After 3 fabulous days camping at Adels Grove and exploring Boodjamulla National Park we packed up, filled one tank with water, used the dump point and headed off on the road back to Gregory Downs. It’s a shocker of a road in our motorhome with it’s rigid truck suspension. We crawled along at 15-30km/h and couldn’t wait until we got to the better section at the other end of the 90km trip.
Catie & Robert and Brian & Helen also set off however they are heading further into the gulf country towards Doomadgee and Hell’s Gate. Eventually they will make it to Burketown. We’d only gone about 5km when they both went past us. In their 4WD’s and caravans with off road suspension they can travel a lot faster than us on the rough.
Douglas’s leaving Adels Grove
Just after the intersection with the Doomadgee Road we came across a small herd of brumbies resting under a couple of trees. They were a pretty scrawny looking lot. They were not glossy and fat like the brumbies we are used to seeing at our mountain retreat in the Snowy Mountains.
Doomadgee Rd intersection
We bumped and rattled over the rough road. At one point it was better to drive in the table drain. It was a shorter 2 hours 40 minutes later that we arrived in Gregory Downs.
We didn’t need to stop for anything so we continued on to Burke & Wills Roadhouse. It’s pretty monotonous driving along this road with only the odd Wedge-tailed Eagle to see.
We arrived at Burke & Wills Roadhouse and while we were at the bowser topping up with fuel who should come along? Our friend Michael Brayne! What a surprise! Turns out he’s been working in the area for 2 months and is based at the Roadhouse. He sat with us while we had our lunch and we really enjoyed catching up with him.
After lunch we set off heading towards Julia Creek.
The road to Julia Creek is mostly a single lane tar road however there was not much traffic and we were able to make good time until about 100km from Julia Creek we caught two three trailer road trains. They were full of cattle and going slowly at 80km/h. We managed to get around one at a wide section but had to travel behind the other for quite awhile until we could get safely around.
The countryside is very flat grasslands and is home to large cattle stations. The occasional entry gate to properties and mob of cattle breaks the monotony.
It was quite exciting though to see lots of Brolgas and quite a few huge Wedge-tailed Eagles. We don’t often see those at home!
We arrived in the small town of Julia Creek and, as I wanted to do lots of washing, we tried the Caravan Park to see if they had any sites. They were full so we tried the RV Park. What a beauty! Provided by the Council the RV Park is on the outskirts of town beside Julia Creek. They have Camp Hosts on site to check you in and make sure you do the Covid check in. It is free to camp and they have rubbish bins and water taps are scattered around. As we were filling up with water a lady approached us and pointed to where their motorhome was parked and said there is room behind them to fit another motorhome. What a lovely spot we got. Right next to the creek.
I think you all know by now that I love a camp site with water views!
Our friendly neighbours, Pete and Sharon, were great company and I was able to get lots of washing done and dried.
It was quite chilly at night and we’ve changed the sheets back to flannelette ones. We only needed the cotton ones at Adels Grove where the day time temperature reached 35 degrees. However we are going further south and from here on it will become colder.
The next morning was a sunny but chilly morning and we were back in jeans again after only wearing shorts & T-shirts or swimmers for the last week. We needed gas and some groceries and I still had washing to do. We had reasonable internet too so we decided we’d stay another night at Julia Creek.
Our neighbours, Pete and Sharon, got their e-scooters out and were happy to show them off to us before they set off to town. Sharon said I could have a go on hers later. That might be fun.
The RV Park also has bikes with baskets that people can borrow to ride up to town but as we needed our gas bottles filled we thought we’d better go in the motorhome. The hardware store in Julia Creek fills gas bottles so we were able to top up our gas bottle there.
Back to the RV park after picking up some groceries and we settled in for a lazy afternoon by the creek. Perfect!
Adels Grove Campground is located just 10km from Boodjamulla National Park. It is set amongst a plantation of exotic trees originally planted in 1920 by French Botanist Albert de Lestang. The name comes from his initials….A de l.
Albert was a keen botanist and collected plants from all over the world. He grew many and even sent seeds overseas. Hundred of samples of the seeds Albert grew remain in the Brisbane Botanical Gardens. Sadly a fire went through in the 1950’s and destroyed a lifetime’s work including all his meticulous notes. Albert was in his early 70’s by this time and the destruction of his property led to depression. He retired to town to live out his life. However many of the exotic plants he had planted regrew and the grove is now a mix of wild cabbage palms, pandanas, tea trees and the exotic plants that Albert planted.
It does make me wonder though, what on earth was a French botanist doing way out here in the outback? How did he come to be there and why would he stay there? It certainly is different to his native France!
The waters of the creek are a clear blue or green depending on the sky and it is an oasis in the desert. You can hire a canoe or kayak and paddle your way along the creek or make use of the multiple stairways and ladders along the creek to allow access for swimming. At one of those stairways there is a pontoon in the middle of the creek.
One of the local people assured me that there are only freshwater crocodiles as saltwater crocs don’t like the limestone in the water. I hoped he was correct.
Today Adels Grove is part of Lawn Hill Station, an indigenous owned and operated cattle farm. They have recently, in October 2020, taken over the running of the campground as well. I feel that most of the staff don’t really have an idea of how to run a hospitality venue but they will learn and I hope they do well. It is such a beautiful place but already I can see that maintenance has not been happening. It will be sad if it is all let go and people stop coming to this amazing place.
