Brisbane, QLD


Wednesday, June 29, 2016

THE BIGGEST CROCODILE IN THE WORLD (Savannah Way 6)

We left Karumba on the north coast of QLD (see map) and returned to Normanton before continuing along The Savannah Way towards Lawn Hill National Park. 
 This building is a bank in Normanton. It is a typical example of "The Queenslander"  architecture,  where the house is built on stilts above the ground and it has a wide verandah all the way around to keep it cool.

 The Carpentaria Shire Council building is unique in that it was designed like a hotel but it never has been one.

 This is Krys the crocodile. It is a replica of the largest crocodile to be shot in the world. It was shot in 1957 by Krystina Powlowski on the MacAthur Bank, Norman River near Normanton.
 It measured 28ft 4in (8.63m) and estimated to weigh 2 tons. My friend, George, poses to show the scale compared to a man.

 Then we drove for 2 hours to our next stop, Camp 119. It is the camp site of the famous explorers, Bourke and Wills when they almost reached the north coast of Australia after leaving Melbourne on the south coast 6 months before in 1860. It was a tragic expedition. 19 men started with horses, wagons and camels but by half way many had pulled out and only four continued. On the return journey they all died of starvation except one, John King, who was rescued by aborigines. It was the custom to 'blaze' trees with an axe. It was a signature to prove where explorers had been. The blaze is still evident over 150 years later, on many trees at this campsite.  However, they appear low on the trunk but that is because the ground level has risen through years of silt being deposited in wet seasons.

After morning tea it was back in the coach for many more miles. We passed through dry plains and....

we crossed many rivers and,,,,,

 we passed through many cattle stations. American Long Horn cattle have just been introduced.

 Our picnic lunch stop was at Leichhardt Falls. The tour guides were very excited because this is the first time they had seen water flowing. They have done the trip for many years but these tours can only occur during the dry season as the roads are under water in the wet season. However, this year the wet season was very late so we were lucky to see the falls still running.

After flicking off flies while eating a wrap for lunch, we continued on the long journey to Adels Grove near Lawn Hill NP.

12 comments:

  1. if we eat outside here this time of year we flick off flies, gnats and mosquitoes. that waterfall is spectacular. the crock is prehistoric material as in sci fi movies. wow.... she was a brave lady, i would have been running the other way.. we have crocs here but not that size.. i like the shot of the silt in the water...

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  2. This has been quite a trip and I enjoyed it vicariously (catching up on all posts I missed while we were traveling -- far less adventurously). You were lucky to see that waterfall -- what a great bonus. Whew -- that croc was amazing. We have alligators in Florida which can be dangerous enough, although I like seeing them in all their prehistoric glory!

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  3. Wow that alligator looks like a monster!! Glad y'all got to see the waterfalls flowing still..

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  4. The "croc" has lovely teeth - ha ha.
    What a monster.
    That is interesting - the introduction of American Long Horn
    Cattle. I would have thought the extended horns like on the one
    shown would be a hindrance in the mulga areas of the north.
    Maybe this breed has a tick resistance??? However, I think de-horning
    would be very advisable.
    Great report and photos from the FNQ region on the Gulf and Normanton.
    Colin

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  5. Oh how I would love a holiday there and take a photo with that croc maybe one day who knows only time will tell

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  6. Nice to see these remote areas. That croc is huge indeed.

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  7. Hello Diane, I like the cute bank building. That croc is a big one, it was shot by a woman? Krystina sounds like a woman's name. The waterfalls is pretty, so glad there was water. Great series from your trip. Enjoy your day and the weekend ahead!

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  8. wow Diane your country is really amazing place. i thinki Krystine Powlowski had Polish roots because her surname sounds Polish

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  9. What on earth was the croc shot with? It would need a pretty powerful rifle and a superb shot to stop that!

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  10. I think a model of the croc is the only one I would want to see. Good job your transport can cope with all the water that's around.

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  11. Can't imagine a coc that big. The eight foot alligators are terrifying enough around here, terrifying enough to send me straight to the safety of the car. It's neat that you were fortunate enough to see water coming over the falls as it was quite pretty.

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