July 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd  Lawn Hill area

Crossing the Gregory River 

The road north to this area was along a gravel road and through bush made up of Silver Box trees (eucalyptus pruinosa) All the bush appeared to be a  blue grey colour because of the large glaucous leaves of these trees. Other trees such as Snappy Gums were interspersed giving different shades of green. We met an older guy who was pushing a small cart diagonally across Australia. He has already walked north to south and east to west. He must have great stamina!

Crossing the Gregory river was beautiful with fast flowing water and tropical growth.

South of Lawn Hill we stopped at Riversleigh Tourist Site. This is one of the most significant fossil sites in the world and the richest know mammal deposit of fossils in Australia. Remains of unique Australian prehistoric animals from the last 25 million years have been preserved in limestone outcrops. The limestone was once mud which lay at the bottom of the rainforest pools and lakes. It has preserved the remains of animals, birds, reptiles,, frogs, fish and insects.

We had booked a site for our rigs at nearby Adels Grove. During this week there is an official Dig taking place at the Riversleigh Fossil Site. Luckily Professor Mike Archer who is in charge of the Dig gave a presentation at Adels Grove during the evening. He is a very knowledgeable and capable presenter. We learnt a lot about the importance of this area.

The following morning July 2^nd dawned warm and sunny.  Washing dries in a couple of hours. For me it is a time to relax and try to hunt away this cold I am suffering.

There is internet connection in some spots of this camp so we are reading and sending emails and eventually I will post this blog. Again we listened to Mike Archer speak in the evening.

Another blue sky today on July 3^rd. We celebrated Geoff’s birthday all day…presents, cake, singing and dinner out this evening.

This afternoon we enjoyed a wonderful cruise up the Gorge of Lawn Hill Creek. The boat had a very quiet electric motor running from solar panels on the roof. It was a very calm trip which took one hour total- up and back along the beautiful deep waters of the gorge . The driver and tour Guide was an excellent guide and operator and we learnt such a lot of new info...whether I will retain this new knowledge is unlikely!

Along the Gorge of Lawn Hill Creek

John and I have now been able to identify a new mallee tree which has been puzzling us. We eventually had to ask the experts at the reception desk. The Silver Box trees or eucalyptus pruinosa have beautiful large glaucous leaves. They are quite dominant around the park and general bushlands in this top end place. On first seeing them we thought they were Blue Leaved Mallee trees. 

On the last night at Adels Grove we listened to a lady speaking about 'bats' both in Australia and around the world.

Silver Box tree

June 30th

Our travelling companions

The day began with an early morning visit to Coles Super Market. The remainder of the morning was spent with a visit to Mt Isa Creative Fabrics and a tour of the Underground Hospital which was originally built in 1942. At that time Darwin had been bombed and it was felt that Mt Isa maybe the next target so a safe hospital was established underground. It fell in to disrepair after WW 2. but has now been reclaimed as a Museum style hospital. It was most interesting to tour the E shaped tunnels/wards. Old furniture, equipment and methods were on display in a simple manner.

The drive north has been through very pretty hilly country with spinefex. ghost gums and rocky outcrops. We experienced our coldest morning at 4.1 deg today which was followed by the highest daytime temperature of 30.1 deg. The evening is pleasantly warm as we are camped amongst Snappy Gums on the side of the road south of Riversleigh towards Lorne Hill.

Bunks in the Underground Hospital

June 30th

Our travelling companions

The day began with an early morning visit to Coles Super Market. The remainder of the morning was spent with a visit to Mt Isa Creative Fabrics and a tour of the Underground Hospital which was originally built in 1942. At that time Darwin had been bombed and it was felt that Mt Isa maybe the next target so a safe hospital was established underground. It fell in to disrepair after WW 2. but has now been reclaimed as a Museum style hospital. It was most interesting to tour the E shaped tunnels/wards. Old furniture, equipment and methods were on display in a simple manner.

The drive north has been through very pretty hilly country with spinefex. ghost gums and rocky outcrops. We experienced our coldest morning at 4.1 deg today which was followed by the highest daytime temperature of 30.1 deg. The evening is pleasantly warm as we are camped amongst Snappy Gums on the side of the road south of Riversleigh towards Lorne Hill.

Bunks in the Underground Hospital

June 29th

We have enjoyed today at Mt Isa. Washing clothes was the main aim for this morning. At 1.00 pm John & Geoff joined a tour of an underground mine. Mining in Mt Isa began in 1924 with the primary products being copper, lead zinc and silver. The mines are still productive today.

Eileen and I explored the shopping area and Information Centre. This evening we went to The Bluffs for dinner. A great change to have a fish meal. Geoff is dreaming of catching a barramundie as we go further north.

In memory of lost miners

June 28th

Lake north of Dajarra

We left Boulia in bright sunshine and, yes, the day did warm to 20 deg but the evening is quite cool again.

The drive north was most enjoyable. It was flat to begin with but then we entered some very attractive hilly country. We stopped at Dajarra and chatted to the Service Station owner and assistant. Lunch was enjoyed at a very pretty lake. Along the way we found a family of brolga. It is surprising how many brolga birds we have seen. There was wattle in bloom, termites nests and John thought he found a waddi tree--actually a type of acacia which grows very slowly.

Tonight we have settled into a Caravan Park. This is the 3rd park we tried to book a site in. Mt Isa is a busy town at present with lots of visitors.

Family of brolga birds

June  27th

 What a pretty drive through rocky hills, outcrops and mesas. Grass is green and trees are freshly green as well after recent rains. Some areas are very flat and then there are spectacular hills again.. The scenery is fantastic with all the ochre colours of dark brown, soft grey, orange, red, yellow and white. The sky is clouded with every colour of grey.

Cawnpore Lookout was well worth  the climb up the rocky path. The view was remarkable as were all the bright ochre colours. This lookout is exactly on the Tropic of Capricorn.

Looking from Cawnpore Lookout

Middleton Hotel

We stopped at the old Middleton hotel which is still operating. Later we came to the ruins of the old Hamilton hotel.






Boulia is a small town with several coffee shops! The Information Centre provided us with the story of the Min Min Lights for which Boulia is famous. We have to decide for ourselves whether this mythical story is true. Tonight we are camped on the banks of the Burke River at Boulia. There has been a chilly wind all day but no rain!

June 26^th

Sunday morning in Winton was quite a buzz as The Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival is currently on for this week. We wandered along the street with all the visitors and enjoyed a cup of coffee, an Opal shop and then went in to see the Winton Outdoor Theatre. This was first opened in 1918. Typically it had canvas deck chairs and some colourful more erect chairs.

Boulia Outdoor Theatre

We set out along the road to Boulia on a bitumen road through very flat country. We had planned to go to Boulia from Windorah but because of floods and mud we had to follow the bitumen to Longreach and Winton and now towards Boulia from a North-west direction. It is a very long detour. It has been an interesting drive through the Channel Country with some really beautiful hill country with pretty streams, rocky outcrops and lovely bush. We have camped by Opal Creek this evening.

Opal Creek

Banjo Patterson brought many of the Channel Country rivers alive through his poetry. A 1.3 million-square-kilometre region of south western Queensland is known as the

‘Channel Country’ The name is derived from the network of river beds and streams coursing through the relatively flat terrain. Channel Country is renowned for the braided channels and flood plains of the Georgina, Burke, Mulligan, Wills, Hamilton, Diamantina, Thomson, and Barcoo Rivers that become Eyre Creek and Cooper Creek further South.