Entrance to Adels Grove
Tumbleweed
Lawn Hill Creek
Swimming hole Adels Grove
Our camp at Adels Grove
Just 10km down the road, which is half good tar road and half dreadful rough gravel, is Boodjamulla National Park. This park is famous as the site of Lawn Hill Gorge. The gorge has been carved out of the red sandstone over millions of years and some of the cliffs towers 60 metres above the water of the creek below. There is a limestone plateau above and freshwater springs flow over that to form the creek.
The park is 290,000 hectares and has another 130,000 hectares of resource reserve. The area has been home for 17,000 years for the Waanyi people who consider Lawn Hill Gorge to be sacred. Today the Waanyi people are involved in managing the park and showing it off to tourists.
There are a number of walking tracks along the gorge that lead to various lookouts. Mandie, Pete, Richard and I drove the short distance into the park and did the walk to Indarri Falls. Wow. It was spectacular. It was hot so a refreshing swim at the falls was a great way to cool off. When you first jump in the cold water takes your breath away but then your body gets used to it and it’s very pleasant. It’s also fun trying to manoeuvre yourself underneath the falls.
Indarri Falls separates the gorge into Upper and Lower and looks spectacular from the lookout high on the cliff above.
Back at camp we enjoyed drinks down at the waters edge before another little campfire and as a special treat Helen made scones again in their camp oven served hot with jam and whipped cream. Now the whipped cream is a trick. Did you know you can whip cream in a jar? You put a jar, a jam or peanut butter jar, in the fridge or freezer to get it cold, add the cream and a little icing sugar and a dash of vanilla, then shake vigorously. You have to try and hold the jar by its ends so the heat from your hands doesn’t warm it up. It takes about 15-20 minutes and, ta dah…whipped cream.
After 5 drinks at the waters edge
On our third day at Adels Catie and I packed our kayaks and headed into the park to paddle both gorges. Mandie and Pete also went in their vehicle as they had hired a double canoe from 9-11am. It’s a 10-15 minute drive from Adels into the park. We all met up at the canoe launching area after I’d spent 10 minutes inflating my kayak.
We set off paddling together and we’d only gone about 50 metres when Pete had to commence bailing water out of the bottom of their canoe. Oh dear! That wasn’t a promising start having a leaky canoe. They decided to keep going anyway with Pete having to regularly bail out water.
How to describe the gorge from the water. Incredible, amazing, stunning, beautiful are all words I could use. The water is clear and a gorgeous aqua colour. The creek is lined on either side by high red sandstone cliffs.
The flora along the gorge is incredible. Giant, tall cabbage palms tower over the pandanas and other palms below. Wattle trees were flowering all along the gorge and their bright yellow flowers contrasted with the aqua water. I marveled at the tenacity of nature as some small trees clung to the cliffs and sent their long roots down to the water.
It is very peaceful paddling along the gorge and it’s very quiet down there. If you rest your paddle for a while and just take in the serenity of the place it is easy to see why the Waanyi people believed that their creator, Boodjamulla, lives in the gorge.
After paddling the lower gorge we arrived at Indarri Falls. Here you have to lift your kayaks and canoes out of the water and up onto the bank. Thankfully a couple of stainless steel rails have been put in place to help drag the kayaks and canoes up the short slope. Once at the top you then have to portage your kayak or canoe along the 20m track to bypass the falls and gain access to the upper gorge. It didn’t take us all long to manage to portage our kayaks and canoe and we set off again paddling the upper gorge.
The cliffs are not as tall in the upper gorge however there is more plants life. We kept our eyes peeled for freshwater crocodiles however all we saw were ‘logodiles’, a log that we thought looked like a croc. There was lots of different birds flitting about the trees and we could here the bird song of many others as we paddled quietly along.
The creek narrows in the upper gorge and eventually we had to pass through a very narrow opening under the palms. This led into another wider section with low banks on either side. Perfect for crocs I thought but alas we didn’t see any there either.
The gorge ends at a pretty spot where the freshwater spring bubbles up out of the ground and cascades over rocks into the creek. This is the beginning of Lawn Hill Creek. The water felt warm to the touch. It was a very peaceful spot with the noise of the water as it rushed over the rocks so we stopped for a drink and something to eat.
We had to part company at this spot as Mandie and Pete had to get their canoe back by 11am and then they would be packing up and heading off. They have 8 days to get home before they have to get back to work and it’s a long way. We said sad farewells and they set off quickly paddling back and it was not long before they were out of sight.
Catie and I took a leisurely paddle back and when we arrived back at Indarri Falls we left the kayaks on the track and jumped in for a swim. It’s fun trying to swim and get under the falls. The noise of the water is thunderous when you can get right behind the falls and look out at the water in front of you.
We had a lovely long swim and when we swam back to the steps where the rails are for canoe and kayak access there was an elderly couple. The man was standing on the bottom step plucking up the courage to enter the water. He eventually jumped in. His partner sat on the top step and she didn’t look like she was going to move any time soon. She kept telling us there was another set of steps further down. I think she meant for us to go there to get out. We had to explain to her that she is sitting right where we have to bring our kayaks to get them back in the water and it took a while for that to sink in. She reluctantly moved when the penny dropped that she was right in the way.
