I am trying to put a little bit of variety into this trip, so that we can not only enjoy a few remote geocaches, but also to have a look at some of this spectacular part of the country that not many of us have regular access to.

Highlights

On our return journey, we will be passing through Taroom, historically significant as having a Coolibah tree that once bore the initials of the explorer Ludwig Leichardt who passed through this area in 1884 on his oveland trek to Darwin.

Friday

There will be 2 meeting points.We will be departing at EXACTLY the times shown (GPS time). This is going to be a long day, so we need to be able to get moving as early as possible. (See the waypoints list below for GPS locations).

• 06:30 - BP Services on Bruce Highway (Caboolture).
• 08:00 - Yarraman.

Any straglers will need to catch up!

Our next stop will be the first geocache [Cross Roads] which is also the same location as the Confluence point. From here we will be heading to the second cache [Coach Crossing] and then on to Cracow for a well earned refreshment at the famous Cracow Pub.

After the pub, the plan is to continue to Expedition National Park and setup camp.

Saturday

A more relaxed start to the day, and then just exploring the park.

Sunday

We are 550kms from Brissie, so have a three quarter day trek back, passing through Taroom and then dowm the Leichardt onto the Warrego Highway at Miles, then back home.

This is a remote park, so you will need to be fully self sufficient. If you are unsure of what to bring regarding this please contact me directly and I will point you in the right direction. I will be posting fuel stops here soon, so will give you some indication as to range between stops. I do not believe that this should prove to be a problem for anyone though as it should not be too far. I will confirm this once research has been done.

Expedition National Park

Expedition National Park straddles the Expedition range between Injune, Rolleston and Taroom and is largely inaccessible, except by properly equipped and experience bushwalkers. However there are two camp sites on the eastern side of the park, near Robinson Gorge, and both of these are accessible by 4WD. There is no access for conventional vehicles or low clearance trailers and caravans.

Spotted Gum campsite, near the northern end of Robinson Gorge, has no facilities while Starkvale Creek campsite has pit toilets and a rainwater tank. There are self-registration stations at both camp-grounds. Starkvale is closer to the gorge proper and is the jump off point to the "Cattle Dip" an aptly named section of Robinson Gorge. The gorge starts off as a wide shallow depression near Spotted Gum camp-ground then narrows and deepens towards its southern end to form this Cattle Dip, a 6m wide and up to 100m high chasm with a permanent water hole in the bottom.

A clearly defined, 2km long, walking trail from Starkvale camp-ground leads to a lookout over the gorge.

An offshoot from this trail leads down into the gorge. It is steep in places and requires a scramble over rocky outcrops. Before exploring the bottom of the gorge make sure you take notice of where the trail ends as this is the only exit from the gorge. Once in the gorge it is possible to walk all the way down to the Cattle Dip.

There is a 1.5km 4WD track followed by an easy 400m walk to a lookout over the Cattle Dip and no trip to Robinson Gorge would be complete without seeing it.

Isla Gorge National Park

At the southern end of the Dawson Range, Isla Gorge National Park protects spectacular sandstone scenery in the central highlands. Here, among a complex maze of gorges, sandstone outcrops and striking rock formations change colour throughout the day. Scenic Isla Gorge is fairly broad and contains Gorge Creek, a tributary of the Dawson River.

Open eucalypt forests, brigalow and softwood scrubs and patches of dry rainforest with distinctive bottle trees grow in the park. The park is home to many rare and threatened plants including Eucalyptus beaniana, an ironbark found west of the lookout and Eucalyptus curtisii, a mallee. The plateau has brilliant wildflower displays in spring.

Rock engravings and stencils are a reminder that Aboriginal people have a close connection with this place. The remains of an old hand-paved road, constructed in 1864 to transport wool from the Roma district to the coastal port of Rockhampton, can still be seen in the western end of the park.

Cracow

Once a prosperous gold mining town, Cracow is located 154 kilometres south east of Biloela. Gold was discovered in 1850, with the Golden Plateau N.L Company operating the mine from 1936 to 1976. Once promoted as a 'ghost town' Cracow has recently been given a new lease on life with the reopening of the gold mine.

Much of Cracow can be enjoyed on foot, by taking a 'walking tour' of the deserted buildings in the main street, the cemetery and the abandoned grand hospital. Envisage how life was in this once vibrant and prosperous town.

A visit to Cracow Hotel is an experience and tour in its own right. Enjoy country hospitality, a meal, a yarn and hotel's display of memorabilia dedicated to the pioneering stockmen and country 'larrikins'. Take a short drive to 'Cracow Beach' and marvel at the rare Livistonia Palms prevalent to the Dawson River area.

Degree Confluence Project

The project is an organized sampling of the world. There is a confluence within 49 miles (79 km) of you if you're on the surface of Earth. We've discounted confluences in the oceans and some near the poles, but there are still 11,296 to be found.

Geocaches

Taroom

Straddling the Leichhardt Highway-Dawson River crossing in the fertile brigalow country of Queensland’s Western Downs, Taroom shares a special niche in history. A coolabah tree in the main street is branded with the letters LL - scored in the bark by explorer Ludwig Leichhardt in 1844 on his overland trek from Dalby to Darwin. A large sandstone monument dedicated to Leichhardt stands in the park beside the Taroom Shire Council Chambers. The serenity of the modern Taroom belies the settlement’s bloody beginnings. In 1857 Yeeman Aborigines, resentful of white encroachment on their tribal lands, attacked the Hornet Bank Station and slaughtered eight members of the Fraser family, the children’s tutor and two shepherds. The Yeeman paid dearly in subsequent reprisals by white settlers.

Lake Murphy

Nestled beneath the low Murphy’s Range in the central highlands, Lake Murphy remains largely unchanged from the days when the first Europeans passed this way. Ludwig Leichhardt and his exploration party camped under the forest red gums on the shore of this lake on 19 November 1844, during their epic journey from the Darling Downs to Port Essington in the Northern Territory. This expedition paved the way for pastoral expansion in the Dawson district during the 1840s and 1850s. Lake Murphy was named after the young man in Leichhardt’s party who first saw the lake. Lake Murphy is the party’s only remaining campsite on public land in the Taroom area. Lake Murphy provides a seasonal refuge for waterbirds. This perched lake fills only when nearby Robinson Creek overflows, and has been dry five times in the past two centuries.

References

Bush Camping

Fourbears

Bush Track

Shenzi

OMY130

Wedge Tailed Eagle

Cracow Hotel

Black Headed Python

4WD Tracks

Apostle Bird

Rong

Baby Dragon

Australian Bustard

Expedition Range

Flloyd