off early next week. We need to find somewhere to camp that allows caravans, as there are quite a few camping grounds around the lake, but none that are accessible to caravans except for the Caravan Park at Yungaburra.

    After breakfast on Saturday morning, Emma and Billie arrived in the buggy to ask if we could smell the smoke and if we wanted to see the burning off along the highway. Bud and 4 other guys and Jason were burning off along the frontage near the entrance to the Station. Two guys were walking along with drip torches, one guy was driving the dozer creating a firebreak and clearing the scrub, two other guys on the water tanker putting out spot fires and one guy on the quad bike. Bud agists his cattle on the station.

    Emma, Billie and I drove down the highway in the buggy and placed the ‘Smoke Hazard’ signs ahead of the burn, and Theo walked along the side of the road taking photos, as this is not something we usually see. There were so many birds, whistling kites, hawks and others circling over the fire taking the opportunity of a quick meal with all the insects moving around on the ground and being displaced. The bird show was nearly as spectacular as the fire show to watch, with so many of them swooping and flying down in the smoke and fire just to get a feed.

    After a big day, we cooked dinner at our camp, another stew in the camp oven, and Emma brought the mashed potato. After dinner and a drink or two at our camp, then Emma, Jason and Billie headed back to the homestead for an early night, as there was going to be another planned burn tomorrow morning starting at 8am. Theo was going to join the crew as they were one man short, and they hoped to be finished by lunchtime.

    Theo woke early and headed up to the homestead about 7.30am. I stayed in bed for a while reading, had a leisurely start to the day, then got up, and after breakfast, did a couple of loads of washing, some cleaning, and enjoyed some alone time reading and enjoying the tranquility of the bush.

    Before leaving home, I downloaded about 35 books on my kindle, and have read 3 books so far, plus another paperback book I brought about a murder at Palmerville Station which is not far away from where we are travelling, which was very interesting.

    I then started packing up around the camp as we were moving the next day and then drove up to the homestead at the agreed time, but no-one but the dogs were there, so headed back to our campsite.

    About mid-afternoon I could hear the dozer up on the road nearby and then could hear the crackle of fire. I walked up to the hill and could see the fire crew advancing my way.

    As much as logic told me that they all knew that we were camping on the river, and that Theo was on the water tanker, the sound of fire approaching, and the smell of smoke is extremely unnerving. Emma and Billie drove down to check on me, and the dozer driver, Bud also came down while clearing a fire break through the bush, then Jason also came to check on me. Luckily, as there was a lot of greenery, and the fire break had been cut just before our camp, the fire did not come near, but it was still quite unnerving. Emma and I saw the first ‘snake’ which wriggled out of the undergrowth disturbed by the burn off, but it turned out to be a legless lizard. We have not seen any snakes while here.

    Bud Quaid has cattle on this property, so he was clearing the land in case a campfire from one of the campsites got out of control, to protect his cattle. Not sure what the agreement is with Bud and the owner Adam, but Jason worked 2 days and Theo worked Sunday helping his crew clear the undergrowth.
    I think Theo enjoyed his working day, came back dirty and smoky and he had a long hot shower at the homestead, then we had barramundi that Jason cooked for dinner.

    We were having trouble finding a campground (other than the Caravan Park) where we could camp for a couple of days at Lake Tinaroo. Luckily, working with Bud paid off, as he has offered us to camp on his land which fronts on to Lake Tinaroo, which is wonderful. He apparently owns lot of land in FNQ, including the Daintree and has a couple of businesses and is very well known and quite wealthy. The land we are going to camp on was 10 acres (now partly subdivided) with an Air BNB on it, but as it is midweek no one will be there. Perfect timing. Online photos show grassy lawn down to the lake. Looks beautiful. It is on Quaid Court, named after Bud Quaid’s family.

    Bud is a good contact for Jason to have as he employs about 160 people in his businesses, and Jason has showed him that he is a hard worker and has a good relationship with him. When they leave the station, I am sure Jason will not have any trouble getting work until the fishing season starts again.    Read more

  • TravelerFar North Queensland & Beyond
    1
    Day 44

    Lake Tinaroo

    June 20, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Emma left early with Billie to go to Cairns where Billie had an appointment with a specialist to check on her broken arm. Jason was towing his boat with his recently acquired Toyota Hilux, and we were towing our van, so we were all travelling in separate vehicles. It took us about 2 hours to get to Lake Tinaroo, as we stopped in Mareeba for fuel, and Jason wanted to wash his boat as he had not done it since returning from the boy’s trip to Cape York a week earlier. We arrived at Lake Tinaroo early afternoon.

