(Boodjamulla National Park)

Adels Grove Camping Ground

**We acknowledge the Waanyi People as the First Australia and Custodians of Boodjamulla. We pay respect to Elders of the past and present ,and emerging in maintaining the culture ,country and spiritual connection to the land.****

Boodjamulla National Park is located on the border of Northern Outback Queensland and Northern Territory. The National Park is located between Barkly Tablelands which is South West of the Gulf Savanna Plains. It is also 340km north west of Mt Isa.This is a very spiritual place and home for the Waanyi people who are the traditional owners of this world heritage area. You can access this oasis by 4WD as the the roads are all corrugated going in to this park.

You are greeted by expansive plains ,sandstone cliffs and emerald green waters. We stayed at Adels Grove which is located 10 minutes drive down the road. Once in the park there are all types of walks and hikes that caters for all fitness levels. From easy walks around the initial park to the more challenging walks Upper gorge lookout, Constance Range Trackwalks ,Wild dog dreaming. You can also choose to swim in the lower gorge or up at the Indarri Falls.

We spent three days here, i could have stayed longer as this place is a hidden treasure with mind blowing landscapes. Lawn hill is a wet tropical rainforest with freshwater pools. The landscape eroded over millions of years and has left behind rugged escarpments and deep gorges. The gorge is one of the few places where the channel-bird lives all year around.

The camping ground offers Non powered only, you have a choice of the Grove which is under tree cover of up in the top camping area which gives you full access to the sunlight for you solar panels. Free use of washing and dryers and a bar in the middle of no where is also a bonus.

We spent our days here enjoying the many walks they have ,and swimming up at the falls with the freshwater crocs. I did not see any whilst i was in the water but some people from the camp did. As you share the water with them just be mindful you are in their territory. The crocs will go and hide from humans but if you hunt them down their teeth are quite sharp and you will come off second best.

You can hire canoes here for 2 hours at a cost of $90. This will allow you to access the gorge and waterfalls by boat. You can then choose to take the many walks this place has to offer ,Upper Gorge, Duwadam, Steep Slope all these walks gives you a bird-eye into the gorge. On our second day we kayaked down the gorge which gives you a different perspective . This place is very peaceful and tranquil when your out on the water. As i was the only one on the water when i heard a big splash coming from the bank area i picked up my tempo and paddled in the opposite direction. You can also take a boat cruise into the gorge which at a cost of $80 pp gets you up to the falls. You also have access once off the boat to the walks provided. Just remember wear appropriate shoes, so many people were wearing thongs which is dangerous in this terrain for all sorts of reasons.

There are some places in the park where photography is prohibited like Wild Dog dreaming. The Waanyi people ask that you respect their culture and not touch the rock paintings or engravings. Some people did not read this and flew their drones around this very spiritual area. Drones in all national parks are prohibited.

I highly recommend this place for the long bumpy journey in, it was well worth it. Don’t forget to ensure you have enough diesel or petrol as it is liquid gold in the outback.

The park is only open for 6 months of the year due to the wet season.