Guide To Visiting Boodjamulla National Park, Gateway To Lawn Hill Gorge

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Nestled successful the bosom of Tropical Queensland’s rugged Outback, Boodjamulla National Park is an untouched, unspoiled earthy oasis.

It’s 1 of those quiescent places that could easy beryllium the magical kingdom mounting of the adjacent Disney movie. It’s surely 1 of Queensland’s astir scenic nationalist parks!

With its breathtaking landscapes, vibrant ecosystems, and affluent Indigenous heritage, characterised by melodramatic cliffs, lush jungle and verdant vegetation, there’s nary shortage of earthy wonders to research here.

One of the biggest reasons to sojourn Boodjamulla is to respect the picturesque Lawn Hill Gorge. Here, the whispered stories of the Gangalidda and Waanyi people, the accepted owners of the park, intertwine with the breathtaking scenery that situation you.

It’s a spot that feels spiritual and serene, not conscionable pleasing to the eyes.

In this guide, we’ll amusement you however you tin sojourn Boodjamulla National Park, including tips for navigating its stunning trails, and wherever to camp.

About Boodjamulla National Park and Lawn Hill Gorge

It’s an emerald greenish oasis successful a semi-arid land. It’s Outback Queensland wilderness, but it thrives with abundant wildlife. It’s the off-the-beaten way acquisition you crave for.

Boodjamulla National Park, different known arsenic Lawn Hill National Park, is 1 of past places to sojourn earlier you deed the Northern Territory border.

Driving successful involves a mates of unsealed roads, which is accessible to immoderate conveyance (depending connected seasonal conditions), but it’s each portion of the adventure. As you drive, you’ll walk by a vast, outback plain earlier successful the region a limestone plateau surrounded by Leichhardt trees, shade gums, cabbage palms, and ample paperbarks.

This is the motion you’ve reached Lawn Hill Gorge, the biggest and astir spectacular attraction successful the northbound of the park, known for its towering sandstone cliffs that pb into the emerald waters of the stream and lush vegetation below.

Further southbound is the celebrated World Heritage-listed Riversleigh fossil fields. What makes this conception of the parkland unsocial is that it’s location to the bluish snapping turtle, which was thought to person been extinct until a fossil was discovered astatine Riversleigh.

Several years later, a surviving turtle was caught successful Lawn Hill Creek, confirming it is the largest caller h2o turtle successful Australia.

Getting to Boodjamulla National Park

Boodjamulla National Park determination map

To scope Boodjamulla National Park, you volition request a car and thrust since it’s successful a precise distant determination successful Outback QLD.

The nearest large airdrome is successful Mount Isa, astir 250 kilometers away.

From Mount Isa, I urge you prosecute a 4WD vehicle, arsenic the parkland is accessible via unsealed roads that whitethorn necessitate a robust vehicle, particularly during the bedewed season. You tin usage a mean conveyance but your backside won’t convey you!

car and caravan connected reddish dusty roadworthy The Savannah Way

Take the Barkly Highway (National Route 66) heading west, past crook onto the Gregory Developmental Road, which leads you towards the park.

Continue connected this roadworthy until you scope the entranceway to Boodjamulla National Park.

The Savannah Way motion connected broadside of road

If you’re driving the different absorption from Cairns connected the eastbound coast, past instrumentality the iconic Savannah Way Scenic Drive.

We drove 1,786km on the Savannah Way to Normanton, then headed south-west to Gregory Downs, past eastbound to Boodjamulla.

Check retired our Ultimate Guide to driving the Savannah Way

Lawn Hill Gorge Walks

The champion mode to acquisition the parkland is by hiking, and owed to the rugged terrain, it’s the lone mode to spot immoderate attractions! So battalion your hiking boots earlier visiting, arsenic you’re going to request them.

There are plentifulness of walks successful the Lawn Hill Gorge ranging from casual to difficult. Well, we did the hard way to Indarri Falls and upper-gorge with the girls and I’d people it moderate.

trees and stone cliffs adjacent to water

I’d walk astatine slightest 2 days exploring the walks successful Boodjamulla National Park.

One time going connected the occidental broadside (or mediate oregon precocious gorge) of Lawn Hill Gorge broadside of the parkland and the adjacent the eastbound broadside (lower gorge). We missed this broadside unfortunately.

The Upper Gorge Lookout and Indarri Falls Walk

The Upper Gorge lookout locomotion successful Boodjamulla is 7km and took america astir 3 hours. That’s with 2 young girls and tons of photograph stops.

It starts disconnected down by the stream from the campsite and follows the creek for awhile earlier heading a small inland.

Follow the way until you scope Indarri Falls Lookout and past locomotion down into the prettiest portion of the Gorge to Indarri Falls.

Indarri Falls separates the mediate from the Upper Gorge and is conscionable stunning. Stop for tons of photos, a aquatics and a snack break.

Then locomotion on the stream until the extremity of the track. From present spell up the apical of the escarpment to the Upper Gorge lookout for astonishing views of the gorge and stream below.

Mwah! Just divine.

The different enactment is to spell conscionable to Indarri Falls and past instrumentality backmost on the escarpment passing done Duwadarri Lookout and down the steep cliffs. Doing it successful this absorption volition prevention you immoderate steep climbing.

Rainbow Serpent Track

The Rainbow Serpent Track is simply a abbreviated 100 metre retired and backmost way with interpretive signs telling the communicative of the instauration of Lawn Hill Gorge told by the Waanyi people.

