oCR

By Dieter Harm, Member #1206

One of my favourite gorges is Lawn Hill Gorge so with the Off Centre Rally (OCR) being held at Adels Grove, I was sufficiently motivated to head off to the OCR picking up some of the National Parks along the way. First up was Kroombit Tops NP which entails a 70km gravel road access and 900m climb from the Tableland turnoff near Callide.

The Griffith Campground is a large open area adjacent to a creek with an abundance of wildlife. The reason I like the National Park camps is that you get to experience the full bush orchestra as opposed to the town campground and pub environments, which have a more “human functions” orchestra emanating from them during the night. I had checked the Gladstone weather forecast and a heavy rain band west of Emerald was not due for another 24 hours. Unfortunately light rain arrived during the night and it was a wet and misty, sphincter tightened ride out on red slippery clays in the morning. Fortunately the creeks have concrete causeways but the “Dry Weather Only” entry warning sign should definitely be heeded. Byfield NP is north of Yeppoon and I use the Upper Stony Creek Campground which has a nice lagoon and picnic area adjacent and is a popular swimming spot. It is also worth spending some time at the licensed Byfield Cafe/Store to observe a good cross section of society from 4WD rednecks out for some pig shooting to greenies looking to discover the purple throated red haired finch so they can claim protected status for the area. The problem with Byfield is you have to basically backtrack to Yeppoon to get out. Heading north puts you into Shoalwater Bay Training Area as target practice for the military, east puts you into the Pacific, west puts you into a swampy area with the best outcome being to the Mt. Etna bat caves which is okay if you like bats.

Porcupine Gorge NP is 60km north of Hughenden and it is my second favourite gorge as it is one of the few gorges where camping is up on the ridge as opposed to down in the gorge next to the river. The advantage is that this allows open views of the night sky and I have never been disappointed with the million star accommodation here. It is a great feeling to rise in the early hours and face south staring at the Southern Cross and Milky Way whilst releasing some hydraulic pressure. Unless there is a southerly wind blowing, then it is more a warm and wet feeling. It is a 1km hike down into the gorge for a swim at a beautiful waterhole in front of Pyramid Rock, complete

with bikini clad backpackers/nomads. I was having breakfast in Hughenden when I heard the familiar Boxer note and soon Graham Healy, Darryl Gowlett and crew showed up. They had lost a few riders but had picked up a holidaying German rider called Christian in Muttaburra. I changed my plans for a camp by the lake in Richmond for a night of banter with the crew at the pub in Julia Creek. Graham’s crew would be heading to the OCR Friday but I had read Adels Grove was under Aboriginal Ownership so had pre-booked a room at the Leichhardt Hotel in Cloncurry with a view to doing some shopping at the supermarket and freeze some supplies prior to arriving Saturday. The stories I would later hear of waiting hours for some very basic food confirmed my suspicions. Christian also decided to go to Cloncurry and as we are both Engineers, decided to go out to the pit at Mary Kathleen to search for some radioactivity. The old township area is now a city of Grey Nomad caravans and as we were exploring the area, Christian started losing clutch pressure. He is involved with a car Rally Team back in Europe, normally as navigator/mechanic and a closer inspection of the 2005 1200GS he bought in Cairns for his travels showed a number of cable ties where normally there would be bolts. He had earlier had a significant fall in deep sand on the Savannah Way and waited several days in Normanton for parts to replace the left side valve cover. I could tell with his Mechanical Engineer/Rally background he enjoyed finding innovative solutions to bike problems, a natural bush mechanic. Eventually he obtained some brake fluid/hoses and bled the clutch system to get some pressure back.

I am not sure what lies Graham Healy told him, but every night, generally around the third schooner, he would say how much he admired Graham and that he hoped that he too could ride that well at 72. I thought he was setting the benchmark a bit low, I am hoping to still be riding like Toby Price? Adels Grove Campground is an oasis set among a plantation of exotic trees planted by a French Botanist in the 1930’s. I soon had the tent facing waterfront views of Lawn Hill Creek and cooled off in the refreshing waters.

The Rally was well attended and some spirited bidding from Darryl Gowlett saw him win the honour of carrying the pudding to the next OCR. A large contingent of West Australians tried to vote in Mount Augustus but fortunately Arkaroola prevailed as the next venue. I really like this area and will be looking forward to revisiting, particularly the nearby “ghost” town of Leigh Creek. When staying multiple days in National Parks, my main supplies are cans of tuna and spam, rice, pasta and onions. I’ll generally bring in some frozen chicken to make up a curry chicken meal the first night. It is quite a unique experience lying in the tent listening to the Australian Bush Orchestra with the Aromas of India filling the sleeping bag. The remaining nights will either be Chilli con Carne with the spam as a meat base or a Tuna Pasta dish. On this trip I also tried out Bundabergs “Campfire Rum”, a blend of butterscotch and macadamia sporting 6% alcohol content. The first can was crap, the last can was brilliant. Sunday was spent canoeing, swimming and walking the gorge. In May this year, a motorcyclist was attacked by a freshwater crocodile at Indarri Falls and is lucky to be alive (google Lawn Hill Croc Attack for details). It’s a reminder that freshies will still attack when threatened and I noted the Falls now overflow further downstream from the ledge where you could previously swim under.

From Lawn Hill NP it was off to Karumba for the obligatory sunset schooner.

OCTOBER 2022

41 Christian was particularly taken with the old “Rifles and Pistols” signage above the urinals stating there was a mop against the wall for any misfires. Given he was often up at least four times a night, I suspect there are some serious prostrate issues going on and he would be doing his fair share of mopping travelling Australia. Cobbold Gorge was the next stopover and whilst not a NP, it is so isolated and well managed it blends perfectly into the environment. The Campground facilities are 5-star with the separate combined toilet/shower cubicles large enough for some cricket while doing the business. The reality is the Grey Nomads are carting around a lot of serious gastro-intestinal issues and large ablution blocks can be a seriously unpleasant place to start the day, this however was luxury. The facilities were so great I nearly stayed a week.

Access to the gorge is only via the 4WD Tour buses running 2 x 3 hour tours per day with the walk over the glass bridge being a highlight. The walk from the Village to Russell’s Lookout should also be a must, just don’t miss the sign at the water trough that the cows tend to cover up. Cobbold Gorge is sandstone and the area including nearby Forsayth has a rich history in gold and copper mining. As you ride 60km east along some great twisties towards Einasleigh, you cross the Newcastle Range to arrive at Copperfield Gorge which is basalt and more consistent with the ancient lava flows of the Undara Lava Tubes. Broken River NP can be accessed from Collinsville (or Nebo from the south) using a service road which follows a water pipeline from Eungella Dam to the mines. The advantage with staying here is you approach Eungella from the west and can then ride the twisties of Pioneer Valley from west to east without having to backtrack. There is also platypus viewing and plenty of leeches and ticks if that is your thing. Expedition NP and the Lake Murphy Campground is near Taroom and is a Birdlife Conservation Park, I mean who doesn’t like birds? It has shaded grassy sites with spectacular views as the sun sets over the lake. It makes for a great last night waltz with the wildlife before the run back to Brisbane.