8 June 2017 - Georgetown to Mount Surprise and trip to Copperfield Gorge at Einasleigh

Another great day the first part of which took us the 90km to Mount Surprise a very small town on the Savannah Way.  We camped there overnight.

080617 Typical of the country between
Georgetown and Mount Surprise

Our intention was to leave the van at Mount Surprise and go back 31km in the car to the turn off for the back track to Einasleigh and the Copperfield Gorge.

080617 An unusual outcrop heading out to the
back track to Einasleigh

The back track was just that, 44 km of not so good gravel road, meaning dusty, corrugated, many creek crossings some with water, kangaroos and plenty of cattle adjacent to the road. There was never a dull moment in this drive.  Thing was, we had to drive back over the same road.  There were upsides.  We followed a range of hills for most of the way with the red rocks and green of the trees contrasting with the blue of the sky.  We passed a lovely billabong too.

080617 And the sign was spot on

080617 Vindicates the sign

080617 Grey anthills this time 

080617 One of the many creek crossings

080617 Yes indeed, we were about to
cross a train line

080617 A billabong on the road to Einasleigh

As we neared Einasleigh, we crossed the Einasleigh River and Copperfield River.

080617 Einasleigh River crossing

080617 Railway bridge over Copperfield River
looking downstream

080617 Copperfield River looking upstream

Copperfield River is, of course, the site of the Copperfield Gorge.  More of that later, but first some history.

Einasleigh is a small rural town in Etheridge shire.  It was named after the Einasleigh River, named by Francis and Alexander Jardine on their Rockhampton to Cape York expedition in 1864.

The town is on the Copperfield River, just before the river's junction with the Einasleigh River, which runs west to the Gulf of Carpentaria. The name Copperfield was an obvious reference to the ore bodies discovered there by the geologist, Richard Daintree, in 1866.

Copper mining ended in 1914 because of the closure of the Chillagoe smelters, and the beef industry entered a long period of depression in the 1920s. It revived with increased demand during World War II and is now going strongly.

The railway line was bought by the Queensland Government in the 1930s.  It is kept running mostly now as a tourist attraction.  It brings in the Savannahland tourist train twice weekly.

080617 The Savannahlander crossing Copperfield Creek

080617 The train having disembarked its
passengers at Einasleigh

The Einasleigh Hotel is heritage listed - and is for sale!

080617 The Einasleigh Hotel

In 2011 a new bridge bridge on the Copperfield River at Einasleigh was opened.

080617 Red Rock at Einasleigh, with the
new bridge in the foreground

The Copperfield Gorge is a stones throw from the pub.  The river makes its way through a layer of basalt rock and the Gorge is quite young in geologic terms.  The Gorge is about 500m long and is most accessible, although walking across the uneven surface is quite tiring on the legs.  There are crocodiles there but we did not see any.

080617 Our first view of the Copperfield Gorge

080617 The waterfall at the head of the Gorge

080617 Looking up the Gorge

080617 Copperfield Gorge looking downstream

080617 The bottom end of the gorge

Following is a video of the Copperfield Gorge.