HI Karumba

Hi Karumba, it's not just a party greeting!!  Karumba is on the Gulf of Carpentaria and HI KARUMBA we are here.  Karumba is famous for it's sunsets over the gulf, water.  Tonight after a hot drive we lashed out and celebrated day 6O of travels and reaching Karumba with fish and chips at the Karumba Sunset Tavern.  Guess where we are staying ?? Go on guess?  Ok we are at the Karumba Sunset Van Park.  HI Karumba!!  Karumba is also famous for its prawns fishing especially Barra and yes Crocodiles so far, out of all this marine life I have spotted a green frog!  Hi Karumba!

Road to Normanton

Petes Croc!

We drove from Croyden, Croyden is a VERY small town with one Pub and old shop that also doubles as a petrol station (2 pumps).  But surprisingly it used to be a thriving town of 3 to 4  thousand due to gold.  We had a poke around this morning for 1.5 hours before left.  We checked out the old convenience store 4 heritage buildings and enjoyed a movie in the visitors centre.  All  of this for free or a donation if you wish.  Actually worth mentioning is the road into Croyden from Undara, it constantly would change from single lane to two lane.  When I say single lane I mean it would only fit one car both ways.  So if another car approached from the other way you would both have to move to the edge of the road to pass.  Most people where great except for one little white car who refused to move over, we all know what he is called!!

Croydon Pub

Wonderful Murals on pub walls

We passed through Normanton another small town that is famous for the Gulflander and old train that is said goes from nowhere to nowhere.  In fact it goes from Normanton to Croyden, but I would have to agree with the first statement.  Normanton to Karumba the land was incredibly flat and the outside temperature was 34.   We did see flocks of Brolga's on the wetlands on the way in,later on we saw a pair of Brolga's dancing on the golf course.

The Gulflander look BUT do not touch

Hi Karumba itself is very isolated and is very much a fisherman's village, actually the village itself is split into 2 and both have very small supermarkets, there is no Coles,Woolies or Aldi.  I have been most curious as to what the locals do for their weekly grocery shop as if I did my weekly shop here there would be nothing left on the shelves.  So I asked and the answer is a few families do a big monthly shop and order online from Woolies back in Cairns (750km) the order then arrives at 5am on a given day.   Children here when they reach high school are sent to the east coast (Cairns) or Mt Isa to boarding school.  We are so lucky and take the 5 minute drive to our local Woolies  and our local school for granted.

My final comment on Hi Karumba is that sometimes you don't find a special place but its the people you meet that make place special.  Good BYE  KARUMBA!