Boodjamull National Park

Being this far west in Queensland, it is noticeable how much later the sun is setting and consequently how much later it is rising. Barely light at 7am.

Pancakes for breaky then 10km into the National Park to explore Lawn Hill Gorge. A most remarkable place. Geologically and biodiversity wise. Truly a wonderland and self-evidently of cultural significance to the local Waanyi people. There is archaeological evidence of 30,000 - yes thirty thousand - years of CONTINUOUS occupation of this area. Reputedly one of the oldest continuously occupied sites in Australia. Difficult to begin to come to grips with the idea of people regularly visiting sites like these over the generations - over 600 generations at least. 

The Lawn Hill Creek rises in these gorges and is saturated with calcium carbonate which gives it an intense emerald green colour that is difficult to capture. As the creek runs out of the gorges, the calcium carbonate precipitates out of the water creating amazing formations of "tufa" - just like limestone formations.

Did about 3 hours of walking before returning to Adels for a swim and lunch. Tomorrow we will return to the NP for more walking, or alternatively hiring a canoe and going for a paddle.

We are right at the end of the dry season and according to the locals they did not have much of a wet season, so the creek is unusually low. In the gorges there is plenty of evidence of how strong the flooding can get with huge trees tumbled about like playthings. It must be an incredible sight to witness the gorges in flood!

We have decided to leave Adels Grove tomorrow and after visiting the gorges again for our canoe paddle, we will head south to Riversleigh and spend a night at the Miyumba campsite. This will give us time to walk the Riversleigh fossil trail. After that we shall head back to the highway and continue west into the Northern Territory.