Planes, boats, a train and an automobile - hai Karumba!

bPeteb · Oct 31, 2021

Due to ongoing border restrictions this year’s north western Australia overland became a ‘where to’ and we decided north Queensland. We enjoyed our campervan trip around Tassie so much we decided we’d try it again. Fly to Cairns then head west to Karumba and maybe Adel’s Grove and return, finishing with a relax on Fitzroy Island. Our full plans meant we had to hire a 4WD camper and with the 10% discount through RACQ our Cheapa Campa (Apollo) Hilux pop-top was just under $2400 for 11 days.

Then we realised just how hot it was going to be and as neither of the 4WD campers has aircon when parked we decided to keep the itinerary, cancel the camper, book a 4WD and accommodation instead of campsites.

With a corp discount and every insurance cover available our Avis large 4WD was a surprisingly reasonable $1500.

Our original hope to get to Adel’s Grove proved to be a destination too far. We decided against staying at Innot Hot Springs after reading some ordinary reviews and the newly opened Talaroo Hot Springs was closing for the season two weeks before we planned to call in/stay. Our must visits were Cobbold Gorge, Undara lava tubes and Karumba. We decided we wanted to take a ride on The Gulflander so that also meant a stay in Normanton. We had a couple of extra days before Fitzroy and decided on Mission Beach for a couple of nights. Ravenshoe looked like a nice first night but I got no response from the hotel and decided on Mount Garnet instead.

Final itinerary - QF BNE-CNS - Mount Garnet Travellers Park (1N) - Cobbold Gorge (2N) - Normanton Purple Pub (1N) - Karumba End of the Road motel (2N) - Croydon Club Hotel (1N) - Undara Experience (2N) - Mission Beach Eco Village Resort (2N) - Fitzroy Island Resort (3N) - QF CNS-BNE

drron · Oct 31, 2021

Ah Karumba where the men fish and the women knit. Well they did when we stayed there 15 years ago before and after a visit to Mornington Isaland and the Birri fishing lodge sadly now closed.

bPeteb · Oct 31, 2021

It was nice to be in an airport again. The j lounge was quiet. My shadow stuck and the flight to CNS left on time.

Great view of Brisbane as we left from the new runway and swung right and then north

Our home is just down there

A cookie and juice served in y

The Great Barrier Reef and it's islands is truly amazing from the air

I have a bit of an aversion to large 4WDs and was not hugely looking forward to driving across to the gulf in the ugliest vehicle on earth, a Pajero Sport. I wonder how many big 4WDs ever get near dirt or tow anything. Their drivers, especially the drivers of Toyota Prados, appear to only drive in the right lane of multi-lane roads and have special authority to drive at least 10kmh over the speed limit, everywhere. So it was perfect irony to be handed the keys to a near new Prado with only 5000km on the clock to spend nearly two weeks driving. I had renamed it the ‘magic carpet’ by the end of our second day

We have friends in Cairns who generously offered us an esky and other bits and pieces. After picking up some supplies (milk, cereal, beer, cider) from Smithfield and calling in to Trinity Beach to have lunch, get the esky, a humongous first aid kit, bowls, spoons, and some windscreen chip patches we headed west to Mount Garnet.

We stopped at Jaques Coffee for afternoon tea. Despite everyone in Cairns and surrounds pronouncing it zsarcs like Jacque-s Cousteau, it’s actually pronounced jakes. I know, because a distant relative was a teacher at my infants school in Sydney one million years ago. We buy their coffee via subscription.

It was amazing how the landscape/vegetation changed the moment we passed the ‘you are leaving the Atherton Tablelands’ sign.

bPeteb · Oct 31, 2021

The pub at Innot Hot Springs looked nice but no response from them regarding a room booking (like for Ravenshoe) was another reason we chose Mount Garnet.

Our donga was fine, and cheap - $120. When I’d originally called to book the caretaker was heading bush for a few days. When I called from the airport to confirm our booking I was assured we’d have a bed when we got there even though she couldn’t find a booking. When we got there she’d found it scribbled on a notepad. By the sound of it a queen bed donga isn’t as popular as a twin. I’m guessing it’s mainly mates out fishing, or shooting, or miners mining.

We asked where we could get a feed and the pub was out as they’d only serve meals to mine employees. The big servo was suggested but when we got there the kitchen had closed at 1pm. The little servo was open and we got the last two pies in the hot box.

So dinner was some over-done pies, beer and cider and some nuts from the Humpy Nut at Tolga (where we’d stocked up on a previous trip).

We played cards and took photos of the cute frogs singing around us.

The donga was well, a dongo. A small living room, a bathroom and a bedroom with a not very comfortable bed. It had good, if noisy, aircon in both spaces. Living room on, bedroom off

bPeteb · Nov 1, 2021

Day two was our longest drive - over five hours - from Mount Garnet to Cobbold Gorge Village via Forsayth.

