Greetings from Karumba - outback by the sea - the sea you do not swim in!

This is going to be a more cheerful blog than last time, even though I have promised my daughter to start off by mentioning something not so cheerful that I forgot in my last blog. In Tennant Creek, while spending half the day at a service station Emma was robbed. Someone managed to pinch $90 from her purse. It really through her; unfortunately it happens often and it was not caught on camera.

In my last blog I also mentioned that all we saw between Tennant Creek and Mount Isa was ant hills, some of them as big as an adult. However we did also see a lot of road trains with either 3 or 4 trailers - they can be a total of 53 meters in length - very impressive. We saw one outside The Barkley Homestead, which is a Roadhouse 200 Km from Tennant Creek. It had 3 trailers in two levels and carried a total of 144 bulls.

Anyway, as I left off last time, we left Mount Isa on Saturday morning heading for Lawn Hill National Park. We have really reached cattle country. We see so many cows and bulls along the road and on the roads. They just wonder along very peacefully, looking like they don't have a worry in the world - until Paul starts honking his horn, to make them move along and not run out in front of the car.

We camped 10 Km outside Lawn Hill at Adels Grove - a green oasis on the river. It was just beautiful. The river was green, like I have only seen on movies. Even though fresh water crocodiles inhabit the water everybody swam in it. Apparently fresh water crocodiles are timid and they will not bother you if you leave them alone. A few very small ones had been spotted in the area the day before - but of course, we didn't see any at all. Emma and I came to fear something more than crocodiles - grasshoppers, 10 cm long creatures that jump straight in your face. There was just so may of them, especially in the evening.

Sunday we drove into the national park and hired canoes. It was fantastic. We reached some small waterfalls where you can swim. At first we were a bit hesitant, but suddenly a group arrived and jumped in the water - so we followed. Emma and Thomas absolutely loved it. The people who arrived turned out to be policemen from Doomegee, an Aboriginal Community about 100 km away. Paul worked in Doomegee, building the school in 1988 when he saved up to travel overseas. Back then there was one police officer, now there are 10.

We had a lovely day swimming and canoeing. Unfortunately I hit a rock in the water - and took off the nail on my little toe (and a bit of toe) - so much for the planned hiking trip the following day.

Monday we packed up at took off, not really knowing how far we would get. Paul wanted to show us Doomegee, so this was the first stop. The policemen had told us of a back road which was 1½ hours instead of 3½ hours. We had the owner of Adels Grove draw us a mud map and off we went. 100 km, several gates, 3 windmills and a water crossing later we reached the Sahvanna Way only 8 Km outside Doomegee. 1500 indigenous live here; there is a school, public pool, shop, bakery, post office, library and even a hospital where they fixed up my toe…- try and keep it dry and clean for three days, they said. Under normal circumstances this would not be very difficult. But camping in northern Queensland makes it very difficult, due to dust and humidity and more dust. I don't think I have ever enjoyed my showers as I do at the moment.

After Doomegee we continued to Burketown, which is where the salt water crocodiles start to appear in the rivers and beaches. Salt water crocodiles can live as far inland as 200 km, so you just don't go near any water. We had beautiful barramundi and chips for lunch, then through Normanton to Karumba, where we arrived last night.

Tomorrow we are booked to go out on a fishing cruise in the morning and a croc-watch cruise in the evening.

Danish:

Hilsener fra Karumba

Dette vil være en langt mere spændende blog end sidste gang, selvom jeg har lovet min datter, at starte med at nævne noget, der ikke er så muntert, og som jeg glemte i min sidste blog. I Tennant Creek, mens vi tilbragte den halve dag på en tankstation blev Emma udsat for tyveri. Det lykkedes nogen at stjæle 90 dollars fra hendes pung. Det slog hende virkelig ud og var ret så traumatisk en oplevelse, desværre sker det jo ofte, og det blev ikke fanget på kamera.

