Normanton to Mareeba

Now I will continue on with our stay in Normanton. There is a lot to do in this area.
Tuesday 12th August.
Today we had booked to go for a trip on the Gulflander train. We are going from Normanton out to a fettlers stop called Critter camp. Critter Camp is called that because years ago one of the railway workers working there was bitten on the backside by a scorpion, hence the name. I am hoping there aren't too many of them around today.

This is me sitting on an old bench waiting for the train. The train does a variety of trips every week including a 5 hour trip from Normanton to Croydon on a Wednesday and returning on a Thursday. this trip is still used to deliver parcels and mail to cattle stations along the railway line. On other days they go on shorter trips.

Standing beside the train on its stop at Critter Camp. And no I didn't see any scorpions.

Another satisfied train passenger

Ray on the train

Another shot of the old train. It is about 80 years old and still runs very well. It travels through various properties and across some wetlands outside Normanton. The trip goes for 2 hours and it was very pleasant. A little bit of history.











That afternoon when we got back to Normanton another Bushtracker pulled in. It turned out to be a fellow and his wife from Kiama, who used to live in Dapto. He is an electrician at Bluescope and she works as a teacher assistant at Lake Illawarra High School. Small world as he had heard of Ray but had never met him. We also said goodbye to Wayne, Maria and Bindi from Queanbeyan. We had met them originally in Borroloola and they went on the train ride yesterday too. They were heading south but you never know we may catch up again.

Now we are heading further east. As we were leaving Normanton we passed a hitchhiker playing a ukulele. I hope some musical person gave him a lift. We stopped at Croydon for morning tea and who should follow us into town but Wayne, Maria and Bindi. Are they stalking us? No just out for a drive. We were going to stop at the Gilbert River free camp for the night but when we got there it was a big dust bowl and there was no water in the river, so we continued on to The Cumberland Chimney Historic Site which according to our book also had a free camp beside it.
Well it was beautiful.

The Cumberland Chimney, and the dam that was built to provide water to the mill and batteries, are all that remain of the Cumberland Mines on the Etheridge fields. The brick chimney was built in 1889 to dispense smoke from the large steam driven engines powering the batteries that crushed the gold bearing stone. At the time of top gold production there were almost 400 mine workers and families living here. Eventually gold petered out and by 1898 there was only 1 hotel. The telegraph office closed in 1899 and the school continued until 1915. Now all that is left is the chimney and a beautiful dam full of water birds.

Magpie Geese swimming on the dam at Cumberland Chimney. These are quite common in the tropical lakes and dams of the far north.

Looking down on our camp from the embankment around the dam. we were up on top waiting for the sun to rise over the dam. You can see the light on in the van as it was about 6am and still a little dark.

We couldn't resist it. Ray made a fire with some wood that we had left over from when we were at Ellenbrae on the Gibb River Road.

The sun just about to come up over the dam at The Cumberland Chimney

Water lilies on the dam

Just after we arrived, Ray called me outside and this handsome goanna was walking across the track. He was pretty big, About 1.5metres long.












Next day we headed to Cobbold Gorge. But first I wanted to stop and look at the largest rock collection in Australia at the tourist information office in Georgetown. Ray wasn't too keen but he came in with me. It was started by a gentleman when he was 12 years old and he collected the rocks all of his life. He was from Winton and he put the collection up for sale to fund his retirement. It was bought by the Etheridge Shire Council and put on display in George town. Sadly the man passed away a couple of years later.

Azurite Copper

Chrysophase

Petrified Fossils

















And on to Cobbold Gorge. Words can't describe this part of our journey. We have been to many gorges but this is surely the most beautiful we have seen.

A little bit of history about Cobbold Gorge just in case you never get to go there.
Robin Hood Station, supposedly called that because it adjoined Sherwood Mining lease, was originally owned by the Clark family and they took it up in 1901. It was kept in the Clark family until 1964 when it was sold to Cob and Mary Terry.  Cob and Mary put managers in until they moved to the station in 1971. Cob and Mary had 7 children and Simon was the youngest. In 1990 the property was divided up amongst 3 of the children with Simon and his wife Gaye starting Howlong Station.
For many years a permanent watering hole at the mouth of the creek had been used for picnics and swimming and watering cattle but no one had ever ventured up into the narrow gorge. In 1992 Simon and 2 of his friends from school took a small tinny and an outboard motor through the bush and went up into the gorge. After this Simon decided it was time to share the gorge with others and he could see the tourism potential of this. He researched the history of the surrounding area and the early pioneers who had been in the area.
In 1995 Cobbold Gorge Tours was started. They started with a camp area, toilet facilities and an office. Now there is a licensed bar, restaurant, a range of tours, an infinity pool, accommodation areas and a beautiful camp ground.. They also still have the cattle station.

The tour we went on lasted for 3 hours. First we went on a bus ride down to the gorge and then walked in the bush with a savannah guide. She talked to us about all of the foods available in the bush and what to eat or not to eat. We climbed the escarpment and went to look at the grave of John Corbett. John Corbett was an Irish  man who had come to Australia  in 1856. He became quite successful and opened a hotel and also a business which carried supplies between Townsville and various gold diggings in the north. His wife passed away at a young age leaving John to care for 3 small children.
After leaving his children in the care of friends John was heading from Normanton to Gilberton and then on to Townsville to arrange for the replacement of goods which had been lost on a sunk ship. At some time he was found murdered on the track between Western Creek and Gilberton. This grave was found on Howlong Station and is now part of the tour.

 

As part of the tour you are taken for a walk along the creek. Here we found a turtle having a little sunbake on a log.

Squatter pigeons resting on a rock.



These are some photos taken of the boat trip up Cobbold Gorge. They take you in a little tinny with an electric motor at either end, as they cannot turn around in the narrow gorge, so tourists can experience the peace and serenity in the gorge. It is truly a magical experience.