NTH QLD TRIP

Day Thirteen

Called into Gregory Downs general store before heading to Burketown, the store is a small container the width of  large 2 door fridge, incongruously taking on supplies from a 3 trailer road train.

Burketown

Named after the ill fated Robert O Hara Burke who made the first south north crossing of the continent 1860/1 shortly before his demise on the return journey.

Small town with butcher/ bakery servo general store and pub, Lyn insisted on checking out the pub which we found sterile and lacking any outback atmosphere. Quick trip out of town to boat ramp and wharf. Detour to the Landsborough tree and boiling down works. Landsborough led an expedition to find Burke and Wills, not  surprisingly it was unsuccessful as they had been dead at least a month before the start of the expedition. The boiling down works were a attempt by the Scottish /Australia co to avoid bankruptcy boiling down surplus stock for tallow and other by products.

Tomorrow plan to test out Burketowns claim to be Barra capital of the world.

Albert River Burketown

Look out Costco

More photos to follow