Goofing Around on the Gulf of Carpenteria

Chillagoe – A Wheely Great Place

Acting on a tip from some farmers we met at the Tip (Cape York), we veered off our planned path along  Wheelbarrow Way to a quaint mining town called Chillagoe.  Named after the gold miners who trudged 150 km from Mareeba to Chillagoe with their belongings in wheelbarrows, Wheelbarrow Way is now the stage for an annual 3-day event where teams push wheelbarrows in homage to these pioneers. Although many small towns vanished after the gold rush of the forties, Chillagoe remains, famed for its extraordinary ancient caves once used by indigenous peoples for shelter and ceremonies. It was a detour well worth taking!

Steve looking chill in Chillagoe (32 degrees)

Wheelbarrow Statue in Chillagoe

Inside one of the many caves we explored

Steve's been framed 

Some Aboriginal rock art we saw outside one of the caves

Pinnarendi Station

We love mixing up our accommodation venues, so had a great overnight stopover on a cattle station at Forty Mile Scrub.  Nadine, the farmer's wife, makes incredible sour dough and awesome iced coffees, which were very welcome treats in the scoring heat.

Love their sense of humour.  The toilet block is called the "Wee Station" 

Cobbold Gorge

Just 30 years ago, a landowner accidently discovered a magnificent gorge on his property. His son, Simon, found it while playing with a friend. To make some pocket money, Simon began offering tours. The first year attracted 2,000 visitors, and last season, the number soared to 20,000.  As well as taking a boat ride through the Gorge spotting crocodiles and kingfishers, we learned about bush tucker and bush medicine.  The day ended perfectly by cracking open some cold ones by a fire next to the dam, watch the sun go down on another fabulous day.

Imagine finding this in your back yard!

The only glass bridge in Australia.  Note Steve's sexy slippers to avoid scratching the glass

Our bushtucker guide telling us about the tiny little berry that could kill you within hours.  

Pop … Again!  

Whilst it is great to be driving through a geological wonderland, the flip side is the rocky tracks you have to travel along.  Leaving Cobbold Gorge we drove over some quartz on the road and popped a tyre again.  Fortunately, it was repairable this time.

We're getting tyred of this!

Outback Town by the Sea

Today we had a lot of fun in Karumba also known as the Outback Town by the Sea and is famous for Barramundi fishing.  We visited the fascinating Barra Discovery Centre and Steve reeled in a big one before we ate the best fish n chips of our life at the local café.

What a Whopper!

There are two places to eat in Karumba. We couldn't decide between the cafe or the pub, so we went to both.  Rude not to!

Big Things – The Big Crocodile

During our visit to the Gulf of Carpentaria, we've been staying in Normanton, known for Krys, the Big Crocodile. Krys is a life-size replica of the largest crocodile ever captured, measuring a monstrous 8.63 meters. It was shot by a Polish immigrant named Krystina with a single bullet. She later regretted her action as the crocodile was too old to yield quality meat or skin. Not long after, crocodile hunting became illegal. Once a rare sight, crocodiles are now common here, as are the warning signs!

Me, peeking out above his eye

Normanton's other famous thing is the Purple Pub.  Alas, the color is the only remarkable thing about it.

Critter of the Week – The Brolga

We were lucky to see these beautiful birds as they are in decline.   Part of the Crane family, they are famous for their courting dance (better than Steve’s dance moves) and are the official bird emblem of Queensland.

Word of the Week – “Fkarwe”

Okay, so not actually a real word – but as we travel hundreds of kilometres through the Outback, I’ve found myself prefixing this with “Where the”, so it’s now an official word on the Holway ‘Round.

We are here 👇