Birdsville to Maree

We really are into the isolated areas - fascinating. Maybe see one other car per day :)

Off into the unknown - fancy travelling these areas before 1900s - very isolated even now.

Back into South Australia (and colder weather).  Should have stayed in Bedourie in the spa haha.

Gypsum on the road, the whiteness is very hard on the eyes.

Tom Kruse's old trucks at Mungeranie (just north of Maree)

Tom Kruse's trucks with his name painted on the door

Walking down the lookout which gave great views over Lake Harry just before Maree

Russell our best man lived at this police station when his father was the Sargent at Maree.  Russell used to go out on the truck with Tom Kruse.

Lake Eyre Sailing Club House!

Old Ghan trains at Maree

You can see forever!

Diamantina National Park, Bedourie, Birdsville

Wow, it is quite amazing to be way out in an isolated area.

Diamantina National Parks used to receive 5 visitors A YEAR about 15 years ago and now 5 -10 cars per day in the busy season!

Some of the best flowers ever on this trip

Gum Hole Camping Ground on the Diamantina Water Hole, Diamantina National Park - very isolated areas. 

More of Gum Hole Camping Area views - a large ginger and white feral cat came out opposite our camp and sunned himself each morning. Not Good.

Gum Hole

Leaving Gum Hole, cattle everywhere - most where very friendly.

Lots of Lonely grave sites

On a clear day you can see forever - I said to Ian - look out there, its probably where we will be camping!!  See the spar pic for where we ended up.

Robyn enjoying the very hot spa bath -  Artesian waters at Bedourie.  Amazing what some little towns will do and all free too.  Just loved this.  Wish I could stay forever!

Swimming pool complex at Bedourie, right next to the FREE camping ground.

Cobb and Co hut in Bedourie

Getting into Birdsville -very historical town.

Camped next to the lagoon in Birdsville Caravan Park

One of Kidman's stations - opened in 1903

Kidman owned this house - the Government took the roof for the war effort!

Birdsville Lagoon again

Lagoon on the way to Birdsville

Very interesting watching the population change at the Birdsville Caravan Park - either going to the Simpson desert or arriving back from the adventure.  Watching the camping setups, the car packing and or fixing.

Waddi Trees are very rare and very tough.  Only three known stands in Australia.

Washing Day at Birdsville

List of Camps - so far have put the Camper Trailer up almost 40 times (and down again!!) June - Sept

June 5 - Sheba Dam (near Nundle)

June 7 - Narrabri - Mt Kaputa and Sawn Rocks

June 9 - Allawah - farmer's property out of Bingara on the Gwydir River

June 12 - In a Caravan Park Unit for 2 nights while is poured with rain

June 14 -Blackbutt, camped in friend's back yard

June 18 - Bunyah Mountains - coldest yet was -5 deg at night. Bucket list topspot

June 20 - Injune Caravan park for 4 hours!

June 21 - Carnavon Gorge - bucket list topspot

June 23 - Sapphire

June 25 - Longreach Apex Park with over 150 other vans etc!

June 28 - Koorooringa - below Prairie - topspot

July 1 - Porcupine Gorge - Bucket list topspot

July 3 - Nelia (out of Julia Creek) - Farm Stay - a blast!

July 5 - Gregory Downs (wonderful spring-fed river in the desert)

July 9 - LAWN HILL - amazing gorge - Bucket list topspot

July 13 - Mt Isa - camped in friend's backyard!  Great fun

July 18 - Kynuna to see Diamantina waterhole which inspired Waltzing Matilda.  BEGINNING OF OUR DIAMANTINA EXPERIENCE

July 20 - Old Cork Homestead out of Winton - wonderful camping on 12 miles of Diamantina Waterhole

July 22 Gum Hole National Park Camping Area in the Diamantina National Park.

July 25 - to Bedourie and the five star artesian bore spa - wonderfully hot and soothing.

July 28 - Birdsville - watching the constant stream of 4WDs either going to the Simpson Desert or getting off the desert.

July 30 - Maree - great historical town

August 1 - Muloorina - north of Maree on great waterhole, Station

August 3 - Andamooka

August 4 - Roxby Downs

August 5 - Glendambo

August 7 - Mt Ive - wonderful camping and 4WD tracks on a Station

August 10 - Gawler National Parks

August 12 - Ceduna - Big4 Caravan Park Unit

Now onto Cactus Beach (for a surf!), Fowlers Bay (Southern Right whales), then down the coast to Coffin Bay - up the Eyre Penninsula for a week or so, then to Port Wakefield and Adelaide.

August 15 - Elliston - super cell storm - not much fun in a camper trailer, we were very safe behind a sand bank in the caravan park. 

August 17 - Coffin Bay - sad that our favourite bay was shrouded in rain.  We managed a couple of walks.  Getting very trendy.  Stayed in a Unit. 

