The Savannah Way
/
savannah way, nt
The Savannah Way is a 3,700 km route across the top of Australia, linking Broome in Western Australia with Cairns in Tropical North Queensland. Like any long road trip, the adventure is partly to be found in the unscheduled stops, unexpected events that invariably arise, the people you meet and the special somethings that catch your eye. There are route options you can take depending on your choice of 2WD or 4WD and this is our experience of the 4WD road less travelled.
We had already driven from Broome to Katherine and to complete the entire route would mean driving the remaining 2,100 km to the coast of Northern Queensland. We never planned to drive this route but given the difficulties in leaving Australia and embarking on our world travels, we found ourselves with some time on our hands. Our original idea of hanging around in Darwin until we were able to get across to Dili, Timor-Leste, was no longer something we wanted to do given the high muggy temperatures and expensive cost of living - visiting Queensland seemed like a good idea and so back to Katherine we went.
Katherine to Mataranka 108 km
Leaving Katherine on the Stuart Highway, the first stop was the small town of Mataranka which is popular for its thermal pools and springs which are located in the Elsey National Park. The crystal- clear waters of the springs have a year-round temperature of 34°C and are a popular attraction. Although there are crocs in much of the Park, the springs are considered a safe zone and it was a fun way to spend an hour or so, just sitting on a noodle being taken gently downstream through a forest of pandanas palms. The town is also made famous by the novel We of the Never Never, an autobiographical novel by Jeannie Gunn first published in 1908. Although published as a novel, the book is an account of the author’s experiences as the first white woman to settle in the Mataranka area in 1902. There has also been a film made of the same name, which was shot on location in the Northern Territory in 1982. The town has a population of around 350, 30% of whom are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders, the majority of whom appeared to be in the town park sitting around in small groups. Walking between the groups you get a strong sense of community as everyone knows each other and there appears to be a genuine enjoyment in their spending time together. There were a few camping options to choose from in town and we stayed at the Mataranka Springs Caravan Park which was within walking distance to the springs.
limmen national park. nt
Mataranka to Limmen NP (266 km)
Just south of Mataranka we joined the Roper Highway and continued along a single-lane ribbon of tar which took us through flat grassy savannah country dotted with small, dispersed trees. Driving through such vast, empty spaces it is easy to daydream behind the wheel only to be jolted awake by the sudden appearance of a car hurtling towards you which necessitates both vehicles straddling the shoulder, with two wheels in the loose rubble at the edge of the bitumen, in order to pass each other. Luckily we didn’t meet any road trains as they make no attempt to move over, making the encounter the most extreme form of road chicken with highly stacked odds against the little guy. It wasn’t long before the tar finished and the now familiar red dirt track appeared and it was time to let the tyres down. The dirt road had the usual corrugations and was a bit rocky in parts but was in pretty good condition. The appearance of some hills enhanced the landscape and the drive was straightforward all the way to the almost non-existent town of Roper Bar. If you blinked you would have missed it, there was a store with a couple of fuel pumps and I think that was about it. We re-fuelled and got talking to the attendant who was interested in our efforts to get an Indonesian visa. He had a staff member/cook (not sure who he was cooking for) who was stuck in Australia while his wife and child were at home in the Philippines. He had been trying to get back to them for quite some time. It is easy to forget how badly Covid has affected the lives of many people who are stuck in parts of the world that they really don’t belong nor wish to remain. It was late afternoon when we camped just outside the entrance to Limmen Park. It was a quiet spot and we only saw two vehicles, both with tinnies attached, heading into the park before it got dark.
Limmen NP to Boroloola (286 km)
Limmen Park is not so well known and, given its location which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, not much visited. Consequently, the Park is pristine and unspoilt and given that it crosses four major rivers, is a paradise for anglers and birdwatchers. It was declared a NP in 2012 and sits on the edge of the Gulf Country in the east of the Northern Territory. It is 9,369 km² with just one unsealed throughfare which runs north to south or south to north, which has several small tracks leading off it to a few designated campsites and boat ramps. There are no services after Roper Bar until the small town of Boroloola, a distance of nearly 300 km. Entering the Park mid-morning, we drove for about an hour and a half enjoying the diverse scenery of woodlands, rivers, floodplains and billabongs when a dull bang from Bob’s rear indicated a flat tyre. We both looked at each other for a good 30 seconds before getting out to look at the damage. There are flat tyres and then there are blowouts. Ours was a complete blowout which was highly disappointing as we wouldn’t get to use the puncture repair kit that every 4WDriver on the road so far had advised us to buy. So, there we were in about 38°C heat and about 200 km from any services. It has to be said that we are both pretty hopeless really as it took a while to locate the jack and then a bit longer again to find the locking wheel nut key which had been well hidden from potential wheel thieves and us. But life does have a way of surprising you – Ian was just trying to work out where best to place the jack when help arrived in the form of Rod who was on his way to meet a mate at one of the campsites further into the Park. We must have looked a bit pathetic as he was out of his truck and rummaging for his own jack and pieces of wood (to lift the jack) before we had chance to accept his offer of help. Within 10 minutes the spare tyre was on and we were mobile again. Rod’s truck was the only vehicle that we saw on the road through the entire length of the Park.
