Heading to the Gulf of Carpentaria - Undara, Normanton, Karumba, Gregory Downs

Day 22 - Thursday 27th Sept - Cooktown to Undara (Lava Tubes) - by "Trudy"

We packed up our camper in reasonable time after a nice stay at the big 4 caravan park in Cooktown (with it's unique ensuite type ammenities). After stopping to look at Black Mountain out of Cooktown we cruised down the Mulligan Highway which was so much quicker on a sealed road than the 4WD track we took going up. We replenished our supplies at Mareeba with a big grocery shop, filled the cars with petrol, and stopped for lunch down the road. The drive through the Atherton tablelands was beautiful with the lush green countryside and rich soils, and the beauty continued on through hills and rainforests. From Ravenshoe we drove west along the Kennedy Highway and were surprised to find some sections of the road were just a single lane of bitumen. Coming in to more roadworks we got our first flat tyre for the holiday - happened while I was driving, but fortunately our tyre pressure monitoring system alarmed straight away and Leigh, who was driving behind, also noticed the tyre going flat quickly. A quick tyre change and we were back on the road. We set up camp that afternoon at Undara by the volcanic national park. The kids were straight off to the pool and were fascinated  to be swimming with kangaroos and wallabies watching outside the fence. After tea I enjoyed listening to a wildlife talk about birds in this area around the lodge campfire.

Black Mountain near Cooktown

A groovy fish letterbox we saw along the way

Chris changing a flat tyre on our camper trailer

Our camp at Undara, kids ready for a swim

Wallabies watched the kids swimming in the pool

Some of the cute night life we found on torch hunts

Day 23 - Friday 28th Sept - Undara (Lava Tubes), Normanton and Karumba - by "Ryan"

We packed up the camper early to get ready to go for a tour to the volcanic lava tubes. We found our tour group at Undara and travelled on a bus to the Lava tube site in the national park. On the bus our tour guide told us about all sorts of animals and rocks in that area of Savannah bushland. It was a short walk to the rainforest and the entrance down into the lava tube archway. Once we were inside the lava tube it was so dark and we needed our torches to walk to the end of the tunnel. Lava tubes are huge tunnels that were formed when hot lava from a nearby vulcano burnt a path along the earth. We learnt that they were formed because as the top of the lava flow would cool the lava would become solid rock while the hot molten lava underneath would continue to flow and form a tunnel. The colours of the rocks on the roof and walls of the tunnels were amazing, ranging from orange to white. The guide took us to another tunnel where we saw heaps of Micro bats. After the tour we went back to Undara and continued our drive to Normanton where Dad got the puncture in his tyre fixed. Meanwhile us kids went to look at the statue of the big crocodile "Krys" which was an enormous 8.63m long. We continued our drive to Karumba and set up our camper at a caravan park near the beach where we could walk to see the sunset over the Gulf of Carpentaria. Karumba is the only town/road accessible to the Gulf so it was good to go there. It was a lovely sunset and then everyone had a drink at the Karumba point tavern while we waited for our fish and chip that we ordered for tea from Ash's fish shop that Nana told us about. We picked up our dinner and walked back to the caravan park to eat with the Hanna's. The baramundi was the best fish n chips that we all had ever had! The kids wanted to go for a swim at the pool before bed but it was closed.

The Archway opening to one of the vulcanic lava tubes

Looking down into the tunnel of a lava tube, the boardwalk goes to the end 

One of the tiny bats which inhabit the dark tunnel

More roadworks, in the middle of nowhere

The replica of the enormous 8.63 metre crocodile "Krys", in Normanton

Mikayla, Ryan and Amy on sunset in Karumba

Sunset at Karumba beach

Sun setting over the Gulf of Carpentaria

Chris, Trudy, Emma and Leigh enjoying the sunset at the Karumba tavern

Day 24 - Saturday 29th Sept - AFL Grandfinal in Gregory Downs - by "Mikayla"

In the morning we had a swim in the Karumba caravan park swimming pool. The swim was very nice but we had to go to drive back to Normanton. In the car we saw heaps of brolgas by little swamps along the side of the road. In one of the pubs in Normanton we saw old photo's of the enormous crocodiles that had been shot in the area years ago and also some photo's of the massive floods in 2009 which left the town stranded for 3 months. After awhile we continued driving until we stopped for lunch at the Burke and Wills roadhouse and made some sandwiches. We drove on to Gregory Downs in time for the AFL grandfinal between Dad's team Hawthorn and the Sydney Swans. It was lucky for Dad that it was on TV there in the remote town. We left Dad to watch the footy final while the rest of us went to set up our campers nearby. We set up camp at the edge of the Gregory river where it was fast flowing. Us kids got changed into our bathers and went swimming in the river which was so much fun because there was a rope dangling down from a tree that we could grab onto as the river swept us down stream. We were playing in the river for hours! Mum went back to the pub to watch the last half of the footy with Dad. Sadly his team lost but he still had alot of fun cheering along against the other Swans supporters. Mum thought it was funny that there were so many hawks hanging around our camp area but no other "hawks" (Hawthorn supporters) at the pub! We made a camp fire to sit around while we had a BBQ tea.We played pictionary cherades before bed.

Some of the numerous brolga birds we saw near Karumba

We drove through alot of unfenced cattle country

The outback Gregory Downs hotel

Watching the AFL grandfinal in the Gregory Downs hotel

Chris was a lonely Hawthorn supporter amongst the Sydney Swans fans

Numerous hawks overlooked our campsite

Our camp spot on the edge of the Gregory River

A great spot to swim and float down the fast flowing river

Dinner time by the fire at the rivers edge

Take care and stay warm !

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Rough map of our trip so far ......