The Road To Normanton and Normanton For Second Time

On Thursday the 24th of June I left Croydon and headed for Normanton. On the way there was a historic site that I did not get to see on the way east previously. So I stopped and had a look. It was also time to boil the billy. This was the Blackbull Siding site. It was one of the three stages of the construction of the Normanton to Croydon Gulflander Raiway. There are a couple of information boards that explain a few things and pictures of the old infrastructure.
I pulled into Normanton about 11 or 11.30am and went straight to the Information Centre where I asked for a permit to free camp on the Norman River over the bridge. They allow ten permits to camp there but allow more if the caravan park declares they are full. I took the sixth permit. I wanted to secure that so I knew where I stood as I had another tyre issue to fix. This was a simple one in that the Cairns Tuff Tyre people would not fit my second spare tyre to my second spare rim on a technical issue, ie it was just over five years old. So I wanted to ask Wayne at the BP, who originally checked my flat tyre and let me know the rim had failed, to fit it. I went there and reminded Wayne that I was the guy from a couple of weeks earlier who had come to him with the stuffed rim and that I had been all the way to Cairns and had three new rims fitted and finally returned. He is a funny guy and we had a laugh. Once I untied my second spare tyre from the back of the van and dragged my spare rim out he fitted it straight away. I went to pay him and he said that his reward was to see me leave town. He meant that in the nicest way. I then had a late lunch in the park and a quick beer at the Albion Hotel to check it out as I had read it had a bit of character. Then headed over to the free camp and found a spot. I walked over to the river to see if I could see any crocs but there were none.
Another nice sunset that night.
Another nice sunrise the next morning.
Finally my next adventure on the Savannah Way west of Normanton was now to begin.

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