southern lost city, limmen national park, nt
Feeling a little insecure continuing without a spare tyre, we carried on south through the Park with fingers crossed that the road wouldn’t deteriorate too much. If Limmen were to be known for anything, it would be for a number of sandstone formations which are known as the Lost Cities. We knew that the Northern Lost City was accessed via a tricky 4WD track and not wanting to push our luck with no spare, decided to visit the Southern Lost City which was much easier to get to from the main dirt road. As we were driving towards the car park, the Lost City suddenly appeared on the left side of us, seemingly out of nowhere, and would have to be one of the more extraordinary sights we have seen. The 1.4 billion-year old spectacular sandstone spires rose up above the trees almost sentinel like in appearance. We took the marked walking trail from the car park that led us amongst these strange sandstone pillars and up onto a ridge which provided a good view of the surrounding area as well as the Northern Lost City off in the distance.
We made camp just inside the perimeter of the Park and left the following morning heading to Boroloola, where we hoped to find a replacement tyre. The tarmac reappeared about 40 km before Boroloola and we both gave a sigh of relief as I’m not sure what we would have done if another tyre had failed. Boroloola, pop. 950 (mostly indigenous) is a former frontier town and a small community just 50 km upstream from the sea. It is 970 km from Darwin and 380 km from the Stuart Highway which makes it as isolated as any township in the Northern Territory can be. Interestingly, the town is positioned in what could turn out to be one of the richest mineral provinces in the world with large zinc-lead-silver and diamond deposits being developed. Re-fuelling at the friendly store/service station we couldn’t help but notice that the walls were completely covered with Baramundi fishing photos and this theme continued throughout the town, so no guessing how everyone spent their time. What we hadn’t realised as we drove in was the fact that it was a Sunday and the one place that looked like it might be able to supply a suitable tyre was closed. Not too concerned, we checked into the caravan park and took the opportunity to get some laundry done and have a shower. Passing the time of day with other travellers who were staying in Boroloola, it was amusing to find that everyone was in some state of disrepair. One chap was waiting for replacement parts to arrive to fix damage caused by a broken bearing on his trailer whilst another unfortunate guy had hit a pig, which had taken the front of his car off and then, he had driven into a pile of loose rubble and rock at the side of the road which had destroyed two tyres and to cap his day off he had spilt boiling water down both of his legs. As everyone was travelling in the opposite direction to us we assumed that the road was about to get a whole lot worse.
Bob runs on Goodrich mud-terrain tyres and there was no option to get one of these but we were really grateful to purchase a tyre that would “do” and were able to get it fitted the following morning. Stocking up with some very expensive food supplies we rolled out of town just after midday.
Boroloola to Calvert River Crossing (190 km)
robinson river crossing
5 km out of town and we were back on an unsealed road driving through woodland, a lot of which had been burnt off and so was sparse and charred. The road was so badly corrugated in parts that we couldn’t hear each other speak, add to that the large sections of bulldust and this was a challenging drive. Once past the burnt sections the scenery was quite beautiful and there were a few river crossings that always make us laugh. We spent the night above the Calvert River Crossing where Leroy and I had a splash-around in the water while Ian kept an eye out for crocs. Walking back to our campsite we saw a golden tree snake in one of the small pools, he had his head out of the water a bit like a periscope and was watching us as much as we were watching him. There were a few kangaroos around but the most memorable wildlife was the whistling kites which were circling overhead. There would have been between 50 to 100 of these large birds of prey who, at times, were only 5-10 metres above us. An amazing experience.
