Birdsville, 6500klms, Dirt, Dust, Flies....mmmm....Are we there yet?
Sep 22nd, 2009, 07:18 PM
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Birdsville, 6500klms, Dirt, Dust, Flies....mmmm....Are we there yet?
I've just returned home after 3 1/2 weeks on the road from Brisbane to Birdsville. We travelled with 3 other couples and we all had 4WDs and off road campertrailers. I appreciate that our Fodorite visitors rarely get out to the parts of western Queensland that we travelled to, but I thought I might let you know how it went for us.
We arranged to meet at the top of the Toowoomba Range at 6am on 29th August and everyone was on time and so we headed off, with our first destination being Carnarvon National Park. We arrived late afternoon, as one of our travel buddies experienced a bit of difficulties with his vehicle and we probably lost 2 hours attending to that.
Despite all the rain at the beginning of the year, Carnarvon was quite dry. Nevertheless, we did have a very nice time here and the first day was mainly doing a bit of recon and doing a couple of smaller walks that amounted to about 5klms all up. Next day we were up early and set off for the 14klm walk. A couple of highlights for me were - Ward's Canyon - absolutely beautiful and spectacular. The Amphitheatre was worth the climb as well and I loved the Moss Garden.
We tried very hard to catch sight of the elusive platypus in the nearby creek but unfortunately, we had no luck BUT I did see my first echidna so that made me pretty happy. Next day we headed north and then west to the Salvador Rosa section of the park and spent a very lovely afternoon and evening in this section.
Next stop was Welford National Park - just a stopover really on our way to Lark Quarry near Winton. This is really a conservation area with little camping appeal (to us anyway). Whilst, we had a lovely evening and our first fabulous bush shower, we were glad to head out again the next day. Another bush camp at a spot we found on the Mayne River where again we pulled up by about 4pm and had a great night - no campfire unfortunately as it was extremely windy and dry but a good red will always warm the cockles of your heart anyway.
Next day saw us arrive at Lark Quarry, the site of the world's largest dinosaur stampede! We had come here in 2002 to see the site but unfortunately, it had been closed at the time for renovations. There is now a roof over the area and I felt we were rewarded for our efforts to get here. It was quite amazing to see the ancient footprints. The surrounding country is really quite beautiful with gorgeous red hills and spinifex and lancewoods. We then headed into Winton for the night for a chance to get some food supplies and also to do a quick load of washing. We stayed in a caravan park and they had a big camp dining area and you could get a beautiful roast dinner for $13.00 per head. Great value and the meal was sensational. After dinner, two bush poets performed for us - two ladies - who were very funny and talented and we thoroughly enjoyed their show. They left their hats out for donations and I don't think they would have been disappointed with their nights' renumeration.
Next day we headed off for the mighty Diamantina River track and the Diamantina Lakes National Park. The track was not as challenging as we had thought and in fact, the 4WD roads were often better and smoother than the bitumen (but not always). Again, we had expected that the earlier rains may still be in evidence but we were a little disappointed here. It was very, very hot and there were millions of flies - yes really - millions!!!
I think if you are a bird watcher then a lot of these places would be paradise but for us it didn't have a great deal of appeal and we only stayed 2 nights instead of our intended 3. I'm not saying that some of these places aren't worth visiting it's just that they didn't really do it for us personally.
Back onto the track and dirt road again and our next stop was Bedourie - a most surprising place and one that we really loved. It is a bit bigger than I was expecting and the townsfolk were very friendly. The Council provide free entry into the swimming pool and artesian spas and we had a spa in the afternoon and again in the morning before we headed off.
Dinner at the pub that night was fantastic! These old places and often the people who run and own them are very colourful and charismatic. We had a lot of laughs that night and whilst you knew you certainly weren't dining at the Ritz - to my mind - I really enjoyed feeling a part of the bush.
An easy drive the next morning saw us arriving into Birdsville - another surprise destination - little bigger than I had expected. The famous Birdsville Races had just been on the previous weekend and the town was in 'recovery mode'. The main thing we wanted to do here was go 4WDriving over the famous 'Big Red' sand dune. We weren't disappointed - the dune goes on for miles and miles and rises to about 150 metres I guess. Of course, for us the challenge was going to be between the 2 Nissan Patrol wagons and the 2 Toyota Land Cruisers. I begrudingly have to admit that the Cruisers did better overall, but one suffered the next day - having to replace both front shockies and his rear brakes.
