Day 234. Adels Grove

Lawn Hill N.P. ablaze…

I awoke before the sun had risen, so I laid there in my bed just relaxing and enjoying the tranquillity of the morning chorus of the Blue Winged Kookaburra’s. It was good to be back in the north and hearing familiar sounds again.

'Camping' at Adels Grove

As the sun rose over the eastern horizon; its blood red colour was a warning of things to come! The higher the sun rose into the sky, the thicker the smoke became apparent. Believe it or not, but by 9am in the morning, the temperature was already nudging a warm 29deg.

Inside our eco-tent

Bec and Scarlett slowly stirred, and Scarlett rolled over and just stared at me. The first thing she said was; “Have you been reading that all night?” She was implying that I hadn’t been asleep at all, as when she went to sleep I was reading my Kindle, and I was again when she woke. “No” I laughed, and gave her a hug and good morning kiss.

We all slowly climbed out of bed, then moved outside and enjoyed a hot morning cuppa. This is the life! I didn’t realise how much I had missed the bush and outback Australia; away from the rat race of city life. Here – even away from our van with its modern conveniences, the experience of living on just the basics in a tent and just talking to each other and reading is a liberating feeling. I think I get to caught up in my daily routines and forget the important things – so I’m finding that I am really enjoying the chance to get some ‘real’ time with my two beautiful girls.

The river at Adels Grove

Walking along the river

We waited until 8am, and then went up to reception to find out if Lawn Hill N.P. was open yet. Unfortunately we weren’t in luck, and discovered that the fire had gotten bigger overnight. The National Park would be closed for a little while longer as the winds had picked up over night, and the fire front was now out of control. Deciding to wait it out a little longer and see what tomorrow would bring, we went back to cook up a big breakfast on the BBQ; Bacon, Eggs, Toast, and Beans! Mmm… Bec certainly knows how to look after me! Thanks honey!

Walking up to the lookout behind Adels Grove campground

After breakfast, we went on a short walk up to the lookout to see for ourselves how bad the fire was. We couldn’t even see the escarpment due to the large amount of smoke; but with the wind blowing a gale, the heat of the day, and the thick smoke, it made for a very surreal feeling. We talked about leaving ‘Adel’s Grove’ early as there was a rumour that the fire was heading our way, but again we decided to wait it out and see what happened. We did say that if either of us felt like it was getting to dangerous, then we would pack up and head back to the van at ‘Gregory Downs’.

We ended up spending most of the day down at the river, enjoying the cool water and soaking up the sun, whenever the smoke cleared enough to do so. Scarlett had a ball playing with the other kids on the pontoon, while Bec and I just floated around in the water.

Smoke all across Lawn Hill N.P. escarpment

Later on, Scarlett and I collected some fire wood so we could have a ‘small’ fire at our tent, while Bec cooked a yummy Chilli-Con-Carne for dinner. With the fire burning, we enjoyed dinner outside. The fire was just for ambiance (not that we needed the heat), and also for Scarlett to toast her marsh mellows for dessert!

'Cheers!" Dinner outback style

After dinner, we all grabbed a drink and watched another fire-red sunset. It was an eerie site, but still beautiful. It’s just another natural seasonal occurrence up here in northern Australia. After the sun went down we noticed micro-bats flying around our campsite, so we stayed outside and enjoyed their aerial acrobatics – that was until the mozzies came out! We then moved inside the tent and read a book before going to bed. Scarlett even heard the call of a couple of Barking Owls in the night.

Marsh mellows anybody?

We didn’t get into Lawn Hill N.P. today, but we still enjoyed our day lazing around the campsite and river. There’s not a real lot to do out here, but that’s the thing about this place. You get back in touch with nature, and it’s really a revitalising feeling!

posted by Shane