Calvert River Crossing to Burketown (343 km)
Crossing the Calvert River the next day the road condition continued to be ok in parts but still presented some bone-rattling corrugations and big sections of bulldust. There is a lot of discussion between 4WDrivers regarding the best speed at which to tackle corrugations, with strong advocates for travelling fast enough to skip from top to top of the ridges giving a much smoother ride. However, this means that your wheels are not actually touching the ground for a portion of time resulting in less traction and causing the vehicle to behave very differently when braking, accelerating and cornering. We belong firmly in the go slower group, and taking into account the alternating sections of rigid corrugations and bulldust we averaged a speed of 63 kmh (this information is provided by Ian who is tracking our journey with Gaia). We gave up trying to have any sort of conversation as, like the day before, it was just too noisy and so we drove in contemplative silence for 112 km to the NT/QLD border. Totally unpremeditated and similar to our crossing from WA to NT, we happened to cross the border on what would have to be the least used road possible. A lot of travellers we have met have been concerned about getting stuck in a particular state or not being able to enter another state and were employing a number of tactics to ensure their onward travel. Some were deliberately not signing in with the phone apps and so leaving no trace of having been in a particular area, while others were collecting all their invoices to prove that they had been in a particular area. We seem to have a foot in both camps as I never sign in anywhere and just wave my phone vaguely at the QR code, while Ian announces his presence everywhere we go. Should the Covid situation flare up in Queensland we now have a good idea of which roads are unlikely to have any form of border control enabling us to get back into the Northern Territory.
50 km past the border we arrived at what must be one of the best roadhouses in outback Australia, Hells Gate in Nicholson, Qld. After all the red dust and kilometre after kilometre of emptiness, this well-kept green oasis sat in the middle of nowhere. Offering accommodation, camping, a mini store, restaurant, bar and of course fuel, it was exactly how you would imagine an idealised roadhouse to be, right down to the friendly staff and various characters catching up over a drink. There was also an airstrip just adjacent to the roadhouse sporting a couple of flashy helicopters and we spoke briefly to one of the pilots who was working for Geotech doing aerial surveys for mining companies. Deciding this was a good opportunity for a break we stayed for a couple of hours and passed the time with Mike, a Queenslander who had been working for ALPA, the Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation. Established in 1972, ALPA began as a co-operative of community stores in several Arnhem Land communities and is an Aboriginal-owned organisation which aims to improve the health and nutrition of its members. It also runs benevolent programs using the surplus funds generated from store operations. Mike was extremely knowledgeable about some of the lesser visited parts of northern Australia and gave us a lot of ideas for the areas north of Cairns once we reached the end of the Savannah Way.
Dragging ourselves away from the roadhouse, we hit the road again and drove the remaining 178 km to Burketown. Proudly pronouncing itself to be ‘The Barramundi Capital of Australia’ this town, pop. 238, had a school, a pub, a couple of service stations, a council office and a general store. It was quite late when we arrived and stopping only to pick up some beer and wine from the pub we left town and camped about 5 km away in amongst some eucalypt trees and hidden from the road.
Burketown to Croydon (370 km)
Burketown has a long and interesting history and is named in honour of explorer Robert O’Hara Burke who died soon after making the first successful south-north crossing of the Australian continent in 1860-1861. The Burke and Wills Expedition set off from Melbourne and consisted of six Irishmen, five Englishnen, three Afghan and one Indian camel drivers, three Germans and an American. They took 23 horses, 6 wagons and 26 camels. Not far from Burketown is a monument commemorating campsite 119 which was their most northerly campsite during the expedition. Although the crossing was successful and the Gulf was reached only one Irishman made it all the way there and back to Melbourne.
225 km from Burketown we stopped briefly at Normanton. Primarily a cattle town, pop. 1,257 (60% indigenous), the town has a number of historic buildings and a feel of yesteryear. It is also home to Krys – The Savannah King, a lifesize model of the largest croc ever shot and justifiably listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Fifty years ago, this enormous 8.6 m croc was shot by a professional crocodile hunter, a Polish woman named Krystyna Pawlowski. The only known photo of the famous croc appears to be a bit of an optical illusion – if you look closely, Krystyna and her husband Ron are kneeling down and are probably further away from the croc than you might first think. It is estimated that the Pawlowski’s shot and killed 10,000 crocs before finding a conscience and building the country’s first experimental crocodile farm. In 1972 Ron was invited to talk on the subject of Wildlife Conservation in the House of Representatives and was able to show that in just over twenty years the croc population had declined by 98%. His recommendation to put a total ban on croc hunting was approved. It is easy to be sceptical about the real size of Krys but a good story regardless.
