Oasis of the Outback part 2

We spent two whole days in Lawn Hill National Park. It was a really gorgeous place and there was not many people to disturb us. Campsite was nice, too, although Rohan told me he saw a huge frog in the toilet. 

You could borrow tubes for the river, and we went down the cascades floating on the tubes. Good fun! There was a warning sign of freshwater crocodiles, but we didn't see any. 

During sunset we did a walk up the hill and had amazing views. In the evening the sky was full of stars and I saw a shooting star!

The next day we did a longer walk up to the Upper Gorge. The views were spectacular, but I had trouble bushwalking in thongs, since I lost my trainers in Cairns. 

Before heading back we went for a swim under the waterfalls again. The waterfalls form a natural spa around the rocks. 

Lawn Hill was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. On the way back we stopped at a World Heritage fossil site to see some very old animal remains. That night we stayed at a tiny town called Camooweal. Camooweal was an interesting place because they had killer mosquitoes! Long sleeves and heaps of DEET that night!

The next day we crossed the border to Northern Territory...

Oasis of the Outback

After a 3-4 hour drive from Mt Isa, for a moment it looked like we would have to turn back because of a deep, strong water crossings on the road. 

We decided to take the risk and went for it. 

Lawn Hill National Park is one of Queensland's most scenic national parks with lush vegetation, spectacular gorges, sandstone ranges and gorgeous views. We were very happy that we took the detour. We camped beside the creek and hired a canoe. 

Around the gorge there are small waterfalls that form an amazing natural spa pool. 

After hours of paddling we did a short walk to see Aboriginal rock art. The national park is an important Aboriginal site. They have been occupying the area for over 35,000 years. The Aboriginal name of the place, Boodjamulla, means the rainbow serpent that created the gorge.

More photos coming up!

Mining town of Mt Isa

The next morning we stopped a tiny Outback town, Cloncurry. We found a small lake close by and went for a dip. After that we FINALLY arrived in a real town, Mt Isa, in North-West Queensland. Smaller than Imatra, with around 20,000 people, it seemed like a big city after all the Outback towns, with McDonald's, supermarkets and bottle shops. 

Helsinki 13,344 km. Long way from home!

We went to see the sunset at a lookout, and camped right in front of Coles supermarket.

Mt Isa

Next morning it was time to stock up and say goodbye to civilization again. We headed towards Lawn Hill National Park. It was a 6-hour detour but we decided to take the risk and hope that it is worth it. After a  long drive on a gravel road we camped close to the National Park.

 Next: The spectacular oasis of Lawn Hill National Park!