I min sidste blog nævnte jeg også, at alt vi så mellem Tennant Creek og Mount Isa var termitboer, nogle af dem så store som en voksen person. Men vi så også se en masse "roadtrains" lastbiler med enten 3 eller 4 anhængere - de kan være op til 53 meter lange - meget imponerende. Vi så en uden for Barkley Homestead, som er et stoppested, ca. 200 km fra Tennant Creek. Den havde 3 anhængere i to niveauer, og der transporterede i alt 144 tyre.

Nå men jeg slap sidste blog, da vi forlod Mount Isa lørdag formiddag og kørte til Lawn Hill National Park. Vi er på landet!. Vi ser utrolig mange køer og tyre langs vejen og på vejene. De vader bare runde helt fredfyldt uden den mindste bekymring - indtil Paul begynder at dytte uhæmmet i hornet, for at få dem til at flytte sig og ikke løbe ud foran bilen.

Vi slog lejr 10 km uden for Lawn Hill - et sted der hedder Adels Grove - en grøn oase ved flodbredden. Det var bare smukt. Floden og landskabet lignede noget fra en film - vandet var helt grønt og det var ikke alger. Selv om ferskvand krokodiller lever i vandet svømmede alle i den. Tilsyneladende er ferskvands krokodiller ret generte, og de vil ikke gøre dig noget, hvis du lader dem i fred. Et par meget små var blevet set i området dagen før - men selvfølgelig har vi ikke se nogen overhovedet. Emma og jeg kom til at frygte noget mere end krokodiller - græshopper, 10 cm lange væsner der springer direkte i hovedet på dig. Der var bare så mange af dem, især om aftenen.

Søndag kørte vi ind i nationalparken og lejede kanoer. Det var fantastisk. Vi nåede nogle små vandfald, hvor man kunne svømme. I første omgang var vi en smule tøvende (pga krokodillerne), men pludselig ankom en gruppe mennesker og sprang i vandet - så vi fulgte. Emma og Thomas elskede det. Det viste sig at være en flok politifolk fra Doomadgee, et Aboriginal fællesskab, ca. 100 km væk. Paul arbejdede i Doomadgee i 1988, hvor han var med til at bygge en skole - da han sparrede op til sin Europa-rejse. Dengang var der en politimand, der nu er 10.

Vi havde en dejlig dag hvor vi stort set ikke lavede andet end at svømme i floden. Desværre slog jeg foden på en klippe i vandet - og mistede neglen på min lilletå (samt lidt af tåen) - så meget for den planlagte vandretur den følgende dag.

Mandag pakkede vi sammen og vidste ikke rigtig hvor langt vi ville nå. Paul ville vise os Doomadgee, så dette var det første stop. Politifolkene havde fortalt os en bagvej, der var 1 ½ time i stedet for 3 ½ time. Vi fik ejeren af Adels grove til at lave en kortskitse og så kørte vi. Efter 100 km, flere stop for at åbne og lukke låger mellem de forskellige "stations", 3 vindmøller og kørsel gennem en mindre flod, nåede vi frem til Sahvanna Way kun 8 km udenfor Doomadgee. Her bor 1500 indfødte, der er en skole, offentlig svømmehal, butik, bageri, posthus, bibliotek og sågar et hospital, hvor de ordnede min tå! ... - De sagde jeg skulle forsøge at holde den tør og ren i tre dage. Under normale omstændigheder ville dette ikke være vanskeligt. Men når man campere i det nordlige Queensland er det meget vanskeligt på grund af støv og fugtighed og mere støv. Jeg tror ikke, jeg nogensinde har nydt mine brusebade, som jeg gør i øjeblikket.

Efter Doomadgee fortsatte vi mod Burketown, som er der hvor saltvandskrokodillerne begynder at dukke op i floder og strande. Saltvandskrokodiller kan leve op til 200 km ind i landet, fra kysten. Vi fik lækker barramundi-fisk og pommes fritter til frokost, og derefter fortsatte vi til Normanton og videre til Karumba, hvor vi ankom i går aftes.

I morgen tidligt skal vi ud på en charter fiskerbåd og forsøge at fiske - i morgen aften skal vi med en anden båd ud at spotte krokodiller.