Destinations > Diamond In The Rough

Issue: November 2008

Words and photos by John McCann

Diamantina and Welford National Parks in far western Queensland are off the beaten track and not overflowing with tourists. Just the place for an adventurous Overlander then.

Diamantina and Welford National Parks in far western-Queensland are two excellent out of the way destinations that will appeal to anyone with an adventuresome spirit and a love of the natural world. The small Queensland outback town of Quilpie (population 600) is the start and finish for this interesting excursion, which weaves its way through a very isolated part of the country that sees very few tourists.
Situated on the Bulloo River 953km west of Brisbane, Quilpie is famous for its boulder opals that are highly sought after by amateur and professional fossickers alike. Make sure that your vehicle is in top condition before leaving this friendly little outback town as the RACQ breakdown and towing service that used to operate out of the service station in Windorah 250km to the west no longer exists.
If you want to get a good look at the sort of remote, timeless country that you will be driving through head out to Baldy Top lookout which is situated near the Thargomindah turn-off 4km west of Quilpie. It's a relatively easy ten- minute scramble up to the top of this rocky outcrop that is part of the Grey Range and one of the only high points in the region. On a clear day the panoramic view over the surrounding mulga lands seems to stretch on forever. Sunsets from the lookout can be spellbinding, but make sure you carry a torch in case you slip on the crumbly loose rocks on the way back down.

Road Carnage
It's best to leave Quilpie early in the morning so you will be feeling fresh for the 600km trip to Diamantina National Park. Driving at night is dangerous in this part of the country, as kangaroos and cattle can suddenly emerge out of the mulga onto the road. I saw the results of this nightly carnage just after dawn on the way to Windorah when I passed nine recently killed red kangaroos and a large Brahman cross bull on the bitumen strip.
Dead kangaroos are a magnet for hungry wedge-tailed eagles that are often themselves bowled over by speeding vehicles since they are too full of food to take-off. Having already seen two dead eagles the previous day, I stopped and dragged all the carcases 20m off the road so these magnificent birds of prey could feed in peace without fear of being knocked.

Cooper Creek
Around 26km east of Windorah you cross over the first of the channels that branch off Cooper Creek. From here it's another 16km further on to the famous creek itself that was immortalised in the poetry of Banjo Patterson. A concrete bridge now spans this magnificent inland stream which was named by the explorer Charles Stuart in 1845 and has since become firmly entwined in Australian folklore. There are a couple of excellent places where you can camp amongst the river red gums on the banks of Cooper Creek and it's would be well worth stopping there for a night on the way to or from Diamantina National Park.
There is not a great deal to see or do in Windorah (population about 100), but it's where you have to fill up with fuel for the 350km trip to Diamantina. Since there is no fuel available in the park itself, you will need enough for the 700km round trip plus another 200km for driving around inside it. Make sure that you top up your water containers -take more than you will think that you need, as you will be passing through an extremely dry isolated part of Australia that has claimed the lives of other outback travellers in the past.

