With the dirt roads getting better and better and the increased amount of bitumen that we were enjoying the closer we got to our destination of Karumba we both got a real sense of arriving back in civilisation. This was capped off when we arrived at the grocery store in Karumba to discover a range of food available! Something we hadn’t seen since Alice Springs and we definitely enjoyed buying loads of fresh fruit and vegetables.
The amusing thing was that while we thought we were heading back into civilisation for the vast majority of visitors this was the end point, as the normal “lap”would involve heading south and then east or west to continue on the bitumen.
The drawcard for Karumba is the fact that it sits right on the Gulf of Carpentaria and it was a beautiful blue sight that greeted us. For while we had got close a few times to see the sea the thick tall mangroves always meant we fell short. The other major attraction here was the fishing and the number of boats both in the town and the campsites was incredible, I really don’t think I have seen so many and everyone who lived in Karumba appeared to have multiple boats strewn around their property.
Watching sunset from the Sunset Bar, which was perfectly positioned on the sea front, was the popular activity for the early evening and we joined the masses. It was a beautiful sunset and we thought that we would treat ourselves to a bucket of prawns. Being so close to where they were they were caught we were surprised that to us they didn’t taste very good, almost old. We found out later that they were old as even though they were caught and delivered to the mainland just across the road they were then transported 2000km to Brisbane were they were then transported 2000km back to Karumba and sold to us! Wow!
Anyway we enjoyed Karumba and its laid back vibe and gradually adjusted to staying in busy campgrounds once again. The closer we get to the east coast and the “lap” the busier it will be and the more people campground owners will try and cram in. Still the plus side is that there will be loads of activities to do and especially a bit more hiking which we are both looking forward to. It was amusing the reaction of shock that a couple had when we told them we had walked the 5km to the next town it’s certainly not something that the average visitor here does a lot of. T