Camooweal

9- 10 September 2017

We left Wauchope and continued north on the Stuart Highway, stopping for a quick look at markets at Tennant Creek. We finally turned in the direction of home just south of Threeways. From here the Barkly Highway heads roughly east towards the Queensland border. We stopped for a cuppa at the 41 Mile Bore Rest Area. Mick was hopeful that there would be some birdlife as there was water in the dam, but just as he was getting ready to go for a walk, along came a truck to spoil his fun.

We continued on to Barkly Roadhouse where we considered staying, but it wasn’t quite lunch time so pressed on and found a reasonable spot at Wonarah Bore for a lunch stop. It was very hot and there were millions of flies so we had to eat our sandwiches in the car. Lucky we had made them before we left Wauchope.

We eventually crossed the border into Queensland, adjusted our watches and made our next stop at Camooweal. Again we chose the caravan park behind the pub. This one was quite well organised with mostly big drive through sites. This is the sort of place where most people just pull in for an overnighter like we did.

It was still fairly early so we went for a short walk before going into the pub for a coffee and cold drink. The surroundings were pleasant and the coffee surprisingly good. Mick made inquiries about a location mentioned in the information sheet given to us when we checked in. Lake Francis is a billabong on the Georgina River, just on the edge of town and reported to be a good birdwatching spot.

Yellow-billed Spoonbills feeding at Lake Francis

Male Orange Chat.

In the morning we packed up and drove back over the bridge to Lake Francis. This is a very popular free camping spot and there were a few caravans and campervans scattered around. There is heaps of room and the best spots would be those further down the dirt track to the water’s edge. Mick spent a while photographing birds before we set off again, heading towards Mount Isa.