Lake Maradoon, Emerald

Day 39, 40 & 41

After a breakfast stop in Barcaldine it was more miles down the Capricorn Hwy, we passed through the small town of Jericho.  Another small town with little business opportunities.  Shop closed, pub for sale.

Jericho Qld

You could be mistaken into thinking the Capricorn Hwy was built by The Romans with its long stretches of straight road.

The Capricorn Hwy

That is until you crossed the Drummond Range. Interestingly, the railway follows the road as it crosses much of this range.

The Drummond Ranges

Longreach to Emerald Railway

A short trip south west of Emerald finds Lake Maraboon so crossing over the Fairbairn Spillway and Dam, we settle in the Lake Maraboon Holiday Village.

Fairbairn Spillway     -     Fairbairn Dam

Col Crosses the Dam

Lake Maraboon Holiday Village Camp

Disappointing van park with everyone wall to wall. 

Cal and Sal’s Neighbours

Anyway, we settled in with some drinks and a game of cards and a light camp cook.

The nest day, Mike and Jan took off to do some fossicking for the local sapphires while Col and Sal took a walk down to the lake.

The walk from our lake side camp ground

Lake Maraboon

In the evening, we splurged on the local redclaw spring rolls and pizza.  A local delicacy cooked in the resort restaurant and delivers to our sites.  Redclaw is the reason this van park is so popular.  The lake is full of redclaw and although it’s considered a pest, it is delicious.  The lake being three time the size of Sydney Harbour, it hold a lot of redclaw.

Mike and Jan never made it to the fossicking fields.  A pesky rattle from the front of their car was driving mike nuts.  He had it looked at and it seems he has a problem shock absorber.  No surprise after the weeks of corrugations we’d driven.

The final day, Col and Sal ventured into Emerald to do some sightseeing and Mike and Jan explored the lake.  For Col and Sal the sightseeing was thin on the ground.  It seems the biggest attraction in Emerald is Lake Maragoon.

That Night, Sal and Col tried the Redclaw Pad Thai which was also delicious.

The birdlife at the holiday village was excellent and on the final morning before leaving, Col snaps these pretty things flying through our camp.

Lake Maragoon Holiday Village Birds