Trip 13 The Big Loop 2025 Part 4 of 4
Going home from Cairns
Day 1 GHFC - Tuesday 9/9/25 = Day 86 of total
Cairns Mercedes Commercials (Trinity Auto Group) repaired the sliding door latch today under warranty and had me on my way at 1400. Fantastic service from Scott Neil and his team. I also managed to purchase a telescopic ladder from a caravan parts place on the way out of Cairns so I could now access the awning strap relatively safely.
Short drive south to overnight at Gordonvale just south of Cairns for an epic climb up Walsh’s Pyramid. Staying in a roadside camp managed by CMCA. Walking distance to the trailhead.
Met a couple from Perth who have been on the road for 18mths in their converted Mercedes Sprinter ambulance. Loving it!
Day 2 - 10/9/25
Gordonvale is a sugar cane farming area just south of Cairns. There is a pretty good council campground being run by CMCA however the surrounds get inundated by ‘locals’ who muck up outside and abuse the facilities. Pretty sad really. Zero self respect and even less consideration for others. Is it any wonder there is a lot of anger and frustration towards them around here? A complex issue. Anyway…
It rained a bit overnight which made me hopeful that clear skies would greet me in the morning. Luck was on my side. Absolutely cracking climb. Very glad I found this one. Better than the Mt Sorrow viewpoint climb with more to see once you got to the top. Both are high on my list for Australia.
The trail just went up and kept going. A few rock scrambling sections made it interesting and the vegetation changed with elevation. I was surprised to see casuarinas, banksias and grass trees dominating the upper slopes.
I did find myself internally singing the Ganggajang song ‘Sounds of Then (This is Australia)’ as I wended through the cane fields.
I’m too tired to go anywhere else today so I will head inland to the Atherton Tablelands again tomorrow.
Hiked 9.3km including 867m ascent
Day 3 - 11/9/25
Took a drive up Gillies Range Rd which was a fantastic snaking ever rising well made asphalt road. Upon reaching the end of winding road a tourist sign pointed towards ‘the cathedral fig tree’ so off I went. Wow! What a marvel of nature. Very difficult to take an image even on wide angle.
I continued on to find a crater lake and an old colonial pioneer relic (chimneys). There were signs to campgrounds within the Danbulla NP so I decided to turn down the third or fourth one I had encountered. What good fortune! There were sites adjacent to the lake front which appeared to be available and I had mobile connection to book one. Cheap as chips as well at $7.50 pn.
Lake Tinaroo is an irrigation reservoir on the Barron River so boating activities are allowed. It reminds me of a lake my family used to camp and waterski on in my younger years. The lake is at 680masl and the campground located on a spit extending into the lake so water is ‘on three sides’. Bliss.
The Atherton Tablelands has all sorts of natural attractions and far less of the humidity of the coast averaging around 750m above sea level (a bit lower than the top of Walsh’s Pyramid). I could spend a whole lot of time here at this time of year.
Drove 60km
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| The boat launching location |
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| My campsite view |
Day 4 - 12/9/25
Enjoyed a magnificent day and took a walk to Platypus Rock and launched the drone for a flight for some aerial pics. It was a bit too cool to pull out the paddle board.
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| Platypus Rock |
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| Platypus Point |
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| The dam wall |
Day 5 - 13/9/25
The weather finally caught up with me today. Dreary drizzly Sth Gippsland kind of vibe. Battened down the hatches with Sudoku and cryptics amongst MotoGP being the order of the day. Even thought about running the heater but just hardened up a bit.
The radar looked ominous for further inland as well which could make roads a bit interesting.
Day 6 - 14/9/25
Another mostly dreary day beside the lake. Collected some firewood to have a warming fire in the evening.
Day 7 - 15/9/25
Weather still off and on but managed to pack everything up dry. Drove to the weir wall for a few pics then onward to Atherton again for a small resupply. Rain was on and off so I decided to head back down to the coast via Millaa Millaa Falls to Innisfail. It was chucking it down on the way down from the tablelands.
Innisfail was an intriguing place. More art-deco and quite a range of retail outlets for specialty goods and services. The street layout and directional control methods seemed rather unique.
Ended up at a roadside stopover at Bilyana on the Bruce Highway. The only reason I stayed there was that I noticed a familiar Sprinter van from WA that was at the Gordonvale campground. I had had afternoon refreshments with the fellow travellers back there so we hunkered down again in the miserable rain.