    Bud had confirmed with his daughter Bo and her husband CJ who live on the property and run the Air BnB that we were welcome to camp on their land. They had no guests booked in until Friday, so timing was perfect. They were so welcoming and friendly. Bo showed us through the house which has 10 beds in 4 bedrooms, a huge lounge and kitchen area. She said we were welcome to use the toilet and bathroom or kitchen if we needed to. Emma and Jason went into the house for the toilet but other that filling our water tanks, we did not need to go into the house.

    Billie had her plaster cast removed while at the hospital and now has a sling which is only temporary until she gets the feel of using her arm again. They gave her back her plaster cast which was pink with sparkles and a bow on it, but it was put in a plastic bag because it smelt really bad and was so dirty. So hard for a 3-year-old to keep it clean while living on a dusty outback station. Billie is staying with Emma and Jason while her mum is overseas but will be going home to Cairns next week.

    We went to the Tolga Pub for a counter meal, which was about 15 minutes’ drive away. Emma had slow cooked some pork and put in the fridge at home but forgot to put it on the list for Jason to pack, and that was going to be our dinner. Oh, well, it will still be there when they get home.
    After a nice meal at the pub, we came back and lit the fire and sat around and had a good belly laugh when Poppy Theo and Billie bounced off each other calling each other funny names. It was hilarious, and I had tears running down my cheeks I was laughing so much.

    The night was cold, and as Emma and Jason and Billie were sleeping in their tent, I lent them an extra blanket which they used. Emma said that they were cosy and warm, but I think we were warmer in the van with the diesel heater on. It is hard to believe that a week ago we were so hot at night we could barely sleep at Elim Beach, and tonight we have the heater on!

    After breakfast we cruised around Lake Tinaroo trying to catch a fish. We came back to camp for lunch and then they headed out again. They then packed up their tent about 5pm and headed back to the Station. We were staying another night, which was fine with Bo and CJ, as they did not have guests until Friday.

    Tomorrow, Wednesday we pack up and head to Innot Hot Springs.    Read more

  • TravelerFar North Queensland & Beyond
    Day 47

    Innot Hot Springs to Croydon

    June 23, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    It was a cool night, and we woke up to a wet morning, only the third wet morning on our trip so far. It had been raining during the night and the awning and chairs were wet. We had put the chairs under the awning before we went to bed but have discovered that the rain is coming down between the caravan and the awning and dripping down the side of the van. A fix-it job for another time.

    We packed up and said our goodbyes to Bo and CJ and thanked them for allowing us to camp on their beautiful property, and Bo said we were welcome to come back any time.

    We drove through mist and rain over Misty Mountain (true name), part of the Great Dividing Range, in the Atherton Tablelands, and arrived at Ravenshoe where we refueled and got some groceries before continuing to Innot Hot Springs.

    We have been to Innot Hot Springs twice before and have never booked in advance, but this time, the park was nearly full, and we luckily got the last powered site. The caravan park has been taken over by new owners, but it did not look any different to the last time we were there about 4 years ago. The park was 90% full of grey nomads (present party excepted). I know we are not getting any younger, but I always feel that we are the youngest people in these parks! LOL

    A lot of people visit the mineral springs because the hot mineral springs are meant to have healing qualities, including aiding arthritis, sleep and skin disorders, blood pressure etc. At Innot, there are 6 pools with different temperatures, starting from the cooler lap pool up to the hottest pool being about 45 degrees.

    Australia has many of these hot water sites – due, in part, to the Great Artesian Basin, which underlies almost a quarter of the continent. This vast, ancient, natural water reserve is the world’s largest and deepest artesian system. Heated water rises under pressure and out through natural cracks or drilled bores to emerge as thermal springs.

