Day 54: Karumba to Burke and Wills Roadhouse, 270km

 I once caught a fish this big:

Then I gutted it, filleted it, pan fried it in olive oil and served it with lime, salt and pepper, and it tasted great.

Day 53: Burketown to Karumba via Normanton, 290km

Aye Karumba! Although these towns are both on rivers in flatlands on the Gulf of Carpentaria, Burketown was very quiet but Karumba (the other barramundi capital of Australia, apparently) is a full-on tourist town full of caravan parks and holiday letting.

On the way back from the sunset cruise off Karumba

Day 52: Hell's Gate Roadhouse to Burketown, 180km

A washout! Our ballon ride over the salt pans was cancelled because the salt pans are all mud, as we found out when we tried to drive over them. Sue and Kim got stranded and couldn't get to the big bash so we won't meet them in Longreach next week (they are there now, instead of Birdsville).

A bee eater outside the closed (because why not?) tourist information centre in Burketown

Day 51: Seven Emu to Hells Gate Roadhouse, 270km

Rain! We had some rain overnight at Limmen NP but it poured last night and this morning at Seven Emu. They said they haven't seen rain at this time of year for 10 years. Made for a muddy drive to Hells Gate Roadhouse just over the QLD border, the only stop for accommodation and fuel for hundreds of km east or west.

The view from camp this morning

Day 50: Limmen NP to Seven Emu, 300km

Best. Campsite. Ever. We wanted to stay at Lorella Springs, another station on the "Savannah Way" that has been doing tourism for decades but they closed to the public this year (tour groups only) so we found Seven Emu on the map. On the Robinson River that runs into the gulf, it is hard to get to but the 6 campsites they offer are amazing.

Day 49: Roper Bar to Butterfly Falls Campground (Limmen NP), 230km. Bonus cooking tip

Doesn't get much more remote than this. Not much to see, except the occasional big river. This area is mainly for serious fishing. We did do some fancy campfire cooking in our new camp oven - pics below.

Typical scene in this area

Day 48: Pine Creek to Roper Bar Store and Park via Mataranka, 250km

We thought the Kimberley was remote, we are now on the “Savannah Way” (a collection of roads from Broome to Cairns) and this stretch along the Gulf of Carpentaria is even more remote. There is nothing and no one here, except people fishing in the many very large rivers.

Met this couple who caught heaps of these cherubin (like huge prawns that bite - freshwater crayfish) using dog biscuits and a net. Small ones are bait for barramundi, large ones are keepers for eating.