Day 30 – Saturday 25 June – Darwin Day 1
We departed Dundee Beach around 9:30 am after a sleep in. The four-stall market did not delay Shirley for long.
By 11 am we had the caravan on site at Howard Springs, just outside Darwin. The trip here took just under 6100 km.
I needed diesel so we headed to Woolworths to get a voucher and then invested $335 at Caltex.
I gave the car a long overdue wash and removed maybe 95% of the outside red dirt. It looked much better.
Just before 4 pm we headed to Palmerston and had dinner with my sister, and her daughter and family. Some fine bottles of red wine were opened and consumed, the last one accompanying the superb meal of corned silverside.
I did my grand-pa thing and read the bedtime story (which I wrote) to their three year-old daughter. It ended up in chaos as she wanted to read the story - or the pictures at least.
It was a great evening, although I am not sure I needed the scotch after dinner.
Day 31 – Sunday 26 June – Darwin Day 2
It was a slow start to the morning............
We drove to Nightcliff and visited the Sunday market - and bought an Apple Cucumber. On the way home Bunnings was visited to buy some wood and screws for two cupboard dividers, as requested by the "Manager, Cupboard Organisation".
Those dividers were duly made and installed, much to the delight of the client. In return she made me lunch.
After some chill time we headed into Mindil Markets to see the Beer-can Regatta and have dinner with the family. We arrived in time to see the feature race - "The Mindil". A lot of serious drinking went into getting the cans to make the boats.
Garden spades were used as oars by one crew. Flour bombs were the order of the day, as well as numerous other projectiles. All sorts of dubious tactics were employed, including sabotage.
The wider family duly arrived and we spent a couple of hours chatting and eating and chasing two active kids. Yesterday I was called Chris, today I was Grandpa - and that was fine.
The clouds prevented any attempt at a sunset photo.
Day 32 – Monday 27 June – Darwin Day 3
The day started with a visit to O'Brien's Autoglass to get a chip fixed in my 'new' windscreen. We filled in the time with a coffee at an excellent coffee place across the road.
After that we had a stroll around the centre of Darwin before having a 'Combination Laksa' for lunch with my sister. That was a long lunch/chat.
Shirley decided that it was freezer-defrost time, so that was duly completed.
We had a ZOOM chat with good friends and then wandered down to the 'grass area' for some live music from the 'Eclipse Duo'. A sausage sizzle was a good choice for dinner after our substantial lunch.
That was it for the day.
Day 33 – Tuesday 28 June – Darwin Day 4
We had around 102 drops of rain overnight, no evidence of which remained by the time we surfaced.
Mundane caravan jobs were the order of the day, before heading in to town in 'tourist mode'. On the way we stopped at a caravan accessories shop and bought a new cartridge for the water filter.
Our first stop was to check out the Darwin WW2 Oil Tunnels. It is an amazing piece of history, when you consider that the tunnels were dug when bombs were falling on Darwin. Please click here to learn more.
Darwin also has it share of superb street art.....
....... and its share of superb plants and butterflies that want to share the plant ...
By now it was close to lunch time so we headed to the Wharf for the obligatory tourism "Barra, chips & salad". It was excellent. We wondered about the Crocodile Parma.
The flash area of Cullen Bay was the next target for a walk and a mango smoothie. There is argument to say that it was the best smoothie that we have ever had.
It was time to head back to camp, for some relaxation. After that was complete I washed one side of the caravan. The rest can come later.
Today is day 33, and the first time that we turned on the TV, since leaving home. The news was no better than it was 34 days ago - in fact it was probably worse.
Day 34 – Wednesday 29 June – Darwin Day 5
It was an earlier-than-usual start as we headed 40 km south to the "Territory Wildlife Park" with my niece and her two lovely kids. We arrived around 9am, paid our entrance fee, and did what tourists do.
We saw lots and lots of magnificent indigenous animals and birds. The kids had a ball patting and looking.
Feel free to click here for more photos.
We were home soon after lunch and relaxed. Later, after some 'down time' I used ZOOM to login to the bowls committee meeting (someone has to take the minutes).
We cooked a couple of pork steaks on the BBQ, as the steady rain set in. It was to be a good night for sleeping.
Day 35 – Thursday 30 June – Darwin Day 6
The rain had stopped by the time we rose. After a quick breakfast we headed off to the hairdresser (Shirley) and the masseur (Chris/me). One of us looked better and the other felt better by the time we caught up in Woolworths.
