This route from
Borroloola to
Normanton is a major trek as it traverses remote country where facilities and civilisation are far and few between. You need to be fully self-sufficient with water, fuel and vehicle spares. The
Gulf country is not a tropical paradise, it is part of the harshest and wildest country in
Australia. Isolated communities and cattle stations are strung along the Gulf savannah plains with hardly any civilisation to talk of. So why do people want to come here? Because hidden amongst this rough and dusty country is the jewel of the crown - the
Lawn Hill Gorge, protected in the National Park. For those who love
fishing, the waters of the Gulf and its tributaries produce bounties of the most elusive fish in
Australia, the
barramundi, and for some the adventure to get to the destination is always more than half the fun of arriving.
Go to top Interactive Route Map

Loading
Selected Item is not in View - Zoom Out, Pan or Click to Show....
Gulf Track 
From: Borroloola
To: Normanton
This trek supports moving map, to take a virtual tour click on the Play button.
Go to top Things to See & Do
The main attraction is the canoeing along the gorges. Just a few metres from your camp in the National Park you can hire one or use your own. You can easily spend a day or two paddling beside the colourful walls that tower 60m above the deep green waterholes. The banks are densely fringed with rainforest plants and aboriginal art, unusual species of fauna and flora and excellent walking tracks are other attractions that will delight you. Lawn
Hill is fast becoming a favourite holiday
spot and advance booking is the only way to ensure you'll be able to stay. Contact: (07) 4748 5572 to contact the ranger.
Fuel Supplies & Usage
Usage is averaged from
TrekFuel (* specific to trek) submissions and calculated based on trek distance.
There is also fuel available at Burketown (not shown on this trek note) which is approximately 70kms north of Floraville Station.
Best Time To Visit
Closest Climatic Station
Mornington Island
Distance from Trek Mid Point 58.75km NE
| | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Mean Max. °C |
32.1 | 31.8 | 32.0 | 31.5 |
28.8 | 25.8 | 25.7 | 27.7 |
30.3 | 32.3 | 33.3 | 33.2 |
| Mean Min. °C |
25.5 | 25.5 | 24.6 | 23.2 |
20.2 | 17.2 | 16.2 | 17.2 |
20.6 | 23.6 | 25.7 | 26.2 |
| Mean Rain mm |
326.9 | 305.9 | 251.2 | 54.8 |
9.2 | 6.8 | 2.4 | 0.8 |
1.3 | 13.0 | 54.9 | 156.1 |
Best time to travel Ok time to travel Travel NOT recommended
Go to top Camp Sites & Accommodation
Station tracks such as those near Bowthorn station appear dusty and dry and incapable of causing any problem. If there is any chance of rain however, we suggest you do not continue and definitely do not proceed if rain catches you unaware. The black soil is extremely slippery and tracks that were once dusty and dry can suddenly disappear under huge puddles of water. This area is a floodplain and during the wet is totally inaccessible.
Much of the land fringing the Gulf Track is either Aboriginal owned or private cattle station property. It is unwise to go wandering onto private land however the creek crossings usually have
good camp sites off to the side and we particularly like the camp at Robinson River.
Go to top Driving Directions
| Borroloola to Burketown Crossing |
3.87 km |
SE |
142° |
N/A |
| Burketown Crossing to Snipe Lagoon |
6.01 km |
E |
73° |
N/A |
| Snipe Lagoon to Wearyan Waterhole and Falls |
48.88 km |
E |
105° |
37 min |
| Wearyan Waterhole and Falls to Echo Gorge |
171.76 km |
SE |
138° |
2 hr 14 min |
| Echo Gorge to Savannah Way, NT-QLD Border |
35.41 km |
E |
98° |
31 min |
| Savannah Way, NT-QLD Border to Hells Gate Roadhouse |
53.55 km |
SE |
125° |
46 min |
| Hells Gate Roadhouse to Kingfisher Camp |
91.25 km |
S |
189° |
1 hr 19 min |
| Kingfisher Camp to Bowthorn |
32.58 km |
S |
176° |
38 min |
| Bowthorn to Lawn Hill (Wills Rd Junciton) |
90.91 km |
SE |
151° |
1 hr 22 min |
| Lawn Hill (Wills Rd Junciton) to Adels Grove |
15.97 km |
SW |
210° |
15 min |
| Adels Grove to Lawn Hill Gorge |
11.08 km |
W |
256° |
13 min |
| Lawn Hill Gorge to Adels Grove |
11.08 km |
E |
76° |
13 min |
| Adels Grove to Lawn Hill (Wills Rd Junciton) |
15.97 km |
NE |
30° |
15 min |
| Lawn Hill (Wills Rd Junciton) to Gregory Downs |
72.61 km |
E |
96° |
55 min |
| Gregory Downs to Leichhardt River |
63.88 km |
E |
108° |
45 min |
| Leichhardt River to Lake Eyre |
9.53 km |
NE |
42° |
7 min |
| Lake Eyre to Burketown Rd & Savannah Way |
68.49 km |
N |
7° |
49 min |
| Burketown Rd & Savannah Way to Normanton |
155.16 km |
NE |
64° |
1 hr 53 min |
| Borroloola to Normanton |
957.98 km |
|
|
13 hr 49 min |
Distance is GPS recorded driving distance (not straight line), Direction is straight line from start to end, Time is calculated from actual GPS driving data.