The stopover had decent toilets, water and large shelters with concrete bench/tables. I parked closely alongside one to avoid rolling out the awning and getting it wet. We were chatting when a young lady arrived on a pushbike looking to get under cover so she set up under the shelter beside my van.
Turns out she was from Sicily so my Italian got a bit of a test out (very rusty!). I could only think of her safety riding the Bruce Highway with loads of transport trucks and narrow shoulders. In Italy that’s not a huge problem on their narrow roads as riders are both expected and respected but HERE, not so much.
Jan and Glen (Sprinter from WA) told me about Wallaman Falls inland from Ingham so that was the plan for tomorrow.
Drove 220km
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| Tinaroo dam outflow |
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| Millaa Millaa Falls |
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| Bilyana rest area |
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| Very noisy resident rooster |
Day 8 - 16/9/25
It was a fairly broken sleep as we weren’t far from the highway and the transporters quite regular all night. However I was very glad I had bumped into Jan and Glen as the drive up to Wallaman Falls was interesting in itself. Very narrow pavement along a 20km steep snaking climb. I could hear the fuel draining out of the tank as La Bestia had to drag her 3.5t body up the incline! At least coming down again wouldn’t be so expensive…
Got to the lookout at the top of the falls (on the other side of the narrow gorge) and it was totally whited out in the cloud. The sound was there which suggested that it was flowing quite strongly so off I went down the steep trail to see if it was visible from below. The ravine is so narrow, when added to the cloud cover, my Garmin hiking watch struggled to get a GPS fix and it recorded gobbledygook for both my descent and ascent.
The walk was fantastic through dense rainforest during authentic wet tropics misty rain with heavy vegetation droplets increasing in volume the lower down you got. My spray jacket ended up soaked and I ended up a bit damp. However the effort was worth it. A near 270m single drop waterfall cascading down a sheer rock face of the gorge greeted me at the viewpoint. The recent rain meant it was pumping. Very loud and adding to the airborne water droplets.
I pinched a pic from the interweb to show the view at the top and one from maps for an aerial perspective.
The cloud was breaking up a little on the way back down so the rain was now intermittent so I headed toward Townsville and ended up a a small caravan park at Crystal Creek. It has a huge unpowered site area where I ended up out on my own with access to a wonderfully hot shower. A satisfying day was had.
Once I reach Townsville I will be heading inland again. I have done enough coast to last me a while. Not really my scene, but glad I have experienced this wet tropics sector.
Drove 220km
Day 9 - 17/9/25
Toddled off to Townsville for some auto lubricants and a bit of Aldi ‘stuff’. Their premium mixed nuts are one of my faves.
I was heading to Charters Towers but chose to go via Harvey Range. Quite spectacular rise. I had wondered why there weren’t many points of interest marked on Wikicamps… It’s an army manoeuvres training/firing range. A huge area but made for an interesting drive west.
Ended up at a council free camp 15km east of Charters Towers alongside the Burdekin River which was flowing quite strongly from the rains I had experienced for the last week. There were decent toilets and a huge area however there were a few ‘permanents’ who made it feel a bit suspect. In fact it was only the second time I chose to lock the vehicle over night during this adventure. The first was Port Hedland.
It was quite toasty at 34° but I was pleased to leave the humidity on the coast.
Drove 210km
Day 10 - 18/9/25
A big decision was made last night to head south and end up at my birth place in Victoria to visit my 94yo mum and my brother and sister. I will be realigning my route over the coming days.
I headed off early toward Hughenden primarily to include the dinosaur aspects of the area. A most interesting story, however while in the museum I discovered Porcupine Gorge 60km north of town. I also bumped into Jan & Glen again. We booked into the typical Queensland National Park campground which was $7.50 pppn. There were bush walks emanating from the campground. My type of place.
On the drive out there is a viewpoint which provides a wonderful view of the steepest cut through the rock. It must be wild down there in the wet season. Got to the campground and yep, definitely MY type of place. The landscape, wildlife and vegetation reminded me strongly of the WA Gascoyne River catchment which is one of my favourite stomping grounds.
There was a trail down into the gorge and one to a rim lookout. Tomorrow!
Day 11 - 19/9/25
Rose early toward catch the sunrise at the rim lookout. 1.2km in the dark but mostly flat. A few rocky patches to negotiate but easy going. Sat there on a rock with the wind howling at a very low temperature but the pics were worth the effort imo. It was wonderful to hear my magpie and butcher bird friends greeting the new day.
