Day 71: Tue 5 Jul - Croydon to Normanton

Day 71: Tue 5 Jul - Croydon to Normanton

Towed 158km (Total towed 6,053 of total 7,206km driven)

11-23 Deg, A cold morning to start the day, feeling much colder than 11deg - the heater almost got a run. It was a little windy too this morning, but for the first day since Chillagoe, more than two weeks ago - there was not a cloud in the sky all day. It was beautiful in the sun and out of the fresh SE wind. We drove away from the Croydon Freedom Camp ground before 8:00am into town firstly to fill our water tanks then to top up with diesel. We have had three days free camping without topping up water, and I think we could have got another two days out of what we had left. I also had enough fuel to get to Normanton or even Karumba, our next destination, but I thought it was a bargain to top up at $2.53/lt in Croydon, versus the $2.59 in Karumba and Normanton. We were soon heading towards Normanton along the Savannah Way, very good road conditions, stopping for our morning brew at the historical Blackbull Railway siding on the Normanton to Croydon railway line. We arrived at our next Free camp stay just over the Norman River bridge on the other side of Normanton by just after 11:00am. There were already a few caravans set up here, but with a maximum 48hr stay and restrictions on the number of campers allowed to stay (it's free but registration is required), there are plenty of parking options available in this wide open area along the river. Only 1500m into town along a lovely foot/cycle path, Noeleene drove into town to find a grocery store, then went back in for a walk while I went for a ride around town. We both saw everything this town has to offer within a few minutes - there isn't much to see here at all, except for Kris the Crocodile - an 8.64m long saltwater croc, the largest ever caught. Back in 1957, it was killed on the banks of the Norman River by a Polish Immigrant Krystina Pawlowski. Noel didn't end up buying much, at $13.90 for a lettuce and other ridiculous food costs, we'll wait until we get to Karumba for shopping. The afternoon disappeared quickly before we had our pre-dinner drinks in the cooling fresh air and another nice sunset. After dinner in our respective vans, we caught up again outside for a bit of star watching, but there was a bit too much light from the moon, and we were all keen to call it the day anyway. 

Morning tea stop at the historical Blackbull Railway siding 

The Blackbull railway siding 


The Blackbull railway siding 

Track into our free camp on the Norman river at Normanton

Pedestrian / Fishing bridge across the Norman River into Normanton

Welcome to Normanton

Every town has a mural

Kris - the 8.64m long Crocodile

Busy main street of Normanton 

The Old Central Hotel

The nicest building in town - The Shire Council building

Sunset on the first of two nights at our camp site by the Norman River




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