West Of Windorah
The straight, narrow strip of bitumen that stretches west of Windorah at first passes through flat, bare country and is fairly featureless apart from a few low sand hills. It's probably best to drive with your lights on as the shimmering heat off the road in the middle of the day can be mesmerising, which often makes the distance between you and the occasional on-coming vehicles quite confusing. Make sure that you pull completely off the bitumen when you see a road-train approaching as these outback monsters take up the entire black strip and never veer over.
About 39km west of Windorah you cross over Whitula Creek, which if you there after recent rain is a narrow 100m wide strip of greenery that stands in steep contrast to the reddish-brown hues of the surrounding landscape. Thick stands of mulga begin to emerge again about 10km further to the west and continue on for another 40km until you reach the turn-off to the old JC ruins.
The ruins, or what's left of them, were part of the JC Hotel that was built by the pioneer John Costello back in 1884. A tiny township called Canterbury sprang up around the old pub and was a stopover for Cobb and Co coaches as well as servicing local sheep stations in the area. Prolonged drought and hard financial times finally took their toll and by the 1930's it was abandoned and then quickly swallowed up by the elements. Today apart from the dead in the tiny cemetery the only residents are a few hardy lizards that live amongst the rubble of the old pub.
After passing the turn-off to Birdsville at the 112km mark, the bitumen continues west towards Bedourie for a further 12km before finally changing to gravel for the remainder of the trip. There is a dramatic transformation in the harsh, dry countryside about 150km west of Windorah when you crossover the first channels of Farrars Creek. After good rains lush native grasses, wildflowers and other plants suddenly emerge from the newly moistened land between the channels of water. These events cause an explosion in bird numbers, as most species go into a breeding frenzy to take advantage of the abundance of seeds and insects available.
Often there can be no rain in the area with the water travelling down from hundreds of kilometres upstream. During the height of these floods the concrete causeways across the channels of Farrars Creek would be totally impassable for weeks on end.
You finally reach the turn-off to Diamantina 175km west of Windorah. A sign pointing to a track heading off in a northerly direction says Davenport Station 140km, Diamantina Lakes (park headquarters) 172km. The country in this area is dry and harsh and within 10km you are passing over a grid into Palparara Station. Keep speed to a minimum through here as the track often suddenly dips down into dry gullies that could easily damage the underside of your vehicle if you were driving too fast.
Spotting wildlife in much of this harsh, bleak rock-strewn landscape was very difficult when I went through, even though it was late afternoon when most things should be out and about. Apart from four red kangaroos-two mothers and their young and a small mob of about five emus, the only other signs of life were a few circling kites way off in the distance.
About 60km or so before you reach park headquarters there is a change for the better in the country as you track crosses over Davenport, Fifteen-Mile and Brackabra Creeks that run off the Diamantina River. The lushest area however is a bit further to the north around Edkins Creek, approximately 5km south of the national park boundary. This region can look spectacularly green and lush if there has been recent rains, since the channels of water spread out breathing life into the normally arid landscape. These creek crossings and their surroundings are black soil country, which means they would be totally impassable until the sun dried the ground out.

Diamantina National Park
It's 32km from the park boundary to the Diamantina ranger headquarters. Covering 507,000ha, the park is one the largest in Queensland and provides a home for a host of rare and endangered species including the bilby, kowari (a small carnivorous marsupial) and peregrine falcon.
A former grazing property, Diamantina was gazetted a national park in 1992 to protect some of the unique ecosystems that are found in the arid lands of outback Queensland. The Diamantina River, which cuts through the middle of the park, lies in the heart of the channel country, so called because of the numerous channels that run off the river and spread out across the plains after flooding before the water finally drains into Lake Eyre in central Australia.
While the country around the channels of the Diamantina River can look fairly lush after flooding, the rest of the park is quite arid with gibber plains, weathered sandstone ranges, claypans, sand dunes and Mitchell grass plains. From Ranger headquarters it's a 10km drive along the Bouila-Springvale road to the turn-off to Hunters Gorge then a further 4km along a rough bush track to the camping area at Mundewerra Waterhole.
Situated on a channel of the Diamantina River, Mundewerra Waterhole is a picturesque spot with coolibah trees sprinkled along it. The red-sandstone cliffs that rise up 30m above the water on the opposite bank look particularly brilliant when they are bathed by sunlight. Unfortunately the area where you can camp is fairly exposed to the elements and can be windy at times. When I was there towards the end of March the only problem I had to contend with were millions of tiny bush flies that wanted to cover every bit of exposed skin on your body. Even insect repellent rubbed liberally over the arms and face had little effect on these annoying pests, but if you visit the park in the cooler months they shouldn't be a problem.
Facilities at Hunters Gorge are limited to one pit toilet. Make sure that you have a fuel stove for cooking, as collecting firewood in this semi-arid park is not permitted. What fallen timber there is provides homes for lizards and other small animals, that would quickly die from exposure to the elements if their protective cover were removed.

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Abundant Birdlife
Bird life around Mudewerra Waterhole is prolific, especially in the early morning and late afternoon when galahs, zebra finches, diamond doves willy-wagtails and small flocks of budgerigars come down to drink. Both the white-faced and white-necked herons regularly patrol the muddy banks along the waterline searching for yabbies and other small crustaceans, while overhead the distinctive high pitched calls from whistling kites can be heard throughout the day.
To reach the park's other camping area at Gumhole on Gum Creek, head back to the Bouila-Springvale road then keep going west for another 11km until you see the sign on the right. The camping area is about 200m in off the road from here. This lovely little spot which is set amongst coolabah and bauhinia trees, has definitely more places for camping and even has a few fireplaces and a picnic table as well as one pit toilet.
Gum Creek is also a magnet for birds. During my two-day stay there I saw many inland species that I had never seen before including the red-backed kingfisher, crimson chat, banded plover and the Australian pratincole. One of the most striking birds, the beautifully marked spinifex pigeon, can often be seen in pairs and small groups walking through the spinifex on their way to the water.
My most notable sighting however was the rarely sighted Australian dotterel, which is considered by ornithologists to be one of the best-camouflaged birds in the world. These delightful little ground dwelling creatures are mainly nocturnal and it was only by good luck and a powerful torch that I was able to see them.

