Stranded in an oasis – Adels Grove, Boodjamulla National Park

Have you heard of Lawn Hill Gorge in Boodjamulla National Park – most of you probably not, some of you die hard Aussie travelers maybe yes.  I have been reading about this place for years.  To plan our travels I research fairly hard.  Many blogs and sites talk about this place as a hidden treasure of Australia.  On our first trip our caravan wouldn’t have made it within cooee of this place, but now we have an off road camper trailer, we should be able to get in easily, stay 3 nights, canoe the gorge and move on.  Well that was the plan anyway.

3 Flats and we are out, stranded at Adels Grove Campground

There are two roads into Boodjamulla and two campgrounds near Lawn Hill Gorge.  It wasn’t really a decision for us.  The reviews of Adels Grove raved about the shade and the swimming.  With the temperatures still above 40 everyday it was a no brainer.  Of the roads in, we went for the shorter amount of off road travel as the longer road had three creek crossings and recommended carrying at least 2 spares.  It didn’t help us.  We had a flat 500m from Adels Grove, another when we tried to get from Adels Grove to Lawn Hill Gorge (a huge 16k down the road) and then to add insult to injury the repaired tyre from the day before deflated as we arrived back at Adels using it as the spare for the new flat.  The staff at Adels were amazingly helpful, but they had no tyres to match ours.  There we were stranded with only 3 working tyres – albeit in a tranquil, green oasis:

Not only were the surrounds appealing the neighbours were cute:

The Grove abounded with Agile Wallabies eating the ripening figs.

And there were places we could supplement our food and drink supplies:

'The Deck'

'The Shack'

 It doesn’t look like much but this place promises to make the best fish and chips in town, and it delivered on that promise 100% (actually possibly even the best ones we had had in far north west Queensland really).

The wonderful staff at Adels were amazingly helpful, fortunately they were planning a supply run later that week and would pick some tyres up for us and fit them (as we left we bought everyone a round of drinks we couldn’t think of a better way to say thank you, thank you, thank you).  But that was several days away, mmmmm what were we to do with so much time on our hands.

Adels Grove and Lawn Hill Creek

So here we were stranded in a pocket of green paradise (even the water is the most magnificent jade green colour) whilst the rest of the gulf country is dry and scrubby.  We were camped under a fig tree, near bamboo, down the way from palms.  It turns out Adels Grove is the remant of a plantation of exotic trees originally grown by French botanist Albert Lestrang (yep A de Ls grove is how it got its name).  These days it is the perfect campground (apart from the falling figs – next time we would park under a different tree).  You don’t have to camp in the grove, there is an upper campground under more usual gulf country eucalypts (where you can have generators if you are craving power).  But while we were there it was quite a bit warmer there (often over 40 in the heat of the day).  It was always cooler in the grove.

The grove is located along Lawn Hill Creek (the water is warm but not too warm – some would say perfect, we might have on multiple occasions) where there is a main waterhole with a pontoon, rope swing and inflatables for use (just a gold coin donation to the Royal Flying Doctor Service) and a smaller waterhole with flowing mini rapids called the beach.  The creek was truly beautiful.

 

 

Active Adels – or not

Well here we were for several days.  What were we to do.  Adels has a range of activities so naturally we tried them.  We canoed the creek:

 

 

 

We used the inflatables and the tubes:

 

We jumped (well mostly the boys jumped and jumped, and jumped and jumped):

Geronimo!

And we swam and swam and swam.

We also just chilled, we played games, read books and relaxed.  It is a shame that this place is so far from our home, otherwise we would be here regularly.

Finally Boodjamulla National Park

For our second flat we had been on our way to Boodjamulla National Park to do the Lawn Hill Gorge cruise.  But we didn’t make it.  And while we had been having a lovely time we had travelled thousands of kms to see the national park and it was frustratingly close (16k each way in 42 degree heat plus walking in the park wasn’t an option).  Again the amazing staff at Adels came to our rescue.  They let us join another cruise later in the week and actually drove us there (well with the cruise captain) and then back (fortunately there were two cruises so we were able to do one of the walks as well).  It was so good to finally be at Lawn Hill Gorge after all the planning, waiting and driving.

The Gorge cruise is on a solar electric powered pontoon boat – not fast but whisper quiet.  The cruise is one hour long and travelled up the creek taking us past the lush green vegetation that grows at the waters edge through the stunning red gorge walls to Indarri Falls.  In years gone by more water fell over the falls but a couple of wet seasons ago the water course altered and now the falls are much smaller.  But the volume of water is massive (I just can’t remember the large number they quoted on the cruise).

 

 

 

Duwadarri Lookout

While our lift was taking the next boatload of tourists we had time to squeeze in a walk.  We decided to do a more strenuous but short walk with the hope that it would give us some spectacular views.  So we undertook the Duwadarri lookout walk.  The scenery, rocks and then finally views of Lawn Hill creek were all that we had hoped for.

Doesn't look too bad, but do remember it is around 42 and there is no shade!

 

Just look at the colour of that water.

Had we not had our issues re the car our ideal trip to Boodjamulla would still have included staying at Adel’s Grove with at least one full day there with little planned.  We would also thought about a half day tour of the national park to take in more than the gorge and we would have definitely hired canoes at the gorge and gone past Indarri Falls to explored the upper gorge.  But all that will have to wait until next time.

Getting out and Gregory River

Our tyres arrived on the truck (which itself had a flat by the next morning) and the next day the staff fitted them for us (have I mentioned how helpful they were).  They were done by late morning and then we were off.  We had one final stop in the gulf country before we headed south.  Back along the road we had come in on was the small town of Gregory.  We had heard how fun this place was so stopped for a picnic lunch and a swim (or ‘raft’) in the river.  You jump in at one position and glide down until you want to jump on out.  We had originally planned to freecamp here on the way out but our timeframe meant that this was now not possible.  But our lunchtime swim was delightful!

Bye bye gulf country – we hope to return!