We went looking in the caravan accessories place, to no avail, so we headed back to camp for lunch and relaxation. After A while I felt guilty and finished the bowls committee meeting minutes (from yesterday) and washed another two sides of the caravan.
We joined my sister and family again for dinner, this time at the Palmerston Golf Club for 'wings' night. Ten chicken wings cost $5. I guess they make their money from drinks.
Day 36 – Friday 1 July – Territory
Day
Look it up. It is a special day in the Northern
Territory – 1st July. It is also cracker day. It is the only day of the year that fireworks can be purchased and setoff.
We started the day with a drive to
Howard Springs Nature Park, not far from the caravan park. It is a good picnic
spot and worthy of a couple of photos. On the way there I scored a photo of a python.
After that we looked for a “cracker shop”
and spent $60 on crackers. The last time I could legally buy crackers was the
late 70’s in Victoria – a long time ago.
Next was a drive along Casuarina Beach –
not a good spot to visit as it has an asbestos problem – then a photo or two at
Dripstone Cliffs. This part of the world is the remaining spot (in the world) for
Dugongs.
Above: Dugong Sculpture
Below: Dripstone Cliffs & Casuarina Beach
Bottom: Bird yet to be named
Our new favourite mango smoothie shop was closed by 2:20 so we missed out there. So we filled up with diesel and headed back to camp. It was time to clean the awning and start to pack up for our departure tomorrow.
At 5pm we drove to Kate’s place (my
niece) for a BBQ dinner and cracker night. We contributed our few crackers to
the family pool and settled in for the night. It was estimated that their
street in total may have spent in excess of $3000 on fireworks.
It was a very entertaining night.
At 10:15 pm we said goodnight and goodbye
to the family and headed back to camp. As I edit these words at 10:58 pm there
were many pops and bangs to the heard in the neighbourhood. Curfew is supposed to be 11 pm.
Day 37 – Saturday 2 July – Corroboree
Wetlands
Darwin was left behind around 9am –
after 7 days of family socialising and some sightseeing. It was a good week.
We were at the Corroboree Tavern by 10
am and booked into our caravan site soon after. By 12 noon we had driven the 20
km to Corroboree Wetlands ready for our 2.5 lunch time cruise on the wetlands.
It was a great 2+ hours. Evan our guide was a wealth of knowledge on the region, the wetlands, crocodiles and the many birds that call the wetlands home.
Evan convinced us that our life span was around 30 seconds if we fell out of the boat. So we all stayed in the 29-person boat.
After the first croc sighting, and a lengthy explanation of the features of the croc, Evan served us a superb cold-meat & salad lunch.
There were plenty of birds happy to pose for photos,
including the Rainbow Bee-eater below.
We saw a whistling kite land on her nest to feed her baby.
We were in a pretty area of the wetlands (see above photo) when Evan deliberately disturbed a large salt-water crocodile. The huge animal swam away from us, and the boat followed, for maybe 75 metres before the croc decided that underwater was a better place to be.
It was amazing being a couple of metres behind the croc as it slowly swam along the channel, propelled by its tail.
At 5pm it was around 27 degrees, with a cool breeze.
Day 38 – Sunday 3 July – Kakadu Day 1
The only caravan park at Jabiru (the heart of Kakadu) does not take bookings so we decided to get their early. We completed the 166 km just on 10am and found that there were plenty of spare sites.
A coffee was consumed then we went for a drive around Jabiru and did a culture tour of the Bowali Visitors Centre. I also took a photo of the art work on the water tower. It was pretty impressive, although the strong sun-light made it hard to get a good photo.
The art work was very impressive.
The 2.5 km walk included a lookout that was a bit tricky to maneuver. However the 360 degree views were worth it.
We stopped at the East Alligator River on the way back and counted 6 or 7 crocodiles cruising up and down the river. Not a good place for a swim.
An ice-cream was next.
Around 4:45 we wandered over to the pool-side bar and bought a drink - because we could. We then wandered home, had another drink, then BBQ'd a couple of lamb steaks for dinner.
It was still 25 degrees at 8pm
Day 39 – Monday 4 July – Cruise, Art
& Walks
Shirley sat
bewildered on the Yellow Water Cruise boat at 6:20 am after a 4:45 wake-up tap
on the shoulder, a quick breakfast and a 65 km drive. I was beside her. It was
still dark with sunrise still 30 minutes away. I cannot remember the last time
I drove with the lights on full beam for 60+ km.
It was special to get a close-up photo of a White Bellied Sea Eagle.
From 6:45 we had two hours of a superb cruise among many many crocodiles and zillions of birds. There were literally thousands of ducks. I also got a decent sunrise photo.