We quickly got our kayaks back in the water and set off back down the lower gorge still marveling at how beautiful it is. Many people were out paddling and one funny sight was a mum and two children in a large canoe. They each had short paddles and they looked like they had no idea how to use them. Their canoe kept going around in circles because they were all paddling in different directions and the little girl in front kept putting her paddle in the water which meant they turned on the spot. We had a chuckle at that and wondered how far they would get.
We came across a lady having a long swim in the creek and she called out to ask about my inflatable kayak. She was very interested in it and wanted to know all about it. I explained that it is an Intex Challenger K1 and I’d bought it from Amazon for $129. She was impressed.
All too soon our paddle was over and we were back at the canoe entry/exit spot. This is where I’m glad my kayak is not very heavy as I had to carry it back up to the carpark. Catie has a set of wheels that connect under her kayak and once the wheels are under it she can pull it along by the handle at the front. The tricky thing for us vertically challenged pair was getting it back on the roof rack of Robert’s 4WD. We managed to get it up there OK but it took a while to get the ratchet straps on. My kayak was soon deflated and I just folded it up and stashed it in the back until we got back to camp where I could dry it out and pack it up properly.
So beautiful I couldn’t stop taking photos
Back at camp and we just caught Mandie & Pete as they were leaving. I was sad to see them go and hope they had safe travels home. By then it was time for a welcome hot shower. Around 5ish we all walked down to the creek with our sundowner drinks and enjoyed a little time sitting in the cool, watching the water and chatting.
The six of us remaining enjoyed another night around a little campfire for our last night together. I cooked a pork roast in the oven in our motorhome and even got the crackling just right. It was delicious.
We would have to say goodbye to the others the next morning as they were heading further north into the gulf and we were heading south towards Julia Creek.
We got up early after a great nights sleep accompanied by the sounds of the gurgling Gregory River. I was excited as this day we would be crossing another place off our bucket list….Adels Grove and Boodjamulla National Park. I have long wanted to go to this remote oasis and finally we were doing it.
I had read that the road from Gregory to Adels was not great so our expectations were not high. We were surprised at the first third of the way though. It’s 90km from Gregory Downs to Adels Grove and the first 20km is a good tar road. The next 10km is a good gravel road. Sadly the road gets worse after that. It alternated being a rough corrugated gravel road with intermittent tar sections. The gravel sections were awful and on a lot of those we were down to 15km/h. We let some air out of our tyres and that helped a bit but it was still slow going.
Finally, after 3 1/2 bone jarring hours we arrived at Adels Grove. We pulled up at reception and I went in armed with a print out of our booking. It didn’t take long and we were told to just go and find a camp spot. There are two camping options at Adels Grove. One is The Grove and this is a beautiful shady area alongside Lawn Hill Creek. The trees are very close together and there are lots of low hanging branches. Also it is very shady so our solar panels wouldn’t get much charge.
We chose the other option which is just called The Top Campground. It is a huge area, higher up from the creek on the red sandy soil. There are lots of sites marked out with rocks. Taps are scattered around the whole area although you are not meant to connect to them permanently. They are really only for filling your vehicle. There are amenities blocks with toilets and showers.
We found Catie & Robert, Brian & Helen, and Mandie & Pete all set up on sites so we found one close by and were relieved to be out of the vehicle. It was hot! I think it was 34 degrees when we arrived.
We spent the afternoon swimming in the cold creek to get cool. There is a restaurant at Adels and the others had booked our group in for dinner. What a disappointment that was. There was only three menu items. You could have grilled barramundi, steak or chicken schnitzel, all served with coleslaw and wedges. That was it! Oh well. Fletch and I ordered the Barra and I have to say it was pretty good. It wasn’t overcooked and the wedges were cooked just right too.
Everyone got their meals except Brian & Helen. We’d all finished ours before Brian went to check. Oh no…..they’d been forgotten and now there was no Barra, no wedges and no coleslaw left. They got a steak and an overcooked schnitzel served with sliced tomato. Not great! Customer service was woeful and there didn’t seem to be any organisation.
After a delightful camp at Quamby Rodeo Grounds where there were no other campers, just us, we set off heading northwards. We saw a communication tower and as we had one bar of service we pulled over to call our dear friend Peter who is recovering from major surgery. We had a lovely long chat and were delighted with their news of a new grandson born on 30th June. Another boy in their family of boys! The birth of a grandchild is a magic thing!
Lovely camp at Quamby Rodeo Grounds, Qld
We continued on and the countryside was very scrubby, with dense low shrubs, short trees, lots of rocky ground and still more termite mounds. Needing a cuppa we pulled up at a Rest Area where there was a motorhome camped already. Whilst we made our cuppa a group of three caravans pulled in and after a short chat we realised that they were the vans camped in the Rest Area opposite the abandoned Quamby Hotel. They asked where we camped and when we told them I think they were a bit disappointed they didn’t continue along the road a bit further and camped where we did. I suggested they get WikiCamps.
I think that modern communication is amazing. One of the ladies sat down at a picnic table so she could watch her friends funeral via live stream on her iPad. Isn’t that amazing!
The road to Burke & Wills Roadhouse is a good, wide, two-lane tar road as it is the major road up to Normanton in the Gulf. We made really good time along that stretch.
