Auf zum Lawn Hills NP

Auf zum Lawn Hills NP

Our planned westernmost point should be this national park - located slightly northwest of Mount Isa. On the way there, we stayed one night at the twelve mile lagoons. A wonderful lagoon full of water lilies and water birds. The campsite, about 20km before Normanton, run by an Aussie who made a name for himself in the Outback. His age was hard to estimate - but certainly younger than us, he lived in his tent and collected fees at a camping table. He was missing all his front teeth, his sunglasses hid his eyes, but he always had a mischievous smile and the paper was held together by empty vodka bottles.

His question: right by the water or a bit shadier? We: of course by the water.

My question: mosquitoes? Him: only a few - hahaha

My question: crocodiles?

Answer: of course there are. Don't go in the water hahaha

Me: only freshwater crocodiles or?

Him: freshwater saltwater everything is here - don't go in the water hahaha 🤣

I left it at that, that the snakes were also at home there, as seen in the toilets - after all, water closets - where it said: close the lid, frogs like water and snakes like frogs. We saw many frogs there in the evening and in the morning.

Nevertheless, the place was fantastic, the bird world with sunset over the lagoon and of course the wonderful starry sky. The children found it too much small stuff that was attracted by the light. Without light it was very romantic. I wanted to stay one more night - I hadn't captured the grass-green frog on camera yet, but somehow everyone else wanted to move on.

We didn't leave early because the tourist train was expected at 9:00, which left Normanton on Wednesday - a nice little narrow-gauge train, with 2 cars, that chugged through the outback at 30km/h. The tracks were reached after a walk.

On the way to the national park, we wanted to refuel one last time at a roadhouse. When we arrived, everything looked very broken. A road train took a break and told us that nothing works here anymore and there is no fuel either. The flood during the last rainy season was so high, never before experienced in the area, and swept away everything - including the houses, which were already built on stilts. So change of plans - you know - never go through the outback with the last drop of fuel. Off to Gregory - but after driving 30 km back to the last small town to fill up the tank there.