Outback Oasis
                                                                     ADEL'S GROVE
 

   

    It is HOT out here!  I’am loving it but Steve is drying up like an old bag! Ha!  In trying to find the real Outback experience we drove our old Toyota Camry onto 'Developmental Roads' and even dirt tracks to find that 'out of way experience' only to find after hours of bone shaking, teeth clenching miles we end up in a camp with dozens of 4x4's pulling big sturdy camping rigs.  But the area was super! 

We drove 600 miles out of our way to see Adel’s Grove near Lawn Hill Nat. Park.  Here we camped under big trees with kangaroos hopping around at night making BIG thumping noises and loud cockatoos and croaking frogs.  It was always a debate as to which toilet to use as both had a frog in the bottom of the toilet bowl.  They like the water and sit neck deep in the bottom or under the rim......and they have big eyes and SUCTION CUP feet!!! 

                   
  In the Grove we set up camp under big white ghost gum trees and next to a bamboo forest along the river gorge.  It is a red gorge with the Savannah of green dripping plants and Pandanus palms reflecting in the still tranquil water making it feel like an oasis.  In getting here we came across miles and miles of flat dusty terrain dodging 'whirly whirly's, where some had no trees and others nothing but ant hills taller than Steve,  so when we rented a canoe and paddled through the gorge and up to several small cascading waterfalls, it was such a relief.  There were purple lily pads on the still green water and yet the hot sun beating down.  We went for a refreshing swim in a still cool water pool and floated on inner tubes supplied by the camp.  Later I heard the man and his kids camped next to us talking about seeing 'the croc' sunning itself on a tree over the water.  DAH!  Found out later it was not a big salt water crocodile but a small fresh water 'croc' that are of no bother to humans.  I now have no fear of the green frogs with big eyes and SUCTION CUP feet.
               
 

Now in Mt. Isa an old copper mining town, Steve is enjoying checking out the old drilling equipment and me the Royal Flying Doctor Service.  Today I will go see the underground hospital and then this PM we go on a free tour of the mines to watch the molten hot slag being poured from the big buckets. Now it is really going to get HOT!
 

 

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