Croydon

July 24, 25 Now it is the turn of the Gulf Developmental Road heading towards Normanton. It is a little disconcerting to be driving on what is really only a one lane track and seeing big road trains heading towards the car. The secret is to give them a wide berth and give way in plenty of time (can be difficult on a single lane bridge though).

We stop in Croydon for 2 nights. The historic goldrush town of Croydon is located in the heart of the Gulf Savannah, Croydon was first settled in the 1880s. The town’s name is derived from a pastoral run name, used by Alexander Brown and William Chalmers Brown, pastoralists, who reportedly were born in Croydon, England. Gold was discovered in 1885 and by 1887, the town’s population had reached 7,000. Gold was to be the main economic production of the area for four decades. The Mining Warden left in 1926 as there were too few miners left on the field. During its heyday, Croydon was the fourth largest town in the colony of Queensland. Today only 266 people remain. We found Croydon to be full of interesting history and really enjoyed our short stay, including a trip to the local Lake Belmore only 4 kms out of town.

A couple of interesting notes from Croydon – the sheep who joined us at the camp fire every night and the plastic grass greens at the local golf course (yes, plastic grass!!).