Jump Up Walk, Lark Quarry Conservation Reserve - April 2022

Jump Up Walk.

Sam and I had tried to visit the Lark Quarry Conservation Park a year or two before Covid started doing it's best work, we didn't make it here on that occasion because the Georgina River was in flood and we couldn't get across from Alice Springs - and then Covid has kept us away since. Finally with the state borders open we decided that 2022 would be the year of the North Queensland Roadtrip, so on our way up to the deep north we decided to spend a couple of nights at Winton and check out Lark Quarry. After a bit of investigating I discovered that it wasn't just dinosaurs at Lark Quarry, there was also a couple of walking tracks that I figured I could link together to make up a reasonable length stroll.

We had some Brolgas promenading down the street outside our hotel in Winton this morning. 

The road out to Lark Quarry starts off bitumen however it had dirt sections when we got closer Lark Quarry.

There was no shortage of 4wd's out here this morning. 

So when we pulled up at the carpark near the flash visitor centre at Lark Quarry I ignored the punters heading inside for the 9:30am dinosaur stampede tour and instead grabbed my camera and headed out into the desert. After mucking around for awhile I found the track I wanted starting on the carpark side of the big information / toilet shelter and trudged off along the Spinifex Walk. I followed the well defined Spinifex Track as it climbed into the hills behind the flash visitor centre, meeting up with my onward route the Jump Up Track I ignored it for a few minutes as I climbed up to a lookout above the Lark Quarry Visitor Centre. The view from the lookout giving a good overview of the Lark Quarry area.

First up I followed the aptly named Spinifex Walk.

Spinifex Walk.

Lark Quarry Lookout.

Lark Quarry Lookout.

Returning to the Jump Up Track after visiting the lookout I set off in earnest. The Jump Up Track was immediately a lot rougher and less well formed than the other tracks that I'd followed. The morning was warm too and the temperature already into the thirties so when the Jump Up Track started crossing a long flat plain along a telegraph access track I was starting to feel the heat a bit - nothing to worry about however enough to know that I was walking in the desert on a hot day. After 10 minutes my track left the telegraph access track and headed for the hills (Jump Up), now I knew that would involve climbing however I suspected that I'd also start to get a bit of shade from the trees - and maybe a breeze?

The Jump Up Walk was well marked.

I followed an old telegraph line for awhile...

... before heading into the hills.

The climb up onto the Jump Up was solid.

The climb up onto the Jump Up was actually a bit steeper than I'd imagined however once up on top the walking was very easy... and the views across the breakaway country were stunning (I thought). Not only was the walking easy now but I was getting some sparse shade and also picking up a zephyr of a breeze, all in all life was very good. After disturbing some Wallaroos resting in the shade cast by the edge of the escarpment I got to my get down spot, this was even steeper than the climb up had been which once again was a bit of a surprise.

Once I was up the Jump Up the walking was pretty flat.

The country was in good nick at the moment.

Jump Up Walk.

Lark Quarry Conservation Reserve.

I disturbed some Wallaroos resting in the shade of the escarpment.

There was no shortage of track markers pointing out the spot to drop off the edge of the escarpment. 

The descent was fairly steep and loose.

Once safely down off the Jump Up I had a fairly long walk across another open plain to complete my walk. Dodging the spinifex the walking was pretty good, I had the added bonus across here of sections of multi coloured earth and rocks which I'm guessing our indigenous people would of used as a resource back in the day (although that is a Feral Fact - I haven't seen any actual evidence of that). After passing through a gap in the low hills I was suddenly back at the visitor centre again and it was time to go check out the dinosaur tracks.

Once down on the flat country the track passed by these colourful outcrops.

Jump Up Walk, Lark Quarry Conservation Reserve.

Jump Up Walk, Lark Quarry Conservation Reserve.

Jump Up Walk, Lark Quarry Conservation Reserve.

Lark Quarry Conservation Reserve.

Alright... it's time to check out some dinosaur tracks.

So now Sam and I went to see Lark Quarry's main claim to fame, it's the only known preserved site of a dinosaur stampede in the world. There are three different types of dinosaur tracks here, a couple of smaller species and a large one (slightly bigger than a horse) that was chasing them looking for a dinosaur snack and thus caused the stampede. After a twenty minute audio / visual presentation we were taken into the archaeological area where we were given more information about the footprints. I really enjoyed our time here and apart from the actual dinosaur tracks the complex itself is pretty impressive - especially considering it's sitting out in the middle of the desert. The tour itself lasted around an hour and we had plenty of time to meander around and check things out for ourselves and the guide was always on hand if we had questions.

This is an impressive facility - especially as it's out in the middle of nowhere.

The building seems to emerge from the ground. 

If you look closely there are three different sized dinosaurs here.

The Lark Quarry Dinosaur Stampede.

This rock had formed a layer of protection over the prints. 

These prints are from the bigger dinosaur - a bit bigger than a horse.

The Dirt.

According to my GPS I walked around 4.5 kilometres and climbed about 102 metres on this easy stroll. While the walk was easy it featured both a solid climb and a steep descent along with the desert heat, so factor that into the equation if thinking about the walk. I got information for this walk off the QLDS Parks website as well as Alltrails - both sites are a little light on though.  There is also the short Spinifex and even shorter Lookout Walks that can be done on their own for easier options. On the walk I used my Alltrails Map and my GPS topos. We booked online for the dinosaur tour which cost about $30 each - it's a long dusty drive out here if you haven't got a ticket and arrive to find the tours are full. There are toilets, picnic shelters, a small café and shop at the visitor centre - there is also good 4g which was unexpected. The drive out is about 110 kilometres from Winton, around 70% sealed and the rest reasonable dirt.

Relevant Posts.

Goodela Walk, Blackdown Tableland National Park, 2016.

We had plenty of time to check things out at our leisure after the formal part of the tour was over.

 

The carpark was a lot emptier now. 

Leaving Winton the next morning we kept heading north.