Friday, Jan 01, 2010 at 10:51
Hi Bruce,
Lawn Hill is a marvellous place and
well worth any "pain" you might experience in getting there.
We were there 4 years ago. Took the Yelvertoft/Thorntonia road that turns off the
Barkly Highway about 70km east of
Camooweal. Maps show this as unsealed but in fact it was sealed up to the
intersection with the
Gregory Downs/
Camooweal road. We turned off the
Gregory Downs road to go in via the
Riversleigh fossil site. That road is quite OK provided you drive to the conditions, but does have a number of creek crossings and sharp bends, so you need to take it carefully. We were not towing at that time, but let the tyres down to soften any corrugations.
The fossil site is quite interesting, and came into perspective when we followed up with a visit to the Mt Isa fossil centre later on.
The
Lawn Hill Gorge is spectacular especially if seen from the water. There were canoes for hire which these novice paddlers were able to mange and enjoy a truly memorable experience. There are a couple? of
places where you have to pull the canoe out of the water to get around a waterfall, but again its all part of the experience. We paddled right up to the head of
the gorge, navigating between the pandanus. The water is warm and shallow and good for a swim especially at the far end.
Having done the canoe, there are a number of walks both in
the gorge and around the rim which are
well worth doing as the scenery is quite spectacular.
We stayed at Adeles grove (which is a few km from the
Lawn Hill gorge but the drive in is very scenic) using our own camping gear. Had a look at the permanent tents and they looked fine. Close to some good swimming spots too.
We drove out via the Lawn Hill/Century
Mine access road which was corrugated until the turn off to the
mine. After that it was wide and
well maintained. At
Gregory Downs there are excellent campsites at the river.
Would we go to
Lawn Hill again - yes definitely. It compares very
well with the
Kimberley,
Pilbara etc. It is scenic, accessible and there are good walks and activities there.
Cheers,
Val.
| J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein
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Follow Up By: Member - John and Val - Friday, Jan 01, 2010 at 11:17
Friday, Jan 01, 2010 at 11:17
When I said that the water is shallow, I was referring to the very top of
the gorge. In most of
the gorge it is anything but shallow!
Also, comparing
Lawn Hill with
Carnarvon Gorge is not really possible as they are quite different. Both have spectacular scenery and lots of options for walking. The water is what really makes
Lawn Hill outstanding.
Cheers,
Val
| J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein
Lifetime Member My Profile My Blog Send Message |
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Follow Up By: Fatso - Friday, Jan 01, 2010 at 11:27
Friday, Jan 01, 2010 at 11:27
We have travelled the Yelvertoft/Thorntonia up to & down from
Gregory Downs several times & think the scenery on that road is as good as just about anywhere. Especially in 2009 after the big wet they had.
Pulled up beside a
waterhole, in 09, for a cuppa & stayed for 2 hours watching a huge flock of budgies coming in for a drink right in front of us.
I would recommend that route to anyone with a bit of clearance.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Saturday, Jan 02, 2010 at 18:19
Saturday, Jan 02, 2010 at 18:19
We went that way in August and the road was very good. I had rung Adel's to see if we needed to book and the staff volunteered that we should come the Riverseigh Road way. There were all sorts of regular caravans at Adel's.
Bruce,
Lawn Hill is a place not to be missed. We walked, swam and canoed. There is a short walk with samples of fossils set up at
Riversleigh D, and when in Mt Isa at the
visitor centre, a larger display and a talk by the resident paleontologist which is
well worth catching.
Cheers
Motherhen
FollowupID:
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