Katherine to Mitchell Falls.

Wow!...its been a while since we've had reception and been able to get on the Internet again!



Anyway....the journey continues...


From Katherine it was on to Kununurra



Victoria River.


Stayed a night in between at Limestone Gorge in Gregory National Park. A beautiful Gorge with numerous Boab trees.


The camp area was over 50kms on gravel road, off the 'main road' and when we arrived there was but one space left....but it only had one tree...normally we try 2 find a configuration of three to hang the hammocks...but with a bit of initiative we solved the challenge by using the roof rack side on, as a fixture point, one hammock at each end and the tree for the foot end.Worked brilliantly and we've used this configuration many times since!






Limestone Gorge camp at daybreak.


You see some interesting characters along the road....we were stopped taking photos when a convoy of Farm Tractors towing caravans went past us the other way...in all 8 of them!Who know what pilgrimage they were on!




Stayed 4 nights at Kununurra in the Hidden Valley Camp...which lies directly next to Mirima National Park...Huge rock and sandstone escarpments typical of the Kimberely area.












It was a bit of a fluke we ended up there as we'd been to three other camping areas and they had balked at us having a hammock camp...."We can't have you hanging between the trees!!!"...was the reaction!...so our last hope was the Hidden Valley camp....they reacted totally different....asking questions about how it all works and we could pick any area at the back of the camp where the un powered area was....which suited us down to the ground cause it also gave us privacy.


But camping can mean many things to many people!


Check out this rig...of which there were two in the camp....so big they couldn't fit on a powered site and required major manoeuvring to get into place... 'Luxury' camping????


Can you imagine what a rig like this would cost? and how much it would cost to fuel the vehicle in front to tow it? and guess how many people were in it? two!!!

From Kununurra we did a day trip to Wyndam via the Ivanhoe crossing....

Ivanhoe Crossing.


Many 4wd vehicles pulled up there...thought about it and turned back.The flow was quite strong...But Suzy glided through no worries!




Pelicans waiting for fish to come over the falls.



The view from the window as we crossed...a 'freshie' sunbathing!


Took the 4wd track to Wyndam.

Wyndam is a seaport town that is in decline....Miles and miles of salt plains.There used to be a meat works there.Now most of the old town buildings a boarded up as depicted by Hans posing in front of the former establishment of Lee Tong.


Great lookout over the Port and sea...nice pies at the bakery!...a tacky crocodile statue.


Found a Boab seed that had been carved and broken...at a rest area where we stopped.Probably one you can buy in some tourist shop....patched it back together for a photo.




Went out to the Prison Boab tree....(a shocker of a gravel road...due to corrugations)


In the early days this tree was a temporary 'jail' for aboriginals who had committed crimes.They were held in here till they could be transported to an outer island for rehabilitation.

A bit too claustrophobic for me!

Then 'got lost' by taking a wrong turn at an intersection and ended up travelling right around the Cockburn Ranges (an extra 105 kms of rugged 4wd driving)....so our day trip ended up being a day/nighter!

Kununurra is an interesting town with a strong indigenous 'flavour'.Another town that has bars and gates across all the shop windows and doors.It has a Coles, a great information centre, several camping shops, a couple of banks and several jewellery shops supposedly selling the pink argyle diamond from the famous Argyle mine not far out of Kununurra.

Because w e were camped in an official Camp Ground we were of course not allowed to light a fire....our only source of warmth at night, our usual way of cooking and the atmosphere of a camp at night.

The temperature at night was falling below 5 deg so we were feeling it....

Again Hans came up with a solution! It's the fire you have, when your not having a fire, or as we called it...The Poor Man's Webber! ...but you know it worked really well and we went to bed that night feeling warm instead of having to go to bed feeling cold and trying to warm up....I even wore my fingerless gloves those nights!

'The Poor man's webber!'

A Whistling Kite that had a nest near to our camp.

A Male Bowerbird's bower.

