queensland: boodjamulla national park, riversleigh fossil site

Boodjamulla is the largest national park in Queensland. It's a remote spot not far from the Northern Territory border and can be accessed by a number of rugged and rough roads including the Savannah Way. We decided to take the sealed road heading north from Cloncurry, past Burke and Wills Roadhouse. 

From Corella Dam we travelled as far a freecamp listed in Camps 8, Firey Creek. Unfortunately we were the only ones parked by the side of this remote road but we found a spot right in by the dry creek bed. The kids played elaborate games with sticks and rocks and dirt before we ate dinner and fell in to bed. 

At some point in the evening J and I heard a truck stop not far from us and my mind suddenly went in to overdrive, thinking the worst. We had the genny running but kicked that off and turned the lights off too. It was a good twenty minutes before the truck took off. In retrospect it was silly to worry but it is such a remote part of the world that you just wouldn't want trouble anywhere. 

From Firey Creek it was an easy run to Gregory Downs. There are varying reports about the condition of the road in to Boodjamulla but we found it pretty good considering much of it was corrugated dirt. We couldn't get in to the national park so we booked three nights at Adele's Grove before deciding to stay four. From Adele's Grove it's a short drive to the gorges and walks in the National Park, and Riversleigh Fossil Site. The Grove is also a beautiful place to stay. We had a camp right next to the water hole - with rope swing and pontoon for the kids and big kids. 

We met another really lovely family from the Yarra Valley and we were all sad when they had to leave the following day. But we made the most of our time together. The kids played good fairies and bad fairies with long fighting sticks while we sat back and shared food stories over beer. Once the kids were down we tried a new dessert which they'd seen a French couple make. We wrapped banana with pieces of chocolate and marshmallows in al foil and cooked them on the coals of the fire. Delicious - and totally naughty! See you sometime the Yarra Smiths!

J and B went out to Riversleigh one morning - the largest fossil site of mammals in the world. This crocodile fossil has been dated as being 20 million years old. 

The fossil of a giant bird's leg bone aside fossilised rocks which would have been contained in its gut for digestion. 

The following morning J was up and gone early taking his boat up the gorgeous gorges in the national park. About eight years ago J was deliberating over buying the Valley sea kayak when I finally said that if he didn't go and buy one for himself then I'd go and buy him one. His boat has taken him so many places and given him freedom (& even taken him to work a coupe, of times a week) and I don't think he's ever regretted the purchase. There was no way that the boat was going in storage when we headed off on our trip around Australia. J had to carry his kayak through sections and was lucky to ride the rapids in a part of the gorge at Boodjamulla. (videos are on Instagram and Facebook). 

The following day hit 36°c and it felt hot but not hot, hot. We've acclimatised. We took the kids to the rock art site out at Boodjamulla National Park. There are a number of short walks there but we chose the Wild Dog walk which was best for the kids. It was anticlimactic when we arrived at the Cascades to find them full of algae. We promptly returned, hot and tired to the water hole by the canoes. That water was welcome relief!