Outback Winton

We left the rugged Selwyn Ranges around Cloncurry and came into wide open plains which weren't as picturesque but still interesting to see. We passed through a couple of tiny towns and one - McKinlay, boasted a Crocodile Dundee Hotel!! We really don't know the connection but it looked good!

We decided to stay in the Bladensburg National Park some 30 odd kms south of Winton - where of course we have limited or no phone service again!! 

It was quite a shock coming here and the realisation that we've left the tropics and are now in outback Australia again has really hit home!  Gone is the green lawn for camping, gone is the calm warm weather and instead we've had wind, dust, flies, kangaroos and a temperature only in the low 20's!! 

However, it's not all bad as we have toured around and come to marvel at this very different rugged landscape. 

         Our campsite    

We camped along side Surprise Creek which is a surprise as there's still water in patches and the bed is quite rocky and not sandy. The water is a milky colour like the Darling can be sometimes. 

         

This park was purchased in 1994 and until then operated as a sheep station. On our self drive tour today we saw the varied landscapes from clay pans to gibber plains to creeks, gorges and flat topped mesas. The vegetation is sparce with mainly spinifex grass but in its peak period the station carried 60,000 head which is surprising. The shearing shed and homestead still stand and the homestead has been restored to be an information centre. The outbuildings are all original and we could imagine the busy station life with staff quarters, store room, kitchen, meat house and outhouse! It would have been very tough here in early days. 

        

The shearing shed is in good condition as it was rebuilt in the 1960's after the original one burnt down. (evidently the managers son burnt it!) 

We saw some beautiful gorges - but the cliff edges are so unstable it made us nervous as we could see evidence of recent slips. 

      

We lunched out of the wind in a gully - right next to a kangaroo skeleton!! Lovely 😃.

      

It's been lovely to see kangaroos plentiful again and Darryl's still finding birds - a brolga today plus spinifex pigeons. 

       

    

We drove up a Mesa and looked out over the area which was quite spectacular:

     

We're not sure where our next stop will be - it's all part of the adventure! We hope everyone is well and those at home aren't freezing ❄️❄️! ❌❌❌⭕️⭕️⭕️