Friday – Normanton, Karumba and Birds

Friday 4th June 2021

We woke up just before sunrise at Croydon. After expecting a mild 20 degrees overnight, we woke to a cold 15 degrees.

After getting ourselves together we left for our 225km drive to Karumba.

We crossed through to the Shire of Carpentaria.

Normanton

We pulled into the first and only other town on the way to Karumba, called Normanton. Normanton was around 160km NW of Croydon. We went to the bakery for morning tea.

Normanton is a small outback cattle town and coastal locality in the Shire of Carpentaria in Queensland. It is the administrative centre of the Shire.

History

The town sits in the traditional lands of the Gkuthaarn (Kareldi) and Kukatj people.

The town takes its current name from the Norman River, which was named in honour of William Henry Norman of the Victorian Naval Forces, who commanded a ship in the search for the explorers Burke and Wills and also conducted hydrographic surveys of the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Torres Strait to identify reefs and other marine hazards.

The site for the town was selected after Burketown was abandoned owing to fever and flooding. Settlers moved into the town in 1867.

Normanton grew slowly until the discovery of gold at Croydon in 1885 provided a major boost, attracting people from a variety of cultures, including Chinese people drawn to the gold fields.

The town contains the longest intact and operating Burns Philp store (shipping) in Queensland. The general mercantile store and agency office was opened in 1884.

Interesting Facts

• Burke and Wills Camp 119 is 40km West of Normanton. This was the most northern expedition camp for the exploration party.
• It was the main penal establishment in the Gulf Savannah, in the 1800s
• Krys the Savannah King was shot here in 1957 by Krystina Pawlowski, one of many crocodile shooters in the area. It measured 8.63m.

Karumba

We continued north toward Karumba. Arriving just before lunchtime.

We checked into our van site for the next 4 nights.

We explored Karumba point a little in the afternoon and had a lot of park playtime and outdoor play before dinner.

Tomorrow

We are staying to Karumba for 3 fulls days. We look to fish, relax and learn a little more out this small coastal rural town, on the wetlands of the Savannah Gulf.