There were many different species of trees and smaller plants, but we particularly love the flowers on the water lillies - the leaves of which are so water resistant that one leaf can be used as a water carrier.
I took a big proportion of the 246 photos that I took for the day, during the cruise. Please click here if you wish to see more photos of Yellow Water.
After the cruise we went
into the Cooinda Lodge restaurant and had maybe the best cappuccino of the trip
to date.
Then came a trip to
the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre. It gave a great insight as to how the
local Bininj people have managed the land over many centuries – and how some of
those customs/ways have been adjusted to include tools provided by the white
man. The centre is well worth a visit.
Navigator Shirley
then directed us to Kungardun Walk, which was mainly a 2.3 km floral walk –
with plenty of flowers to admire.
Next was the 2.8 km
Burrungkuy (Nourlangie Rock) rock, noted for its superb rock art and views from
the lookout. It was a pleasant walk, mostly in shade.
We detoured to
Anbangbang Billabong, but opted for a quick look in preference to another ‘rock
art’ walk. I took a couple of photos of the lovely picnic spot.
Then on to
Nanguluwurr Art Site walk – the straw that nearly broke the camel’s back. It
was a 4 km return trek with the last 200 metres up a steep rocky track, to get
to the art work. By now the thermometer had passed 30 degrees. However, the art
walk was again excellent.
If you want to see more photos of the rock art please click here.
We made it back to
the car and turned the a/c on full as we headed back to camp.
Our 5:15 am departure
was followed by a 3:45 pm return to base. We had time for a coffee before we
hit the pool – but not for long as it was freezing.
The Barra was superb.
We were back in the caravan by 8pm ready to relax.
Day 40 – Tuesday 5 July – Kakadu Day 3
The navigator and the driver had a sleep in after a huge day yesterday. We lingered over bacon, egg and tomato for breakfast. After a coffee Shirley had us back in the car and off to Mamakula Wetlands, and what a gem it was.
They had a bird hide overlapping the waters of the wetlands and the following characters were on display.
Mum and Child Jacana (Jesus Bird)
On the loop back to the car, to complete the 3.5 km walk, we saw one of my favourites - who should not need any introduction.
On the way back to camp we stopped at the Tourist Information Centre and saw the following (close to) favourites - red tailed black cockatoos - our first photos of the trip (of these guys).
Next stop was the indigenous art gallery, with artists in residence and painting. In this region the style is focused on lines - not dots. We saw lots of lines happening. The prices were well out of our budget.
I took a couple of photos of some street art.
On our way back to camp we drove past the Ranger Uranium mine, which (according to current agreements) must cease processing of uranium ore at Ranger mine by 2021, and complete all decommissioning and rehabilitation works by 2026. There did not seem to be much happening on either front. One wonders what "rehabilitation" means?
We had a late lunch after which I jointly updated the blog and cooked a stew. Shirley sat in the shade with a book.
We dined on stew under the stars.
As we get ready to head south through and out of Kakadu tomorrow, and see one or two more Kakadu sights, we have completed around 7260 km. That is around 180 km per day.
Day 41 – Wednesday 6 July – Kakadu
& Beyond
After a casual start
to the day we said goodbye to Jabiru and were in our second-last Kakadu spot –
Gungurul Campground – by 10 am. We unhitched the caravan, locked the hitch, and
drove back 5 km to the Maguk turnoff – our last Kakadu stop.
There was a very
ordinary dirt road for 10 km then a magnificent one km walk to the ‘plunge pool
& waterfall’, albeit rocky at times. ‘Crocodile Safety’ signs were common.
It was well worth the unhitch, the drive and the walk.
I braved the water, with many others, while Shirley watched on.
There was a rock
ledge, allegedly four metres above the water, where the young ‘studs’ did their
aerobatics. I cheated a bit with the following photo, but it provides an idea
of the height of the ledge and the trajectory of the ‘jumper’.
We then repeated the walk and the drive before re-hitching the caravan and having a late lunch.
We chatted to a
couple with a son maybe 10 years old. Both parents had accents. “Where from”
asks Shirley. The Dad replied, “I am Irish, and she is Scottish”. Quickly the
boy added “and I am an Aussie”. It was cause for a smile.
There was no urgency
to our day so we drove another 90 km (give or take) and camped at a free camp
site 25 km NE of Pine Creek. Our time in Kakadu was over. It was a great few
days.
It looked like being
a “no bird photos” day today, until we sat outside and listened to the sounds
of nature.
