Random big thing - Krys the Croc (Normanton)

A model replica (1:1) of the world’s biggest croc shot in the 1950’s in the area - at 8.6 metres dwarfs most tinnies.

Random big thing – Big Barra (Normanton)

 Thats a lot of fish fingers kids.

Random big thing – 4 real life brolgas

Having taken a wrong turn for lunch we drove alongside the Savannah Rail line and encountered 4 Brolgas for the first time – bizarre looking birds, they looked like ‘big bird’ at the mardi gras.

And flew like a paper aeroplane made from a tattered beer carton with some half drunk stubbies inside it.

Aye Karumba!

Where the outback meets the sea. The Savannah land is endless as you drive towards the coast.

But when you arrive the views of the sun setting over the long sandbanks at low tide are amazing.

And the fishing…. Day 1 I caught a 45cm (1.6 kg) bream off the mouth of the Norman River and then made an acquaintance (let’s call him John) with someone who owns a tinnie. In all, I caught Grunter, Blue Salmon and a million catfish.

Worth noting – Not having seen a croc at this stage I didn’t hesitate in leaning over the side of John's boat to clean the anchor. Minutes later I was reminded of how real they are seeing a 12ft sunbaking only a few hundred metres downstream. Aye Karumba!!

Croydon – trapped by a little town

We had no expectation of staying in Croydon however the rodeo was in town and they needed another clown so we stayed for 4 nights! The event was called the Poddy Dodgers Festival.

After the small parade the night before, Saturday morning saw us check out the restored legal precinct historical buildings. There were voice recordings running of prisoners in the jail and a court case which spooked the kids.

Oldest continuously operating general store in Queensland.

Off to the poddy dodgers to watch the mutton busting, slippery pig, wild cow milking, poddy dodging and other 'everyday' events. Crazy stuff.

Whilst there I bumped into an Officer I’d recently worked with and the kids were quickly caught up in a pursuit. (no this officer was not the slippery pig – another officer drew the short straw and ran a decoy in the arena-  it was hilarious).

We also found not 1 but 2 bower bird nests.

Also squeezed in a few hours fishing in the dam and the closest I came to catching anything was a kite that swooped down and grabbed my lure. Thank fully it let go as I wouldn't know where to begin filleting it!

Random big thing – chimney

Between Georgetown and Croydon. Not huge in the general chimney category but given it is brick and in the middle of nowhere thought it worth a mention.

What's under Undara?

A visit to see the unique Undara lava tubes was worthwhile. The tubes bigger than metro railway tunnels and a train timetable to match.

A temperate rainforest has taken hold where each end of the lava tube has collapsed. There were red, orange, yellow and brown colours in the basketball sized dimples in the walls of this particular section of tube.

And the trains – no wonder they were late in the tube, they have all been put up on blocks and arranged fantastically for the restaurant, bar and upmarket accommodation.

Whilst at Undara we climbed a volcano, walked the rim and took a photo of another volcano from the top. Is that a 4wd Volvo-cano in the car park?

Mareeba - take 2

We had to double back via Mareeba as some of the gulf development roads are still cut from what was an unusually long wet season, but this gave us a chance to catch up with old friends.

There are a lot of abandoned gold mines in the Atherton tablelands but I found this thriving gem – a drive through bakery selling vanilla slice with passion fruit icing ‘eureka’.

 

Mareeba Rodeo Grounds for some cheap camping – neighbours ate grass around our tent all night.

Our random lunch spot between Chillagoe and Mt Surprise on roads less travelled.

Illegal prospecting 2012 style – “Now if I slip you ‘make like a float’ and catch dad”.

Just for laughs

Z’s worked out the old suck the cup to your face gag.

B standing in ‘no standing zone'!

Prehistoric telephone towers - people have spray painted ‘3G’ and ‘Telstra’ on 10ft high termite mounds as they have managed to get phone reception in these various spots – not our phone though (see previous posts).

Dodgy directions from the locals....

The ever common ‘DIP’ warning signs (I reckon there’d be 100 or so of them) have been enhanced by vandals to emphasise it – E.G. “DIP Sh!t”, “double DIP” and one of my favourites the “iDIP 3.0”.

Evolution of the fisherman.

 

Nowhere the go but South

We called into Twin Bat Falls  - a popular swimming hole (no crocs).

We stopped here for a couple of hours and had the place to ourselves. Whilst we ate sandwiches, these little carnivorous plants ate flies and other insects (we’ll Z probably ate flies too but whose counting).

Also quite interesting is the brown trees – it's actually termites having built up tunnels on the outside of the trees.

Did we mention the infinite number of 10ft plus termite hills.?They changed colour throughout the gulf depending on the soil (white, red, brown and grey)

Every hundred or so kilometres the Government has put in a couple of kilometres of bitumen for some of the steeper hills and also for overtaking the cows, wild pigs and roos.

The last creek crossing before returning to sealed roads and civilisation (almost). Glad we were leaving as the North bound traffic was dramatically increasing.

The Tip (or as K affectionately calls it The Dump)

One last creek crossing in a pocket of rainforest .

And one last souvenir shop – the Croc Tent looked after by an entrepreneurial young family.

Darn – someone has moved it and there is a 500m walk over a headland. K scouted ahead whilst Z lumbered along walking it all the way.

Just in case we needed to reassess our coordinates someone made it clear. 2170km as the crow flies back to Bris-vegas.

Tada!! – the Northern most point of mainland Australia.

The view SE.

The view SW.

J also wanted me to make note that we had phone reception – thanks Telstra, couldn’t get squat for about 98% of our journey but you came through when it counted!

Cape York is getting closer

We left Weipa (they let us out through the traffic lights) with the last town shy of the ‘tip’ our destination.

Across the Jardine - a $99 return ticket to cross the Jardine River of which Z could pee further!

Good luck driving through it though with all those car eating crocs (apparently?).

J and B reckon it was $10 for the ferry and $89 for the 20 minute conversation that Munurra (Monaro to his footy mates) provides you whether you want it or not - as friendly and as funny as he was, if approached.... prepare for a long chat.

Our destination, Seisia (just near Bamaga) – the last town about 40 km short of the goal.

There were Bitumen roads with wild horses on the kerbs sides. The housing ranged from tin sheds through to small project homes and everything in between.  A photo of our neighbour’s backyard with 2 ellusive palm cockatoos (there were 4 in total).

Good bye civilisation

About 30 kms north of Cooktown’s the sealed road finished and was replaced by dirt. We took Old Battle Camp Rd and splashed through some streams including Isabella Falls

The corrugations were relentless and the dry bushland straights infinite.

We forgot to mention that the cars cigarette lighter is now lying someone on the side of a road after B snapped having listened to it rattle for an hour or so before throwing it out the window.

We did come across  some friendly locals (Emu, Peacock and Guinea Fowl) at Hann Roadhouse further increasing our wildlife bingo points.

We also camped behind another pub, the sExchange Hotel. Unsure where the name comes from but I’d propose that it is as a result of men having lost their tackle on the 100’s of kms of corrugations in order the get here.

It’s so bloody hot up here that even trucks burst into flame.

And in the middle of nowhere (actually just coming into Weipa) traffic lights. To give the mines hall trucks right of way.