Wandered back to camp and bade farewell to my new friends Jan & Glen. They were heading west so we were unlikely to cross paths again on this trip. A few beverages were had and some bull-dust spoken last night.
Threw on my pre-prepared mini back pack and set off down the gorge trail at around 0900. A bonus with this one is to go as far as you like in either direction once you reach the creek. I turned south toward a rock outcrop known as The Pyramid after which the campground is named. This was a wonderful opportunity to go ‘off piste’ and find my own way.
Lots of river-wash sand and gravel as well as large rock fields to negotiate. I had to cross the creek twice to keep heading along. There was only a trickle and there were two narrow points so I avoided having to get wet.
The solitude and landscape were blissful. Interestingly the creek was lined with patches of dense callistemon. It really did feel like I was in WA. Ended up at 2km downstream from the exit trail so I decided to go back. Some of the river wash stones were rather varied in composition and colour.
Blow me down if I’m sitting down in the shade when a voice yells out ‘Tash’ and waves. Yikes who is this…? Fortunately he came over and introduced him and the other half as Rob & Chris from Hells Gate on the Savannah Way. That was Day 63 of 97. Small world in a big land.
Spotted a Pale Headed Rosella today. One tree out this way looks like a Boab but isn’t. I will have to investigate further.
Hiked 9.8km including 215m ascent
Day 12 - 20/9/25
I really need to get my skates on to be able to reach Victoria in my allotted timeframe. 20 days to cover 4000km give or take. My protocol to spend two nights at NP campgrounds or other interesting locations may be tested. Mind you 400km every second day isn’t that difficult, it’s the whole notion of being time constrained which irks me.
I am hoping to stay at Carnarvon Gorge west of Rockhampton on the way through which means I will have to turn east again after Winton. Birdsville is therefore off the menu for this trip. Natural features are my primary focus generally, especially if there are associated hiking/walking trails.
Visited Age of Dinosaurs just outside Winton. Really good display with a good guide for the fossil mud print enclosure. Kept going toward Longreach and camped by the Darr River at a free bush camp.
Drove 455km
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| Darr River |
Day 13 -21/9/25
Travelled into Longreach to take in the Qantas Founders Museum. A little less than expected but good all the same. Air travel in the early days was fraught with all sorts of issues. Quite the juxtaposition when I was wandering through the heritage listed original hangar when a modern jet took off from the adjacent airport.
The Stockman’s Hall of Fame wasn’t on my agenda even though it was across the road. I needed a natural feature fix after two museums on back to back days. Off I headed toward the great dividing range near Emerald.
Ended up at an old railway station Bogantungan where there was a rail disaster in 1960 when a nearby bridge was taken out by a fallen gum tree and derailed the Midlander Train from Winton. 7 people died. The station is a museum but allows travellers to camp there for a gold coin donation. Top spot.
Drove 350km
Day 14 - 22/9/25
Got up early to head toward Carnarvon Gorge but ended up waylaid at Springsure which backed onto an imposing backdrop of Minerva NP. Tha upper reaches appeared to be able to be accessed by HC4WD so off I went. La Bestia did the business yet again up washouts, steep pinches and rock ledges. I was greeted with some stark but beautiful landscape and views across the ranges and plains below. Good call! I really wanted to camp up there but did the right thing (thankfully, as there was quite a storm later that night and getting back down may have been treacherous).
Ended up at a highly recommended caravan park in Rolleston which turned out to be central for a number of National Parks. I needed to catch up on laundry as well. We were treated to quite a lightning show in the evening which turned into a downpour. Fortunately my washing had mostly dried by then.
Honestly I really do caravan parks under sufferance because the proximity, noise and light pollution really gets to me. Why campers leave outside lights on baffles me.
Drove 265km
Hiked 3.7km including 99m ascent
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| Campsite at Rolleston CP |
Day 15 - 23/9/25
Bedding laundry today. Thankfully the skies were clear after the rain and everything was dry by lunchtime.
A fellow traveller had told me about Robinson Gorge in the Expedition Range NP so I did some research, sussed out the weather forecast and added it to my itinerary. Seemed like MY type of place with a remote campground reachable only by HC4WD incorporating walks emanating from it. The gorge sounded impressive.
The Queensland Government really do National Parks better than the other states and territories. No cover charge pass and a flat rate of $7.50 per person per night. Both WA and NT have park passes then charge $15 per night. Can’t recall SA but is more like Qld I think. Qld online booking system is also superior.