Around noon we arrived at Burke & Wills Roadhouse and OMG the queues for fuel. So many caravans and campers lined up to get fuel. Richard noticed there was a hi-flow diesel pump separate from the other pumps and there was no one at it. We pulled in and fueled up, easy peasy. Just as I was finished using the pump another vehicle pulled up behind us and the lady came over and asked if the pump was OK. When I replied “yes, but it is a hi-flow pump’ she replied that was OK for them and she wondered why all those other vehicles were queued up. I responded that we wondered the same thing when this pump was sitting there not being used. I guess it’s that herd mentality that humans have. We see a line and we just have to join it.
We had a quick look at the famous roadhouse that looks like it is a transportable building clad to look old. They did have lovely gardens out the front with green grass and flowering bougainvillea. The green grass was an unusual sight in The Outback. The caravan park alongside the roadhouse looked pretty full and I imagine it would be full by nightfall.
Burke & Wills Roadhouse, Qld
Back in the motorhome we took a left turn onto the Burketown Road. It was 145km to Gregory Downs, our destination for the day. The countryside had changed again to large grassland paddocks. It looked like sandy soil and not as many rocks. We were pleasantly surprised by the road. We were expecting another single lane outback road however we found a wide two lane road most of the way to Gregory. There were a few short sections of single lane but mostly it was a really good wide road with little traffic.
We stopped off for a lunch break at a large flat spot near Muttigudi Creek. Muttigudi Creek had no water in it but it is a very deep creek so it must carry a lot of water in the wet season. Back on the road after lunch and Rich made the comment that it was 32 degrees outside. Lovely winter’s day in the north!
Around 2.30pm we arrived in the tiny community of Gregory Downs, population 40. The hotel usually has fuel however they were having some electrical work done and there was no fuel until after 4.30pm. Glad we filled up at Burke & Wills Roadhouse earlier. We enjoyed a cold beer at the hotel and checked it out. It looked like a good spot for dinner maybe. They have tables out the front under the wide verandah and more tables out the back under a covered area, those even have tablecloths.
The Gregory Downs Hotel was once a coach house and changing station for Cobb & Co coaches on their route to Burketown in the gulf. The pub still offers accomodation and even has a small caravan park out the back.
We drove past the free camp up the top of the Gregory River. The free camp has water available. This would be a good spot to camp if you wanted to have a meal at the pub but it was hot and we thought we’d try and get a camp down below right next to the river. We were in luck. There was a great spot just right for the motorhome. Not quite riverside but good enough. We could see the river from our windows and hear the fast flowing water as it rushed past the trees on the rivers edge.
After setting up camp we donned our swimmers and headed straight to the river. OMG the water was freezing but so refreshing on a hot afternoon. The bottom is sandy with lots of round rocks and pebbles. The water is crystal clear. The river is lined on both sides by cabbage palms, pandanas and tea trees with deep sandy banks. It is an outback oasis!
There are lots of campers all the way along the river and people regularly walked by carrying all sorts of floating apparatus so they can get in at one end and float down the river. Every now and then a group of floaters drifted by. Even a couple in a kayak went by. What a beautiful camp spot. I really liked this one and could easily have stayed here for a few days.
I put on a chicken korma for our dinner and got it simmering and we spent the rest of the afternoon reading and relaxing.
Not sure how anybody is supposed to empty grey water here
Wow wow wow. The Hard Times Mine Tour at Outback at Isa is fabulous. We were so fortunate that an extra tour was being run at 11am as the usual 9am and. 2pm tours had been all booked out. We had to arrive and checkin 15 minutes before, so, after packing up the motorhome, we left the Argylla Caravan Park and went directly to the RV parking near Coles to stock up on groceries. Once this was done we left the MH in the car park and walked the short distance to Outback at Isa where we met up with Mandie and Pete.
After checking in for our tour we were given little hanging tags with our names on them and our tour guide introduced himself as Allan. We were led down to the tour start and here Allan gave a short talk about the history of Mt Isa Mines (MIM). Then we were each given a bright orange hard hat and a set of disposable overalls (one size fits all). Change rooms are available to put on this most unglamorous outfit and lockers are available to store your stuff in. Next you were supplied with steel capped gum boots however Mandie and I were allowed to keep our own boots. Once everyone was kitted out we were led outside and around the various mining machinery on display.
Allan stopped at a few of the different machines and explained their use before he led us into a large tin shed. This big shed houses the winch mechanism for the cage that would lower us underground. But first we had to receive our lamps which were clipped onto our hard hats then before we were allowed ot go underground we had to hang our name tags on a board. Everyone that goes underground must hang their tag on the board. This is still the case in underground mines around the world. If your tag is on the board, you are underground and only you can remove the tag. If, for some reason, you forgot to remove your tag at the end of your shift and went home to bed, probably a mine supervisor would be knocking on your door to escort you back to the mine to remove your tag.
We were led back outside and 10 at a time went into the cage (an elevator) and down we went. The Hard Times Mine is about 20m underground and contains some 1.2km of tunnels. The Mt Isa Mine is 1900 metres deep. The Mt Isa Mine has many levels with access tunnels leading from one to the other. Allan explained that he’d worked underground for 30 years and the Hard Times Mine has been created so well that it looks the same as if you were in a real working mine. It certainly felt authentic.
