"Normanton, Railway Buff's Mecca" Normanton by pedroswift

Normanton Travel Guide: 14 reviews and 44 photos

Croc in main street - stay out of the water!

OK !"mecca" may be a bit rich

But Normanton does have an antique rail motor that does a weekly trip to Croydon and during the "tourist season" a couple of shorter trips for an evening BBQ or a daytime bush tea and damper experience. Railmotor
As well as that it is on the road to Karumba one of the few gulf townships accessible by road in a non-four wheel-drive automobile during the dry season. Gulf Savannah page.

Derivation of the name - "Normanton"

First came the name "Norman River" from Frederick Walker, one of the many explorers who went looking for Burke and Wills. He discovered and named the Norman River after the captain of a ship named 'Victoria'. Then in 1867 William Landsborough sailed up the Norman river and chose the site for the settlement of Normanton.
Read more history including the ill-feted expedition of Burke and Wills 1861.

Normanton has a Heritage Listed Jail

Pros and Cons

Pros:A Must for Train Spotters
Cons:Not the "Big Smoke"
In a nutshell:On the road to Karumba

Last visit to Normanton: Dec 2004
Intro Updated Jan 20, 2009
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Reviews (3)

Gulf Country - Watering Hole Hotels (1)

Sorry I have never stayed overnight so can not review the accommodation but if you visit on Saturday at lunch time there... more travel advice

First Aircraft to Land at Normanton - Normanton

Normanton Museum Things to Do (2)

If you visit Normanton, you may as well take in the History of the place. There is a museum at the railway station worth... more travel advice

Normanton Railway Platform & Railmotor - Normanton

Railmotor to Croydon Things to Do (2)

Train buffs from around the world turn up to ride on this unique line connecting Normanton and the old gold mining town... more travel advice

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Comments (1)

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Nemorino Feb 19, 2007 at 3:36 PM

I'm a sucker for old railways, so I'm sure I'd like the Gulflander. Why did all those Paul Theroux-types insist on staying in room 8?