Snapped a pic of a Superb Fairy Wren beside my camp today.
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| Rolleston CP grounds |
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| Handy regional NP map |
Day 16 - 24/9/25
Toddled off toward Expedition Range NP wondering whether the track would be a bit too challenging for La Bestia (and or me). There was quite a long section of dirt road before reaching the track and,as luck would have it, there was a grader and roller doing their thing. Very good condition.
Then came the park track… sand, ruts, steep pinches, rock ledges and dry creek bed crossings for 15km. Certainly challenging in places but La Bestia took it in her stride magnificently. Lordy what a great motorhome. There is absolutely no way a long wheel base Sprinter would get in here unless it was jacked up another 100mm. The shorter one I have is the ticket.
There was one tray back pop up camper going the other way. The driver was a bit surprised to see such a behemoth on that track. Finally reached the campground and fell in love. NOBODY there with a long drop toilet, a rain water tank and birds all around. There is a very cheeky resident Currawong that acted more like an expectant Magpie. Sat on my chair back, drank from my water tray on the table and came within a metre when I was eating.
Got my camp sorted and set off for the first of three bushwalks. This one was to Shepherds Peak and it turned out that there was Telstra reception up top. Great little walk with views over the park. Of course I decided to walk further along the ridge just for the hell of it. Turned a 3.5km walk into a 6km one. Only turned back as it was late in the afternoon and I didn’t have a head torch in my light pack (I do now).
Cobbled a small fire together and marvelled at the pristine clear sky, lack of human music, and restrained lighting. There is an animal living in the reeds adjacent to my van but I couldn’t get a glimpse. I suspect it is a wombat but I haven’t seen any cube droppings. There are a few wallabies about as well.
Drove 190km
Hiked 5.7km including 182m ascent
Day 17 - 25/9/25
Up early to do the first walk of two today. I could have driven there but hardly worth breaking camp for a 3km drive so I legged it. First real close view of the gorge. I was greeted by a spectacular section of the gorge called ‘cattle dip’ as it is narrow with vertical sides full of standing water. Marvellous.
Back at camp I heard the squawking of a hungry chick high in a tree. A juvenile Currawong was too big for the nest but hadn’t fledged yet. Another vehicle arrived and the occupants were in pursuit of a particular plant and headed off to the only gorge access point which I intended to do later. A ranger vehicle also turned up and we had a chat about the tracks and perils of hiking solo in ravines where locator beacons may not see a satellite as well as the preponderance of prickly pear plants in the park.
Bade them farewell and set off to reach the second gorge viewpoint and wowee! You end up standing on a rock outcrop jutting into the gorge some 80m up. Not for the faint hearted and breathtaking in every aspect. After dwelling there for a time I toddled off for the descent into the abyss. Also not for the faint hearted.
Once I reached the bottom it was tough going through scrub and over rocks so I decided to bail and go back up. The viewpoint beckoned so out I went again. That precipice had some sort of hold on me. No guardrails here!
Wandered somewhat reluctantly back to camp, alone again apart from the wildlife and my modest fire. The temperature is dropping quickly. Cheeky Currawong returned for tidbits as the sun slowly set. A Red Backed Fairy Wren came to visit. The early evening ground feeders emerged in the fading light while the birds settled down for the evening. The kookaburras had the last laugh of course.
Mum and joey wallaby realised I was no threat so they grazed nearby and the unknown animal in the reeds next to my camp rustled away unseen. The rangers thought it may be a native rat. But wait! It showed its face at last and looked more like a kangaroo rat as it hopped quickly back into the reeds.
Darkness descended against the silhouette of the tree line and quietness reigned. The unpolluted dark sky is filled with stars. This IS nirvana for me. I cannot describe my euphoria in such a setting. This is the BEST camp of the entire trip. I really don’t want to leave. To cap it all off, a dingo howls in the distance. Utter bliss.
Hiked 13km including 337m ascent
Day 18 - 26/9/25
I really want to stay but time marches on and I don’t want the memory of blissful solitude tarnished by weekend 4WD warriors descending on me. I departed by an alternate route which was longer but less aggressive in terms of drop offs, creek beds and rock ledges. A couple of long shallow wash out climbs but I reckon a 2WD with a bit of clearance could do it.
Got out to the main road and realised I didn’t want to be landing at Carnarvon Gorge on the middle weekend of school holidays so lobbed at a roadhouse where the fuel was cheap as well as the campsite. Plugged into 240v to give the aircon a run up and fully charge the house batteries. 2 nights here as it is good value and has comms connection for Japan MotoGP.
