Boodjamulla- Oasis in the Outback

Unlike other iconic places that Oz is renown for, I had never heard of Boodjamulla. It was only when researching our trip to the Gulf that I discovered this diamond in the rough.

Between the Barkly Tablelands and the Gulf Savanna Plains lies Boodjamulla (Rainbow Serpent In Waanyi Language) National Park. One hundred ks from Gregory, an unsealed road leads you to a a magical oasis. Lawn Hill Creek flows all year round and Boodjamulla (the rainbow serpent) winds its way through this gorge. 

Most mornings, we walked along the creek. A must do is the Upper Gorge Lookout and Indarri Falls loop. The vista from the top was breathtakingly beautiful. Lush green dense vegetation hugging the emerald waters of the creek and rising up to meet the red sandstone walls.

We booked and paid for our canoe at Adel’s Grove and we did an early morning 2hr canoe trip down the creek. This was our “Wow!, Wow!, Wow!’ moment; turtles sunning themselves on the rocks, freshies on the banks of the creek, cormorants spying for prey and birds singing in the new day. It was soon becoming one of the most memorable places we have visited on our trip. 

In the afternoons we swam in the creek, floating along on our noodle. Yes!, you can swim, the freshies are generally timid and shy unless you annoy them. It still pays to be croc wise.

And all of this is a stone’s throw from the campground. You can’t book specific sites when you book online, so first in gets the pick. Sites are within a large open area and there’s little shade so no problem with capturing the UV rays, however it can get hot in the afternoon so a swim is a must. You are off grid and the water is non potable. The facilities are terrific and the cold showers are perfect for a hot day.

Boodjamulla is miles from nowhere. Most of the road is unsealed so I recommend that you stay a while to maximise the raw and untouched beauty of this place.

Here’s a link to a detailed guide to the park that you can download. It includes includes cultural background abut the park, a map of the area and camping information. There’s also a map showing each of the walking trails and a description of each trail. The latter we found very useful although the tracks are well signposted.

Here’s my tip. Bring a noodle.

Visit QLD parks if you’d like to find out more

Thank you Waanyi People for sharing your country.