After a pretty ordinary night's sleep on a pretty ordinary bed we wandered outside the donga to be greeted by a living aviary of a gazillion birds. Parrots and rosellas and coughatoos and honey eaters and apostle birds. So beautiful.

We stopped at Mount Surprise for a coffee and just out of town I saw some movement on the side of the road. I knew straight away what it was - emus! I haven't ever seen an emu outside of a wildlife park/zoo. A bit blurry but bAl got some shots as the squeezed through a fence and disappeared into the bush.

The Savannah Way aka the Gulf Development Rd aka route 1 is of variable quality. From wide lined roads

to this one

to under repair gravel, to our favourite, the single ribbon of damaged tar with wide gravel edges.

Luckily traffic was light for the whole trip and we had to stop for only a couple of road trains

We had a toilet stop at Forty Mile Scrub National Park. We could see a fire had not long ago burnt through the area and were very sad to find out when we were at Undara that it had been caused by an illegal camp fire that had got out of control. The two beautiful bottle trees have potentially boiled from the inside and the vegetation may never recover to the remnant forest it has been for thousands of years

We stopped into Georgetown for lunch. bAl was thrilled be able to order a plain sanga at the roadhouse that was served on a plate so no rubbish to be disposed of.

bPeteb · Nov 1, 2021

The drive from Georgetown to Forsayth and then to Cobbold Gorge Village was again a mix of tar and gravel

Forsayth is the end point of the Savannahlander train from Cairns. At one point we'd thought we could do this trip. We've now decided Forsayth isn't worth the ride. A hot, dusty little group of buildings that would be a tad underwhelming to arrive at after sitting on that train for a very long time

From Forsyath it was another 45km and pretty much all gravel of decent quality

Outside temp was 40. We were very glad to be in the airconditioned magic carpet and very relieved to finally arrive at Cobbold Gorge Village

and even happier when we opened the door of our cabin. Very nice!

The cabin had an amzing outlook across the savannah (180 panorama below). Time for cider

bPeteb · Nov 1, 2021

Cobbald Gorge is found on a working station, one of three adjacent properties run by the sons of only the second family to farm cattle on the land. Over the last 30 years it has gone from some rough tracks into the gorge to an amazing oasis perched on a ridge above the savannah. Lagoon, an infinity pool, a large restaurant/bar area, camping area with powered and unpowered sites, cabins and rooms

our favourites - black coughatoos - were in full attendance

we'd bought a package at Cobbold Gorge - accommodation, all meals, the gorge cruise and a helicopter flight. When we first booked it was because it was easy but it was actually great value. It included two dinners, two breakfasts and a lunch. For dinner it was three courses off the full menu including the $38 steak. Lunch anything off the menu. Breakfast from a buffet of cereal, fruit and cooked, plus any coffee from the proper machine.

After soaking in the beautiful pool with canned beer in hand it was time for dinner.

This damper was hard, dry work (and huge)

but the steak and whatever bAl had were excellent (even if the photography wasn't)

bPeteb · Nov 1, 2021

The village was just so beautiful early in the morning. Amazing reflections on the pool, lots of birds everywhere

At 8am it was time for our tour to the gorge.

The water continues to run under the Gilbert (?) River all year. During the wet the water is of course running over the sand but in the dry a well is dug and it provides crystal clear filtered water for the resort.

bPeteb · Nov 1, 2021

It's the very end of the season and as it gets hotter what was a number of trips per day becomes just two early trips. Zee was our tour guide and the trip into the gorge was amazing. The small number meant that there was only one boat in the gorge at a time. It was perfect

Sorry, this sign continues to amuse me...

out onto the electric boat, recharged by a solar system up above the creek

that bloody glass bridge I would soon have to walk over

bPeteb · Nov 1, 2021

a couple more of the gorge. It really was as beautiful as it looks

dozens of beautifil spider webs We were told these were St Andrews Cross spiders but that due to the archer fish in the waterway they had changed the design of the web to confuse the fish. True? We have no idea

one of the resident freshies made an apprearance

as did another beautiful monitor at the end of the walkway across to the boats

then it was time to overcome my mounting terror. It was time for the glass bridge

booties to try to cut down scatching

I like metal structures just a little more than glass

bPeteb · Nov 1, 2021

after lunch bAl went in search of some black coughies that were making a racket not far from the pool. They were as interested in him as he was of them

then it was helicopter flight tiome. The pilot was clearly going through the motions from a speil/conversation perspective but they were a great pilot and after noticing I wasn't actually videoing when we circled the gorge they flew around a couple more times. It is the most amazing landscape

the R44

bPeteb · Nov 1, 2021

we got up early to do one of the shorter walks from the village.

