Gulf Savannah
Queensland
Chillagoe
A former mining town, Chillagoe is located 200kms or 2.5hrs west of Cairns. It's a town that brings together the natural beauty of limestone caves and outback landscape with mining heritage and aboriginal art sites on the way to the Gulf Savannah.
There is a range of accommodation available in Chillagoe including camping, caravan parks, motels and cabins. Chillagoe Hub in town is a great source of information, tours and accommodation.
Chillagoe Activities
Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park
Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park is just a short drive from Chillagoe. The main attraction at this small park is the underground caves which hide the amazing reefs of mud and coral and limestone stalactites and stalagmites. The limestone is over 400 million years old and the caverns and pillars are the result of weathering and water.
There are ranger-guided tours available and walking tracks through the caves and around the park and you may need to bring torches if exploring on your own. You can see ancient Aboriginal rock art on the Chillagoe Smelter interpretive trail.
There is no camping allowed in the park, but there are good BBQ facilities. You can also join a tour from Cairns.
Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park
Chillagoe Smelters Ruins
A favourite for those keen to catch a glimpse of the past's promising days of mining boom, the Chillagoe smelters were built at the start of the last century to process copper, lead, zinc, silver and gold. Today, the three crumbling smokestacks and ruins are that remain.
The Archways
About 15kms from Chillagoe, the Archways is a limestone rock system of open caves. The path to the Archways takes you through a vine forest and rock formations and there are many tracks around the feature to explore. Noted for the beautiful maidenhair ferns which are most spectacular in the Wet season (Dec - Mar), the area is also home to an abundance of wildlife.
You can buy this photo at AllPosters.com
Chillagoe Cemetery
For those interested in the history of the area, the Chillagoe Cemetery gives an insight into the harsh conditions that the pioneering and then mining families endured in days gone by. You can visit the grave of William Atherton, the son of the famous explorer John Atherton, and the first pastoralist in Chillagoe.
Mt Surprise
If you are coming from Cairns or the east Mt Surprise will be the first town you encounter in the Gulf Savannah region. The town rests on the edge of a massive lava flow from the ancient volcanic areas to the south east. Mt Surprise is a centre for gem fossicking in the area and there is a lot information to guide you whether you want to take a tour or do it yourself. Topaz, aquamarine, quartz, peridot, moonstone, agate, fluorite and gold are all on offer and attract a steady stream of fossickers to the area.
Undara Volcanic National Park
The Undara Volcanic National Park is 275kms south-west from Cairns on a fully sealed road. Undara is an aboriginal word meaning 'a long way' and the park is the result of volcanic activity some 8 million to 1 hundred thousand years ago. It is also home to the Undara lava tubes, the largest tube system on earth (one flow is over 160kms long). The tubes were created when molten lava flowed into a dry riverbed and cooled and crusted very quickly whilst underneath the hot molten lava continued to flow and drain to leave hollow tubes. You can walk through these fascinating tunnels today.
There are a bunch of interesting accommodation options at Undara Experience from restored railway carriages, swag tent village, safari shelter and the wilderness lodge to camping and caravan sites.
Robin Hood Station
A 5.5 hr drive (400kms) from Cairns, this working cattle station offers you the chance to really experience the outback. From a station tour to a cruise in the fabulous Cobbold Gorge there is plenty to keep you entertained. There is a range of accommodation including camping, caravan (including powered sites) and en-suite rooms and a fully licensed restaurant and bar.
The roads to the station may become impassable in the Wet season.
Robin Hood Station Activities
Cobbold Gorge
Cobbold Gorge is a spectacular gorge. Cruising through the narrow gorge with 30m high cliffs is a real treat. The mouth of the gorge has a wonderful waterhole that is perfect for swim! The area is home to an array of wildlife including agile wallabies, grey kangaroos, goannas, monitor lizards and many species of frog. You can also view freshwater crocodiles here.