There were two little boys aged 8 and 10 on the tour with their dad. Our guide encouraged people to ask questions and every time he asked if anyone had any one of the boys put their hand up. They asked good questions too. One funny occasion was when the youngest one asked what do the miners eat when they are underground. The tour guide looked directly at the boy and said “small children’. The look on the young boy’s face was priceless. He looked like he wasn’t sure if Allan was kidding or not.
We visited a number of sites underground and were shown how the rock face is drilled and exploded, then ‘bogged’ out and then the tunnels are covered in reinforcing on the sides and the backs (what I would call the roof). Allan explained that no one is allowed to work underground now without the backs being supported.
At one site there was a big pneumatic drill set up and everyone who wanted to could have a go at drilling a hole. We all had to wear ear muffs for that. It was so noisy!. Pete, Mandie and Richard all had a go.
Our last stop on the tour underground was the crib room. This is where the miners gather to enjoy their breaks and have something to eat. Allan explained that modern crib rooms have all the amenities one would expect above ground such as kitchens and flushing toilets.
In the crib room were samples of ore for us to see and we could all enjoy a cuppa and a Cornish Pastie. They were delicious. They serve Cornish Pasties as Cornish miners were some of the first miners in Australia and they brought their traditions with them such as calling the break room a ‘crib’. The Cornish miners pasties were originally made with a thick pie crust filled with vegetables. The miners could hold the pastie in their dirty hands but the veggies in the middle stayed clean. These days most pasties are made with flaky pastry.
A little tray back Ute pulled up in front of the crib room and in groups of 10 we were piled in the back of the Ute and driven up a long incline tunnel back to the surface. We were instructed to go back into the shed and put our lights back on the rack and most importantly, remove our tag from the board. Once all the tags had been removed we were free to end the tour and return inside where we took off our overalls and changed out of the heavy gum boots. Lastly our helmets were returned.
Allan had taken photos of everyone as we were ready to board the cage and those photos were available at the front desk for us to collect. We got a great photo as a memento. We farewelled Mandie and Pete as they are going to travel to Adels Grove via the 4WD Riversleigh track. It has 3 creek crossings and is not suitable for the motorhome. We would meet up with them in a couple of days time at Adels Grove.
We left Mt Isa following the end of our Hard Times Mine Tour and headed eastwards towards Cloncurry. The countryside was rugged rocky hills and steep valleys. This was the Barkly Highway and is the main road from Townsville on the Queensland coast to the Northern Territory and, as such, it is a wide two lane road. Through the ranges though there were double lines in the middle so no overtaking and we were following a line of RV’s.
Some of the road trains here are four trailers long. They create quite a wind as they go by us and the whole motorhome shudders.
Every now and then there are vast areas of land covered in red termite mounds. There are thousands and thousands of them.
We called in to check out the once thriving, now abandoned, town of Mary Kathleen. Mary Kathleen was a mining town of some 1,000 people after uranium was discovered in the area in 1954. The water filled open cut mine can be viewed today and lots of people travel the 4WD road just to see the colour of the vivid blue water. The uranium deposit ran out in 1982 and all the town buildings were sold and relocated elsewhere by 1984. All that remains are the concrete foundations of the many buildings. It is now a very popular free camp for self contained campers. We had a drive around then got back on the highway.
Next stop was Corella Dam. I’ve read on many other travel blogs that this is a beautiful spot to camp so even though we had no intention of camping we called in to check it out. Sure enough it is a lovely spot and it was very full with campers.
In the late afternoon we drove into the small outback town of Cloncurry. Cloncurry is famous for being the town where Qantas’s first flight from Longreach landed in 1922. The original hanger used is still standing at the airport.
We topped up with fuel but we couldn’t get a gas bottle even though we tried both service stations. We have one full one though and that should see us through for the next week. Maybe we’ll be able to get one at Burke & Wills Roadhouse.
We decided not to camp in another caravan park and headed northwards on the road to Normanton. A little way along we came to the abandoned ruins of the Quamby Hotel. It is falling down and has a safety fence all around it to prevent people getting too close. It looks like it could fall down any second. Opposite the old hotel is a large Rest Area and there were three caravans pulled up and looked like they were camping for the night. It was a bit too close to the road for us so we went a couple of kilometres further on and turned into the track leading to the Quamby Rodeo Grounds. Now that looked a good spot for a camp. It was a huge flat area that looked like it had cattle grazing on it recently as the grass was chewed right down and there were cow pats. However there was no one else there so we could set up our little fire pit and camp on our own. Perfect.
We enjoyed the ambiance of being out bush with just us and the stars. For the first time this trip we got out our Bidgee BBQ and Richard cooked up a great meal that we ate outside under that amazing night sky.
We spent the day with Mandie and Pete being tourists. First up we visited the fabulous Outback at Isa. This complex houses the Tourist Information Centre, a Cafe, The Riversleigh Fossil Centre & Laboratory, The Isa Experience (a museum to the history of Mt Isa) and the Hard Times Mine (an underground mine tour experience).
We did a fabulous one hour tour at the Riversleigh Fossil Centre. This was really good and we learnt so much about Riversleigh which is a World Heritage listed Fossil Site. It is said to be one of the best fossil sites in the world, according to Sir David Attenborough.
