Porcupine Gorge National Park - Pyramid Campground

 19 - 20 June 2025

We started the day with a flurry of phone calls, discussions with fellow travellers and internet searches to establish that the route we needed to take was indeed open. We set off along the Kennedy Developmental Road and had only travelled about 15km when a kangaroo bounded out of the long grass and onto the road right in front of us. Mick yelled "watch out" just as I spotted it. I slammed on the brakes but it was too close and I hit it. I can't have been going too fast as the air bags didn't deploy and the roo hopped away - no doubt seriously injured.

We stopped and looked for damage but could really see any. The "smart bar" we had fitted a few years ago seemed to have done its job. Back on the road, a little slower this time,  checking to see there were no warning lights and everything seemed ok. The car was driving normally but as we increased speed a rattle appeared. We stopped to try to find out what it was and discovered that the smart bar had moved slightly, making it difficult, but not impossible, to open the bonnet. We stopped twice more before Mick found the source of the rattle - a plastic piece near the mudguard. He did a "bush fix" and we were back on our way. 

At first we had thought we might need to go straight to Hughenden to get someone to look at the car, but we figured it would be ok so we continued on to Porcupine Gorge where we has a campsite booked for the night. We'd stayed at Pyramid Campground a couple of times in our tent camping days, but this would be the first time in the camper trailer. It looked like the site we had booked had a fire pit so we stopped off along the way to gather some fire wood.

We found our site and it was just perfect - some shade and a fire pit, not too far from the toilets and  a short walk from the gorge itself. We were a bit stressed after our accident so just relaxed through the afternoon and decided to tackle the gorge walk in the morning.

We enjoyed a campfire while we warmed up some soup for dinner, then had an early night. In the morning we set off on the gorge walk at about 8:30am and, as expected we found the walk into the gorge to be relatively easy. There was quite a lot of water in Porcupine Creek so we spent a short time relaxing by the creek before tackling the return journey. The walk back is certainly a challenge and we needed to make a few stops along the way. 

The Pyramid looms large over the gorge

Once back at camp, we had morning tea, then finished the packig up and headed off towards Hughenden.

The Lynd Junction - Oasis Roadhouse

 18 - 19 June 2025

We drove from Cairns to Mareeba where we stopped to fill the water tanks and empty the toilet, then continued on towards Atherton. We stopped for lunch at Rocky Creek War Memorial Park, a very popular free camp, with a good day use area. From there we drove on through Herberton to a birding spot in Wondecla. We had let our friends in Ravenshoe know we were on our way, but we seriously miscalculated our timings.

We arrived at Rob and Cheryl's and stopped for a chat and to pick up some things we had left there. It was then we realised that if we didn't leave by 3:30pm we would be driving in the dark. There aren't many options the way we were headed and we had decided on the Oasis Roadhouse which we had heard served cold beer and excellent burgers.

We jumped in the car and headed off for the 2 1/4 hour drive to the Lynd Junction, arriving just as the sun was starting to set. We managed to get the camper set up as the light faded. We had high hopes, but found the campground to be very disappointing. We camped in the unpowered section which was at the opposite end of the grounds from the amenities, meaning a very long walk to go to the loo. 

We ordered burgers and drinks and found a table on the deck to have our dinner. It was Rugby League State of Origin night so there were lots of people and the pre-game show was on the huge TV screen. My burger was OK but Mick's was overcooked - maybe even cooked and then reheated.

Celebrating a birthday with a cold beer

The following morning we agonised over whether we would be able to get to our next camp at Porcupine Gorge National Park. The Queensland Transport app showed the road open, GoogleMaps showed it as closed, our neighbours saw the closed signs the day before, the Queensland Transport website didn't show anything in the list view, but hazards were shown in the map view. So much for relying on a government department!

In the end I rang Etheridge Shire Council who confirmed that road was open, but had been closed for while the day before due to some flash flooding. With that information we were able to head off down the Kennedy Developmental Road, otherwise known as The Lynd. 

Hughenden

21 – 22 September 2023

Leaving Boulia early we discussed our plans and both agreed to scrap the next part of the trip due to the weather. We would forego Opalton and birding near Lark Quarry, in exchange for some time on the Atherton Tablelands and along the Tropical North Queensland Coast. We both felt this was a fair and sensible swap, and that we could come “out west” during Autumn.

We made a number of birding stops, including at the old Hamilton Hotel historic site and had morning tea at Middleton before continuing on to Winton. We met up with friends Wendy and Jay who had a rare couple of hours off, so we joined them for lunch at the café in the Waltzing Matilda Visitor Centre.

After a quick round of the grocery store, we hit the road again with the plan being to stay the night in Hughenden, before moving on the Atherton Tablelands. It was still in the high 30’s when we arrived in Hughenden so we sat in the very well-appointed camp kitchen before setting up our overnight camp.

We had no need to be up so early, but we still managed to get packed up, buy groceries, meat and fuel and be on the road before 9:00am. We planned to drive to Mount Garnet, along the Kennedy Development Road, just because we’d never been that way before.  We called in to the Porcupine Gorge Lookout along the way. We had thought about camping at the gorge but with the heat it wouldn’t have been pleasant, and way too hot to walk down into the gorge.