For those not in the know...the male Bowerbird attracts the female by building these 'tunnels' and adorning them with all sorts of pieces found in the area around.In some cases they collect red or green pieces of glass or bottle tops etc. (One Bowerbirds bower it is reported, was found to be adorned with real gold nuggets he had picked up in a gold bearing area from creeks and lying on the ground!)....The female is 'lured' through the bower...they mate...she goes off and builds a nest in a nearby tree and lays and looks after the eggs till they hatch....so its basically lure em in, root em, job done...next one please!

From Kununurra it was onto the next leg of the journey...The Gibb River Road...through to Derby... The Pentacostal River crossing at beginning of the Gibb River Road.

The road to the Mitchell Falls which veers north off the Gibb River Road is for the serious off roaders....no caravans would last this road...

Tanked petrol at Drysdale station...Check out the price!

The last 40kms to the Mitchell Falls National Park camp were atrocious...The corrugations were so far apart (caused by huge off road tour buses) that it we could go no faster than 10kms/per hour.....to go faster would just shake poor Suzy to bits, plus you lost any control of the steering...Larger 4wd's passed us at a greater speed and one in particular passed us at breakneck speed.We saw oil on the road before us after they passed and round a few more bends there he was laying under his car.He'd destroyed his shock absorber....we couldn't help him...he'd have to limp back 100kms to Drysdale station for help.He and his wife weren't going to see Mitchell Falls that trip!

Livistonia palms...typical vegetation on the Mitchell Plateau.

Camped two nights at Mitchell falls camp.....the falls are a 7km round trip walk in from the camp..which we did....and in the heat of around 40 deg...it nearly killed us!...thankfully along the way there were flowing creeks and small waterfalls where we could take a dip to cool down and drink the water.There was a helicopter service from the camp area to the falls and back if you wished to travel that way but it was beyond the budget for us.

Aboriginal paintings found along the track.

But the walk and pain was worth it....Mitchell Falls is spectacular!

The Magnificent Mitchell Falls.

At the top of the falls before it goes over the edge is a fantastic area to swim and revive from the walk....A group of elderly tourists had been flown in and they too wanted to enjoy the cool water.I was particularly concerned for a man whom I estimated to be in his late 80's and who told me he'd recently had a stent put in....I could foresee...fractured neck of femur...heart attack coming his way as he tried to clamber over slippery rocks to get to the deeper part of the water to swim....so I stayed by his side assisting him as he stumbled and slipped over the rocks....then by his side whilst he swam...I'm thinking..."if a rock doesn't damage him the shock of the cold water will!"...see the nurse never really goes off duty!

So now its onto Derby....

Kakadu to Darwin,Litchfield and back to Katherine

From Jabiru we travelled to Ubirr.It has arguably the most historic art galleries in the world painted by aboriginals.The views from the sandstone escarpments over the wetlands and beyond were a sight to behold.

"...somewhere Ubirr the rainbow!...." (No musical notes on my keypad

Stone fish???

The walk was tiring and unbelievably hot, so we treated ourselves to a magnum and cold drink at the Border store....the border is between Kakadu and Arnhem land and is divided by the East Alligator river.Spotted estuarine croc's gliding through the river and sunning themselves along the banks.You don't have to go on a cruise to see croc's here...every river has them and not little fellas!
Decided to head for Darwin for the night...got there after dark.Big mistake! No room at any of the Inn's...Ended up doing a' night tour 'of Darwin and finally finding 'accommodation' in a dilapidated donger 40kms south of Darwin.
We named it the 'Darwin Hilton'...she was rough.. but we did appreciate the accommodation as we had no where else to lay our heads.The alternative would've been hanging in our hammocks along the highway!...

The Darwin Hilton!

Next morning we decided to see Darwin by daylight!...but first we booked into a cabin to ensure we had a decent bed to sleep in that night..there's a total fire ban in and around Darwin so camping with a campfire was out of the question.
I would describe Darwin as hot, very dry and brown, flat, with a well laid out road system that is easy to navigate, friendly helpful people, and where tourism is staring to boom.It has an atmosphere of its own..laid back...a 'shes right mate' sort of a feel to it.

