Normanton really heats up for At Our Table.

With a daily temperature of 39 degrees in the shade, The Cook’s Table looks to set the record for the quickest and hottest set up for any event for At Our Table.

Just outside of Normanton

Over the past 2 days, the crew has been playing tourist in the afternoon hours while spending time with locals and other cooks, sharing their stories and histories of Normanton and the Gulf.

Normanton is a great town filled with great characters and fantastic stories of life out here. It gets so hot during the middle of the day, it’s no wonder you don’t see anyone about - they are all inside staying cool!!!

The Cook’s Table will take place at the Gulflander Station which is a glorious testament to our history! It has been immaculately restored and has a great museum onsite, with displays, videos, images and items from the areas past.

Even the Baby Gulflander holds prime place!!!

The Gulflander Station

Just a bit of history:

Out on the Gulf, the terrain is flat and harsh. The quietness is almost deafening and broken only by the squawk of a native bird or a wandering beast. An occasional ‘Willy-Willy’ disturbs the landscape but otherwise time almost stands still. Then, from the silence, a soft groan becomes louder and a distinctive clackety-clack heralds the arrival of the Gulflander - the Tin Hare.

A legend in these parts, the old Railmotor has traversed the never-connected line between Normanton and Croydon for decades. It was preceded from the turn of the previous century by other railmotors and an assortment of rolling stock all equally as charming as RM93.

A journey on the Gulflander is a tour back in time. To times when a padded seat was a luxury and roads were bullock tracks. To an era where gold was the currency and home was a canvas & sapling humpy. To a generation where children were born in the dust and education was the school of hard knocks.

Fortunately nowadays the trip is far less primitive but still retains the romance of those days gone by. That unforgettable shake, rattle n’ roll as you cross the stark red plains is still there. Those sleepers & tracks embedded straight into the dirt continue to do what they’ve been doing for well over a hundred years. And now all it needs is you. Come out to the Gulf and enjoy life as it used to be!

Information provided The Gulflander website: www.gulflander.com.au

Time was spent seeing the historical sites of Normanton including Krys the Crocodile, The Albion Pub, Normanton Library and Tourism Centre, Burke and Wills Camp, The Fred Pasoce Community Fishing Area, the Norman River and taking in the views at Karumba.

The Gulflander

Normanton Library and Tourism Centre

Krys the Crocodile

It seems to cruel to have this beautiful country and townships set up beside waters that are just not swimmable. But the landscape and animal life up this part of the country are unbelievable!!
We’ve seen galahs, cockatoos, black cockatoos, brolgas, jabirus, wallabies, hermit crabs and luckily, no crocs - not yet!