Hi again. Hope everyone is well. Things are going well for us and we are having great time.

Since entering Queensland at Birdsville we have travelled 1600 km, visiting Bedourie, Boulia, West Leichhardt Station (near Mt Isa), Adels Grove, near Boodjamulla National Park, and we are now at Burketown, Qld.

The land between Birdsville and Mt Isa is mostly flat and currently very, very dry  there was some rain in March but not enough to break the drought.

Dry plains north of Bedourie – do we go that way?

Then near Mt Isa the flat plains became rugged hills with grass and trees. The March rain was more beneficial here and the cattle are healthy. Instead of staying in Mt Isa we enjoyed a couple of nights at West Leichhardt Station.

West Leichhardt Station, our caravan is in the centre – better than a traditional caravan park.

During the 520 km, 8.5 hour drive to Adels Grove we saw more kangaroos than we have ever seen in one day, plus wedge-tailed eagles, brolgas, wild pigs and hundreds of cattle. We remember Adels Grove as one of our favourite places from our 2010 trip and, after dry and dusty roads for the past week, this oasis is very pleasant. A deep gorge with beautiful blue flowing water runs through the region, with deep red cliffs and an amazing range of green trees and shrubs.

Lawn Hill Creek flows through the harsh, semi-arid region.

Bush walking can be difficult but the scenery makes it worthwhile.

The drive along a dusty track from Adels Grove to Burketown was very interesting; more cattle than we have ever seen as we drove though one of the largest stations in the region. We also saw several feral pigs; apparently there are thousands around here. The grass is now quite healthy and trees cover the plains. We had some creek crossings with water about 300 mm to 400 mm deep so that was interesting too.

A couple of family groups of pigs had piglets – cute even though they are feral.

Burketown is a popular fishing town, on the Albert River about 25 km from the Gulf of Carpentaria. As well as Barramundi, the best fish, there are many crocodiles so we decided not to go swimming here.

Tomorrow we will head toward Normanton, about 250 km across some rivers and wetlands so we might take a couple of days to get there.

Keep safe. From Ted and Jo

We are on our way again. After having to finish our trip early last year we are looking forward to trying again this year. We left Adelaide a few days ago and are back in Birdsville, Qld. This is where we turned around last year but this year things are looking good and we are on hopeful that this year we will make it to Cape York.

We spent an evening in Melrose, having dinner with old friends, then a night in Marree before starting the Birdsville Track. The Track is 500 km of rough dirt road, traversing both sandy desert and stony desert, very dry and very remote. There were a few other vehicles but no other caravans during the 2 days on the track. It took about 8 hours of driving – average speed 65 kms per hour. There has been very little rain here since we were here last year so the ground is very dry but the kangaroos and cattle look quite healthy.

Early morning at a remote camp site, beside the Birdsville Track, 1000 km north of Adelaide.

Tomorrow we are heading further north for about 5 days, toward Mt Isa.

Love to all, from Ted and Jo