Gregory Downs

Description

The old Gregory Downs Hotel holds court as the centre of town society. Originally built to serve passengers on the coach run from Burketown, the hotel is in the historic village of Gregory Downs which accesses the perennially-flowing Gregory River.

At one time it was a Mounted Police post. In World War II, officers at this station won fame when they searched with Doomadgee Aboriginal trackers for the crew of the ditched plane Little Eva. The crew flew out of Iron Range Airport for a bombing run to then-New Guinea and they became disoriented in a tropical storm.

Gregory Downs Station was one of the first cattle runs in the Gulf Savannah. It was one of a range of properties established on Lort Stokes' Plains of Promise, a vast monsoonal savannah stretching from Gregory to the Leichhardt Rivers.

The peaceful waters of The Gregory remain a natural attraction. Here you can canoe year-round the site hosts thousands for the annual May Labour Day weekend canoe race.

While camping has traditionally been in the riverbed, public hygiene has prompted discussions to move away from the river's edge. Rent a canoe or time your visit to coincide with Gregory's racing and rodeo calendar. The Gregory Ball is a not-to-be missed social event.

It may take a while to get here, but you will be guaranteed a load of fun.