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Destinations > Diamond In The Rough
Diamond In The Rough
Covering an area of about 124,000ha Welford is an important refuge for many varieties of plants and animals that have become rare in the surrounding region due to heavy grazing pressures. Over 100 species of birds have been sighted within the park including many types of colourful parrots such as the Mulga, Bourke and Mallee ringneck.
Once you cross over the grid that separates the park from the adjoining cattle station it's approximately 500m to the turn-off to park headquarters. The 10km track that leads to the ranger station and the information stand where you can obtain your camping permit, passes through a mixture of stony mulga country and open black soil plains. The latter can become extremely slippery after a bit of heavy rain as the black mud provides no traction for tyres. In fact a great deal of the park is totally impassable in the wet so make sure that you are carrying more than enough food in case you are stranded there for days on end.
The Mulga Drive
The ranger station is the starting point for the 54km return Mulga drive. Allow yourself about 3-4 hours to do the trip as there is plenty of things to see and photograph along the way. The first 15km or so of the journey passes through Mitchell grass and black soil country with little clumps of mulga far off in the distance. There are a number of normally dry creek crossings that you have to negotiate that shouldn't present a problem unless there has been recent rain.
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There is an abrupt change in the terrain as the track rises up slightly into the stony mulga lands and follows an old fence for a short distance before passing the rusting remains of an old windmill and water troughs from the parks former sheep station days. Keep a good lookout for wildlife around here as I spotted a few small mobs of red kangaroos and emus as well as a few different species of raptors like the black and brown falcon and the collared sparrowhawk. These magnificent birds of prey normally feed on other birds such as zebra finches and diamond doves, which are two of the most common species found in the park.
The Mulga drive ends at Sawyers Creek, a picturesque tree-lined little stream that is a tributary of the Barcoo River. The lushly vegetated banks of this beautiful creek stand out in stark contrast to the harsh, dry mulga country and are a magnet for wildlife. About 1km before you reach the creek you will pass a sign pointing to Sawyers Lookout. Leave your vehicle here and walk up the stony 600m track (one way) to the lookout that provides good views over the surrounding mulga country.
The only place to camp in this eastern section of the park is at Trafalgar Waterhole on the Barcoo River. To reach this delightful little camping spot turn-off the Mulga drive about 4km from ranger HQ then follow the track for about 3.5km until it come to a grassy area above the Barcoo River. There are no facilities, so make sure that you dig your latrine well back from the river. The steep banks of the Barcoo around here are lined with large river red gums which are important nesting sites for parrots and other birds that need hollow branches for breeding in.
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Once you cross over the grid that separates the park from the adjoining cattle station it's approximately 500m to the turn-off to park headquarters. The 10km track that leads to the ranger station and the information stand where you can obtain your camping permit, passes through a mixture of stony mulga country and open black soil plains. The latter can become extremely slippery after a bit of heavy rain as the black mud provides no traction for tyres. In fact a great deal of the park is totally impassable in the wet so make sure that you are carrying more than enough food in case you are stranded there for days on end.
The Mulga Drive
The ranger station is the starting point for the 54km return Mulga drive. Allow yourself about 3-4 hours to do the trip as there is plenty of things to see and photograph along the way. The first 15km or so of the journey passes through Mitchell grass and black soil country with little clumps of mulga far off in the distance. There are a number of normally dry creek crossings that you have to negotiate that shouldn't present a problem unless there has been recent rain.
read on below advertisement
There is an abrupt change in the terrain as the track rises up slightly into the stony mulga lands and follows an old fence for a short distance before passing the rusting remains of an old windmill and water troughs from the parks former sheep station days. Keep a good lookout for wildlife around here as I spotted a few small mobs of red kangaroos and emus as well as a few different species of raptors like the black and brown falcon and the collared sparrowhawk. These magnificent birds of prey normally feed on other birds such as zebra finches and diamond doves, which are two of the most common species found in the park.
The Mulga drive ends at Sawyers Creek, a picturesque tree-lined little stream that is a tributary of the Barcoo River. The lushly vegetated banks of this beautiful creek stand out in stark contrast to the harsh, dry mulga country and are a magnet for wildlife. About 1km before you reach the creek you will pass a sign pointing to Sawyers Lookout. Leave your vehicle here and walk up the stony 600m track (one way) to the lookout that provides good views over the surrounding mulga country.
The only place to camp in this eastern section of the park is at Trafalgar Waterhole on the Barcoo River. To reach this delightful little camping spot turn-off the Mulga drive about 4km from ranger HQ then follow the track for about 3.5km until it come to a grassy area above the Barcoo River. There are no facilities, so make sure that you dig your latrine well back from the river. The steep banks of the Barcoo around here are lined with large river red gums which are important nesting sites for parrots and other birds that need hollow branches for breeding in.
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