October 24, 2021
Leaving the Elsey National Park and heading South then East we finally felt like we were heading back to Queensland. Refuelling at Daly Waters it is then a drive of 270kms to Heartbreak Hotel at McArthur with nothing in between; this road is section of highway 1 which from McArthur continues to Boroloola and on to Normanton.
Much of this stretch is single lane road as the above picture but with very little traffic and as with most outback roads the single vehicles tend to give way to caravans as well as trucks, while we all give way to the trucks and Road Trains, allowing them to stay in the centre.
We stopped for lunch at the October Creek Rest Area where the birdlife obviously revolvers around the limited water supply here.
From October Creek there is a lengthy stretch of new two lane road and the views open up from the roadside bush thus far. Entering McArthur we are confronted by cattle ambling across the Highway, (main picture) later to find them wandering across the Caravan Park.
The Roadhouse and Caravan Park comprise all there really is of McArthur, also known as Cape Crawford. We had the park to ourselves for the night, apart from the wandering menagerie of Chooks, birds, and of course, the cattle.