Roadhouses can be great value. Basic but operating amenities for down to half the price of a caravan park. Less regimented as well. Highly recommend Bauhinia RH. The first washing load is complimentary here as well.
Drove 135km
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| The alternate route back out |
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| The roadhouse |
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| Rough n ready |
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| Plenty of open space |
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| Gecko on the wall |
Day 19 - 27/9/25
Nothing much to add other than a juvenile Pied Butcherbird dropped by and the sunset was rather striking. What’s quite funny is that I had no idea the AFL Grand Final was on.
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| Juvenile Butcher Bird |
Day 20 - 28/9/25
Toddled off back to Rolleston to use my Optus data for live streaming of the Japanese MotoGP. After that it was a relatively short drive to a caravan park just outside Carnarvon Gorge. Big open spaces on the ridge with wide views. Early start tomorrow to do the Big Bend walk.
Drove 180km
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| View from my campsite |
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| View along the ridge camping area |
Day 21 - 29/9/25
Fantastic walk up the valley doing all the side bars including Boowinda Gorge to the Great Walk exit. 25km all up. The variation in vegetation within the gorge is astounding. 17 stepping stone creek crossings and not as many people as I expected. Great!
Note to self: never ever not bring your overnight/extended trek camping gear again. There is a fabulous 85km loop walk around the park with camping nodes at 15km intervals. Perhaps in the future…
It’s amazing to think that the cliff faces visible from the base are towered over by another set 300m higher up. The area is quite amazing. This is the biggest welcome surprise of the trip thus far. I had no knowledge of this area.
By way of comparison, the height above sea level of the loop walk is around 1100m (max 1225masl) which places it a little higher than our Stirling Ridge walk in Western Australia. Curiously it starts at about the same elevation 3500km away (350masl). The full circuit is double a full loop of the Stirling Ridge walk with a bit more ascent (~+800m).
Hiked 25.1km including 454m ascent
It’s impossible to include all of the images here but I will try to provide a range of scenery.
Moss Garden
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| Ascent point for the Great Walk Trail |
Day 22 - 30/9/25
Last night was a treat. I had a dingo directly outside my door howling to their neighbours. Awesome.
Up to Boolimba Bluff today. Quite a solid climb of around 200m but me being me I took a diversion along the Great Walk trail for 4km. Oh how I wished I had brought my trekking gear. Got a few pics of angles not available to those on the standard trails. The geology changes from sedimentary to volcanic at 700m asl. The lower cliffs are at around 650m asl.
Got back down and convinced myself that it was time to move on. This was the last planned NP visit which saddened me more than I thought. The central highlands of Queensland deserve some more #rockwallaby attention.
Headed south and ended up at Injune caravan park. After 25km and 13km of hiking I am pretty bushed.
Drove 150km
Hiked 14.7km including 476m ascent
The bigger picture
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| Relief model |
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| Clearly showing the step above the one you see from the valley |
Day23 - 1/10/25
Wheel rotation time again plus some laundry catch up after being ‘in the bush’ for a while. The old pub is quite a place of character. A bit of coal mining and timber cutting went on around here. I saw a Santos vehicle so I suspect they are sucking out Coal Seam Gas nearby. The town facilities are pretty newish and a bit flash so I reckon a few $$ have been paid for a social licence to operate.
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| Lower grounds of Injune CP |
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| Another bottle tree |
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| Internal pub wall |
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| Vintage chainsaw |
Day 24 - 2/10/25
Southbound now, 400km today via Roma and St George to Mungindi on the Barwon River that straddles the Qld/NSW border. Fantastic council free camp on the northern river bank.
Roma is a good resupply and other stuff centre with a huge bottle tree. St George was curious as it had more pubs than open shops. A bit ‘vacant’. I know not why.
I am now at the same latitude as Geraldton in WA only 400km north of Perth. The one ton post Qld/NSW border boundary marker was interesting. There was a big goanna there as well.
Drove 400km
Day 25 - 3/10/25
Big day. 500km plus a seriously great climb up 370m in 2.2km to Yulludunida summit, mostly steps with the last 600m on unmarked rock. Find your own way, much of it scrambling. One of those climbs where you think you’re climbing one peak when another pops out behind which is higher again. The weather was perfect and the uninterrupted views quite breathtaking. I never want to descend from these ones. A few feral goat carcasses up there. NSW delivers just out of Narrabri at Mt Kaputar NP.
