North Queensland - 23 Aug 2021

Dawn over Lake Dunn

Al enjoys his morning cuppa while Dell is busy getting breakfast

Not far from the fresh water Lake Dunn is the saltwater Lake Gallilee, so this was to be just a day-trip. 

After stopping at the info board we climbed through the fence and walked and walked, over the salt pans to get to the edge of the lake.

There were certainly quite a few more birds compared to that of Lake Dunn, with pelicans, lots of swans, shorebirds, and kites. With no cover close to the lake, we found it very difficult to capture bird photos. 

The others left and went on the circuit Sculture drive (see photos at the end) while we stayed, and Darryl try and get better photos. 

I sat on a log for a while, watching the birds and relaxing then went back to the car for my morning tea in the shade. Darryl eventually gave up trying to sneak up on the birds and we drove back to camp for lunch.

On the way we saw lots of wildflowers grevilleas, wattle, and purple turkey bush.

Grevillea spp

We missed our turn in, but it was fortuitous as if not we would have missed 4 brolgas and at least one father emu with his chicks. 

Dad and one of at least 8 chicks

After lunch and a swim, we napped and I woke just as the others returned from their circuit drive. Heavy grey clouds were coming in fast, so we put up the tarp. 

The rain started and we sat down to happy hour just as high winds and rain tore through. Happy hour was abandoned, (only temporarily of course), as we struggled to hold up the camps until it passed. Luckily, all was ok, nothing too much wet except us. The toilet tent decided it was going to fold up though. 

We later heard that Aramac had 20mm, which was great for them.

The Sculpture Trail