Boodjamulla

Boodjamulla National Park (Lawn Hill) had been recommended by many people we had met on our trip so far.  We had originally booked 4 nights at the national park but had to cancel when our trailer got damaged.  This place is super popular so it was too tricky to try and re-book at the national park again once we were back on track with trip.

Thankfully Adel’s Grove is just down the road and had loads of camping available in its grove. Adel’s Grove is really set up for tourists with a range of camping and accommodation options, a shack that offers fish and chips and a restaurant with a semi set menu of an evening.  They also run a heap of tours to the gorge and Riversleigh the world heritage listed fossil site down the road.  The grove is a super shady un-allocated camping which is a nice relief from the intense heat of the day.  In the past the grove and surrounds were planted with amazing tropical and exotic fruit and vegetables by a French botanist who catered for passersby until a fire destroyed his home, the grove, all the botanical notes and his spirit.  The poor man was so broken he ended up in a nursing home and died shortly after.  It would have been a really amazing place in its day I imagine.  It still is now catering for the modern day tourist.  My love of plants and all things garden grown would have loved to visit back then also.

When driving in to the park the hills look exactly like a Fred Williams painting set against the plains below.  The Waanji people call this region  Boodjamulla , rainbow serpent country and the rock art on the wild dog walk track depicts this rich history in paintings and engravings.  These are near the lower gorge, a lovely shorter walk in the area.

One of the best ways to see the gorge is in canoes and we spent one day exploring the middle and upper gorge, including Indarri falls this way.  Because the gorge  is popular this not is a remote experience but the scenery is stunning, the river filled with fish and the water lovely to swim in.  Some of the fish catch flies by squirting water at them.  It is quite remarkable to see.

The rangers even told us where to spot a croc.  Sure enough a short way along the creek there was a freshwater (Johnson’s) crocodile sunning itself on a log.

It was also on this little stroll we also found a bower of a bower bird adorned with all things while, silver and shiny.

Another day Izzy and I had a girls day and did the longer 7.5 km walk to the upper gorge.  This was my favourite walk of the park by far as it takes you along the gorge and you can see it from above to really appreciate its beauty and the way it has carved its way into the landscape.

I also love a walk in this warmer climate where you can stop along the way for a swim.  There  was also some steeper sections of the walk with rock hopping and rock steps which kept things interesting.

Overall I think we all enjoyed having some time in one spot to explore this stunning landscape and have some time out of the car to stretch our legs.  This really is a stunning spot and due to this a popular and recommended stop for all ages.