Most of the fossils at Riversleigh relate to 25-30 million years ago when giant mammals wandered this land. Scary big creatures such as diprotodon, marsupial lions, giant koalas and more. We were shown into the laboratory and the painstaking work it is to release the fossils from the limestone they are embedded in. It was fascinating.
Following our fossil tour we enjoyed morning tea in the cafe. Best coffee and worst scones!
We spent the next hour or so in The Isa Experience. This is a museum dedicated to the history of Mt Isa and has a wonderful gem stone collection. It is a self-guided display and has fascinating exhibits detailing the history of Mt Isa from its earliest people, through the discovery of ore by John Cameron Miles who staked the first claim in 1923, and on to how the town grew from a small mining town to the outback city it is today.
It is also home to the Mt Isa Rodeo Hall of Fame. The Annual Rodeo is a big deal in Mt Isa. The first rodeo was held in 1959 and since then the Isa Rodeo has become a major event on the Rodeo calendar. It is now the biggest and riches rodeo in the Southern Hemisphere. The Mt Isa Rodeo is held on the second weekend in August each year. A special purpose rodeo arena at Buchanan Park has been built in the town to world Rodeo standards and many of the cowboys that compete at Isa also compete in other countries. The Hall of Fame celebrates those that have made a significant contribution to the Rodeo over the years.
After all this reading and museum exploring it was time to get out and about. We’d heard about Lake Moondarra which is some 16km from town and apparently is a large man made lake and also the town water supply. In this extremely dry climate a lake would be a welcome sight. The road out to the lake was well signposted and we got such a surprise when we came to it. It is huge! Much bigger than we expected. You could water ski here and always be able to find good water because of the numerous islands.
Lake Moondarra was constructed in 1956 and its Aboriginal name means ‘plenty of rain and thunder’. The lake is popular with locals and is famous for its fishing, water skiing, canoeing and dragon boating, The view of the dam wall from the lookout is quite a sight. All that dry country and that huge lake below.
Back in town we drove to the Mt Isa Lookout to check out the view and the painted water tower. It is painted with native birds and fish. The view from the lookout across the town is a good one from that elevation. You can clearly see Mt Isa Mines on the western side of the Leichhardt River and the town on the eastern side.
Mt Isa is a mining town and as we drove around we noticed that most of the homes are transportable. I guess if the mine ever closes the houses can be moved somewhere else, although I read that the Mt Isa Mine is not likely to close any time soon. It is one of the worlds largest producers of lead, zinc, silver and copper. The mine was commenced in 1923 so it is almost 100 years old and it remains one of the worlds most productive single mines. The mine was acquired by Glencore in 2013 and Glencore employs around 3,200 employees and contractors today. It is a mixture of open-cut and underground mining and the copper mining section is 1980 metres deep.
Back at the caravan park and I took the time to do more washing and finally wash the dusty floor. You’ve no idea how good that made me feel to be rid of that BRB dust!
Our little BRB Makin’ Memories group of four couples went out for dinner to the Overlander Hotel and we enjoyed a last night together.
The countryside from Boulia is pretty much the same at the other side of Boulia. Lots of stones, flat plains, small creeks that you know are there by the line of trees, narrow tar road with occasional cattle grids.
Near Dajarra a long line of jump ups appeared on the horizon to the west and ahead of us. These jump ups rise up out of the flat plains below.
The narrow road is a much rougher road than the one to Bedourie and the cattle’s grids are very rough but we are still able to travel at about 9o0km/h on most stretches. Off course if a vehicle is coming the other way we slow right down and get onto to shoulder to let them past.
As we approached Dajarra we entered the low hills. The road went up and down over the low hills. This stretch had lots of steep gullies formed by flood waters. We came across two three trailer road trains going through this section. They were the first ones we’d seen since Longreach. They were both cattle trucks. We pulled right off onto the shoulder for those to go past and let them stay on the tar.
There were also a lot of Brahman cattle around that area. We travelled through the low hills for quite a way before entering the tiny community of Dajarra. Dajarra has a Roadhouse and a couple of streets of houses and not a lot else. There were a few Aboriginal people in the streets so we assumed it’s an Aboriginal community. Like everywhere on this journey there were RV’s parked everywhere and lined up to get fuel.
We didnt stop in Dajarra and continued on through the hills. The familiar domes of spinifex cover the rocky hillsides and we saw hundreds of red termite mounds. We both commented that this was pretty country compared to the flat stoney plains.
Everyone was up bright and early and ready to roll out at 7.00am. Our first stop was The Tip just on the outskirts of Birdsville. All your rubbish from the BRB has to be taken out with you so there was a line of RV’s doing exactly what we were doing, droppping off our rubbish and bottles. Cans and PET bottles that can be recycled and can be left in the big bins provided at Bashville.
Next stop was the Dump Point and as there was a queue at the first one we carried on through town to the one near the Racecourse. Only 1 in front of us! Yay.
Then it was back to the Birdsville Common to fill up our water tanks. I’m really happy that our tanks lasted for the whole time at Bashville AND we had showers every day. They were short showers but still helped to get the dust off. While at the Water Point I got the first of many loads of washing done. They could hang up and dry as we traveled along.
