Today was for exploring, Lorella Station has over one million acres and there are over 30 places marked on various mud maps for you to visit. We decided to visit Teardrop Falls and Hidden Pools. We took a track called Little Rosie track and stopped off at the first spot on the track – Snapping Handbag Billabong – so named because as the dry continues the fresh water crocodiles congregate there as it is a permanent waterhole. Further down the track we crossed the creek that runs through Gateway Gorge and drove up to the lookout over the gorge.

Gateway Gorge – Lorella Springs Station

We drove on to Hidden Pools, the track became quite rocky and steep and low range was required for a few sections. Hidden Pools had a small waterfall but you could see where it would be much larger in the wet season. It was quite a pretty place with water lilies on the bottom pool. We spoke to a couple who had walked along the Teardrop Falls track for about 40 mins and they said that some of the rocks and drop offs looked like they could do some serious damage. With the prospect of little water at these falls we decide to give that track a miss, we ate lunch at Hidden Pools and then headed back to camp collecting firewood as we went. It was the first outing for the chainsaw and in about 5 mins we had a stack of nice size logs for our fire tonight.

With the price of bread outside our reach, Jacky decided to have a go at making some bread herself in the camp oven. It wasn’t too bad for her first effort, it didn’t rise as much as it should have in the proving stages so it was a little like damper but hot with butter it tasted great.