We believe that the parrots below are “Red-Collared Lorikeets” – only seen in the top-end region from Kakadu to Kununurra in WA. They put on a spectacular display and were hard to photograph. I had to lay on top of a concrete picnic table to get the photos.
Not great photos, but it was great to see ‘new to us’ birds.
Rounding out the trio
was the “Magpie Lark”, one that did not want to sit in the sun for a decent photoshoot.
There were other birds, but smaller, quicker and more elusive.
It was a happy ‘happy
hour’. The leftover stew is leftover no more.
Day
42 – Thursday 7 July – Bitter Springs & Gorrie
Most days you wake expecting a normal and pleasant
day. Sometimes it goes south, and you wish you had stayed in bed. Sometimes it
goes the other way and you realise how great life is. Today it was the last
option for us.
After a peaceful
night we broke camp and headed through Pine Creek, then down the Stuart Highway
to Katherine – around 110 km. We did a little bit of shopping and topped up on
diesel that was around $2.40 per litre. There was a coffee in there somewhere.
We headed down to the
hot artesian pools at Bitter Springs, changed clothes and jumped into the
magnificent water. It was a great way to spend 90 minutes – the highlight of
our day so far.
Our destination was Gorrie Airfield – as recommended by good bowling friends – a WW2 airstrip one km off the Stuart Highway. It was a mere 70 km from Bitter Springs. The road in was a worry, but the mud mainly adhered to the wheels, and not the body of the car or caravan. The water holes had no traps.
We drove onto the
airstrip around 3pm and realised that we had around 2 km of sealed road/airstrip
to pick from – apart from the few campers already on site. Most had a fire.
Bingo. Fire. Camp oven. Damper. Red wine. Relaxation. Wow!
It all happened. Shirley found some meat. We both found some wood.
Matches + wood + paper = fire.
Fire + camp-ovens = stew & damper.
We hardly had time for a coffee.
What happens when you
disturb wood? Insects are exposed. So? Birds eat insects, and in they came in
their droves. Smorgasbord insects. Camera overworked. I have not yet had time
to work out what they were.
How good was this?
Then?
Stew, damper, red
wine.
Can life get any better? Yep. Post dinner drink beside the fire as the sun was setting.
Day 43 – Friday 8 July – A Day of
Transit
I went for a pre-dawn
walk and saw a few wallabies and one Kite.
Then it was a day of transit from the warm climate of Gorrie Airfield to the cooler climate just north of ‘Three Ways’ (the junction of the Stuart and Barkly Highways). ‘Three Ways’ is where we turn left/east and head towards Townsville.
The landscape varied
significantly, none of it looking like good farming land.
Our speed was so casual that we were overtaken twice by the same Mazda CX5 towing a Jayco Penguin camper. He must have stopped somewhere to allow us to catch up.
We called into
Dunmarra Roadhouse which has a reputation for great pies, sausage rolls and
vanilla slices. The vanilla slices were not quite ready and it was too early
for a pie for lunch – so we had a sausage roll for morning tea. It was one of
the best sausage rolls that we have ever had – apart from Shirley’s and Mum’s
and Mother-in law’s sausage rolls.
We ended in a free
camp closely packed beside three caravans from Queensland – around 50 metres
from the Stuart Highway. They were not all that happy that we cramped them more
than they would have preferred. We were not stressed.
The temperature
struggled to get to 20 all day, with a strong southerly (head) wind.
Cooking of dinner was
interrupted by two sunset photos – 8 minutes apart – same spot, same camera
settings.
Day 44 – Saturday 9 July – Another
Day of Transit
I took a sunrise
photo out of the back window of the caravan, then closed the curtains so that
Shirley was not blinded by the light. It was a chilly start to the day.
We drove around 70 km to Three Ways and spent $366 on diesel. We then turned east towards Queensland, directly into a head wind.
We made it to Barkly Homestead, then used the mobile reception to make a few tourist phone calls, for information for the next few days. The Northern Territory is not supported very well by Telstra and other telcos. Rarely have we had mobile reception when on the road.
Onwards we trekked further
east, stopping for lunch and afternoon coffee. The trees seemed to disappear.
We stopped around 3 pm for the day and camped across the road from the Avon Downs Police Station, around 6 km from the Queensland border.
Again, the temperature
struggled to get to 20 all day, with the strong wind making it feel much
cooler. We are ready for another cool night.
This chapter is now
complete. We have covered 1374 km in four days since leaving Jabiru/Kakadu.
After tomorrow we can slow down and chill out.
Please look for new
adventures in Chapter 6.
Last updated at 7:45 pm on Monday 11 July.