Toddled back down reluctantly and set course for a recreation ground camp site at Eumungerie just north of Dubbo. My legs and heart are case hardened by now.
Drove 540km
Hiked 4.4km including 388m ascent
Day 26 - 4/10/25
I’m really winging it now to be in Bright on 9th October. Bright is only a medium WA drive away (600km). I’ve had enough of the goat track Newell Highway so I set a course for Cowra via Parkes and Gooloogong. It’s very green around here and the air cooling off. The caravan park on the Lachlan River is squeezy but La Bestia can fit into tight spots. I really needed a long hot shower and wasn’t disappointed.
There was an Indian restaurant just around the corner opposite a pub so that was pre-drinks and dinner sorted. A brazier fire at the pub was welcome. The restaurant was well priced with great food.
I have set a course to go via ACT to include all mainland states and territories in this trip, just because. Hopefully the weather will be kind in the high country.
Drove 265km
Day 27 - 5/10/25
Wandered about Cowra and took in the Japanese garden which was quite well formed compared to the genuine ones I have visited in Japan. Mind you the huge eucalypts within the area made for an Australian flavour. It exists as a form of reconciliation in recognition of the WWII POW camp (ref ‘Cowra Breakout’).
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| Lachlan River adjacent to the caravan park |
Day 28 - 6/10/25
Toddled off toward Cooma via Yass and Canberra. Once south of Canberra, the traffic heading back was mind blowing. Ended up staying at Bredbo Inn. Free camp behind the pub as long as you are a patron. The weather was wild with angry clouds, no rain but a howling wind.
Drove 275km
Day 29 - 7/10/25
Yikes, -2.2° with frost all about! That’s only the second time I have used the diesel heater in anger apart from function tests. Headed toward Cooma then onto the Snowy Mountains Highway. The weather gods have been kind today. Snapped a pic of snow capped Kosciuszko at the turn off then proceeded to drive through the wondrous high country. Lots of trucks up here.
Stopped at Kiandra courthouse then other vantage points including the highest point at 1490m asl. Found a fire break track and decided La Bestia could get along it to the trail head for Landers Falls lookout. Yep, she did it again. The lookouts were up high above Talbingo Reservoir.
Got back out and negotiated the long and steep descent into Talbingo town site. Gee it’s a long way down. Continued on to my next camp at Adelong, an ex gold mining town.
Drove 250km
Hiked 2.1km including 125m ascent
Day 30 - 8/10/25
Primarily walked the Adelong Falls Walk. Quite the combination of a flowing water course, reflective sculptures and the remains of the gold processing plant down at the end. Fascinating stuff. Imagine the noise of multiple stamping batteries, dangerous rock breaking and poisonous mercury amalgam separation, all for ‘hope’ with some ‘glory’.
Day 31 - 9/10/25
Scattered rain overnight which continued into the morning for the trip toward Bright. Poured around Tarcutta (the ‘halfway point’ between Sydney and Melbourne) but fined up once I reached Albury Wadonga. Travelled via Yackandandah and Myrtleford. There was a police presence for that nutcase sovcit shooter who is still on the loose.
The skies were pretty clear for a few snaps of Feathertop and Hotham from the valley. Also had a bevy at the local brewery. Parked overnight at a friend’s place in Bright for a great chat and a few bubbles 🥂. The weather forecast was a bit foreboding so I decided to go over the top of Hotham the next day to avoid being thwarted.
Drove 280km
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| Feathertop |
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| Hotham |
Day 32 - 10/10/25
The trip across the top was pretty good apart from the howling wind. La Bestia was being buffeted quite a bit. Snapped a few pics from Diamantina Hut which is the start of the razorback trail to Feathertop. There was no way I was going to that way today. There was a lot more snow/ice on the south side of the ridge.
Sat in the car park reminiscing of my snow skiing days when the roads were unsealed all the way in both directions. Buildings everywhere these days. Found a free camp near the Victoria River historic area at Cobungra which was the site of the first hydroelectric scheme in Victoria in 1908. Beautiful location with the falls nearby. Wind was howling down here as well.
Drove 100km
Day 33 - 11/10/25
Made my way from Cobungra to Heyfield where there is a wonderful RV camp with decent facilities. I am now in an old stomping ground of my family at Christmas each year as we camped on a nearby irrigation weir for the waterskiing and other water sports. Heyfield is a timber milling centre of years gone by.
