Trip to the Gulf

Thanks Jonty. Will see if we can squeeze it in.

Thanks Rod.
Have contacted Bedrock and looks like we will be going there.

Thanks Mark.
We have a few places where we will stay a couple of nights. Lawn Hill being one of them.
Wish we could take our time but with kids in high school and work commitments we are limited time wise. When we retire we will be going back so we can do it at a leisurely pace.
Cheers.

Thanks Warrie.

Thanks for the info Robyn.
Haven't experienced driving in wet blacksoil yet. Think we are going to go up to Torrens Creek from Barcaldine so won't go through Muttaburra. Do you know what that road is like?
Also the road from Porcupine Gorge to Undara - do you know what it is like?
Will definitely be checking out Richmond now. Thanks for the tips on camping places and best place to get a good feed. Good to hear from those you have been to these places and can recommend them. Much appreciated.

Hi Maddas.
Ok, I have the map in front of me now (not just the memory!!)
Barcy to Torrens...assume black soil. We did the one to the left and passed Moorrinya National Park. Have heard it's just beautiful to stay there but we travel with a dog so I just go on what I've heard!
We were in Alpha the previous night and had a brief shower but you never know how far rain extends...
We saw that the road edges were wet as we did the Barcy to Muttaburra road because it's one lane and had to pull over for oncoming trucks.
When we got to Muttaburra we read the advisory signs. For the 4 roads going north, 3 said 4WD only. Even though we have dual range and the knowledge, we chose the "better" option.
(Hubby used to visit properties around Walgett NSW "pre Port Arthur" and has lots of wet blacksoil experience. I've heard many stories over the years re how they simply had to stay put until the road dried up enough to get through...it's a very very sticky clay.)
But OMG.
By the time we realised that it was wet blacksoil we were driving on, it was too late to turn around. The edges of the road aren't as compacted as the centre and we would've certainly come to grief doing a u-turn with the litttle camper, so we opted to go "as far as we can then stop by the roadside until it dries out".
It was horrendous and the 5kg dog was bounced around so much that she stressed for the next 2 days! In a nutshell, we were very lucky to get through some of the sections.
It took quite a while at the truck wash just out of Hughenden to hose off the huge lumps of clay from underneath and from all sides.
So don't read the advisory signs if you're in blacksoil territory and take them as gospel. Ask at the pub. Or the police station.
Unfortunately I can't tell you about the Porcupine Gorge/Undarra stretch - we turned around and headed west from there. I'm assuming gravel from what I saw when researching our Cape York/Gulf trip that we were supposed to do last year.

Oh...and if you're into very nice, old fashioned burgers, try FJ Holden's in Hughenden. We time our run whenever we're somewhere in the vicinity of Hughenden..."We'll be in Hughenden at 10am...yeh, that's ok for an early burger for lunch."

Robyn :)