    We have been to and had a dip in quite a few hot mineral springs in various locations in Australia, including Mataranka, Katherine, Daly River in NT, Lightning Ridge, Moree and Walgett in NSW, Zebedee Hot Springs at El Questro WA, Innot Hot Springs in Qld, plus also Peninsula Hot Springs in Victoria. We have also seen them on the Oodnadatta Track, at Coward Springs and Burketown in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

    We had a dip when we arrived, then came back to the van and Theo did a repair on a damaged Anderson plug on the car. The Anderson plug helps charge the batteries while driving, and we had noticed that it was working intermittently due to corrosion. Luckily, he carries spares and tools for such a situation, and is more than capable of doing the repairs.

    Another afternoon dip in the hot spa, and then cooked fish for dinner. Jason gave us some frozen Barramundi and Spanish Mackerel fillets before we left the station, and our freezer is full.

    The boys he took fishing to Mapoon in Cape York had planned to take frozen fish on the plane back to the Gold Coast, but when they got to the airport, they were told they could not take the fish onboard, so Jason brought it back home to the Station and put it in his freezer. I wish I had more room in the caravan freezer, as I could have taken as much as I wanted. Sort of makes up for the fish that Theo aka ‘El Nofisho’ does not catch. LOL. When the boys were away, between the 4 of them they caught 500 barramundi in 10 days, catch and release, so they were pretty disappointed that they could not take some fish fillets home with them.

    Tomorrow, Thursday we head west, towards either Georgetown or Croydon, on our way to Karumba.

    Innot Hot Springs to Croydon
    Uneventful drive today on the Savannah Way from Innot Hot Springs, through Georgetown and ended up at Croydon for the night. We stayed at the ‘Freedom Campground’ near the racecourse just out of town, but to camp there you need to get a permit from the Visitor Centre and make a donation. They give you a receipt, but not sure if anyone checks this.

    When we arrived about 3pm there were about 15 vans in the large paddock, but by the time night fell, there must have been at least 50 or 60 vans there. We found a quiet site on the fence line away from most of the other vans and traffic coming and going. Toilets and showers are available, but no bins or dump point or water. Dump point is in the town at the back of the caravan park. We had plenty of water as we filled our water tanks at Innot Hot Springs, and I was able to do a small load of washing and everything dried very quickly. Dinner was barramundi and rice, topped with soy sauce and honey and sriracha. Very, very nice….

    We did a skype (Signal) call to Rhys, Zoe and Elliot in St Johns, Newfoundland, and Kim, Josh, Hayden and Taleah also joined in. It was nice to catch up with everyone, as we hadn’t had internet to speak to Rhys for a while.    Read more

  • TravelerFar North Queensland & Beyond
    Day 48

    Croydon to Karumba

    June 24, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Leisurely start to Saturday morning, for the 3-hour drive to Karumba.

    We don’t usually book when we travel, but I did book into Karumba as it is a long way to travel if we could not get a campsite, and is a very popular destination for travellers especially grey nomads who spend months up here. Also, there is no free camping in the area. I booked into the caravan park by phone, and we have a ‘premium’ site on the fence for 2 nights at the Karumba Point Sunset Caravan Park.
    Looking forward to some sun and sand and sea.

    We drove on the Burke Development Road, which runs alongside the railway line used by the Gulflander.
    The iconic Gulflander train runs an overnight return trip between Normanton to Croydon once a week, and it provides tourists with an historic journey through savannah country on original and unique termite resistant, heritage listed steel rails and sleepers. The bridges along the line were designed to be submersible, as the area floods in the wet season. Today the line exists as a tourist attraction and is said to be more of an adventure than a train ride. The passengers are treated to morning tea, trivia, wildlife spotting and an overnight stay in Croydon. We stopped at the Blackbull Siding which has been a refreshment stop for the Gulflander since the 1890’s and took a few photos. The train only travels on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so we missed it passing by, as today is Saturday.

    We had a brief stop on the way, at the town of Normanton. Normanton started as a port for the Gulf of Carpentaria's cattle industry, and it grew with the discovery of gold at Croydon. The town's greatest tourist attraction today is the historic Gulflander Train, and 'Krys', a replica of the largest recorded saltwater crocodile captured/shot in the world, in 1958 measuring 8.63mts. Back then you could shoot crocodiles, but crocodiles have been protected since 1971.

    Normanton is also famous for the Purple Pub, officially known as the National Hotel and partly relocated from Croydon. It is a typical country pub, the one claim to fame (which shows you don't need much to make you famous) is that in the past, a publican painted it purple. Now the 'Purple Pub', as it is known, attracts tourists simply because it is purple and stands out in the town's main street. It is one of the most photographed buildings in the town.

