It took some getting in to Boodjamulla National Park, but it was well worth it!
(Emma)
We spent 3 days here. It was hot and dusty and spectacular!
Our 100km, unsealed, journey in was slow and challenging. Trying to go slow enough not to spin up too many rocks and dent our caravan (or smash our back window) but always being tempted to go faster to skim over the top of the corrugations! But we got there in the end with only a small amount of "hail damage" to the van which required close inspection to see anyway... and more red dust than one might imagine in the depths of every cupboard and drawer. We found our campsite without too much trouble and were pleased to find that the 18 other bookings for the motorcycle club for our first night did not eventuate.
While setting up camp our lovely neighbour came over to say hi. I asked him how it was, knowing that about 50m from our red dusty site was some allegedly very beautiful scenery. He stated " I had been told that God would complain if your dog barked here.. But I think this place is closer to Heaven than that. I reckon we could just lean over our back fence here and chat face to face!" Needless to say that helped speed up my playing house and get me out into it!! He wasn't wrong. Thanks to Joel et al. who put this one up near the top of their must see places!
A few shots below of our favourite swimming hole: Indarri falls. Spectacular and even more so in the late afternoon after the day trippers left us alone with the fish and the falls. Unfortunately for us no freshies were viewed, despite the ranger assuring us there were a couple. Our friends, Bronwyn and Greg, snapped a photo of one less than a week before we arrived! Prior to my time at Boodjamulla I really felt much the same about freshies and salties, ie no need for water activities in their presence. But I seem to have grasped the local view of "Pah, freshies" and in I dive... along with my kids! It did help that the ranger said stated that a few people went too close to the crocs (to take their pictures) and scared them off their rocks and "ruined it for everybody". Thats the sort of croc I like. Scared of people!
We spent 3 days here. It was hot and dusty and spectacular!
Our 100km, unsealed, journey in was slow and challenging. Trying to go slow enough not to spin up too many rocks and dent our caravan (or smash our back window) but always being tempted to go faster to skim over the top of the corrugations! But we got there in the end with only a small amount of "hail damage" to the van which required close inspection to see anyway... and more red dust than one might imagine in the depths of every cupboard and drawer. We found our campsite without too much trouble and were pleased to find that the 18 other bookings for the motorcycle club for our first night did not eventuate.
While setting up camp our lovely neighbour came over to say hi. I asked him how it was, knowing that about 50m from our red dusty site was some allegedly very beautiful scenery. He stated " I had been told that God would complain if your dog barked here.. But I think this place is closer to Heaven than that. I reckon we could just lean over our back fence here and chat face to face!" Needless to say that helped speed up my playing house and get me out into it!! He wasn't wrong. Thanks to Joel et al. who put this one up near the top of their must see places!
A few shots below of our favourite swimming hole: Indarri falls. Spectacular and even more so in the late afternoon after the day trippers left us alone with the fish and the falls. Unfortunately for us no freshies were viewed, despite the ranger assuring us there were a couple. Our friends, Bronwyn and Greg, snapped a photo of one less than a week before we arrived! Prior to my time at Boodjamulla I really felt much the same about freshies and salties, ie no need for water activities in their presence. But I seem to have grasped the local view of "Pah, freshies" and in I dive... along with my kids! It did help that the ranger said stated that a few people went too close to the crocs (to take their pictures) and scared them off their rocks and "ruined it for everybody". Thats the sort of croc I like. Scared of people!
(Paul)
The Adels Grove people had canoes for hire at the national park, but we had our own! It was wonderful to be out on the water again, paddling through some of the prettiest sights we have seen so far. Emma and Isaac worked out a system where they had a rope that they could tie on to the front of Isaac's kayak when he got tired. I used this extensively when I went for a paddle later with Sascha. The water looked almost luminescent at times and we paddled all the way up to Indarri Falls to meet the Spences, and they had a mighty fun time paddling around too. The look on Lilianna's face, when she had got the hang of it, was priceless. Such satisfaction.
The Adels Grove people had canoes for hire at the national park, but we had our own! It was wonderful to be out on the water again, paddling through some of the prettiest sights we have seen so far. Emma and Isaac worked out a system where they had a rope that they could tie on to the front of Isaac's kayak when he got tired. I used this extensively when I went for a paddle later with Sascha. The water looked almost luminescent at times and we paddled all the way up to Indarri Falls to meet the Spences, and they had a mighty fun time paddling around too. The look on Lilianna's face, when she had got the hang of it, was priceless. Such satisfaction.
(Paul)
One of the best things about staying in the national park was that the beautiful walks were available to us as soon as we stepped out of the caravan. Each morning we would go on a different walk that took in some spectacular views. One of my favourite things was that the big boys started to join us on our pre-breakfast outings. They were doing up to four kilometers without batting an eyelid. It's so nice to have them out in the morning when they are at their best, and they are getting quite a bit fitter too, which is nice. The kids started looking at the grade of walk and saying "moderate....and difficult....cool!"
One of the best things about staying in the national park was that the beautiful walks were available to us as soon as we stepped out of the caravan. Each morning we would go on a different walk that took in some spectacular views. One of my favourite things was that the big boys started to join us on our pre-breakfast outings. They were doing up to four kilometers without batting an eyelid. It's so nice to have them out in the morning when they are at their best, and they are getting quite a bit fitter too, which is nice. The kids started looking at the grade of walk and saying "moderate....and difficult....cool!"
(Paul)
While the road in is not something I would want to do every week, I reckon Lawn Hill is a place that we will be back to sometime. It was good for the soul to be in such a place for at least a few days.
While the road in is not something I would want to do every week, I reckon Lawn Hill is a place that we will be back to sometime. It was good for the soul to be in such a place for at least a few days.