Well about bloody time me thinks; I've been a bit slack what with travellin, relaxin, workin & boozin. The blog is way behind so time to kick things along from where it was left off.
Gregory Downs
We did get a reasonably early start from the Burke & Wills roadhouse to Gregory Downs; we had made the decision to stay behind the pub rather than at the free camp on the river. As the pub only has 8 powered sites it pays to get in early, also if you are planning to free camp at the river it does get quite busy and sites are at a premium; also it is a bit of a hike uphill to get to the free loo's and showers. The pub charges $30 per night but if you are not intending camping at Adels Grove then it is a better option to camp here than free camp and leave your van unattended for the day, we did hear of a couple of bad experiences of some unfortunate free campers taken to the cleaners.
The pub camp ground amenities were okay and the shower toilets were unisex; in other words go in a vacant one and it is complete with toilet, shower & vanity etc. We did not eat at the pub so unable to comment on the meals; drinks prices were high as to be expected in this area. Overall the Gregory Downs pub is a good place to stay for a couple of nights as we did, you would most likely need to take out a bank loan if you intended staying longer.
Our site at the Gregory Downs pub; plenty of other campers arrived throughout the day but if you want power make sure you are in before noon as they do not take bookings.
A pic of the free camp area which is only about a km from the pub; it was quite full when we went for a look.
The river that runs next to the free camp area; a very nice place to set up camp.
The above picture shows the pub at left and and yes it is a helicopter that is parked on the road in front; this bloke decided it needed a wash so he landed in front of the pub (we watched him coming in), grabbed a hose from behind the pub fence, produced a yard broom a washed his chopper where it sits. Happy with the result he put the hose back, packed up his brush, started the helicopter and took off. The things you see out in some of these places is quite funny to say the least.
The above sign is located approximately 10km from Gregory Downs; mainly used for the Royal Flying Doctor service in emergencies. The below picture clearly shows the runway markings on the Gregory Downs Highway.
Lawn Hill National Park
I know, I know; a National Park is a National Park and they all seem to look the same but this is not the case with Lawn Hill. Considering where it is situated and the vast amount of dry & barren countryside that surrounds it the visit is well worth the trip.
The park itself along with Adels Grove seems to come out of nowhere; from dry dusty roads with a spattering of common variety trees and scrub springs palms and lush green rainforest, hard to believe this exists some 1100km west of Townsville.
One of the pathways that leads down to a major part of Lawn Hill.
You can hire canoes if you want to see the area from the water; there are places where you have to pull the canoe out of the water and drag it to the next section, they have made it easy by installing slide rails for the boat or mats in places.
A sign that reminds you not to be too complacent; we did not see one but the sign is enough to make you think twice before jumping in.
The view from the top part of our 6km walk (climb); I could not convince Linda to let go of the bushes and get closer to the edge.
Linda & I being the top notch bush walkers we are set of on what was noted as a 6km walk with an approximate time to do this particular track of 3.5 hours. We had a bit of a chuckle as we were sure we could do the 6km in about 1.25 hours; how wrong we were, a bit different from walking flat track to scaling mountains like a bloody mountain goat, I almost called the SES for an oxygen tank and tissues for the high altitude nose bleed.
Another great picture over the park.
Lawn Hill N. P does have a camping ground but not for vans; you may get a small pop top in but it is really only meant for camper trailers and tents.
Adels Grove
Hard to describe Adels Grove, it is the last stop before going in to Lawn Hill (10km) and does have cabin and caravan site accommodation so if you do want to be at Lawn Hill for say a week this would be the preferred option, but be advised it is not cheap to stay here.
Caravan sites for 2 adults was $32; does not sound too bad but there is no power out here; also the cost of staple food items is expensive to say the least, Adels Grove has a cost to bare so it is obviously passed on to the consumer.
The above is part of the coffee shop, bar and meals area; make sure you bring a recent bank statement which can prove you are good for any debts incurred.
This is part of the Grove (looked more like a swamp to me).
The sign from the shop give you a good idea of the pricing structure used out here; all the bread is frozen. The prices shown reflects on the overall cost of other items you buy, tinned food, ice creams etc.
Not a real good shot but the caravan sites are just beyond the trees; reception is the just visible building to the right.
One of the road signs on the way out of Lawn Hill; hard to see for you guys but the top is “Gregory – 77km” and the bottom is “Hells Gate Roadhouse – 194km”.
I must say the road is not bad from Gregory Downs; the first section (40km) is well graded as it leads out to Century Mine, the road after that was still fairly good. We did see a number of vans heading in and out without problems but who knows what the end result was when they got back to bitumen. All in all if you did want to spend more than a couple of days in Lawn Hill then it maybe worth pulling the van in; in our case we were happy with the 2 night stay and drive in considering what was on offer at Adels Grove.
Sorry for the slack upkeep of the site and I am hoping to do another post (Normanto / Karumba) within the week and will mail out when done.
Take care, travel safe and keep well.
Love & warm regards to all.
David & Linda – The DavLin Rig