Bought two new back tyres for Suzy...those should see us through the rest of the journey.
Checked out the shopping arcade in the centre of town...reminded me of the centre of Brisbane but on a smaller scale, the Botanical gardens and wanted to check out the Museum at Fannie Bay (cool name ah?) but Hans was refused entry because he had his mono pod with his two cameras attached....the guy argued that it was a tripod...but Hans explained it was a mono pod because it only had one leg...the guy reckoned he could still use it as a weapon so Hans told the man very calmly that he could stick his museum up his arse.

Bought a watertight/waterproof sealable bag meant to keep your stuff dry when boating...we figured if it was meant to keep water out...it will keep water in...hence we now have our own 'washing machine'....we fill it with water,add soap powder and clothes, seal, and tie onto roof rack....travel on for the day...take clothes out and rinse,squeeze and hang on line..brilliant!
It even heats the water for a warm wash as its black and absorbs the heat as we travel.
It now also doubles up as a spare container (collapsible and can be folded away when not in use) for spare water for our evening camp shower.

So after a good nights sleep and having restocked the pantry we made our way into Litchfield National park from the northern end via 4wd road.
Litchfield National Park is heaps smaller in size to Kakadu being only 1500 square kms but it does boast many beautiful waterfalls and plunge pools that are safe to swim in.....hence busloads of tourists also tour through the area, plus your self drives, and day trippers from Darwin.
Every feature you visit you have to share with thousands of visitors.Realised after visiting and looking for a place to camp, that you would have to get there at 0700 hrs just to claim a spot!....so we booked into a 'tourist park' so we could be assured to have a place to camp....it turned out to be a very relaxed camp and the guy running it, Don, a likeable rouge.

The second night was certainly entertaining... watching the German tourists of various ages doing the 'camping thing' in their Britz vans...they speak very loud and have no real consideration for their fellow campers.Observing our close neighbours erecting a tent with one reading the instructions was hilarious...and they have no understanding of personal space...they erected the bloody thing on our doorstep! (Sorry to any Germans reading this blog...this is not a slight on you!) One thing we know for sure...they don't run a camping shop in Germany!

Blizkreig negotiations!.

Checked out Wangi Falls...absolutely beautiful...had a refreshing swim in the cool water that flows from the magnificent waterfall.

Wangi Falls.

Next day went to Florence falls

Florence falls.

Buley Rock pools

Buley rock pools.

Will be glad to move on tomorrow and find a camp of our own, because as I sit here writing this draft, with the Germans still arguing about how to erect the tent not 10 metres away..(they've been at it for over half an hour now and still not one pole up!...I reckon Germans must have problems with erections!)....a van load of 'fresh backpackers' have decided to pitch their tent less than 20 metres from our camp...the rest of the camp area is empty by the way....feeling hemmed in...they will wish they had camped at the other end of the camp once Hans starts snoring tonight!
Our peace is gone...it's going to be an interesting night!

Moved out the next morning and took the 4wd track south that leads out of the park.

Just as we were going onto the track bumped into a couple of familiar faces....John and Di!...the couple we had had dinner with when we met up with Dean and Anja in Katherine the previous week!...Amazing whom you meet in the bush!

Crossed the Reynolds creek which was running at 0.7 metres high....Suzy did us proud as usual

Did several more dodgy creek crossings on our way through but these were not as high, although they were interesting as where you went into the water you couldn't see the track out again!...

Then came across a sign pointing to Surprise Creek Falls.....had to check them out.

All I can say is Wow!....

A series of small waterfalls cascading into plunge pools...the largest being very deep...and only a few people around...It was like heaven...the temps here all around the NT are in the mid 30's all day...so when you see water of any kind, it attracts you like a magnet...or maybe its just me ...being a water sign!

Delighted in the cooling water....it also gave us repose from the flies...

I haven't mentioned the Flies have I?

They are in plague proportion out in the bush....they favour your nostrils, mouth and ear orifices...we have taken on the famous Aussie wave without any practice!....If you are a mouth breather, you soon learn to breathe through your nose, else you will be taking on board extra protein you hadn't counted on!

