Kingfisher Travels

Day 48 – Final Day Leaving Wallumbilla showground about 8am with a heavy heart, last day of our 7 week trip. We have had a wonderful trip, with a wonderful group of people.  Kyle enjoying the first 4 and a bit weeks then returning home to school, friends and grand parents. BUT it must end sometime (unless we can win the lottery). So our last post for this trip.   The day, as many have, had its hiccups… arriving in Toowoomba, we found our battery not well and smoking… contacting the battery manufacturer, we had the battery replaced within the hour – at no cost. Then home we go!!!   Arriving home at about 4pm to a warm reception.   Thanks all for being part of our journey and we now have to clean the cars and plan our next trip!

Day 45, 46 & 47 23/7 Leaving Karumba, breakfast at the model of the largest ever crocodile caught (shot).  This thing is huge!!     Travelling… Drinks, dinner and campsite at The Blue Heeler Hotel.  Birth of the song “Watzing Matilda”.  Plenty of history here.   24/7 We start the morning with a short drive and walk to the billibong made famous by Banjo Patersons’s song.  We got photos “under the shade of a coolabah tree”! And modelling with the “V” shaped tree here,  we have Kate and Tracey styling their exotic outback trekking wear.   Then onwards.  Lunch at Winton – great pies. Camping at Isisford (west of Blackall) on the banks of the Barcoo River.   25/7 Breakfast this morning at the “Black stump”(from “Beyond the black stump” fame) Blackall. We had a quick look at the “Giant Meat Ant” at Augathella then lunch at Morven  Our campsite tonight is at Wallumbilla showground just east of...

Day 43 & 44 21/7 Sharing a cabin for the 3 nights, allows us to spread out and relax.   Lunch, surprisingly enough in this place, was fish and chips. Now the tavern shuts tonight, along with all other shops, at 5pm as the the school fete is on!!  So we plan on cooking a prawn pasta, purchased some prawns in the prawn capital. Then the lovely sunset…   Now back at the campsite, we wandered over to the fish cleaning tables to see how its done.  After a chat for a while we end up bringing back a fair amount of filleted queenfish – now our prawn pasta will be a seafood pasta. And enjoyable it was…   22/7 Up to the local markets this morning then breakfast at the Sunset Tavern overlooking the Gulf.  Tracey, Paul and I went on a fishing charter this afternoon.  Catching school (doggy) Mackerel and having some fun.  Some great photos of the huge fish we were catching, but… whilst Tracey taking photos on behalf of another passenger ...

Day 41 & 42 19/7 Filled up at Borroloola then onwards. Lunch spot… And unfortunately we have finally crossed the border back into our home state, such a sad moment being within 2000kms of home. Camp spot – Hells Gate Roadhouse   20/7 Travelling through Doomadgee, Burketown and Normanton today, ending at Karumba.  Right on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria.   702m bore at Burketown, sunk in 1897.  Tested in 1960 by CSIRO to not be suitable for drinking, cattle or irrigation!  So I guess it is a tourist attraction? And our lunch spot, Leichardt falls. Now, as we walked back to our cars we noticed they were eyeing each other??  Driving lights and corrugations tend not to agree!  Not to mention a stained look.     During our trip we constantly were dodging hawks and eagles, an example here… One of the last crossings… And another use for beer cans… everything has to have at least 2 uses.  Paul, again...

Day 38, 39 & 40 16/7 After relaxing in the warm springs yesterday afternoon, followed by happy hour at the shed, then “provide a plate” to share; we enjoyed a meal put on by the property owner.  Lorella meat of course, apparently when he gets the urge every couple of weeks he does this to bring about a social atmosphere to get people talking about where to go on the property – great marketing ploy.  He won’t even take money from us until we leave as almost everyone stays longer than planned – just like us. So after deciding to stay here a couple of days, we headed for Rosie Creek Fishing camp, lunching at some waterholes on the way.       And our view from our campsite… Then what else do you do in the gulf along the edge of a tidal river…    No luck today! 17/7 10am breakfast!!    Then to the serious fishing business, “Unfortunately” this was a camper from down the road.  He had no luck, like us, yest...