By crossing the border from Queensland into the Northern Territory a little to the west of Camooweal…….

Here is a map of the journey so far, Brisbane to Camooweal. This route is a little over 2,000 km.

We left Winton at 8am, quite early for us. It was a long drive up the last section of the Landsborough Highway to Cloncurry. The road took us past Kynuna and McKinlay, home to the Walkabout Hotel of Crocodile Dundee fame.

In Cloncurry we made a brief stop to take in the sights from the local lookout which also has a new mural (at least for us). Quite impressive artwork reflective of the indigenous connections with the land.

Corella Dam was to be our free camp spot for the night, about 60km on from Cloncurry. The dam was the water supply for the now deserted Mary Kathleen township, the site of the former uranium mine.

Whilst Corella was a good place for a stopover, the bugs were out in force. As well as a few flies.

It seems all the wet weather and residual dampness we have had has brought forth a breeding frenzy in these parts. Lengthy grasses also contribute. Russell was attacked by the little blighters, like a seaside midge onslaught.

Good to get on the road to Mt Isa and Camooweal the next morning.

Camooweal seems to be really battling at the moment, the post office/mini supermarket closed at the end of March. Apart from the hotel and service station no other commerce is here. One wonders how the residents will get their supplies, long drives to Mt Isa and maybe the servo will step up with daily needs like milk, bread etc. The pub might hope for the locals to live on beer alone.

The Camooweal caves are one of the attractions.It is a dusty 16 km drive to the National Park site. An interesting deep hole in the ground and a pleasant billabong are at the end of the road. We made it back to the van park late in the afternoon after a short look see.

We leave in the morning on the next stage of the trip. Crossing into the NT , gaining that half hour. We intend to have the night at the Barkly Homestead Roadhouse, midway across the Barkly Hwy, before heading up the Stuart Hwy to Katherine over the following three days.