August 19 - Port Gibbon - great free camping spot on lovely coast.  

August 21 - Port Augusta - a really lovely town these days.  Amazing Arid Desert Gardens with ideas for our own back yard.  Stayed in a Unit due to rain again.

Hancock Lookout - free camping here, no services.  We just stayed for the view.  Amazing scenes down the Spencer Gulf.

Port Wakefield to visit Ian's sister and then to Adelaide to catch up with my sister and her family and our friends.

Port Wakefield to Wyperfeld National Park, Big Desert, Victoria - Lake Albacutya, Albacutya, Victoria.  Camping in lovely Western Beach (no water in the lake for about 22 years).

Sept 7 - Wyperfeld National Park, Big Desert, Victoria to Echuca - stayed in Unit to vote the next day.  

Eucha to Finley Showgrounds - lovely free camp.  Delightful small town.

Finley to Cocoparra National Park, NSW.  Lovely quiet National Park, good camping areas and good walks.  Lots of foxes, goats, pigs, kangaroos.  Bird life really great.  

Cocoparra to Weddin Mountains National Park - just lovely, however the gulley winds each night were really too much for us to sleep much.

Wedding Mts to Condobolin, NSW.  Very well set up free park, next to a man made weir with good toilets and showers.  Rain poured down.

Wet, soggy, campers returned to Mulbring and then to Silverwater!!

END OF TRIP - Absolutely marvellous trip.



 

 

Bulldust, bullshit (and cow shit) vistas which went forever, AND a FIVE STAR SPA!!

Well yesterday was a:
>
> 5 car day (only one in the morning)
> Amazing jumpups (mesas or ranges)
> Diamantina Channels (some with waterholes)
> Wedge tailed eagles
> brolgas
> 12 Emus
> Quite a few large red kangaroos
>
>
> Bulldust like we have never seen
>
> Cattle everywhere, as we were also driving through cattle stations:  every cow in QLD wanted a trip out of here-  am sure they had their hooves up wanting to hitchhike - they came to the road and followed us as much as they could!!  Brahmins really are nice cattle :)
>
> We have not had a boring road so far until yesterday and had about 100 K of it - nothing to see anywhere - right to the horizon.
>
> I said to Ian, look out there - bet our camp will be like that?
>
> Well, hands up who knows where BEDOURIE is?  :)
> Population of 120 - great town, lovely camping park by the council for $5 each per night, with toilets, showers, free washing machines AND
>
> A FREE FIVE STAR SPA - very nice hot water from the Artesian bore - we are off to swim again soon.  Lovely swimming pool.  Wonder if we can stay a month :)
>
> WE left Mt Isa - travelling south to McKinlay (Paul Hogan and Croc Dundee Hotel) then camping at the Blue Heeler Hotel at Kynunan, then down the Diamantina - first glympse of it was at Waltzing Matilda Water Hole - very well signposted - interesting pictograms.
>
> Old Cork Homestead out of Winton was our next stay on the Diamantina (not flowing, but 12 kms long.)  Great camping, good night fires.
>
> AT the Diamantina National Park we stayed at Gum Hole Campground - lovely .
>
> WE stayed for three nights and then travelled to Bedourie - am amazed that nearly every little town in outback QLD has a lovely info centre with internet and a library.  Great.

Mt Isa, Kynuna, Old Cork Homestead (via Winton), Diamantina (Channel Country)

Great to meet up with Trish and Owen - phew how amazingly busy you are!  Fun to get into work for a day or two.

Camping in Trish and Owen's backyard in Mt Isa - wonderful facilities - great fun.

Bourke and Mac - aka Scooby Doo

Mt Isa water supply, very pretty picnic area.

Brolgas - very friendly

Paul Hogan filmed here for Crocodile Dundee. 

Parked next to the Hema Maps Men on Safari, at Crocodile Dundee Pub.

Banjo Patterson could have been part of this family picnic, on the Diamantina Combo Waterhole which was the inspiration for Waltzing Matilda.

Signage for the Combo Waterhole (Waltzing Matilda)

Beginning of the Diamantina River System

Combo Waterhole - where the Swaggy died with the stolen lamb.(Waltzing Matilda)

Our first glimpse of the mighty Diamantina.  Only waterholes this year with the lack of rain this season.

For Nerrine (well not spelt correctly is it!)

Camping on the Diamantina - Old Cork Homestead - great camp here.

Between Winton and Old Cork Homestead camping area.

Love this photo, Ian looking through the Old Cork Homestead to a working windmill.

Old Cork Homestead.  Amazing that they were building such structures way out here before 1900.

Painted Desert - well it may as well be - every colour you can think of in the sand and rock.

These jumpups were everywhere.

From Old Cork right down to Ceduna in SA we found so many wonderful flowers.  It had rained quite heavily the two weeks before we travelled and it made a spectacular display.