With no sign of the others we headed north out of town towards Bedourie. We stayed ahead of the line until we reached the first lot of gravel and this is where we were overtaken by everyone heading north. We were down to 30-50km/h on this corrugated section. Most of the RV’s that passed us did the right thing and slowed down until they got past but there were the usual couple of idiots who flew past.
We pulled in at Bedourie in the line up for fuel however it didn’t take very long. They had people at the bowers with their ATM machines so you didn’t even have to go inside to pay. That made the line go much quicker.
After a lunch stop we waited in town for Mandie and Pete for an hour but as they didn’t go past we made the assumption that they had gone past us in Birdsville while we were getting water and made the decision to go on to Boulia.
We had an uneventful drive through to Boulia however there was no sign of our friends. We can just hope they get our messages and get back to us. We topped up with fuel and parked in the Main Street where we could see all the vehicles as they came into town. We were starting to worry about Mandie and Pete. Where could they be?
We usually communicate via FB Messenger and Mandie is usually very quick to respond but today we got nothing. We waited until 6pm and decided to walk across to the police station to check that there hasn’t been any accidents between Birdsville and Boulia. The nice young lady constable was very helpful and recorded all ours and the Glasson’s details and searched for any notification of accidents. Luckily there have been none. She said it is very common out here to lose people for a day or two because the mobile service is poor and patchy or non-existent. She said she will keep following up and we should call again in the morning.
So after trying some more fruitless times to call Mandie and Pete on the UHF we got a response from Brian to say the rest of them had found a camp spot on the Boulia Racecourse Reserve. We made our way there in the dark guided by Brian’s directions and Dave turned his hazard lights on so we could see the flashing lights.
We quickly set up camp and joined them all around the camp fire. Everyone was talking about where Mandie and Pete could possibly be and in the end we all thought that as the Messenger messages looked like they were going to Maddie’s phone but she was not reading them that they must have a problem with the phone. They may even be way in front of us if they got by us in Birdsville and kept going.
We’d received a messages from Robert & Catie to say they were camping at Dajarra so they are only 150kms in front of us.
Helen cooked scones in the camp oven for desert served with jam and freshly whipped cream. What a treat!
Wherever Mandie and Pete are I hoped they had a good camp spot.
OMG the dust! Sitting inside the motorhome having breakfast and there was so much dust. The entire camp was under a cloud of dust as campers packed up and joined the queue for the rollout. The rollout gates didn’t open until 7am and there were people lined up in the queue ready for the gates to open.
All round our little camp was a hive of activity however only Paul & Ruth from our group had to leave today. They need to get home as Ruth had received the sad news that her dad had passed away. I hoped their trip home to Sydney was a safe one. So we were down to 5 caravans and a motorhome now.
I’m glad we decided to stay an extra night at Bashville and not have to join the long queue of departing vehicles. We were almost out of water though so we would have to leave tomorrow so we could fill up in Birdsville.
After farewelling Paul and Ruth I went for a walk to the top of Big Red to take photos of the camp being packed up. It’s a tough walk straight up the deep red sand to the top. There was a line of people at the top all on their mobile phones. It’s the only place you can get service and it’s spotty at best. I was able to send texts to our family though to let them know we are OK. My mum texted back that she’d seen The Big Red Bash on the ABC News that morning. She said it looked fantastic.
It was lovely and cool at the top of the dune but the flies! OMG now there are a lot less people so there’s more flies per person.
It was fascinating watching the huge stage and all the other Bash buildings being dismantled. One huge road train with three trailers was parked in front of the stage and it looks like most of the stage construction gets packed into that. I guess it will be all going to Mundi Mundi Bash at Broken Hill next month.
Back at camp and it was interesting watching all the campers leaving. So many rigs of all shapes and sizes. The dust was horrendous. At one point the dust cloud blotted out the sand dunes on either side of Bashville. I didn’t feel like I would ever be clean again!
Robert & Catie decided about lunchtime to pack up and get going. They were meeting friends at Gregory before going out to Adels Grove and they had to be at Adels by the 12th. This only gave them 3 nights to get to Gregory. We would catch up with them again at Adels as we were booked in there on the 15th.
So now we were 5. All five of our group remaining were traveling to Mt Isa so we would probably camp together along the way somewhere in the desert the next night. We were all booked into the same caravan park in Mt Isa and I was actually looking forward to being in a CP so I could clean the dirty motorhome and wash everything.
All five of us packed up as much as we could in the late afternoon ready for an earlyish getaway the next morning.
At 5.30pm a group of us walked to the top of Big Red for one last sunset in the Simpson. It truly is a magical sight as the sun goes down and the red sand glows for while and then all of a sudden it gets dark.
This was the day that the world record for the number of people dancing the Nutbush & the Twist took place. The world record for the Nutbush was set at The Bash a couple of years ago where they had 2,330 people dance the Nutbush for five minutes. This year was the first time the Bash was attempting to break the record for the most number of people doing The Twist.
Most of our group participated proudly wearing our Makin’ Memories shirts. I thought we looked great. As we approached The Plaza we could see lots of people had made the effort to get dressed up. There was a cute group of Wally’s and a huge group of Riding Dinosaurs. Lots of groups had their own group shirts. The lady rocker from the group with the pink Hawaiian shirts had her group ready to Nutbush.
