Monday 7th July

This morning was one of the mornings that it was necessary to get up out of bed early so as to get moving before it warmed up too much. We travelled in convoy with a Tasmanian couple that we met at Mataranka and we all enjoyed each other’s company.

Today, we went to Jim Jim Falls which is about 66 kms from our overnight stay in the Gagudju caravan park. The road was the worst we have encountered yet. It was heavily corrugated gravel for about 58 kms but really no worse than a lot of rural shire roads away from the coast. It was very dusty and hard to see far after passing an oncoming vehicle. As we reached the end of this section the road deteriorated to a one lane very worn track.

It had lots of manmade banks across it to not only slow us down but also to stop water running along the track in the wet season. The track had deep wheel tracks which meant the centre was quite built up. Definitely no place for a car to travel and in fact, there were signs indicating no cars. There were several water crossings, with one having a deep hole on one edge which tossed the vehicle around. On meeting an oncoming vehicle, it was necessary to either stop in a wider area or reverse to such an area.

When we reached the car park, we all then walked the 900 + metres to the waterfall. That did not look far but it took us about 45 minutes to walk in. The track was a scramble of sorts over varying sized rocks that either meant a climb or descent. We all arrived safely having taken numerous photos on the way in.

The falls were running but with only a small flow. Apparently, they are spectacular in the wet season but only visible by flying in by helicopter. They were really worth going into, both on foot and in the four wheel drive.

On our way out, we spoke to quite a few European tourists who seemed to come from all over Europe. Sometimes, we wondered if we were in the right country as we did not hear English being spoken. They were all very pleasant and seemed to enjoy talking with us all and asking questions about various locations in Australia.

Our return journey was seemingly quicker but I think it was because we knew where the track was going. All of us were pleased to have been in the fall early as the day was heating up as we returned. Our Karavan was showing 37 degrees when we opened it up even though we had all the vents open. It is pleasant heat without any humidity.

When we arrived back we had several cappuccinos at the Resort then Prue went for a swim in one of the two pools in the resort. I sorted through photos.

Tonight, we are taking our meal over to the Tasmanian couple and joining with them for dinner and of course our favourite red wine. Surprise, surprise, I did not have any wine last night but some beers for a change. Prue kept the average up, though.