Karumba - the  Gulf of Carpentaria!

17 September we drove for about one hour to Karumba and enjoyed lunch at the Sunset Hotel at Karumba Point. 

Road to Karumba,  so dry and dusty.

We stopped to help.

 Neil with Norman River behind

Neil outside the Sunset Hotel

Looking to the Gulf of Carpentaria

Prawns, chips and salad for lunch!

 Sunset Hotel

The shore line above and below, rocky and sandy

 A ship in the distance in the Gulf (above) and a boat in the Norman River

 A shop in the main street

A kite circling above us,  there are so many of these here in QLD.

 Neil standing in a street here in Karumba

Neil pointing out to the Gulf

 Lots of brolgas here in Karunda

 

On our return we enjoyed another swim in the pool.

 

Gulflander and RM60

Tuesday 16 Sept we visited the Normanton Railway Station - a classic example of Victorian architecture.  There is a museum here as well.  Initially a railway was to be built from Normanton to Cloncurry but with the discovery of gold in Croydon the direction of the line changed.

The first rail on the Normanton to Croydon line was laid in 1888, to lower construction costs and to cope with termites in the Gulf, specially patented steel sleepers were designed and used.  The sleepers were packed with earth giving them extra weight and stability, the rails were bolted to the sleepers, this way they could not move or work loose.  The entire line was completed in about 3 years.

In the afternoon we had a two hour ride on the Gulflander (below) to Critters Camp.  To go to Croydon it takes 5 hours.  The speed of the this train is 40km.

Station, gardens are beautiful

Neil on LHS in Gulflander.

Going though cattle stations,  the land is so dry!

Front of Gulflander, driver sits on RHS.

It's no wonder the cattle are so thin.

Names because of the all the creepy crawls here.

View from back of Gulflander

Architecture at station.

RM60  we had a 40 minute ride of this,  it's like a bus on a rail line.  Could not talk as it was so noisy.

Driver at front of RM60,  the unit has to be cranked to start!

Inside the RM60

 

After 2 hours and 40 minutes we returned to camp and enjoyed the pool.

Normanton

After setting up a tent we had a look around town. Normanton was established on the Norman River
as it was used as a port for the Croydon gold rush in the late 1800s.  Today it is a major service centre in the Gulf Savannah.

Apparently the locals have spotted a large croc recently as it has been stalking people in the area,  no one has, as yet, been able to kill it,  apparently with age crocs become very cunning.   We were told that you can smell a croc before you see it - if you can smell rotting fish - move!

The brave woman died about 10  years ago, aged about 90.  Apparently the head of the croc was cut off with an axe as the weight of it was sinking the tinnie.

Even Neil looks tiny against this croc.

 

 

Main street in Normanton

Original building

 Burns, Philp & Co was a very successful hardware merchant in Normanton, we actually met the daughter of a man who manager this store during the 1940's when we stayed at Mount Surprise.

Norman River wharf.

New bridge over the Norman River

Water lilies at a lagoon.