Tuesday 29th July.
The RV Friendly camp area is located just a short walk from town, beside a lovely man-made lagoon which is periodically topped up from an artesian bore upstream some 300 metres and adjacent to the creek. The maximum stay here is four nights, monitored by the camp host who is appointed by the local council. This is a voluntary position but carries with it a number of "perks" supplied by local traders. Eg. A free dinner twice a week at one of the two hotels, free admission to the Julia Creek Dunart display at the info centre, discounted fuel etc etc.
Most volunteer camp hosts are people like ourselves travelling through the McKinley Shire and they generally stay for two or three weeks then move on.
There are six as new bicycles and helmets available at the camp which we are permitted to borrow to ride into town. Bear in mind this is all free, a great initiative by the local council as everyone in the town benefits from the dollars we spend in town on groceries, fuel, drinks etc. The local stores are extremely well stocked with a very wide range of everything. The hardware store is like a mini Bunnings or Masters. I was able to replace my lost opera house crab net, complete with floats and line.
The population of the McKinlay shire which has only four towns is ; Nelia (10), McKinlay (20), Kynuna (20) and Julia Creek (500). McKinley is best known for its Walkabout Creek Hotel, made famous in the film Crocodile Dundee. Julia Creek obviously relies heavily on tourists stopping and lingering for a while - hence the consideration to provide alternative accomodation from the caravan park. They all work in together which is quite unusual to find as more often than not caravan parks tend to object to tourists camping in their locality for free. This is definitely a win - win situation for everyone.
There is a very modern information centre, with an auditorium screening short films on such subjects as; the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) and it's relevance to this arid area. The cattle industry is also showcased. To comprehend the sheer volume of water available from the GAB consider this.
One property within the McKinley shire sunk a bore in 1901, measuring the flow at that time at one million gallons per day without the assistance of any pumps. Sub-terrainean pressure being the only means of pushing the water to the surface once a bore is established. In 2001 the same bore still measured a flow of one million gallons per day.
Another feature of the displays is the very special marsupial, the Julia Creek Dunnart. This tiny mouse like creature is only found in the Mitchell grass downs of North West Queensland.
With a body length of 100-120mm and tail length of 90-100mm the Julia Creek Dunnart can be distinguished from rats and mice by its size. Unlike rodents, Dunnarts have pointy noses, large rounded ears and dog-like teeth.
An aspect of the Julia Creek Dunnart's habitat that may be essential to its survival in this harsh environment is black soil, where cracks up to 70cms deep develop as the dry season progresses.
Julia Creek Dunnarts shelter in these cracks to escape the extreme daytime temperatures then emerge at night to hunt insects and small reptiles.
There is a live Dunnart display here with viewing twice daily during feeding at 10:00 and 2:00pm.
The species is currently listed as endangered, so it was a real thrill to be able to see one.
All of the displays are very professionally done using the latest audio visual aids.
Just in case you have'nt noticed so far, Gail and I rate Julia Creek as one of the friendliest, nicest small towns we have ever visited in our travels. It just goes to show that there are many hidden gems in the outback waiting to be discovered. Julia Creek may be a little off the well trodden winter treck to the north but believe me, the reward for effort is outstanding.
We intend to stay here beside the lagoon, utilising our permit of 4 nights, where we have met the nicest people.
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