Drove 225km
Day 34 - 12/10/25
Drove out to Lake Glenmaggie to reminisce a bit over my water skiing days, then continued on into the foothills at Licola. It’s a wonderful drive along the Macalister River which feeds Lake Glenmaggie. I found it curious that the Tambo River not that far east was not running as strongly as this was.
My route took me to Traralgon in the La Trobe valley and past Loy Yang coal open cut and power stations then over the Strzlecki Range to the South Gippsland Highway and onward to my home town of Korumburra.
It is here folks that I will take a break from my adventure and spend time with family and friends as well as attending the MotoGP at nearby Phillip Island. I will restart posting upon departure for the west.
Thanks heaps to my followers for sticking with me for such an extended time. I hope you got some value from my musings and images.
Drove 315km
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| Korumburra showgrounds and camping |
Days 35 through 43 - 13/10/25 through 21/10/25
Korumburra family and Phillip Island MotoGP.
Stayed at an RMIT engineering colleague from the 80s near Phillip Island. He took over a family dairy farm and makes specialty products.
Day 44 & 45 - 22/10/25 & 23/10/25
Back on the road, heading west. Across the Port Phillip Bay rip from Sorrento to Queenscliff to visit friends over on the other side. Continued on to Port Fairy to drop in on friends the next night. It was great to reconnect after quite a number of years.
Back to travel/camp/activity mode tomorrow.
Drove 435km
Day 46 - 24/10/25
Headed into South Australia after a stop at Nelson on the Glenelg River. Quite picturesque.
Found the Little Blue Lake and Mt Schank volcano crater and had a bit if a wander around. Great little spot not far from Mount Gambier.
Ended up camped at a community RV park in Tantanoola.
Drove 240km
Day 47 - 25/10/25
Spent a second night in Tantanoola because of lousy travelling weather and MotoGP streaming.
Day 48 - 26/10/25
Toddled off toward Tailem Bend via the Coorong and dropped by Woakwine cutting which is quite an engineering feat.
Ended up nestled in on an old road alignment between Meningie and Tailem Bend trying to get shelter from a howling westerly wind. I really like these isolated no frills sites.
Drove 300km
Day 49 - 27/10/25
Made my way to Tailem Bend then Murray Bridge for a resupply at Aldi. I managed to walk out without a special buy thankfully.
At this point the rain closed in again. I normally bypass Adelaide via the hills/Barossa region and this time I ended up at a comfortable well priced council caravan park in Saddleworth. With no real schedule to meet I decided to take the long route to Port Augusta via Arkaroola.
Drove 215km
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| Murray River at Tailem Bend |
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| Revised plan |
Day 50 - 28/10/25
Drove to Clare to get some cash and onward to Burra for lunch overlooking the old copper mine precinct.
Continued on to Yunta on the Barrier highway, filled up and headed north. As it happened a shitbox rally was coming the other way. Who knows how many? A seemingly continuous stream for an hour. The dirt road was in good condition and I sat on 80kmh easily in spite of the dust which was blowing away from me and toward them.
Unfortunately I copped a stone to my side flasher which cracked the lens and dislodged the connector requiring makeshift repairs the next day.
Camped overnight near a mustering yard on Chambers Creek. Very very quiet. One semi all night.
Drove 460km
Day 51 - 29/10/25
A relatively short drive into Arkaroola where I wanted to make my way up to the top of Mount Oliphant. There is no marked trail once you leave the valley walk. My kind of climb.
The geology here is mind boggling with info posts on the marked trails. There were a few observatories as well due to the clear skies at night.
I wasn’t that impressed by the ramshackle nature of the village along with the APT tour bus throng so I stayed in a nearby NP campground at Italowie Gap. Only one night there as it was closing in two days for a feral goat cull.
Drove 120km
Day 52 - 30/10/25
Drove westward through some amazing landscape (Gammon Ranges NP). The road was a bit rougher than the one I had come in on but not too bad. This was the one the tour buses use.
Got to Copley and back onto tarmac so pumped the tyres back up to head home, or so I thought.
I remembered that last time heavy rain at Wilpena Pound had thwarted my intention to drive through Parachilna Gorge so I turned east, let the tyres down again and found a dry creek side free camp adjacent to a tree with two magpie ‘chicks’ doing their squawking for food.
I put out a dish of water for the parents and they had a drink (no standing water within cooee). The young ones are way too big for the nest so they need to take flight soon. That 20m drop sure would look scary.
