Destinations > Bladensburg NP

Apart from some thick pockets of gidgee, and other small eucalypts, most of the country that you pass through on the way to the camping area is open Mitchell grass plains. There are also a short section of clay pans that you drive over which would become a soggy quagmire and inaccessible to vehicles after heavy rain.

After passing through the mostly harsh, dry terrain, it's a pleasant feeling to finally pull into the camping ground at Bough Shed Hole on Surprise Creek. Set amidst shady River red gums, this picturesque spot is great place to relax for a few days while you explore the park. Facilities are limited to a single pit toilet, but this is more than made up for by the tranquility of the surrounding area.

It's approximately half a kilometre from the camping area down to Top Crossing on Surprise Creek. The flat, stony crossing here is smooth and normally dry and would only be covered with water after a lot of heavy rain. During the early days of settlement, the crossing was used by horse drawn wagons heading to the opal fields south of Winton.

Upon reaching the opposite bank, you travel through private property for four kilometres until you join up with the Opalton Road and enter the western side of the park. About one kilometre along this section you pass by the grave of Richard Cragg, who was a pioneering contractor from the Winton area. Cragg died from accidental poisoning in 1888.

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Once you are back inside Bladensburg again the road begins a gradual rise and continues on for another 10km to the park boundary. The country through here is picturesque, especially in the late afternoon light when the suns fading rays appear to spread a golden glow over the landscape. There are a couple of spots where you can park by the side of the road and scramble up the spinifex covered hillside to take in the view. You might even be lucky enough to flush out a superbly coloured rufous-crowned emu wren, or spot one of the parks most striking feathered inhabitants - the beautifully marked spinifex pigeon.

About half a kilometre before the Opalton Road exits the park, there is a narrow one kilometre track that branches off to the left and heads to Logan Falls. For most of the year the waterfall is usually dry as a bone, and the only time that you are sure of seeing it flowing is in the wet season during the summer months. The main drawback about traveling to Bladensburg at this time of the year however is that it's extremely hot, with daily temperature often topping 40ºC.

It's a rough scramble down a 20m gorge to reach the rockpool at the base of the falls. This tranquil little spot is shaded for most of the day, which is why there is usually water in there, even during prolonged dry spells. Wallaroos and to a lesser extent eastern grey kangaroos, come down to this rock-pool to drink during the warmer parts of the day. If you can find yourself a bit of cover amongst the rocks, you have good chance of obtaining some close-up photographs of these large marsupials.

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