Day 218 / 2016 - Walkamin to Karumba

After a 3 month hiatus in Walkamin we are back on the road this time heading west allong the Gulf Development Road to Karumba then South to Cloncurry along the Burke Development road then Eat along Flinders Hwy towards Townsville.

Leaving Walkamin we headed South following the B train route along the Kennedy Hwy then a left turn and followed it through Tolga to Kairi. We travelled this road then turned left onto Marks Lane following the route until Malanda. Turning right onto the Millaa Millaa to Malanda Rd we travelled through rolling hills until just before Millaa Millaa turning right again ont East Evelyn Rd. There was a big hill to climb which we had to do in second gear then followed East Evelyn road untill we rejoined the Kennedy Hwy. This took us through Ravenshoe which is said to be the highest town in Queensland at 1,200 metres above sea level. 

Pushing on we we passed Innot Hot Springs which we had considered stopping at but when we spied the amount of caravans already parked there we decided to keep moving. Stopping briefly at Mount Garnet where Malcolm and Margaret picked up supplies and us a toilet visit we continued on to 40 Mile Scrub National Park where we stopped for lunch at a rest stop about 4 km before the Gulf Development Road turnoff. This would be a nice overnight rest stop as there were toilets and covered picnic tables in a nice grassed setting.

Finishing lunch we set off and 4km down the road turned onto the Gulf Development Road taking us pass the Undara Lava Tubes which we visited last year. We had been told the Gulf Development Road is sealed all the way to Karumba but is single lane in patches along its route so some addtional  care would need to be taken along these sections. Arriving at Mount Surprise which became our first stop for the night at the Bedrock Caravan Park. The park is quite nice with a lush bush setting. It is peacful and quiet except during checking in and checkout times where caravans are buzzing past. That night they put on a fun raising sausage sizzle which included a free drink for $10.00.

Mt Surprise is a small town consisting of a post office, tourist outlet and roadhouse for fuel. There are 3 caravan parks and provides an alternative camping place for Undara Lava Tube Tours which are run from the caravan park we were staying in. Across the road from the park is the Gem Den where you can experience the thrill of fossicking without having to go out bush they bring the dirt to you. You purchase a bucket for $10.00 then if you haven't been before the guide demonstrate the dry sieve technique.

Step 1 pour a portion of your bucket of dirt into the Sieve. Step 2 shake the bejesus out of said sieve to get rid of the dust and small stones. Step 3 look carefully. Hopefully at the end of your shaking you will end up with a piece of precious stone such as Topaz or Smokey Quartz. We actually discovered some Topaz from our bucket but we had a sneaking suspicion they may have been planted there and for good reason as we immediately went and bought another bucket. That evening as we were now big time prospectors rich with jewels beyond our wildest dreams we splurged our cash on a pizza cooked locally at the caravan park costing $18.00 big enough to feed the two of us.  

The following morning packup included some extra work as the parrots had dived bombed the car, should have known better than to park under a tree. Following fueling we hooked up the caravan and headed to Georgetown about 100km further west at 80km from Georgetown the single lane sections of the road started. This consists of a narrow strip of bitumen big enough to fit one vehicle. When passing cars, trucks, etc coming the other way each oncoming vehicle would slowdown and drop the wheels on the passenger side off the bitumen onto the gravel shoulder. Once passed you could then return all wheels to the bitumen and resume normal speed. 

This of course is a great ideal but some drivers are anything but ideal for instance We had a number of cars coming towards us who refused to slowdown creating huge clouds of dust as they went past. The road is not single lane for miles and miles and there are many sections where the road returns to a fully sealed double lane giving ample oportunity for overtaking unfortunately some motorists do not have the patience to wait. Drivers coming from behind couldn't wait for the sealed double lanes to overtake showering us with stones as they went past.

Arriving in Georgetown we looked through the Terrestrial Centre which houses a large collection of gem and mineral stones from all over the world. The cost of entry was $5.00 each which seemed about the right price. While in Georgetown we also stopped for lunch.

Leaving Georgetown we headed west with the single lane sections of the road continuing for another 20km on then stayed as double lane bitumen untill we reached Croyden. The Gulf Development road road is being upgraded all the time and it wont belong before it will be a double lane bitumen road all the way from its start at the intersection of the Kennedy Hwy to Karumba.  The countryside along the Gulf Development Road is Savanah with hardy trees and scrub. Some areas have been cleared for farming. It is a dry countryside but does receive good rainfull during the wet season bringing out the lush green grasses for the animals to feed on.

We booked into the only caravan park in Croydon close to the centre of town. The town itself consists of a pub, school, supermarket and fuel. There is no TV reception but there is Telstra mobile phone and internet service.  You start your tour by visiting the Information centre watch the 15 minute video and learn about the how the town was founded during the gold rush era growing to a population of 6,000 with the town itself spaning 18 Kilometres.  With 36 pubs spread from one end to the other the drinkers were well catered for and many of the historic buildings are still standing today. There was a large chinese community as well where they had setup a chinese temple. Through government legislation The Chinese were not allowed to mine gold in the first few years of gold being found in the area but the Chinese were a resourceful bunch and made money selling fresh vegatables they had grown.

From the Information centre you can walk the Heritage centre of town which has the old hospital, courthouse and townhall which are open to the public. The courthouse has a recording of a trial which took place which you can sit and listen to. There is also the oldest still operation shop in Australia which still has items from various eras for sale. There was even a brand new VHS cleaning cassette for the princley sum of $18.00. The streets of Heritage block are lined with old street gas lights still operating although they have now been converted to electric light.

Next morning we left Croydon for Karumba about 230km further to the West located on the Gulf. The road is in good condition the entire length. About three quarters of the way we spied the Gulflander a railcar which takes tourist between Normanton and Croydon. Before reaching Karumba we stopped in at Normanton and pre-booked a ticket on the Guflander's 2 hour run out to Critter Creek and back again. Leaving Normanton we continued onto Karumba stopping for lunch at the free camp are just North of the Bridge which crosses the Norman River.

After lunch we continued the journey on passing through dried flood plains and salt flats. Arriving at Karumba we booked into Karumba Point Caravan Park which Mic and Carley had recomended as a good place to camp. After booking in the staff assisted us into our site squeezing in between 2 other caravans. The site were suprisingly big which easly accomodated our van, awning space and car. Setting up camp we decided to walk around the park to check out the facilities then walk to the beach about 300 Metres at the end of the road. Here we bought drinks and and watch with dozens of other people the sun set into the Gulf of Carpenteria.