I too, had a crack at the climb and am happy to say that I got the car up and over the top of Big Red. We had dinner at the Birdsville Pub both nights we were there and I have to tell you that the meals were absolutely restaurant quality both in presentation and taste. Meal prices were very reasonable out west but food and drinks were another story.
Next stop was Innamincka via the Burke and Wills Dig Tree. Overall, we were a little disappointed with Innamincka and we did drive out to Coongie Lake but the road there and back (200klms all up) was probably the worst we had to travel on for the entire trip. Cooper's Creek (river?) had a decent amount of water and this is where we camped for two nights under some very shady trees. Again a lot of bird life that was quite interesting to watch.
Onto Cameron Corner - where 3 States - Queensland, NSW and South Australia all meet. We had planned to stay the night here but as there is only the service station there and nothing else we pushed on and headed east on the 'Bulloo Station' track, with an overnight bush stop and then our arrival into Hungerford and the Currwinya National Park for a couple of nights. We had a great time in the national park - lovely waterholes and very shady camping sites, lots of bird life etc. We had dinner at the Hungerford Pub - The Royal Mail Hotel - where our hosts Lyn and Peter put on a beautiful meal for us and Lyn made even baked a birthday cake for one of our troops. It was a great night, a great pub and a great bunch of travellers that we came across.
It was here we said goodbye to our friends who were heading home and we were heading off to Sydney to catch up with our sons who had planned to race at Oran Park Raceway - a Drift Australia event. Well, our sons arrived but alas no race car - they had quite a few difficulties with the preparation and it just didn't come together in time - not to worry it was great to see them after 3 1/2 weeks away and we still had a good time. We left Sydney at 6.15am and arrived home in Brisbane at 6.30pm - a helluva a big day!
So that's our little outback, western trip. There is plenty of animal life out there - lots of emus (in plague proportions apparently at the moment, after all the rain etc), kangaroos, wallabies and as mentioned an extraordinary birdlife as well. Fortunately we did not come upon any snakes whew!
It's definitely not the 'Top 10' out there I guess, but it has a beauty all of its own and as is often the case, it is often the people you meet who can make your trip fun and interesting - we had a great time - I love travelling with friends this way and am now planning the next adventure - maybe the Daintree and the Undara Lava tubes on the way - wherever it is - for sure next time it is going to be green and not red!!!!!
We arranged to meet at the top of the Toowoomba Range at 6am on 29th August and everyone was on time and so we headed off, with our first destination being Carnarvon National Park. We arrived late afternoon, as one of our travel buddies experienced a bit of difficulties with his vehicle and we probably lost 2 hours attending to that.
Despite all the rain at the beginning of the year, Carnarvon was quite dry. Nevertheless, we did have a very nice time here and the first day was mainly doing a bit of recon and doing a couple of smaller walks that amounted to about 5klms all up. Next day we were up early and set off for the 14klm walk. A couple of highlights for me were - Ward's Canyon - absolutely beautiful and spectacular. The Amphitheatre was worth the climb as well and I loved the Moss Garden.
We tried very hard to catch sight of the elusive platypus in the nearby creek but unfortunately, we had no luck BUT I did see my first echidna so that made me pretty happy. Next day we headed north and then west to the Salvador Rosa section of the park and spent a very lovely afternoon and evening in this section.
Next stop was Welford National Park - just a stopover really on our way to Lark Quarry near Winton. This is really a conservation area with little camping appeal (to us anyway). Whilst, we had a lovely evening and our first fabulous bush shower, we were glad to head out again the next day. Another bush camp at a spot we found on the Mayne River where again we pulled up by about 4pm and had a great night - no campfire unfortunately as it was extremely windy and dry but a good red will always warm the cockles of your heart anyway.