Since leaving Katherine, the daily temperature had been a consistent 36-39°C and time spent outside of Bob’s air con was uncomfortably hot. We just couldn’t believe our luck when, 4 km outside Croydon, we saw a sign for Bellmore Lake that clearly showed the lake was safe for swimming. Not wasting any time we followed the signs and arrived at what turned out to be the largest body of fresh water in the region. Originally built to provide water for the town, the water behind the dam wall was available for a variety of water sports. There were also showers, BBQs and picnic areas. I don’t think a dip in a lake had ever felt so good. Unfortunately, camping by the lake was prohibited and we ended up spending the night off a side road on the other side of Croydon.
Croydon to Mount Surprise (240 km)
The next town we came to was Georgetown, pop 348. This was by far the nicest town that we had visited for some time and we parked close to the park and spent a couple of hours under the trees playing with Leroy and doing yoga. Over a coffee at the friendly local café we learnt that their annual Rodeo was taking place in a couple of days time and they were expecting it to be a good weekend. We would have been tempted to stay for the fun if it hadn’t been so damn hot. The area around Georgetown has been mined for gold since the early 1870s but is now probably more famous for its rich gemstone deposits which include topaz, quartz, garnet, aquamarine and sapphires. We visited the Ted Elliott mineral collection, housed in the visitor centre in the middle of town. This private collection of gems, minerals and crystals, gathered together by one man over a lifetime of passion, showcases over 4,500 specimens including fossils, local history and mining memorabilia. It was an impressive collection with the star of the show a 253 kg quartz crystal. The remainder of the day was spent in the pub catching up on some admin before looking for a suitable place to camp. We ended up on what seemed to be a private cattle station, although no-one was around apart from the cows.
atherton tablelands
Mount Surprise to Yungaburra (221 km)
Mount Surprise is a tiny tidy town that we drove through on our way to the Undara Lava Tubes. Geologists estimate that around 190,000 years ago this region of north Queensland was dotted with active volcanoes. The Lava Tubes were formed when 23 cubic kilometres of lava spilled out from a single volcano and travelled along a river bed. The outer layer of lava formed a crust protecting still-molten lava which continued to flow creating a long tunnel-like tube. It is believed that the entire length of the lava tube (160 km) is the longest lava flow from any single volcano on earth and would have taken 2-3 weeks with the lava flowing at a rate of around 500 metres per hour. We were keen to take a tour into the Tubes but when we arrived at Undara Lodge to make enquiries we had just missed one tour and the next was not departing for a couple of hours. Not wanting to wait we drove to the Kalkani crater carpark and did the short 2.5 km walk around the rim of the crater. The views of the surrounding countryside were good and we could see the darker pockets of rainforest growing on top of the tubes which clearly showed where the lava had originally flowed.
Millaa Millaa Falls, atherton tablelands, NT
Rainforest did you say? Yes, leaving Undara we were only 260 km from Cairns and patches of rainforest were now part of the landscape. The temperature had dropped to a comfortable low 30°C and the countryside was greening up. Our destination for the night was Yungaburra, a small town on the Atherton Tablelands which are part of the Great Dividing Range. The tableland is highly fertile due to all the volcanic activity over the years and the range of crops grown is extensive including avocados, bananas, cashews, citrus and coffee to name just a few. The dairy industry is also significant and the green rolling hills that we were now driving through was a welcome change to the red, dry landscapes that we had seen for the majority of the Savannah Way. We loved this area and ended up staying for three nights at the On The Wallabee Lodge which was right up there for so many reasons. The lodge had been set up to provide a base for all travellers and welcomed dogs with open arms which was a bit of a first. Offering shared dorms, container rooms and on and off-site parking for people preferring to sleep in their vehicles, an open-plan kitchen leading to numerous relaxation areas including a garden with hammocks, fire pit and a covered Mediterranean style long table and chairs, this place had everything. Everyone working and staying there had an inclusive attitude and it was a real home from home. There is so much to see and do in the tablelands as the area has some great hiking, bike tracks, stunning waterfalls, crater lakes and plenty of foody options at the dairies, plantations and cute towns throughout the region.
Our journey ended in Port Douglas rather than Cairns, 12 days after leaving Katherine. The Savannah Way is passable to all vehicles including caravans during the dry season, generally late April to early October and depending on which route you take. During the stormy season between October to January it is also navigable but advisable to take a 4WD or high clearance vehicle. The Gulf Savannah Tourist Organisation offers advice on road conditions as torrential rain often results in roads being closed for days at a time. If you are thinking of making the trip between January and March? – Good luck!