aka zippy’s resting place. it’s another of these ‘iconic’ aussie places in the sense that you have to be pretty determined to make your way there in the first place.
as previously discussed we decided to take the easy (but boring) way from mataranka through three ways, barkly and then up from camooweal to adel’s grove (the last 220 km on dirt). the other way would have been through borroloola and domagee, almost all dirt and according to many people we spoke to not really that much of an adventure except for the tyres, shocks and bums.
lawn hill or boodjamulla is a beautiful gorge in the middle of pretty arid country. there is actually also a fossil field nearby that holds evidence of the prehistoric australian megafauna, but we got there too late and could not stop to see the fossils. btw the coolest fossil would have to be linked to a carnivorous kangaroo. scary.
at camp we met up with one family we had met a few times now and the girls were excited to spend time together. the next day they left but another family arrived – nat had a great time.
the outside was just perfect for lawn hill; there are just a few freshies there (we didn’t see any) and we figured they wouldn’t want to have a go at something three times their size.
the gorge is really quite unique, with lush vegetation on either bank. the pandanus just seem to thrive there.
so does the sandstone. the cliffs are not quite as big and steep as, say, katherine, but actually a bit more picturesque – if that’s even possible.
and if it would not have been for zippy meeting his untimely demise we would have been perfectly at easy here.
between the second and the third gorge is a little waterfall with a poll that is perfect for two things: swimming and feeding the archer fish. you can’t see the first gorge due to it’s cultural significance to the local traditional owners, which we think is fair enough.
there is a little waterfall and pool at the end of the third gorge which can be accessed through a narrow little channel.
nothing the outside couldn’t handle; we’ve been through worse when it was still on white-water duty in austria.
if you are in the area (which is really not all that likely given it’s a bit out of the way) do have a look!
from lawn hill we drove another 100 km on dirt but the grader had been through most of it so it was not as rough as another couple with a kimberley said it would be. that just goes to show: make your own adventure.