Next day saw us arrive at Lark Quarry, the site of the world's largest dinosaur stampede! We had come here in 2002 to see the site but unfortunately, it had been closed at the time for renovations. There is now a roof over the area and I felt we were rewarded for our efforts to get here. It was quite amazing to see the ancient footprints. The surrounding country is really quite beautiful with gorgeous red hills and spinifex and lancewoods. We then headed into Winton for the night for a chance to get some food supplies and also to do a quick load of washing. We stayed in a caravan park and they had a big camp dining area and you could get a beautiful roast dinner for $13.00 per head. Great value and the meal was sensational. After dinner, two bush poets performed for us - two ladies - who were very funny and talented and we thoroughly enjoyed their show. They left their hats out for donations and I don't think they would have been disappointed with their nights' renumeration.
Next day we headed off for the mighty Diamantina River track and the Diamantina Lakes National Park. The track was not as challenging as we had thought and in fact, the 4WD roads were often better and smoother than the bitumen (but not always). Again, we had expected that the earlier rains may still be in evidence but we were a little disappointed here. It was very, very hot and there were millions of flies - yes really - millions!!!
I think if you are a bird watcher then a lot of these places would be paradise but for us it didn't have a great deal of appeal and we only stayed 2 nights instead of our intended 3. I'm not saying that some of these places aren't worth visiting it's just that they didn't really do it for us personally.
Back onto the track and dirt road again and our next stop was Bedourie - a most surprising place and one that we really loved. It is a bit bigger than I was expecting and the townsfolk were very friendly. The Council provide free entry into the swimming pool and artesian spas and we had a spa in the afternoon and again in the morning before we headed off.
Dinner at the pub that night was fantastic! These old places and often the people who run and own them are very colourful and charismatic. We had a lot of laughs that night and whilst you knew you certainly weren't dining at the Ritz - to my mind - I really enjoyed feeling a part of the bush.
An easy drive the next morning saw us arriving into Birdsville - another surprise destination - little bigger than I had expected. The famous Birdsville Races had just been on the previous weekend and the town was in 'recovery mode'. The main thing we wanted to do here was go 4WDriving over the famous 'Big Red' sand dune. We weren't disappointed - the dune goes on for miles and miles and rises to about 150 metres I guess. Of course, for us the challenge was going to be between the 2 Nissan Patrol wagons and the 2 Toyota Land Cruisers. I begrudingly have to admit that the Cruisers did better overall, but one suffered the next day - having to replace both front shockies and his rear brakes.
I too, had a crack at the climb and am happy to say that I got the car up and over the top of Big Red. We had dinner at the Birdsville Pub both nights we were there and I have to tell you that the meals were absolutely restaurant quality both in presentation and taste. Meal prices were very reasonable out west but food and drinks were another story.
Next stop was Innamincka via the Burke and Wills Dig Tree. Overall, we were a little disappointed with Innamincka and we did drive out to Coongie Lake but the road there and back (200klms all up) was probably the worst we had to travel on for the entire trip. Cooper's Creek (river?) had a decent amount of water and this is where we camped for two nights under some very shady trees. Again a lot of bird life that was quite interesting to watch.
Onto Cameron Corner - where 3 States - Queensland, NSW and South Australia all meet. We had planned to stay the night here but as there is only the service station there and nothing else we pushed on and headed east on the 'Bulloo Station' track, with an overnight bush stop and then our arrival into Hungerford and the Currwinya National Park for a couple of nights. We had a great time in the national park - lovely waterholes and very shady camping sites, lots of bird life etc. We had dinner at the Hungerford Pub - The Royal Mail Hotel - where our hosts Lyn and Peter put on a beautiful meal for us and Lyn made even baked a birthday cake for one of our troops. It was a great night, a great pub and a great bunch of travellers that we came across.
It was here we said goodbye to our friends who were heading home and we were heading off to Sydney to catch up with our sons who had planned to race at Oran Park Raceway - a Drift Australia event. Well, our sons arrived but alas no race car - they had quite a few difficulties with the preparation and it just didn't come together in time - not to worry it was great to see them after 3 1/2 weeks away and we still had a good time. We left Sydney at 6.15am and arrived home in Brisbane at 6.30pm - a helluva a big day!
