"Bedrock Village Caravan Park and Tours is located in the historic township of Mount Surprise, 320km southwest of Cairns on the Savannah Way. This region offers a diverse outback experience and Bedrock Village run a variety of nature based tours incorporating cattle stations, gorges, the Savannahlander train and the Undara Lava Tubes. Bedrock Village Caravan Park was designed and built by Joe and Jo Lockyer on our 9 acres of bush land in 1998. Our dream was to offer the many travellers moving between Cairns and Karumba in the Gulf, a comfortable, attractive base from which to enjoy the abundant natural treasures in the region. Joe’s membership with the highly acclaimed Savannah Guides Organization goes back over 17 years. His outback charisma, passion and extensive knowledge of Mount Surprise and its environs ensures your tour with him is an unforgettable experience.
Mount Surprise is a railway town on the old Cairns to Forsayth Railway line and is the first Gulf Savannah town encountered by visitors approaching from the east.It is the centre for gem fossicking with quantities of topaz, quartz, spinel, garnet, cairngorm and aquamarine to be found. Mount Surprise sits on the edge of the immense Undara lava field caused by ancient volcanic eruptions in the McBride Plateau. The surrounding country is flat, wooded savannah grasslands, with isolated hills. There are several activities to undertake at Mt Surprise: fossicking, Undara lava tubes, 40 Mile Scrub National Park and the Savannahlander train.
Go fossicking: Mt Surprise is an ideal area to either fossick for one's own gemstones or to get local information on the gem-fields check with the local businesses of Mt. Surprise.Visit the lava fields: to the east of Mount Surprise is the toe of the lava flow which originated from the 164 craters of the McBride Plateau. This is the youngest volcanic system in Australia at only some 190,000 years old. There are basalt tunnels which run for some 160 kilometres underground. The tubes and can only be accessed through the Savannah Guide Post located at Bedrock Village and at Undara Experience on the Undara Volcanic National Park.Stop at the 40 Mile Scrub National Park: this park boasts a rare and relatively unique vine thicket that sits on a recent cap of volcanic basalt flow. You will see it when you travel east of Mt Surprise and north to Mt Garnet. This park is part of the Undara lava fields. The thicket includes bottle trees and giant fig trees as well as possums, gliders, wallabies and a large number of birds usually associated with rainforests.Go Swimming: the Einasleigh River, on the way to Georgetown, is another location for cooling off especially in the early part of the year or after the first storms in the build-up to the monsoons. Routh Creek, on top of the Newcastle Range on the way to Georgetown, also has a permanent waterhole on the northern side of the road. Be aware that these are not swimming pools and care should be taken of the local wildlife, including crocodiles on the Einasleigh River.Experience the Savannahlander: Mt Surprise is on the Savannahlander route which is a weekly tourist service running from Cairns to Forsayth. This train journey is an international rail treasure allowing people to experience one of the more unique rail experiences in the world."
O.K. - so that's the blurb on Mt Surprise. Now - we did go fossicking yesterday - set out fairly early to try to beat the heat. It's about a 40 klm drive from Mt Surprise along a corrugated dirt road. Like all corrugated dirt roads the best speed to travel at is about 80 kph. Ideal road for a rally driver or someone who like going sideways round corners - even got the Navara into a 4 wheel drift a couple of times. Almost got some air under it at some of the cattle grids! I thougth it was fun anyway. Went through a couple of culverts at speed that was interesting as well. Elizabeth Creek has permanent water and in the rainy season has about 2 metres of water where you cross.
I wish someone would tell me why 'roos wait till you are nearly on them before they decide to cross the road.
Also bloody galahs have a death wish - one played chicken with our windscreen - and lost.
The fossicking fields are for 4wd only - some places - low range 4wd. Val had white knuckles in a couple of places.
Fossicking is only for the strong willed - simple minded - with strong backs. But we went fossicking anyway!
The day was a lot cooler - only 30 degrees on the fossicking field at 8 in the morning. We had plenty of water, plenty of hopes, plenty of flies, plenty of rocks and more importantly - plenty of sand between the supposedly ' lots of topaz'..............
no description required.
Savannahlander train - pretty expensive to go for a ride though.
Friendly, and obstinate cows. One of them allowed us to drive right up to it, it smelt the bonnet of the car before slowly moving round to the side and then..........
had a close up look at us!
Elizabeth Creek at Obrien's fossicking field.
Rocks, bloody rocks - must have em in me bloody head!
It is even more dry and desolate than this pics shows.
It's not really that deep, I got tired and am sitting down. All that digging for nothing!!!!
Shows how remote this place is - there is no local doc, chemist out here!
Just to prove where we had been......
Elizabeth Cr again - has fish in it
Water depth at the crossing is about 30cms - more than 2 metres in the wet!
and they must think - funny lookin' cow?
Out for a mid morning stroll. See how dry the country is.
Yep.
Our find consisted of a few bits of Topaz, a couple of bits of Smokey Quartz (might get something from those, and some rocks!
Today is washing day, Val has cleaned the inside and some of the outside of the van, we have been for a swim in the beautiful pool. It's nearly lunchtime and I am going to BBQ some snags. This arvo we will probably laze round in the van, with the air con on and read.
Tomorrow, Monday, we might have an even more relaxing day as we have a HUGE drive of about 250 klm to a place called The Lynd - Oasis Roadhouse - in the Guiness Book of Records as having the smallest bar in the world. Will be taking pics of that for sure.
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