We all had to line up at the concert area gates and then we were allowed in and had to find the line number we’d been allocated to. Our group was in row 19. We were counted as we entered the concert area. Officials also went up and down the rows doing another count. It all has to be spit spot to become a world record.
We had a short 1 minute practice and then it was on. Not sure how many but I’m guessing about 2,500 people danced the Nutbush for the next five minutes. Oh the dust! Glad Mandie gave me a face mask. Many people were wearing bandanas. We did it! I think the record was broken but we would find out later in the day during the concert.
Next it was time to try for the Twist record. Quite a few people left the concert area. It had been very hot work doing the Nutbush for five minutes and some people had enough of the dust. All our group stayed and we twisted for five minutes in the hot sun and dust. Let’s hope we broke that record too!
The concert area opened at 12.15pm and we were all settled in with our group by 12.30pm.
Caitlyn Shadbolt opened this day’s concert. She is a young singer songwriter who rocked the arena with her catchy songs.
Following Catilyn the MC introduced the Big Red Bash Band who had been cobbled together a week ago. The original band were stuck in Covid lockdown areas so it was a rush to find suitable replacements. They arrived in Birdsville a week ago and rehearsed in the Birdsville Hall. They had to learn over 60 songs in that week. The drummer, Pete Drummond is from Dragon & Thirsty Merc, the bass player was Ian Perez, the keyboard player hails from Tasmania, the guitarist is Pete Robinson. Considering these guys hadn’t played together until last week they made an amazing band.
Wendy Matthews was up next, another Aussie singing legend. I was disappointed with her performance though. Her voice is not what it once was.
The Crackup Sisters came on in the break and introduced two people from the Australian Book of Records to announce that we’d broken the record for the number of people dancing the Nutbush with a total of 2,878. We didn’t break the world record for the Twist though but we did break the Australian record with 2,799 people twisting in the dirt.
It was fun and, along with the Drag Race, helped to raise over $70,000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Fantastic effort.
The Aussie band Thirsty Merc were up next and man, can their lead singer play the keyboard. He’s awesome. Caitlyn Shadbolt joined the band as a backup singer. Her fiancé, Matt Smith, is their lead guitarist.
It was hot in the sun. Not a cloud was in the sky. There was a slight breeze though that blew the fine dust around. My body felt like it was desicating, drying out and every surface was covered in the powdery dust. I sat in my chair and baked the afternoon away.
At this point I still found it amazing to be there in the Simpson Desert miles from anywhere and that all these people have traveled from far and wide to attend the most remote music festival in the world.
It’s fun sitting in the concert area and watching the antics of the kids sand surfing down Big Red behind the main stage. Big Red towers above the stage. Every now and then the drone camera shows an aerial shot of the concert area on the big screens and it’s really amazing to see. Even though there’s a lot of people it doesn’t feel crowded. People have complied with the Covid rules and spaced themselves apart. Only 500 people at a time are allowed into the ‘mosh pit’ and there are marshalls on the gate to ensure the number isn’t exceeded.
The Crackup Sisters ran another of their silly competitions during the break. This one was a relay event with four teams of three competing. It was all a bit of chaos but fun to watch. The Crackup Sisters are certainly entertaining.
Darryl Braithwaite was up next and of course he had to finish his 40 mintue set with a rendition of ‘The Horses’. We all enjoyed his performance.
The Crackup Sisters then held a dog parade and gave out prizes for things like the ‘best dressed dog’, ‘the best dog trick’ and others. The Big Red Bash is one of the few music festivals in the world where you can bring your dog along. There is a separate camp area for those that bring their moggie along and a even a separate area within the concert area. Of course dogs must be on a lead at all times. We saw a great variety of pooches over the few days.
Simon Story from The Storey Players gave a short talk explaining how they take drama workshops to outback communities. During The Bash between 60 and 70 kids participated in the free workshops. We were shown a short film showcasing what some of the kids did at the workshops during The Bash.
Another rock legend Ian Moss was up next and I was a bit underwhelmed by his performance. He played without a band, just him and his guitar and I felt his voice was just not great on the day. His performance took us into sunset
The Crackup sisters were back in the break with one of their hula hoop routines. They are very funny and they can really swing those hoops.
Aussie icon John Williamson was up next. John has played at The Bash previously. In fact he was the first. The first one was in 2013 and held on the top of Big Red and John played to about 600 people. All supporters or runners in The Big Red Run, a desert run of 250km that was organised by Greg Donovan to raise money for research into Type 1 Diabetes. Greg’s son Stephen has Type 1 Diabetes and was the inspiration behind the run. Greg and Stephen did the 250km run together and went on to arrange The Big Red Run for a number of years. Now the whole Donovan family is employed full time organising and arranging The Big Red Bash and now The Mundi Mundi Bash.
John’s performance was brilliant. Most people would know his songs and lots of people were singing along. His music is so Australian and the atmosphere during his performance was such a happy one.
The Crackup Sisters came out in the last break to entertain us for the last time. They invited everyone to come along to their inaugural Bush Dance being held in their backyard at their house in Winton. The Bush Dance is being held to raise money to finish their house which will be a museum to outback entertainment when it is completed.
The final act of The Big Red Bash for 2021 was the Abba tribute band, Bjorn Again. They were fantastic. Not very many people were still in their chairs by the end of their performance. People were up dancing in the dust. What a great finish to the three days of great music.
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