We have now made it to Adels Grove at Lawn Hill National Park. After leaving Normanton we travelled through to Burketown. 30 k of sealed road, 120 k of dirt followed by about 70 k of sealed road. Crossed a few rivers, including the Flinders which is Queensland’s longest River.

Road to Burketown

On the way we called in at the memorial marking where Burke & Wills made their last campsite in 1861  before starting their return trip south. It is a pretty isolated spot near the Little Bynoe River, which isn’t so little.

This is Burke & Wills last campsite near the Little Bynoe River before they turned around and headed south after failing to reach the Gulf. They seem to have been short by about 25 miles, beaten by the rivers and swamps. This tree has blaze marks made by the explorers some 150 years ago. The tree is still alive as are a couple of others they marked. Others on the site are dead or just stumps.

Crossing the Flinders River causeway, the water was about 30cm below the roadway.

There is not a lot at Burketown and it seems to be set up mostly to service the cattle industry, Barramundi fishing and tourists travelling along the Savannah Way. One of the big events here is the Morning Glory. A strange cloud formation that rolls in from the Gulf from September through to December. We were lucky to see it happen the morning we were there. An unusual event the locals said for this time of year. We didn’t complain it was quite spectacular. There were 3 bands of these ‘rolled-up’ clouds crossing over Burketown, all over in about 20 minutes or so.

Morning Glory

This bore at Burketown is over 100 years old and has been flowing rather hot water from day one plus a lot of other stuff such as carbonates and calcium etc. Can’t drink it, they used to have a spar here in the old days.

rom Burketown we turn south to Gregory Downs and then west to Adels Grove for a few nights in Lawn Hill National Park. Bit more dirt road  to come.