Cape York - To The Tip and Back - Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park

Hann Crossing Campground - Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park

18 – 21 July 2016

We had booked our campsite at Rinyirru while we were in Seisia. The online booking system can be a pain, and you do need to work out when you will arrive, but we haven’t found this to be too much of a problem. We have been able to get good sites at the National Park campgrounds of our choice, throughout this trip. Our new travelling friends, Boyd and Ruth, were also booked in so we were looking forward to catching up with them.

A single Plumed Whistling-duck in the company of Wandering Whistling-ducks.

We drove from Musgrave into the national park, stopping briefly to look at a lagoon before we arrived at our Hann Crossing campsite, right on the North Kennedy River. We had some shade and plenty of room, although our site (number 11) was adjacent to another (number 12) which meant it wasn’t as private as some others.

Afternoon light. Some spuds in the camp oven for dinner.

The North Kennedy River in front of our camp.

Our humble home on the bank of the North Kennedy for three nights.

At night a full moon shone in the clear sky.

Drinks again.

Our three nights at Hann Crossing were magical. We drove out to the Nifold Plain in search of birds, and explored the area around the Hann Crossing campground. The campsites are spread out for several kilometres along both sides of the river. The side we were on looked to be the best with shady and private campsites. Those on the other side were more exposed to the road and lacked shade.

Peaceful Dove.

White-throated Gerygone in front of our camp.

Another Rainbow Bee-eater.

I'll call this a Zitting Cisticola because of the white tail tips and faint eyebrow.

Juvenile Star Finches. It's a shame I couldn't find any adults, they are spectacular.

Black-throated Finch dusting the edge of a lagoon.

Most of the lagoons are covered in waterlilies.

The lagoons are beautiful but danger could be lurking among the flowers.

Royal Spoonbills and Magpie Geese.

We spotted lots of wildlife from our camp including a goanna that sunned itself on the rocks, and a large crocodile that patrolled its section of the river each morning. We also spotted a snake swimming towards the other side of the river, another 4 snakes on the road while out driving, some lost cows, the usual wallabies, a goanna and a number of frogs who tried to take up residence in the camper trailer.

It turns out these are different goannas. This one has a tick behind its eye.

This one looks pretty fat.

This large croc patrolled it's territory each morning in front of our camp site.

Orange Plane Butterfly, also around the camp but not as dangerous as the croc.

Double-barred Finch, looking a bit disheveled.

We joined Boyd and Ruth for drinks in the evening for the two nights they were there and we made bread in the camp oven on the third day. There are no facilities at the campsites except for a hybrid toilet at the entrance to the campground, which was a long way away. We managed a decent wash with water drawn from the river using a bucket on a rope – staying well back in case of crocs.

It's nice to have a fire... making bread again.

Drinks at Ruth and Boyd's camp.

On our final morning we headed back out to the road towards the southern section of the park. We stopped at Pink Lily Lagoon and Catfish Waterhole – both lovely spots. Passing the New Laura Ranger Base, we headed towards Old Laura Homestead and Battlecamp Road. Last time Mick drove this road (over 20 years ago) it was a rough track, but it is much improved although yet to be completely sealed. Because of recent rains it was quite slippery in parts.

Taken at Pink Lily Lagoon.

The waterlily seeds are edible and taste similar to green peas.

They go through a range of colours as they dry out.

Nankeen Night-heron at Catfish Waterhole.

Mick had read about a likely birding spot (funny thing, that!) so we turned off onto McIvor Road, a few kilometres before Isabella Falls. We drove along about 24 kilometres before stopping at McIvor River. It was a very beautiful spot and we had lunch before searching for birds. Not much luck on the avian front, but a very pleasant spot to have a break from the road.

At McIvor River.

From there we backtracked back to Battlecamp Road, and on to Cooktown.

Clare and Quorn

Clare

21 - 22 November 2015

We drove from the Coorong National Park, back through Meningie and on to Murray Bridge on our way north. We made a couple of stops along the way, but the day was one for getting as far as we could. We decided Clare would be a good place to stop so checked into the caravan park at about 3:30pm.

The Banded Stilt is often seen in large flocks but this one was seen feeding alone at one of our stops.

The park is on the highway, but well laid out with lots of trees and a great camp kitchen. It was still windy so we made use of this facility - as did many others. It was a nice spot for an overnighter - with the Tourist Information Centre right next door.

Before leaving Clare we drove up to Gleeson Lakes wetland. This is a really beautiful spot being developed and maintained by the local Lions Club. They are doing a great job! 

On to Quorn with a stop for morning tea in Laura - many places were closed as it was a Sunday so we were pleased to find a nice coffee shop, and an "old wares" shop as well. 

Quorn

22 - 24 November 2015

We arrived at Quorn in the middle of the day, and the caravan park office was closed. The sign said to go find a spot, so we did. This caravan park is almost like being in the bush, but with all the advantages (hot showers and a laundry) of a caravan park. Friends had stayed here earlier in the year so we were glad to find their positive description accurate. Once the office opened again at 4:00pm we ventured up and found that they also hire DVDs, for a donation to Friends of Warren Gorge.

Crimson Rosella race subadelaidae.

Crimson Rosella.

We made use of the camp kitchen and escaped the cold in the camper watching a movie on Mick's computer. Such luxury!

Two different Eucalypts were flowering in the park attracting Red Wattlebirds.

In the morning we headed off to the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens in Port Augusta. We had visited when we went to South Australia last year, and promised ourselves we would be back. There were lots of plants in flower and lots of birds around, so Mick was happy. It was hot, and after 5 hours (which included a nice lunch in the cafe - featuring local produce) we called it a day and drove back to Quorn.

Young White-fronted honeyeater.

Goanna.

Young Nankeen Kestrel.

Chirruping Wedgebill. We found it impossible to catch this bird in the open.

At the suggestion of the manager of the caravan park, we decided to venture out to Warren Gorge then next morning. The information pamphlet described a 5.2km walk which leaves from the day visitor carpark, or the campground. We decided on the carpark as the forecast was for 35 degrees and we figured that we would get the steepest climb over in the earlier part of the day. The pamphlet rated the walk as easy to moderate - and I was struggling after the first 500 metres! The path was steep, narrow in parts and very loose underfoot. The view, however, was magnificent. We reached Smoke-Oh Lookout and then made our way to the cairn marking the highest point on the walk. There was a visitor log book so we signed, and checked to find the names of friends who had come this way in July. The rest of the walk was indeed easier, but still very tricky in parts, and the heat didn't help.

Lots of great views on this walk.

Adding our names to the log book.

Grass trees... called Yakkas in South Aus.

We finally reached the bottom, and we still hadn't seen the gorge. We pushed on, and the gorge started to appear, with rocky walls where Mick hoped to find a Yellow-footed rock wallaby. Unfortunately, most creatures were well hidden so most photos were of the spectacular scenery. As we came closer to our starting point we realised we could have driven into the gorge and skipped the walk completely. It was good exercise, but plenty of water and stops were needed.

Back to the caravan park to try to escape the heat in the (slightly) cooler camp kitchen, only to be inundated by small biting mosquitoes! We just can't win. At least the wind died down and we were able to cook dinner without battling the gas blowing out.

The forecast for Wednesday was 40 degrees, and winds of up to 40kph, so we said goodbye to Quorn, and after a very short stop at the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens - just in case the Chirruping Wedgebill was waiting to have its photo taken - we headed down the Eyre Peninsula. The wind persisted and the temperature reached 38 degrees at lunchtime, so a night in a cabin was in order.