    We continued driving on the road for about 70kms to Karumba, passing wetlands with more brolgas that we have ever seen in one spot, arriving in Karumba just after midday.

    We visited Karumba about 2 years ago and stayed at the other caravan park, but we think this one is in a better location. We are close to the boat ramp and the small beach, an easy walk to the Sunset Bar, and also to Ash’s café down the road.
    Once we were set up and had lunch, we walked over to the boat ramp and beach and spoke to some people fishing from the beach. Looks like this is the place to throw in the line. We saw a young guy with a 70cm barra he had just caught, so ‘El Nofisho’ may finally have some luck here. Finger crossed.

    Karumba is a town that revolves largely around fishing. It is home to extensive prawn, mud crab and the barramundi fishing fleets. The Karumba port services the fishing industry and the local Century Zinc Mine.

    Australian band Goanna mentions Kurumba in the song "Every Passing Day", and The Red Hot Chili Peppers' song "Animal Bar" talks about the infamous Animal Bar in Karumba, which had a wild reputation, and at one time, was so wild and unruly that the furniture was bolted to the floor to prevent furniture-throwing. We had a burger at the Animal Bar on our last visit to Karumba, and have to agree, it did look a bit rough then. I do not know the songs but will have to google them.

    Luckily for us, there is no furniture throwing at the aptly named nearby Sunset Bar where we went for a drink.
    The place is filled with travelers, locals and families today. It is within easy walking distance from our camp.

    We walked down to Ash’s for fish and chips for dinner, then over the road to have a drink at the Sunset Bar. We shared a table and a few drinks with Gail, a solo traveler a retired policewoman from NSW who is camped next but one from us and chatted to her for a couple of hours and then we all walked back to the caravan park together.

    While at the Sunset Bar, I took a lot of sunset photos. I never get tired of sunsets, and the outback sky is unlike any sunset in the city. The deep reds, yellows and oranges changing by the minute have to be seen to be believed. Once the sun has gone down past the horizon, the sky becomes a soft blend of pastels and is simply unforgettable.
    I just keep clicking away trying to capture the beauty and the memory.    Read more

  • TravelerFar North Queensland & Beyond
    Day 49

    Karumba

    June 25, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    After a warm night and a restless sleep, we awoke and dressed and walked down to the local market, which is held every Sunday next to the Sunset Bar. We browsed but did not buy anything, as it was typical market stuff, nothing took my fancy, then back to the van for breakfast and a cuppa.

    Feeling energetic, we started on the 3.8km walk from where we are staying at Karumba Point to Karumba, past the mandatory crocodile warning and through the (dry) wetlands along the path, not really sure how far we would go or how our energy levels would be in the humid heat. We ended up walking the full length of the track, then stopped for 10 minutes to catch our breath and then walked back again.
    We felt happy with ourselves as it was a pretty good achievement walking nearly 8kms in the middle of the day, when we have not done this for quite a few years. We arrived back hot and sweaty and thirsty (we did take a small bottle of water with us) and recovered while having lunch.

    After lunch we drove the car down the track past the airport where there is access to the beach with the plan to fish off the beach. The tide was going out, and so were the fish. Last time we were in Karumba we brought a bait net which had not been opened, so Theo got it out and tried to practice casting to get some bait. He only caught 2 small fish and used them, but the bigger fish had already taken off with the tide. He said he is going to do a refresher on YouTube on bait net casting.

    There has been a vacant camp site between us and Gail, but late this afternoon, a massive caravan and vehicle pulled up and after a couple of attempts, they backed into the site. Six adults got out of the car, and a couple of swags have been set up under the awning. They said that they are staying for a week, so I am very happy that we are moving on tomorrow. Poor Gail is staying another 10 days and she is just in a small motor home, so I hope that they are not too noisy for her.

    Had a hamburger and barra burger for dinner then walked back along the beach trying to get the best sunset photo. Once again, lots and lots of photos of the magnificent sky and sun disappearing beyond the horizon.

    Tomorrow we are planning on heading west to a free camp at Leichhardt Falls, about 2 hours' drive. Talking to some other travelers, apparently the falls are pumping. Last time we stayed there, the falls were just flowing, but there has been some heavy rain recently.    Read more

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