Lots of birds including the green parrots again

but again my favourites were the rosellas

corrugations in the road leading into the resort

ants entereing and leaving their mound

a wallaby checking us out

bPeteb · Nov 1, 2021

waht bAl believes is a darter but I'll just call it a shag

couple more views of the village

pools

bar/restaurant

two things I've just remembered - all wine was $9 for a mini and $30 for every full size bottle they had. All were kept in the drinks fridge!

The second is regarding just what you can and shouldn't drive into Cobbold. Anything with high sidewalls and decent ground clearance. We saw a Honda Civic and a Skoda Octavia. What you shouldn't is anything close to the ground with low profile tyres. Exhibit A - a MB c class shooting break. There really are some dumb people around. Besides the fact it was NSW registered and they just screamed 'we shouldn't be in Qld', they had destroyed the sidewall of one of the front tyres and just kept driving. I overheard one of them saying on the phone that they had no spare and no repair kit. I have no idea how a replacement tyre was going to get to them and just couldn't care. Entitled idiots.

another long drive ahead. Destination Normanton. One the way out of Cobbald we stopped at the Quartz Blow. The first bit of road we actually needed a 4WD for

then back out on the road

past Forsayth and out to Georgetown before heading west.

bPeteb · Nov 1, 2021

after topping up the tank at visit two to the Georgetown roadhouse, we got back out onto the increasingly cough road. We stopped at the coughberland Chimney and wetland

dollar bird

sulphur crested coughatoo

rosella (again)

we called into Croydon for the first of three visits

and just like at Mount Garnet, all that we could find in the only open cafe/shop were a couple of meat pies.

It was 90 minutes to Normanton from Croydon on a wide, smooth, fully tarred and very boring road. A little hot outside

Buzzard · Nov 1, 2021

I'm hoping to travel on the Savannahlander next year as well as doing a trip to the gorge.

bPeteb · Nov 1, 2021

We stayed at Normanton only so that we would be there early for our trip on the Gulflander. We'd booked a room at the Purple Pub but as we drove into town we saw the train at the station so turned back to have a look.

it was very, very shiny!! Looked freshly painted actually

The pub was a hoot

something to consider if you're heading to Normanton

after we parked the car at the motel rooms out the back, and had a quick swim in the hotel pool we had dinner. A very decent steak and an ok pizza, washed down with our new beer of choice Great Northern Super Crisp, although we did have a couple of jugs of Brookvale Union ginger beer

bPeteb · Nov 1, 2021

The room was to put it bluntly pretty ordinary. An uncomfortable bed, a fan that was off or on turbo and a box aircon unit that sounded like a Cesna above our heads. Somehow we slept ok. Sorry, I forgot photos of the room

When we'd started planning we were both going to catch the train to Croydon then catch the bus back to Normanton. Then bAl saw that we could share the train ride - one of us ride to the siding where the passengers had morning tea while the other drive there, then swap over, then both drive back to Normanton, or in our case, Karumba. So that's what we booked.

Normanton Station. There is a small museum inside the building.

Each passenger is given a tin Gulflander cup to use for morning tea. Also given some info on the train. You have an allocated seat. I was weirdly in an aisle seat of two with no-one sat with me. It was explained that when we got to Croydon there would be a celebration for the 130th aniversary of the line. No wonder the train is so shiny!

I dumped my bag on my seat and took some pictures while no-one was inside

bPeteb · Nov 1, 2021

more inside the power car of the train

we even had a loo

then went and had a look at the last carriage. There was a small tour group using this car. Everyone else was in the rail motor

we all got on and were away

the rail motor, built in 1950, has a Gardner diesel with a crash gearbox. It's weird sitting in a train with a driver chnaging gears as we very slowly leave the station. The driver gives a running commentary that is actually quite interesting but I'll have to admit that the scenery is on the whole monotonous and as the tracks pretty much follow the highway, apart from some slight deviations we'd already driven down the highway.

bPeteb · Nov 1, 2021

I saw bAl pass the train way too soon. I knew how long it would get to reach the siding and he was a good half an hour early. He had a plan though. He found a couple of places to stop on the side of the highway then walk up to the track to film us going passed. Crazy trainspotter guy!

We arrived at the siding on time and had a morning tea of coffee, tea and muffins

The original water tank used to replenishing the boiler of the old steam engines

crazy trainspotter filming our arrival

crazy train passenger looking forward to an airconditioned magic carpet for the rest of the day

a very beautiful red winged parrot

a very senior Qld Rail exec boarded the train at the siding and it was his bum that was supposed to be in the window seat of our two but he very kindly gave bAl the window

I drove on to Croydon and went up to Lake Belmore

where I watched a guy catch a big (to me) barra. Barra season is over but not sure about in the lake where they are all introduced and don't ever breed.