Gday...

Now at Normanton in the very hot, dry, windy weather. Have been all around the town looking at the sights and being the perfect little tourist. Yesterday I drove out and spent the day at Karumba.

I think the entire worlds population of Toyota Landcruisers or Nissan Patrols with camper trailers with a tinny boat on top is either at Karumba, travelling to Karumba or travelling from Karumba.

The area is obviously a haven for fisher-people, but as I am not one, I found it a bit disappointing. I have met many people in my travels who have regaled me  with stories of how Normanton and Karumba were places not to be missed. Unfortunately, I have not felt the same "buzz".

I really did like the area coming into Cloncurry from the south and then around Cloncurry - it filled me with enthusiasm. The bush was filled with lots of metre high ant hills looking like hundreds of little reddish, brown 'soldiers' guarding the bush from interlopers like me. Closer to Cloncurry, the predominant soil became more of a greyish, white and the cute little 'soldiers' were now dressed in different, lighter uniforms.

I was intrigued with the rock outcrops, some vibrant with their oxide colouring, and some as if they had been burnt by the sun to such a dark brown - they were almost black. They looked like they had been hiding under the ground and then burst upwards, scattering their boulders all around like huge marbles left behind by the children of giants. Other outcrops looked like weathered old backbones that had their razors reaching to the sky. Contrasting these red rocks, red stoney gravel and red soil was the flora which featured such a variegated green foliage, and in places bluish tinge, I wish I could get a camera mounted inside my head so that I could capture these scenes without having to continually stop the Landy.

I will remain in the Normanton area for another day or two and then begin wandering eastward, eventuallty to Millaa Millaa probably. I will then see where my wanderlust takes me.

Cheers - John