So that's our little outback, western trip. There is plenty of animal life out there - lots of emus (in plague proportions apparently at the moment, after all the rain etc), kangaroos, wallabies and as mentioned an extraordinary birdlife as well. Fortunately we did not come upon any snakes whew!
It's definitely not the 'Top 10' out there I guess, but it has a beauty all of its own and as is often the case, it is often the people you meet who can make your trip fun and interesting - we had a great time - I love travelling with friends this way and am now planning the next adventure - maybe the Daintree and the Undara Lava tubes on the way - wherever it is - for sure next time it is going to be green and not red!!!!!
Sep 23rd, 2009, 04:36 AM
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Hi Storm!
Great report about places off the beaten track!
I was interested to hear you mention Winton, because a few years ago I tried to coordinate a train trip on the Spirit of the Outback which lets off in Longreach, and then go to Winton, as I thought my husband would like the dino tracks; but I just couldn't make it work with the time I had.
Now, if you do plan on going to the Undarra Lava tubes, I can provide some info on that! Number one, you've got the right idea on self driving -- the company they hire out for transfers from Cairns must have the most uncomfortable mini-coach I've ever been in! I swear there's no shocks on the vehicles and no padding to speak of on the seats; I have no idea what anyone who's tall would do, as my knees were right up against the seat in front of me (and I'm only 5'4").
Best,
Melodie
Certified Aussie Specialist
Great report about places off the beaten track!
I was interested to hear you mention Winton, because a few years ago I tried to coordinate a train trip on the Spirit of the Outback which lets off in Longreach, and then go to Winton, as I thought my husband would like the dino tracks; but I just couldn't make it work with the time I had.
Now, if you do plan on going to the Undarra Lava tubes, I can provide some info on that! Number one, you've got the right idea on self driving -- the company they hire out for transfers from Cairns must have the most uncomfortable mini-coach I've ever been in! I swear there's no shocks on the vehicles and no padding to speak of on the seats; I have no idea what anyone who's tall would do, as my knees were right up against the seat in front of me (and I'm only 5'4").
Best,
Melodie
Certified Aussie Specialist
Sep 23rd, 2009, 09:02 PM
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Great Trip Report! Thanks for sharing this unusual glimpse of places not often reported on here. I especially would love to hear more about Carnarvon Gorge because we really wanted to go there but the expense in time and money was too much. That dinosaur place sounds fantastic! I know DH would love it, being still a 7 year old boy when it comes to dinosaurs.
Sally in Seattle
Sally in Seattle
Sep 23rd, 2009, 11:39 PM
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Good to hear from you Pat and Melodie. Hi Sally - Carnarvon is a beautiful place to visit. We didn't see it all and definitely hope to go back when it will be a bit greener. We did 14klms of a 22klms walk so we definitely have to go back to see the rest.
There are some very interesting aboriginal rock paintings in the walk and I loved that you had to cross the river (creek??) many times and this was done by way of rocks that have been strategically placed for you - it just made it a bit different.
It is largely an easy walk but it is a gorge so some climbing is involved. I would definitely recommend a visit there. And to top it off there is an abundance of wildlife right there on your doorstep.
Lark Quarry was very interesting and really quite hard to believe that you are looking at footprints that are millions of years old. The surrounding countryside, IMHO is really beautiful with that beautiful red earth and spinifex etc. Nearby Winton is of course the home of 'Waltzing Matilda' and the display is well worth the visit.
Cheers guys - maybe we'll have to catch up next year Pat if we end up your way!
There are some very interesting aboriginal rock paintings in the walk and I loved that you had to cross the river (creek??) many times and this was done by way of rocks that have been strategically placed for you - it just made it a bit different.
It is largely an easy walk but it is a gorge so some climbing is involved. I would definitely recommend a visit there. And to top it off there is an abundance of wildlife right there on your doorstep.
Lark Quarry was very interesting and really quite hard to believe that you are looking at footprints that are millions of years old. The surrounding countryside, IMHO is really beautiful with that beautiful red earth and spinifex etc. Nearby Winton is of course the home of 'Waltzing Matilda' and the display is well worth the visit.
Cheers guys - maybe we'll have to catch up next year Pat if we end up your way!
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