Karumba

 5 - 9 July 2025

Having enjoyed three lovely nights at Adels Grove we now faced the huge drive to Karumba. We knew there were limited options for nice spots to stop for lunch so had packed a picnic bag with lots of "grazing" type food to eat along the way - left over camp oven roast chicken, cheese, carrot sticks, crackers, muesli bars, fresh and dried bananas and plenty of water. We had morning tea in Gregory before continuing on towards Burke and Wills Roadhouse.

We stopped briefly at the roadhouse but, unlike some roadhouses, this one doesn't have anywhere you could have a picnic, so we continued on and snacked as we drove. We made our way roughly north along the Burke Deveopmental Road and on through Normanton. We stopped at Mutton Hole Wetlands Conservation Park, but the track was in terrible condition and the grass was so long you couldn't see the water, so we didn't stay.

We arrived in Karumba late in the afternoon, just in time to set up at the caravan park and head to the Sunset Tavern for dinner. We knew it would be busy on a Saturday night but we were able to get a table inside, still with a good view of the sun setting over the waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The wait for dinner was long because of the crowds, but the meal was good and the atmosphere great, as usual.

Sunset over the Gulf of Carpentaria 

One of the reasons most people come to Karumba is for the fishing - but for Mick it's the birding so he ventured out and about each morning and again in the afternoon. He had wanted to do an early morning birding cruise but these are no longer available so we decided to indulge in the sunset cruise instead - a proper 40th wedding annivarsary celebration.

The sunset cruise was fully booked on the Saturday night so we had booked for the Sunday instead, and were so glad as there were only 7 other people on this tour. Some of us were collected from the beach at Karumba Point and we then motored back to Karumba town to collect the rest. The tour went up the Norman River where we learnt about the development of the town, including its military history,  as well as its current role in the export of zinc and lead from the Century Mine, and of course, the fishing and prawning industry for which it is most famous.

After explorin the town from the water, we returned to "The Point" and back into the gulf waters where we were served drinks and and a delicious grazing platter, followed by individual buckets of prawns and finally chocolate cake - all enjoyed as we watched the sun set over the water. It was a fabulous way to spend an evening.

Another stunning sunset

Mick had been given a tip about another birding spot near the Visitor Information Centre - Les Wilson Barrumundi Discovery Centre - so we drove into town in the morning. I spent some time looking at the interesting exhibits while Mick chased birds. There is a paid tour that includes the hatchery, but there is also lots to see within the visitor centre at no cost.

We had initially intended to stay three nights in Karumba but booked an extra one as we were enjoying our time - as well as the great weather and friendly neighbours. It was nice to be able to relax for a few days, with everything we needed close at hand. We had a date to return to Ravenshoe to house sit again so used the time to make a plan for our last week on the road.