Gundabooka National Park

Gundabooka is a remote park south-west of Bourke, the first National Park on ‘The Darling River Run’. Driving on dirt roads is not always smooth but we enjoyed it. We took our time and enjoyed the scenery, avoided wildlife and missed most of the washouts and rough patches of road, but it was impossible to avoid the corrugations.

We drove into the Dry Tank Camp site, which is slap-bang in the middle of the park, not knowing what to expect and hoping for a pleasant overnight spot. We left eight days later and only then because we ran out of supplies. We had planned on topping up supplies from the little towns we passed through, but we couldn’t. The shops were not out of supplies; the towns were out of shops! So, by the time we left we were nearly out of water, almost our of food and reduced to eating gourmet meals such as, tinned chicken soup with pasta spirals, rice with tinned tuna, kidney beans on toast (minus the toast) and powdered milk, you get the picture. But worse than that, we had run out of beer, wine, scotch and…wait for it…chocolate. I know, third world stuff. Still we survived.

The landscape here was dead flat, except for Gundabooka Mountain, which stood out of the landscape like a pimple on a pumpkin. We didn’t realise just how big an area Gundabooka was, nor how flat, until Peter took the drone for a flight. 

The camp site itself is a huge area and it’s easy to lose your bearing. We walked into the Mulga scrub, turned around three times and I was lost. Luckily Peter has a much better sense of direction than I do and after a bit of bush bashing, we made it back home to Chunky Bum. After that we made sure we had the two-way radios switched on if either of us went off on our own.

This is a dry place. There are a lot of dead trees, no water to be seen and as the red dust eddies in the wind, it’s hard to believe that anything could survive out here. But the abundant birdlife proves that there’s plenty of food and water, if you’re little enough. And trust me, some of these birds are tiny. My next post will be all about the birds of Gundabooka.

We also took the opportunity to take the scooters out for a run. The ground was a bit rugged in places, and to be honest, I got off and walked in a few areas, but it was fun. We rode along the Little Mountain walking track which would lead us to the Gundabooka Mountain lookout. We had to leave the scooters before the climb up to the lookout, they don’t do stairs, and finished the walk on foot.

A couple of days after that (we had to have a rest) we drove to another walking track; this one was at Mulgowan. From the car park it was an easy walk to an area displaying Aboriginal Rock art. I’m so pleased we went there. The Rock Art was clearly visible all through a series of small “home” caves. The ones on the ceiling were exceptionally well preserved, the others on the walls facing out were still clear to see, but those more exposed to the weather, were understandably faded.

The beginning of the walk was nothing to write home about, but as we went farther in, the scenery changed. From dry outback conditions to more lush green flora. The yellow wattle trees in full bloom adding a burst of vibrant colour and stood out in stark contrast to the reds and ochres of the rock formations which festooned the area. There was water here too, not a lot but enough to support this little oasis in the bush and an abundance of birdlife. The area close to the caves was a picturesque gorge. It had an almost fairy tale feel to it, and we both found it enchanting. I didn’t see the Seven Dwarves, but I’m pretty sure I found Sleeping Beauty.

The only other trips we took after that were for wood gathering. Even though there was an abundance of dead wood lying around in the National Park, we were not allowed to use it. So, we made a couple of three-hour round trips out of the National Park to collect our firewood, and of course to do a bit more exploring.

See you out there somewhere

On tow and on the go!