“Carisbrooke” Station

Leaving Longreach we decided to travel through Winton and then a further 88kms to Carisbrooke station (38kms on the Kennedy Development Road and the rest on dirt).  This road leads to Boulia and is also known as the Min Min Road.  Having spoken with Charlie (the father-in-law) and arranged to go to the station, it turned out to be an ‘iffy’ trip as there were thunderstorms and some light rain in the area.  We asked at the Winton Visitor Information Centre (V I C) what the dirt road section would be like if it had 5mm of rain.  No worries said the lady.  Wrong answer – about half way along the dirt section we struck a wetter patch, the tyres all filled with the black soil and we were suddenly going nowhere.

 Stuck there for about 30 minutes, but as the sun was shining again and the wind was blowing warm from the north – the road surface mud eventually hardened enough to get traction and resume the trip.  Apart from this minor drama the dirt road is generally OK with some sections of corrugation and one rather bumpy stock grid.  My advice is back off a little for stock grids on dirt roads.

Arrived at the station a little after 4:00pm –we met Charlie, who has been on the station for 50 years.  Charlie is caretaking as his son and daughter-in-law were currently enjoying a well-earned break from station work.  It’s always very interesting and informative to talk with somebody who understands their country.  They now run about 900 head of cattle as the dingoes (& wild dogs) had such an impact on the 10,000 head of sheep that used to be on the station, they were forced to switch to cattle. He showed as down to the shearing shed, which is now used solely for tourism, then left us to set up the caravan.

(Mazda BT-50 and River Caravan beside the shearing shed)

This property is very well equipped to handle the touring public.  At the camp/accommodation area there are male & female ablution blocks, accommodation huts for those traveling without caravans, camp kitchen and barbecues at the shearing shed. If you want to pitch a tent – that’s also welcome. Visitors during the “season” have a large fire pit with log seating and quaint hurricane lamps.  Water supply is rainwater or good bore water for showers etc.  Don’t be surprised if the cattle or sheep decide to visit and you can expect nocturnal native inhabitants to wander by during the evening

Sunday morning we left the caravan about 11:00am and went exploring – there are a number of defined tourist tracks to enable visitors to view the “jump ups” as they are called.  According to scientists the tops of these “jump ups” are the original level of the land millions of years ago and the lower level seen today is the result of water and wind erosion.

 The tracks on the property were created 40 plus years ago and incorporate a variety of scenic sites. During the tourist season there are organised tours stopping at various locations where there are barbecue facilities and other camp layouts.  All the tracks are well maintained and mostly suitable for conventional vehicles (not recommended in wet weather).  There are turns and twists, some creek crossings (check with owners if in conventional vehicle) but the challenge is well worth the effort.

(This is the middle of the local “3 sisters”)

Some 51 kms later (and about 3.5 hours) we returned to the caravan having seen an amazing area of scenery, escarpments, rock formations and all the colours and hues of the outback (including a variety of kangaroos, emus, wallaroos, birds and reptiles).

(Camera shy)

Sadly we had to move on, so Monday morning saw us back on the road into Winton (which is another story)

Safe travels until next time – Regards,  B & C Nomads