Drive Kennedy Developmental Road between Hughenden to Porcupine Gorge, Queensland, Australia

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Porcupine Gorge National Park extends for more than 25 kilometres along Porcupine Creek. The gorge lookout is around 60 kilometres north of Hughenden. The Pyramid campground and gorge walk are another 11 kilometres further north. Zero your tripmeter at the Flinders Discovery Centre and travel north along the Kennedy Development Road (Hann Highway). As you drive along this road you will see that some points of interest are identified by a brown and white sign "Point of view 300m ahead". 0.5 km: Flinders River is Queensland's longest river extending 1004 km flowing into the Gulf of Carpentaria. lt is named after Mathew Flinders by Lieutenant Stokes of HMS Beagle in 1841. 16.7 km: Belemnite Locality is a washed out creek bed passing under the road on the right hand side of the road you will see 3 Gum trees where there are Belemnites. These are part of a fossilized squid \ and are 100 - 1 10 million years old. 20.8 km: Matchbox Creek was named because a wagonette of matches exploded near by. 32.4 km: In 1917 there were record floods here which resulted in many homes being washed away. Six people lost their lives in these terrible floods. Private property so no entry. 35.6 km: Dingo Fence e line was once the old dingo barrier fence. To protect sheep and cattle from dingoes, graziers began erecting the dingo proof fences in the 1930's. Legislation for the establishment and maintenance of a dingo proof fence passed in 1954. The main sheep areas in Queensland extend for more that 2500kms - the longest fence in the world, though it is no longer maintained. 52.0 km: Unmarked Grave. Two stories have been told about this grave. (1) lt has been told that this is the resting place of an old Chinaman that was found dead along this road who was either making his way to or from the Woolgar Goldfields. (2) Grave of an Aboriginal girl called Minnie Waite who perished either by foul means or of exposure when trying to walk into Hughenden from a nearby Station. 55.4 km: Mailman's grave & Bottle Tree Ridge Lookout. It is believed that the Packhorse mailman (only means of communication in the old days) in the early months of 1886 he was speared by a group of hostile Aborigines , from the top of the hill. He was buried where he was found. The name of this ridge came about because the unusual trees located here ' iesemble Boab or Bottle Trees. 58.7 km: Simpson's Pinch refers to the length of gravel road to the left of the bitumen. Before the days of bulldozers, the incline was almost vertical, which gave the old teamsters a great deal of trouble. lt was just as hard to get down with a loaded wagon as it was to get up. This road was the original link to Townsville; the new road only came about with the building of the railway line to Hughenden. 62.5 km: Porcupine Gorge lookout. Tum off at this point and travel in for 1 km and you will come to the spectacular viewing platform for the Gorge, cliff drop is approx 120m. 63.5 km: Whistling Bore is to the right of the road. This bore is approximately 500 feet deep. Why it whistles is a mystery, but one reason offered is a cave-in somewhere in the shaft of the bore has created a wind tunnel. 66.0 km: Porcupine Gorge Pyramid Campground 72.0 km: Bill Grossley Grave (1888) & Road to the Lynd Junction. The death of Bil! Crossley is a mystery with a couple of stories been told but our records show he died a slow death from a bite to his hand. The grave in on your right heading towards the Lynd Junction. After storms the road may be temporarily closed or inaccessible to conventional vehicles and caravans.

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