The geology in here is spectacular. Well worth the diversion. Lots of free camping locations. Also lots of feral goats. No wonder they do culls every so often.
Drove 170km
Day 53 - 31/10/25
Turned out that I was literally around the corner from the northern terminus of the Heysen Trail (equivalent to Bibbulman in WA only 200km longer).
Went for a wander along for 5km. Not as well marked as the Bibbulman but I figured the first part out as it seemed to follow a creek bed up to the origin saddle.
The northern section of this trail which runs the entire length of the Flinders Ranges to the Parachilna Gorge would be quite spectacular and rewarding. Hmmm, need to find a route map.
Hiked 9.9km including 231m ascent
Day 54 - 1/11/25
Rest and recuperation day today. I was able to launch the drone for some decent pics.
Day 55 - 2/11/25
Drove the rest of the track to Blinman where tarmac awaited. Repressured the tyres then wandered off toward Quorn via Ikara - Flinders Ranges NP. Saw some more gorge drives along the way but resisted the temptation. Next trip will probably be back this way. It’s time to head west properly.
Parked up at a caravan park in North Stirling to have a decent shower after a week of roughing it. Westward bound tomorrow.
19300km in 140 days over most of the roughest roads in this country. 2400km remaining to get to my geostationary home.
Drove 225km
Day 56 - 3/11/25
Quick top up resupply in Port Augusta then onward west. There was a howling headwind with intermittent heavy rain squalls. Not good for driving so I cut the day short at Wudinna RV campground after 270km. Quite a nice facility at a good price. No booking required.
Day 57 - 4/11/25
Much better driving day so I made my way to Ceduna and Penong then onto the Nullarbor plain to stop at a bush camp along Cook Road. Great day covering 550km arriving at a comfortable bush camp site. Wind was low enough for a drone flight which is rare for this stretch.
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| Ceduna jetty |
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| Penong windpump museum |
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| The real Nullarbor (no trees) |
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| Nullarbor RH |
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| Bush camp |
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| Love this pic |
Day 58 - 5/11/25
The weather forecast was for a favourable tail wind and so it turned out, therefore I took advantage of it and the 21/2 hrs I got back at the border to get to Newman Rocks 50km west of Balladonia. A 700km drive. Quite a few in here as the weather had turned sour.
Deep into WA now. The loop is closing
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| Bunda Cliffs GAB |
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| Mundrabilla RH |
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| RFDS Emergency air strip piano keys |
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| Madura Pass |
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| Campsite at Newman Rocks |
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| The rocks |
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| Closing the loop |
Day 59 - 6/11/25
Up with the drone first thing to check out the Newman Rock area. I intended to drive one of my favourite short cuts from Norseman to Hyden but the road was closed, probably due to the amount of rain. It’s shocking when wet as it turns to deep red mud. There was quite a bit of water about which was flowing over the highway just south of Coolgardie and the normally dry salt / clay pans next to the highway had a fair bit of water in them.
Anyway I found an alternate granite outcrop location north of Southern Cross. Ended up at Baladjie Nature Reserve / Rock. Wonderfully typical WA free camp.
Here for two nights to soak in the WA bush after all the other locations around the continent.
Drove 550km
Homeward bound on Saturday
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| Super wide main street |
Baladgie Rock
Day 60 - 7/11/25
Rest and reflection day in the main although I did get out and about around and over the rock. Wind conditions were also favourable for a morning drone flight.
A fair few red tailed black cockatoos about. Plenty of ornate dragons on the rock with their tell tale head bobbing motion. Spotted a pair of bob tails as well.
Also a sad sack who hasn’t learned that solar is way better than a generator as well as being silent. Why do they want a noisy, dirty, smelly and explosive device? 🤷🏼♀️
Hiked 3km including 118m ascent
Day 61 (146 overall) - 8/11/25
Travelled home by a non highway route which included Campion, famous for the great emu war of 1932!
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| Perth… |
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| Magpie family welcoming |
**********
Three months getting to Cairns and two months to return. This is gonna be very strange for a while. There will be too many rooms, too much light pollution and noise everywhere.
What started out as a traverse of Gibb River Road and Mitchell falls turned into a 21481km circumnavigation over a period of 5 months via some of the most challenging iconic roads of Australia. Worth every minute and penny. Thanks so much to my avid travel followers for your company and comments on this platform.
Viva La Bestia, German engineering at its best.
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