More Queensland

18th May 2025

Camooweal to Cloncurry

Distance: 332 Km

Fuel: 41 L

Up as usual just after 6am for a shower but not a long drive today so didn’t need to leave until after 9.30am – had a leisurely breakfast and read some of my book before packing up.

The hills surrounding Mt Isa are really nice but soon the town came into view.

Topped up with fuel in Mt Isa then it was on to Cloncurry.

Stopped a couple of times along the way before arriving in Cloncurry. Had to do a U turn after driving past the caravan park entrance.

After setting up had a look around town, I have been here before and remembered visiting the Museum (shut on Sunday) so drove out to Chinamans Dam

19th May 2025

Cloncurry to Winton

Distance: 354 Km

Fuel: 45 L

Left the park about 8am.

Shortly after leaving Cloncurry turned right toward Winton for a pretty uneventful drive, only stopping a couple of times.

Arrived just before 1pm.

The caravan park is a couple of kms outside Winton so drove into town for fuel and a walk around, it hasn’t changed much.

Cloncurry

26th May 2024

Distance: 331 Km

Fuel: 40 L

Was up at 6am as usual but after a shower got back in the camper until it got light about an hour later.

Today’s drive was through quite hilly country and involved a lot of getting stuck behind road trains on winding roads. It didn’t really matter as it was a relatively short drive anyway but the hills played havoc with my fuel economy.

Arrived in Cloncurry just after midday and checked into the caravan park, every site is a drive through.

Went for a drive after setting up, Chinaman’s Dam sounded promising, just outside town and for families and the fishing and boating crowd it probably was. It even had a large children’s playground. Unfortunately it also had lice!

Had a quick look round town, it was very quiet (after all it is Sunday) but I did fill up with fuel.

When I got back to the caravan park I discovered that my chair had broken – basically a bolt had fallen out, I searched the ground carefully and found all the bits except the nut. In a stroke of luck I later found the nut inside the back of the car and was able to repair the chair completely – so lucky.

11th June 2017–Cloncurry to Normanton

Distance: 394 km

Did all the usual things before setting off at about 8.30am under a partly overcast sky – in fact at some point along the journey about a dozen spots of rain appeared on the windscreen! I suppose that is a downpour at this time of year.

The road between Cloncurry and Normanton was a mixture of single and two lane roads – met a few caravans and 4x4s coming south so it was one set of wheels in the dirt as we passed but saw no road trains.

Stopped briefly at the Burke and Wills Roadhouse but didn’t get fuel and made a couple of stops in parking areas on the way just to stretch my legs.

Arrived at the caravan park at 1pm – made a dog’s breakfast of reversing into the site but eventually got there.

First job was getting the laundry done because I was down to my last two sets of shirts and undies. Once this was sorted went for a drive to look at Normanton (pop 1500), first stop the Norman River, its boat ramp and wharf. Stuck to the high wharf and raised landing stage next to the boat ramp. I don’t know if there are crocs there but I wasn’t taking the chance; as everybody tells me, “You don’t see them, they see you.”

The town is pretty small stretching along the highway but it has all the essentials like fuel, pubs, Post Office and stores. Not a lot of activity today because it is Sunday. Am staying here a couple of nights.

Krys the Crocodile is supposed to be an accurate representation of the largest saltwater croc caught in these parts – 8.6 metres long.

You don’t see too many servos like this these days.

Finally the town is proud of its cast gutter covers and the guttering of locally quarried stone. The gutter covers were cast at nearby Croyden.

10th June 2017–Camooweal to Cloncurry

Distnace: 324 km
Fuel: 36 L

Cold again this morning (of course), had a shower at 6.30am; the good thing about a roadhouse as a caravan park is that they are open at ridiculously early hours (if they are not open 24hrs) so I was able to buy ice and milk straight away. Once this had been done I got back in the camper to watch an episode of Cold Feet to allow the morning to warm up a bit before I started to dismantle my ‘camp’.

Left Camooweal before 9am even with my late start, easy drive to Mount Isa where I only stopped to fill up with fuel. Didn’t visit the city centre because it is only a year since I spent several days here.

Continued on to Cloncurry and found a caravan park on the highway about 1km from the town centre – I checked in and unhitched the camper.

Went back to the shopping centre and discovered they have a Woollies; so stocked up with some fruit, cheese, nuts and other bits and pieces before looking round the town.

Apart from an art deco civic centre and some typical country pubs there was a museum to the Royal Flying Doctor Service which they claim was started in Cloncurry by John Flynn. Not a particularly big museum but it had his car, a quarter scale model of his plane,”The Victory” and various examples of bush radios including pedal powered ones. The RFDS started off as the Australian Inland Mission so there are obvious religious overtones. The museum was only open until 3pm and I arrived at 2.30pm (it’s Saturday) but I had enough time to see everything.