Karumba Point is a top spot. It's situated at the mouth of the Norman River on the southeast corner of the Gulf of Carpentaria and is a sports fishing mecca for visitors in the winter. I wasn't sure whether to stay in Karumba itself or the point, but when I arrived mid morning l chose to go to Karumba Point first as it offered the cheapest camping option - $12 per night. As it turned out I'd made the right call. The caravan park was located beside a dry lagoon between a service station and the airport and, most importantly, it was a stroll of just a couple of hundred metres to the Sunset Tavern which is located right on the beach front. It is renown as one of the best spots in Australia from which to view the Sunset. After setting up the van James and I wandered over to the pub and enjoyed a midday piccolo of bubbles in the beer garden beside the beach. It was glorious.
Next day we drove the 6 odd kilometers into Karumba to check it out. It's much bigger than the Point settlement and is no where near as appealing. The town is located on the bank of the Norman River and looks across the wide expanse of water to mangroves. It's a fishing port and is quite industrial. We took a wander along the built up river's edge.
At camp I met up with several of the neighbors, two of whom were women also traveling solo but in motor homes. One was an avid fisherman who left before dawn each morning to spend a few hours fishing the pretty beachfront at the tavern. There were two other couples in caravans who did the same and on one day when they had caught several large Threadfin Tuna I was lucky enough to score a fillet for my dinner. It was really quite a social environment. Graham, one of the blokes, recommended I do the sunset cruise on the Ferryman. It was the cheapest of the three cruise options at $60 and still served complimentary wine and beer, nibbles and fresh caught prawns. It was also the longest going from 3.30 till 7.30. I booked in for Sunday for a pickup at the Point so no driving required...woohoo! Whilst I did enjoy the cruise the lady owner who did the commentary went on and on. I was very relieved when she shut up and started pouring wine!
On the Ferryman I met a couple around my age who had flown into the Point the day before. Tex and I got talking about aviation, the upshot being that Tex invited me to go for a scenic flight the next morning. I didn't need any prompting and took him up on his offer. I picked him up from his cabin at another caravan park at 7am Monday. It was fantastic to get back in the air....It's a bloody long time since my last fly! In return I gave Tex and Vicki use of my Jeep for half a day as they had no wheels. They were so appreciative they insisted on taking me out for a delicious meal that night. I certainly came out of that deal the winner!
I left Karumba Tuesday to head southwest to go to Adels Grove, a dog friendly caravan park near the Lawn Hill Gorge National Park. It was around 500 kilometres away and I had two route options. The slightly shorter track went via Burketown and 150 kilometres of it was dirt. I asked around and was assured the road was ok so decided to give it a go. As it turned out it wasn't too bad and I was able to sit on 80kph for most of the way but man was it dusty! I was keen to see Burketown, but to be honest it was totally underwhelming. The most interesting thing was a thermal spring from which flowed bloody hot water.
From there l continued on to Gregory Downs where I would stay overnight in the free camp beside the Gregory River. About half way a tyre pressure warning light came on. I pulled over and jumped out to inspect the wheels. The driver's side rear tyre looked slightly down so I did a pressure check. Sure enough it had dropped from its normal 40psi to 26psi. Mmm...looks like a slow leak. I figured if l pumped it up and kept an eye on it I could make it to Gregory and get help there. My hand held compressor was slow but did the job and got the pressure back up to 40 and l managed to arrive without further incident. There's not much at Gregory - a pub and a council depot. When I went into the pub to ask where I might get it fixed they said the closest was at Adels Grove. That was sort of handy but a further 90 km on mostly dirt. Would l make it?
I drove down to the river behind the pub, found myself a slot among the multitudes of caravans already there and did another pressure check. It was back down to 24psi. I did the spit check on the valve and it seemed ok and I couldn't find any obvious sign of damage to the tyre, so I just reinflated it to 40 and kept my fingers crossed. Putting the spare on meant unhitching, emptying all my stuff including heavy wood and water out of the back of the Jeep then enlisting assistance to get the heavy spare wheel out. Bugger that.....I'd rather go and have a drink at the pub!
Gregory River Free Camp is really pretty and very popular, particularly for those heading in or out of Lawn Hill Gorge or doing day trips there. James as usual made himself known when we got back from the pub and we had an enjoyable evening chatting to fellow travelers and making the most of the scenic spot.
GREGORY RIVER FREE CAMP scores a 4.5 from me. It's a beautiful spot, has phone reception, a dump point and bins near the pub and you can have a fire and swim.
When I got up Wednesday morning the tyre was well down. It took ages to get it pumped up. Would l make it all the way to Adels? Nothing ventured, nothing gained so we headed off. Well...As you may have guessed we didn't make it. On one of the few short sections of bitumen along the incredibly dusty red dirt road the warning came on and as fast as I pumped air in it leaked out from a tiny hole. Bugger, bugger, bugger. Fortunately for me a man and lady in a 4wd stopped and gave assistance. Actually, that's an understatement. Gary totally took charge. I was amazed to see how he emptied the stuff out of the rear without ditching the water, left the caravan attached and used the jockey wheel to help lift the rear of the Jeep up, got the spare out and used his own tools to change my wheel. What a man!
Once at Adels Grove, having successfully navigated the rest of the shitful road in without another puncture, I checked in and was happy to be able to choose my own site. They were all well separated with trees providing privacy between camps so I set up on a shady one tucked in a far corner. I would have to leave James in the van when I went into the national park so I wanted the van to stay cool in the 30 plus degree days. None of the sites had power so it meant a bit of juggling with my secondary solar panel to chase the sun between the trees as the permanent one on top of the van would not get enough sunshine to keep my van battery charged. James and I both instantly loved the rustic space and l knew we would stay a few days. My first job was to get the puncture fixed so I took the tyre to the workshop behind reception and a couple of blokes working there got it out of the tyre well and inspected it. It was easy to find the hole as it had a screw in it and they were confident it could be repaired at a cost of $75. Excellent. It would be ready next morning. Back at camp I finished setting up before taking a walk down through the grove to the river and sussing out the layout of the place including the outdoor bar and bistro area. By then it was absolutely wine o'clock so I set up the fire pit and we settled into a very comfy and relaxed balmy evening.
Next morning once the wheel had been refitted to the Jeep l headed down the road to Lawn Hill Gorge. Now if I thought the road in from Gregory was shit......well it had nothing on the 12 kilometre stretch to the gorge. It was woeful! I'm glad I didn't attempt it without a spare. No wonder the grove has a tyre repair service. At $75 a pop they would be doing a great trade.
Lawn Hill Gorge is a hidden oasis in the dry, expansive savanna plains that make up Boodjamulla National Park. The gorge can be explored by canoe or walks. I decided to do the Indarri Falls track, a walk of approximately 4km which starts as an easy stroll alongside the beautiful pastel blue waters of the Middle Gorge where you can stop off for a swim if you wish.
Part way along the Middle Gorge the track diverts away from the water and becomes a reasonably difficult walk to Indarri Lookout from where there is a stunning view of the middle and upper gorges and the falls that connect them.
Next morning we walked up to the lookout behind Adels Grove. It was an easy climb that gave us a view out over the camping area and the surrounding countryside.