Warracoota Circuit
Make sure you have enough fuel to go on the Warracoota Circuit Drive before leaving the park. The round trip from Gum Creek camping area is about 95km and some parts of the circuit are really rough. Try and allow approximately 3 hours to complete the journey, longer if you are like me and want to explore the bushes around the base of sand-hills for wildlife.
Just after turning off onto the circuit drive you pass steel cattle yards that were constructed by the former owner of the park, then a bit further on you come to some large red dunes. If you walk up to the top of these red dunes there are great panoramic views over the surrounding landscape. Walk slowly and you might even spot a small military dragon or a skink running across the sand.
After leaving the sand dunes behind you the track winds across clay pans for about 10km. If you come to the park at the beginning of the season drive very slowly over them since there might not have been any other vehicles there for months making the wheel tracks that you are supposed to be following next to invisible. There are few small posts that you can get your bearings off but they can be difficult to see.
Once you are past the clay pans the landscape is dominated by small clumps of mulga, gibber plains then grasslands which are a good place to keep your eye out for zebra finches and other seed eating birds. The original inhabitants of the Diamantina area the Maiawali, hunted for lizards and other small animals across these grasslands, making their camp around the tree lined banks at Lake Constance that you pass about halfway through the drive.
Over the next 10km or so the track is quite rough as it winds across the flat, cracked earth of Flinders grass country before it slowly rises up into broader grasslands and surrounding sand-hills. Make sure you get out and have a look around Warracoota Waterhole that was an important stock watering point during the park's former cattle station days. The track meanders on for about another 30km from here until it comes out on the Springvale-Boulia road about 9km west of Gumhole camping area.

Welford National Park
To reach Welford National Park, head back to Windorah and fill up with fuel and water then drive east towards Quilpie for about 50km until you reach the turn-off to Jundah. The park, whose southern boundary runs along the Barcoo River, is another 50km north of here.
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.
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.

Camping At Little Boomerang
Once you are back at the turn-off to the ranger station on the Jundah road- that cuts through the middle of the park, keep heading north for a few kilometres until you see a sign on the left to the park's main camping area at Little Boomerang Waterhole. The 10km track that winds its way across Mitchell grass plains and claypans before emerging amongst the trees on the Barcoo River is easy to negotiate during dry weather, but would be virtually impossible to drive across after heavy rain due to the slippery nature of the soil.
The only man-made facility at Little Boomerang is one corrugated-iron pit toilet so make sure you have everything you need for your stay. Fortunately this outback oasis sees very few visitors, as there are only a couple of level sites where you can pitch a tent back from the river. The star-studded sky above the Barcoo is magnificent, while the haunting calls from nightjars and barking owls mingle with the plopping sounds from yellow-belly and other large fish leaping out of the water.
Fishing in the Barcoo River is normally not too difficult, but the "big wet" in early 2008 made catching a feed more than a little difficult. "There's just too much food in the river for the yellow-belly to feed on" lamented camper Chris Isaac who said he had spent three days fishing without anything to show for his efforts. "Fortunately my wife Lisa bought plenty of sausages for us to eat", he laughed "but being here with my family in this magic spot more than makes up for the lack of fish".

The Desert Drive
About 2km back from Little Boomerang Waterhole is the start of the 22km (one way) Desert Drive. Try to do this interesting trip early in the morning or late afternoon when the lighting is not so harsh and there is a greater chance of seeing wildlife. The terrain varies considerably from flat claypans through to mulga and spinifex country as well as picturesque red sand dunes that are sprinkled with ghost gums and small hardy desert plants.
My favourite spot on the drive is the Desert Waterhole that you pass around the 6km mark. The thick vegetation bordering this long, narrow waterhole is a magnet for birds and other wildlife including eastern grey kangaroos, sand monitors and mulga snakes. If you go slowly you will have nothing to worry about on the Desert Drive which ends where it joins up with the Jundah road.

 

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