Crocolicious
At the end of a bumpy dirt road lies one of the best camping spots in the Gulf region.
The drive was longer, much longer than the map suggested. And what the navigation unit failed to tell us was that the road was exceedingly windy and punctuated with numerous gates which needed to be opened and then closed to keep the cattle in place. The maps also forgot to tell us that when you drive this road at sunset, you'll be forced to take countless photographs of spectacular sunset landscapes. Go figure.
Up here, the pinks dancing on the clouds are deeper and the backlit gum trees make postcards of what down south would be a mere snapshot. We were travelling from Lawn Hill Station (bordering Boodjamulla National Park), through to Bowthorn Station in the Gulf of Carpentaria. This is a road that can only be traversed in the dry season, but then you wouldn't want to be up here in a land-based vehicle in the wet anyway. The road (or, more precisely, the station track) is suited more to 4WDs than 2WD vehicles.
It's not what you would call challenging, but it's bumpy enough to warrant a little extra clearance; oh, and there is one mild and pretty water crossing back near Lawn Hill Station. As far as caravans are concerned, the single lane track lends itself to dirt-road or off-road vans only. There was a mixture of both when we stayed.
While we drove to Kingfisher Camp from the south, it can also be accessed from the east by a road that's a mere 40km off the Savannah Way, the turnoff being 29km from Doomadgee. So given that this place is not exactly a BIG4 on Highway One, what's it got? Well, DON'T expect electronic swipe cards, spas and pools. But DO expect one of the finest campsites I've ever stumbled upon.
Crocolicious
At the end of a bumpy dirt road lies one of the best camping spots in the Gulf region.
The drive was longer, much longer than the map suggested. And what the navigation unit failed to tell us was that the road was exceedingly windy and punctuated with numerous gates which needed to be opened and then closed to keep the cattle in place. The maps also forgot to tell us that when you drive this road at sunset, you'll be forced to take countless photographs of spectacular sunset landscapes. Go figure.
Up here, the pinks dancing on the clouds are deeper and the backlit gum trees make postcards of what down south would be a mere snapshot. We were travelling from Lawn Hill Station (bordering Boodjamulla National Park), through to Bowthorn Station in the Gulf of Carpentaria. This is a road that can only be traversed in the dry season, but then you wouldn't want to be up here in a land-based vehicle in the wet anyway. The road (or, more precisely, the station track) is suited more to 4WDs than 2WD vehicles.
It's not what you would call challenging, but it's bumpy enough to warrant a little extra clearance; oh, and there is one mild and pretty water crossing back near Lawn Hill Station. As far as caravans are concerned, the single lane track lends itself to dirt-road or off-road vans only. There was a mixture of both when we stayed.
While we drove to Kingfisher Camp from the south, it can also be accessed from the east by a road that's a mere 40km off the Savannah Way, the turnoff being 29km from Doomadgee. So given that this place is not exactly a BIG4 on Highway One, what's it got? Well, DON'T expect electronic swipe cards, spas and pools. But DO expect one of the finest campsites I've ever stumbled upon.
The Camp
The campsite is beautifully positioned on an island overlooking a 5km long waterhole on the Nicholson River. In the wet, this spot would be under water, but in the dry, you can drive straight onto the island and wander down to the water. The campsites are all shady and they each have their own fresh water tap and fireplace.
Sprinklers keep the grass green throughout the dry season and the amenities block was always clean. Speaking of amenities, there is a small laundry and ablution block. It's got hot water for showers, which is powered by a 'donkey' hot water system. This is basically a dirty big tank with a fire underneath it. It works a treat and was a welcome sight at the end of a day outdoors. There is also a kiosk which has some basic food on offer to service campers and the caretakers.
Kingfisher Camp is part of Bowthorn Station, a property measuring 897 square miles. It's a cattle property running a Brahman herd, but don't worry, your camp is fenced off from these big boys. The history of Bowthorn Station reeks of frontier country tales, like when one former station owner died in a horse race while riding blind drunk! Check out the
Kingfisher website for the full story.
Things to do
Days at Kingfisher can be spent doing many things including bushwalking, bird watching, fishing, four-wheel driving or even croc-spotting. The Nicholson River doesn't flow in the dry season and that lack of flow draws a massive array of wildlife into a relatively small area. This is concentrated wildlife viewing at its best and a top way to see it all is to hire one of the tinnies that are moored down at the water's edge.
Tootling up the river in a dinghy lets you creep up on all sorts of wildlife, including some extremely healthy-sized freshwater crocodiles. These guys apparently aren't into human flesh like their saltwater brothers, but I didn’t see anyone donning their togs to test that theory. They're thick on the ground too. We would have seen at least 20 crocs on our four-hour sojourn up the river.
We did wet the line for a short period, but let's just say that I think the crocs are better fishermen than me. But we certainly didn't head home empty handed. Helped along by the Edmonds family (who were managing Kingfisher Camp at the time), we pulled up a few crab nets filled with a Gulf Country delicacy - cherubin. Cherubin are like giant freshwater prawns, the only difference being that they're at least twice the size of the saltwater species. And they taste absolutely beautiful. We tried the flesh on cherubin pizzas and on the spit-roaster and both were brilliant. Incidentally, check out the spit-roasted version on pages 14–15 of this issue. Our crab nets also yielded a few lovely freshwater yabbies, so it's certainly one healthy river system.
You come across plenty of camp sites in your travels and some of them are memorable, while others you're happy to leave after a single night. What separates the good ones from the dodgy ones isn't always easy to articulate. To borrow from the movie The Castle, perhaps "It's the serenity". And that really is the case with Kingfisher Camp. There is no single stand-out feature, just a wicked concoction of beautiful scenery, grassy campsites and a calm quiet - quiet you rarely get when a few dozen campers are gathered in the one spot.
If you're planning to do the Savannah Way, grab your camper-trailer or dirt-road caravan and make sure you put Kingfisher Camp on your itinerary (and make sure you pack the crab trap).
Kingfisher Camp Weather
January: 24-35°C
July: 11-29°C
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