Lawn Hill

Little River - 08/06/13

 We left the Daily Waters Pub and turn onto the Carpentaria Highway because Graham wanted to drive on the Savannah Way. The first thing we noticed was that the was a dramatic increase of cars/caravans on this road. And that this is one of this "nothing happening" roads. We stop on this lovely little spot next to the Little River (more like a little swamp right now) where we saw so many black cockatoos  and  green budgies that we couldn't believe our luck. Well maybe luck has nothing to do with it,  just the fact that the wasn't much other water around for animals to drink from. We have little and big visitors(mostly cows) all the time and it was fun just to seat there and watch them come and go.

Black Cocotoos

Budgies (100s of them)
They are amazing in flight, so fast and aerobatic..  We have only ever seen them hopping perch to perch

Hawk (keenly watching budgies)
Some others said the hawk waits for the right moment, then spectacurly goes and gets himself a budgie.  Unfortunately, we didnt see this ourself though

Wood sparrows (the bird guy there told us what they were)

Some other sort of bird normally in cages

 

King Ash Bay Fishing Club 09/06/13

 (Have to come back to this place with a boat and more time)

Lidia was nagging Graham to go to the King Ash Bay Fishing Bay for couple of days and after a big fight Graham surrended. The place was great. We were lucky to get a spot by the river as the camp was packed. We parked the caravan, took chairs and fishing rods, sat down on chairs and ...fished just there and then. Graham got commended by the guys there for getting his fishing rod into the water, before he set up camp.  The people there were so friendly and most people were staying there for months, and do each year.  The fishing technique was to have a boat and a cast net to get live mullet.  Some of them had the livies on and leaving fishing rods behind their caravans with little bells attached to them. One guy caught a shark  and everybody just came around and watched. Graham caught couple of little catfish fish for bait. Rig was a heavy sinker, stainless trace line and a ho-ho-ho-huge hook  It was out with the live bait wiggling around for a couple of hours, when the big something hit it and the drag screemed.  Graham fought it for about 15minutes, before it came to the shore line, and tangled around submerged branches.  We jumped into a boat and tried to pull it back out, but it was too strong and tangled and couldnt budge it.  WE tried the anchor to dislodge, and a hook retreiver, but nothing worked.  Tried to put some pressure on it, but the line snapped, and we never got a look at what it was -  One guy said that Barra always dive for cover..  damn.  THis struggle must have weakened the rod, because just after, the top third of the rod snapped off.  No problem though, Graham continued fishing with a sawn off rod.

Trying to catch some more live bait, Graham hooted a sooty Grunter (Black Bream), but as it came in it tangled around some reeds.  Graham went down to the waters edge to work it loose, when it floated sideways to the surface.  Graham tried to retrieveit with a stick, but couldnt, so waded through the reeds to get it.  He had it in his hands (about 1kg fish) but the line was still tangled, so he snapped the line off, and at than moment the fish flicked itslf out of hand and into water, and disappeared...Damn again

 

Next day, same heavy setup setup and off goes the drag, this time it went straight out for deeper water and had a different feel about it (think this was a shark)..  Kept turning up the drag to wear it out, because it had already taken a lot of line, but only had 35 pound line on  THe reel was running out of line, so a bit more tightening of the drag, but snap.....  damn, another one free.  This was entertaining for our fellow campers, but no fish for Graham.

                                                                                                                                     

Calvert Creek - 10/06/13

We left quite late as Graham was still trying to catch fish. We wash our car and caravan just to get it dusty and dirty again just 5min after we hit the Savannah Way. We decided to stop on one of the free spots that Camps 7 mentions. In the book it says that there are sites on both sides of the river. Well, this is WRONG!!!!.  This photo shows us entering - the rocky/sandy ledge there is steeper than it looks.  We had to go in, turn around then go back up. The Pathfinder saved us again, and LO range dragged the Jayco up and out of the tent camping area.  Lidia was meant to be the photographer, but she was panicking so much, she didnt take any photos of the exit.

 

Once we settle down on the right side of the river we met some people from NSW who were going to King Ash Bay. We had some bonfire together and exchanged some trip stories.

 

 

Kingfisher Camp- 11/06/12

We crossed the border to QLD and the road got quite bad. We were going to go to Burketown but changed our mind and went to Kingfisher Camp instead. Everybody we've met or pass on the Savannah Way were telling us to go there and after that to the Lawn Hill (Boodjamulla)National Park, so we did just that. Kingfisher Camp was a surprise after mills and mills of dirt road as it was quite green and the camping area is on the grass. Buy then we found dust in places we didn't know exists and it was a big break for us to walk on something else than red dirt.

 Time for a roast pork dinner, with australian hardwood smoke ...

 

 

 The savannah way has been a god choice.  THe road was not too bad, and mostly the corrugaret had paths arund them.  Here is some of the sections of the road so far:

 

 

 

 

Adels Grove Caravan Park - 12/06/13

 We were nailing the Savannah way, so we thought we would get a little more excitement on a 4WD track with the van.  IT was really the only way we could reach Lawn Hill, without returning to the savanny way and approaching a different way.

 

The track was more entertaining, and the fuel economy was better on these roads than the highway anyway.

 

We had a couple of awsome creek crossings and the scenery was great, and we only passed a few cars on the whole road.  THe only thing was all of the gates.  Lidia was happy to get out in the hot dust to get the first few, but there must have been 20 gates over the 150km road - notice her change in gate opening routines..

 

 

 

 

After more dirt road and couple of creek crossing we arrived to Adels Grove.The camping area in Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park was full so we had no option but to stay in the caravan park just 10km from the NP. The price for a spot in here is a rip off as they charge you $17 per person for unpowered side!!! And is not even nice in here.

We went to see the Lawn Hill Gorge and went for a swim in the Indarri Falls. It is amazing that after of hours of driving and walking in the dirt you can find place like that.   Still amazes us that down in the Gorge con be so green, cool and so much clear water, and up on the main land is so hot and dry.