ON THE ROAD
Just before they set off, it became clear
that the track to The Tip from Cairns was
still closed following the wet season, as was
Lakefield National Park due to flood damage.
“Fortunately, we knew that we could shuffle
around our course if we needed to,” Hank
says. “If we liked a place, we knew we could
sit down and spend a night there. Just as we
knew we’d never be short of options if one
destination didn’t work out.”
So, after making Cairns, the group cut
across to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Here they cracked out the rods and spent a
successful hour’s fishing.
“We all caught some nice fish right away,”
Hank says. “Barramundi, bream. We were
running very light tackle, unfortunately; we
hooked a few big queenies, but you could see
the line break and them take it away.”
From Karumba they trooped south-west to
Leichhardt River and Leichhardt Falls. Here,they ventured off the beaten path in their
4x4s:
“Around Leichhardt, there’s a lot of free
camping; and it’s incredibly beautiful and
pristine,” Hank says. “We made out way
through creek beds to find a perfect campsite.”
They made sure to do a lot of bushwalking
in the area, too, including the track to Walker’s
Monument – a commemoration of Frederick
Walker, who died from malarial fever after
conducting a search party for Burke and Wills.
Next, the group cut west to Lawn Hill,
visiting Gregory Downs’ historic hotel en
route. Upon arrival, they laced up the boots
and undertook a few extended walking loops.
From there it was 4WD tracks north towards
Doomadgee. Here their plans were struck a
blow.
“One of the vehicles lost its back window
around Hell’s Gate,” Hank tells Camper. “A rock
from a passing car came through the back
window; the whole canopy got full of dust.”“PARENTS
ANDKIDS WOULD PULL UP, SIT DOWN AND PLAY CARDS,
TOASTMARSHMALLOWS
, SING SONGS, BRING OUT THE GUITAR.
ITHINKPEOPLE
ARE A LOT MORE RELAXED ON THE ROAD”
Bushwalking,afavoured pastime for the tripTelegraphOffice...yet there was a lack of
receptioninmanyof these bush places!McArthur River crossing outside Borroloola