To see the gorge you need to take a tour, which you can organise at the station.
Station Tour
If you have ever wondered how cattle stations survive in these remote areas, join the station tour here. Learn about the management and running of the station including water management, cattle musters and balancing the ecology on the station.
Forsayth
'The poor man's goldfield', the Etheridge Goldfields earned their reputation in the late 19th century because prospectors didn't need expensive equipment to search for gold with nuggets being found literally on the ground. Forsayth was one of the many towns that sprang up to cater for the short-lived gold rush and is rich in mining history. Apparently gold nuggets are still found today by amateur prospectors using metal detectors. Forsayth is also terminus for the Savannahlander rail trip.
The Savannahlander - Train Journey
One of the best train rides in Australia, the Savannahlander, which looks like a silver bullet, takes passengers from coastal Cairns through Kuranda, across the Atherton Tablelands, into the outback to Forsayth and back in a 4-day journey. You can take the journey from March to December.
Telephone: +61 7 4053 6848
www.savannahlander.com.au
Agate River Mineral Reserve
About 85 kms south from Forsayth is the Agate River Mineral Reserve, where you can fossick for agate. It is said that the area has very high quality agate in a range of rich colours.
Georgetown
At the centre of the Etheridge Goldfields, Georgetown, which is surrounded by wooded savannah grass-lands, is another town with its past steeped in gold and mining history. You can visit the Cumberland Chimney, which was built by Cornish masons as part of an ore-crushing plant in the late 19th century. There is a wealth of birdlife to be found at the lagoon nearby.
Croydon
Croydon is an historic town right in the middle of the gulf country 148km west of Georgetown. A walking tour of the town will let you experience a bygone era as you pass restored buildings, the mine museum and the pioneer cemetery. You can pick up a map from the visitor centre. The area is also great for bird watching, fishing and swimming.
Croydon is linked to Normanton on the coast to the west by the Gulflander.
The Gulflander - Train Journey
The Gulflander connects Normanton on the gulf coast to Croydon. To take the 5 hour trip is to step back in time. The track was first laid in 1888 and used steel sleepers to combat the areas termites and the rails were bolted to the sleepers to prevent movement during floods. There are a number of tour packages available from Cairns that include the trip on the Gulflander and you can also combine it with a trip on the Savannahlander.
Telephone: +61 7 4036 9333
The Gulflander
Normanton
Normanton is a small town that supports the cattle stations and communities of this remote part of Queensland. It also is a terminus for the Gulflander from Croydon. A great spot for fishing barramundi and spotting crocodiles, with the longest saltwater crocodile having been shot in the river here - it was over 8.5 metres long!
Karumba
Karumba, known as 'outback by the sea', is the centre of the Gulf's prawning industry. Located on the mouth of the Norman River its surrounds boast a spectacular tidal saltwater wetlands that run over 30kms inland. Saltwater crocodiles and a large array of birds can be found here including Rainbow Bee Eaters and blue-winged kookaburras.
There are two motels in Karumba offering beach/water front accommodation.
Chillagoe Region Weather - Average Temperatures and Rainfall
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Avg. Max (°C) | 29.9 | 29.0 | 28.0 | 26.4 | 24.9 | 23.5 | 23.2 | 24.7 | 27.0 | 29.3 | 30.6 | 30.6 |
| Avg. Min (°C) | 20.3 | 20.4 | 19.5 | 18.1 | 16.2 | 13.9 | 12.9 | 13.3 | 14.8 | 16.7 | 18.5 | 19.8 |
| Avg. Rain (mm) | 211.6 | 251.2 | 214.3 | 53.5 | 27.2 | 18.8 | 11.4 | 11.6 | 8.6 | 21.9 | 73.1 | 121.5 |
| Avg. Rain Days | 16.5 | 17.9 | 15.8 | 13.3 | 10.3 | 7.5 | 6.1 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 8.0 | 12.5 |