Lorella Springs: Laid Back, Off Road, Out There

The Northern Territory has a minute population density compared to its many millions of acres of land area. Driving from Birdum, we take the ribbon road Carpentaria Highway for hundreds of kms of savannah, creek crossings, and bushscapes via Cape Crawford (Heartbreak Hotel) to Borroloola.

From there we go deeper and remoter on the Savannah Way and Roper Highway through more creek crossings, rocky and dusty, scenic tracks to arrive at the fun 29km entrance drive through multiple cattle gates to Lorella Springs Wilderness Park.

Rhett and Marie run the place with Rhett’s sons and some volunteers. Also present are various guinea fowl, turkeys, peacocks, and an emu called Beep. What we thought was a pool beside the lovely reception and grassy campground, is actually a pond with a resident freshie. Belly up to the bar on rustic seats made from jerrycans. Sit in the driving seat of a classic, now defunct bullcatcher and imagine buffalo hunting done the tough old way.

Life is laid back here. For hot showers, you need to bring your own wood to stoke a donkey boiler.

Close by are blissful hot springs surrounded by bananas overhanging the water. Quite a fine experience, floating in inner tubes here with little nibbling fish providing their fishicure.

Off past the sign: This Way to Adventure. We made our way through creek crossings, deep sandy ruts, corrugation, and washouts.

We pass the Old Cattle Yard, where sun-bleached bones are scattered around a termite mound.

First stop is Flying Fox Wetland where lilies decorate the receding water surrounded by pretty grasses and serried ranks of savannah forest..

Just up the track is Spoonbill Billabong where we camp beside the circle of paperbarks around the water.

Wild and very twitchy cattle go paddling in the magnificent billabong carpeted with white lilies. We are definitely the weirdest thing they’ve seen since birth; and they fix us with crazy, nervous eyes. Kookaburras giggle and guffaw all day.

In the afternoon, we have the feeling we are being watched. Just twenty metres away, a large, wild bull is staring intently and shaking his head at us. We decide not to lock eyes...or horns with this guy...and get ready to retreat into the bus. Luckily, he lost interest in us and headed in the opposite direction.

At dusk, squadrons of dozens of large dragonflies flit around us, picking off a late snack of other insects before heading off for the night.

Next day, we confidently turn left at the first junction, only to find an hour later that we have been travelling backwards. We turn around and drive sandy tracks through thickets of trees until we get to an old fishing camp beside the Rosie River for lunch. Fishos have clearly liked their bundies and beers, and have left behind a bashed boat next to a large circular bone, maybe the pelvis of a pelican?

The sight reminds of the scene in the Crocodile Dundee film when he tries to impress his lady by pretending he had been attacked by a croc. However, when he discreetly lent over the tinny, all his cartridges were on view, so the croc got shot not wrestled.

Gen spots a dingo which hides in the grass perhaps dreaming of fish scraps.

We continue to Brolga Billabong with its bright yellow lilies, then drive an increasingly narrow track towards Yellow Chat Billabong. Branches, trees, and dead wood start to intrude on our progress. Suddenly disaster strikes. Whilst avoiding a dead tree on the right, the bus clobbered an overhanging, thick branch on the left which neatly took out the rear solar panel mountings with a massive kerthunk! Oh no! Gen bandages the loose solar panel onto the top of the bus with a 9m snatch strap which makes the bus look like a busday present, but does the trick.

We limp back to the main homestead via a defunct tarmac highway which was pushed through the property without owner’s assent by assertive, perhaps villainous mining executives who spent $300 million on this haul road for a mining project which collapsed before it could get started. White Elephant indeed.

We arrive back at the homestead just before sunset.

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Lorella Springs, Northern Territory, NT