This trailhead is astatine Lawn Hill Gorge visitant centre and ends astatine the Middle Gorge day-use area.

Wild Dog Dreaming Track

In summation to its paleontological significance, the parkland besides features taste sites with stone art, reflecting the affluent practice of Indigenous Australians who person inhabited the country for thousands of years.

The champion spot to witnesser this is by walking on the Wild Dog Dreaming walk, which is lined with chromatic engravings that beryllium to the Waanyi people.

The way is accessed by the aforesaid parking batch utilized for Lawn Hill Gorge. Follow the Rainbow Serpent track for 100 meters to the Middle Gorge day-use country and crook to the close crossed the span to find the Wild Dog Dreaming track.

Canoeing successful Lawn Hill Gorge

In the afternoon, we met up with immoderate friends and hired canoes from Wugudaji-Adels Grove Camping Park to bask a spot of clip paddling done the gorge.

We highly urge experiencing the gorge successful this way.

Palm trees lining the stream slope and the lush vegetation of clump figs, mosses, ferns and adjacent immoderate h2o lilies flourish, making it hard to judge you’re successful semi-arid land.

We had a shocker successful arriving with uncharged GoPros, but luckily I accidentally near my telephone successful our bag.

Thankfully it didn’t autumn overboard, and it helped america get immoderate photos, but excuse the smartphone quality.

At Indarri Falls, you person to instrumentality the canoe retired of the h2o and transportation it 50 metres to get to the 2nd gorge, but it’s worthy doing.

The 2nd gorge leads down a tiny creek with overhanging trees and a formation successful the mediate of the stream and to the extremity wherever 2 tiny waterfalls meet.

We stopped astatine Indarri connected the mode backmost for a swim. Big food came up to aquatics with us, but nary freshies.

The h2o is truthful wide and refreshing. There’s a tiny spa excavation conscionable down the waterfall that’s worthy swimming implicit to for a small relax.

Did I notation determination are freshwater crocodiles successful this river?

I perfectly adore freshwater crocodiles. They person these crisp teeth and a monstrous facade owed to their carnal classification, but truly they are shy and gentle and volition permission you alone.

Don’t worry, determination are nary saltwater crocodiles successful Boodjamulla National Park.

See wherefore I emotion freshies truthful overmuch they fto you aquatics with them? How cool!

Ancient Fossils astatine Boodjamulla National Park (Riversleigh)

Boodjamulla National Park is besides location to the renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site of Riversleigh, which is besides portion of the Australian fossil mammal sites, wherever you tin get a fascinating glimpse into the distant past of Australia’s jurassic period.

Accessible by walking on the Riversleigh Fossil Trail, you volition find a bid of fossil deposits, which are considered immoderate of the world’s richest and astir extensive, dating backmost 15-25 cardinal years.

These fossils supply invaluable insights into the improvement of assorted species, including marsupials and reptiles, that erstwhile roamed this region.

Camping astatine Boodjamulla National Park

You tin campy astatine Boodjamulla National Park, but since determination is lone 1 camping crushed adjacent the gorge, it’s champion to publication ahead. We were fortunate that idiosyncratic had cancelled and conscionable snuck in.

If you miss out, there’s different campsite adjacent the Riversleigh World Heritage Area (Miyumba camping area) but this is 55km southeast of Lawn Hill Gorge.

The Lawn Hill Gorge camping area is large for those looking for a agrarian experience. There are spots to transportation a structure oregon camping trailer, and determination is simply a swimming country cleanable for kids conscionable a abbreviated locomotion down to the river.

people swimming successful h2o surrounded by trees

Adels Grove Camping

Adels Grove Campground - Queensland, Australia

About 10km retired of the nationalist parkland is the fashionable Wugudaji-Adels Grove Campsite for those wanting a small much civilisation.

You person the enactment of camping oregon enjoying furniture and meal accommodation successful either furnished stream tents oregon rooms.

They besides person an onsite restaurant. There’s a two-course repast connected each evening astatine Adels and a buffet breakfast.

There’s besides a gorgeous swimming spread and creek astatine Adels. The kids volition emotion grabbing a conduit and floating connected by.

family sitting astatine meal array connected verandah

There’s besides a abbreviated 1km locomotion to a lookout, which is simply a spectacular presumption of the escarpment overlooking the valley.

It’s besides a spot to get connected to the internet. Yes. We took the locomotion astatine sunset with the girls and our computers. We were connected deadline and had to get a fewer things done.

couple sitting connected elevation trying to get wifi connection

Our friends met america up determination with his telephone to marque immoderate important calls.

It’s truthful beauteous travelling with different digital nomads to stock each others’ symptom and perfectly recognize the brainsick worldly you person to bash to bash your job.

Best Time to Visit Boodjamulla National Park

The champion clip to sojourn Boodjamulla National Park is during the adust season, which spans from May to October.

This play has milder temperatures and minimal rainfall, and the crushed volition beryllium harder truthful it volition beryllium easier to entree with a mean vehicle.

The lush landscapes and vibrant colors are peculiarly striking during this time.

The bedewed play is from November to April and brings dense rains and higher humidity, which tin besides marque immoderate areas inaccessible.

In fact, the parkland had to adjacent owed to harm caused by flooding, and is expected to reopen successful September 2024.

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