From daybreak to sunset they are on a mission....to explore any area you have exposed!...

They love sores you have created due to scratching from your allergic response to the mosquito's.

Then at Dusk they go back to from whence they came and a new breed of insects come on duty....the good old Mozzie....totally immune to any aerosol spray man has come up with....I reckon they just laugh when they see us spraying every inch of exposed skin!...I think they just lick it off and go for the good stuff found underneath...my healthy blood!

Anyway I digress....

A couple of other interesting facts about NT.

The speed limit on the open road here is 130kms per hour!

You can still have a cigarette with your coffee/food at any place providing you are outside...Love it!

Decided to camp at Surprise creek falls camp...there was no one in the camp area when we arrived at 1400hrs.....so we picked the spot that suited us...the one with the most shade and trees to hang the hammocks.....There were 7 possible camp spots there and by 1700 hours 6 of the 7 were occupied...

Went for another session at the plunge pools and rinsed the clothes washed during our travel that day in our washing machine with water from the creek.

Had a shocker of a night that night....despite Hans having hung a mozzie net over our 2 hammocks, the little shits still found a way in....they buzzed incessantly around our ears and faces all night....It was a hot night and me still having hot flushes....found it more than uncomfortable to completely enshroud myself with my sleeping bag for any length of time before having to throw it off to cool myself!....thats when they attacked....exposed skin!!!...

We were glad to move on the next morning...

Our destination that day was Katherine again...a) to pick up our mail that my dear friend Robyn had forwarded on there for us, and b) because you can't travel west to Broome etc from any further north than Katherine.Thought we'd get a cabin or whatever for the night ...wash up and restock the pantry before heading west...it was not meant to be!...

Firstly we could not get accommodation...and I couldn't understand why until I went to the PO to pick up the mail...it was closed...it was friday and it was closed!...then I noticed a sign on the door...Friday, was a public holiday cause it was Show day!....and a long weekend!

Finally found an unpowered campsite in a camp ground a few kms out of town.

Decided if we had to stay here till monday we would set up the big tarp and make ourselves comfortable.

We get some strange looks from people within the park who sit in their $100,000 rigs parked not far from us...but you get that....our camp is breezy and very colourful with it's sarongs which capture the breeze and its the biggest space we've had to live in since we left....

Oh we get comments all the time about Suzy!...especially at creek crossings when they doubt we will get through...but they don't know our little Suzy!.....

Day 2 in Katherine....

Went to the Cycad gardens....amazing specimens there...

Then decided to join in the fun of the fair at the Katherine Show...

Katherine show

Round em up! ...Katherine show.

Thats all folks for now!...thanks to all who have left comments....its great to get feedback...

Love to all x x x

Hey again!...
From Katherine it was on to Kakadu...
Kakadu National Park covers 20,000 square km's and is managed jointly by the Aboriginal traditional owners and Australian National Parks.
It includes Savanna woodlands, Monsoon forests, Southern hills and ridges, stone country, floodplains and billabongs,tidal flats and coast....
Traditional burning of the land was in progress in different areas we travelled through.
The Kakadu highway, which is the main road through the park is sealed but many of the roads to the more 'adventurous places' are unsealed and corrugated...great for those who can 4wd and get away from the day trippers and those in 'normal cars'.(Not that we had to put it in 4wd!)
Went out via one of these tracks to Gunlom - the attraction here being a waterfall...still flowing but only just, as the dry season is taking its toll...with a beautiful deep plunge pool below.Kids and adults were taking advantage of 'safe' swimming...even though there are warning signs wherever you go regarding Estuarine croc's and alligators.

Gunlom Falls

Saw the characters above as we travelled along...not often you see wild asses/mules anymore!

The adjacent camp ground was full of all sorts of 4wd vehicles,trailers,tents etc...Too crowded for us, so went back and found a camp area with only a long drop composting toilet...no water ...but places to have our camp fire which we reckon you 'can't do without'.
During the night the wind picked up big time...the tarps covering our hammocks were flapping wildly all night and dust blew endlessly round the camp!
Moved on to Maguk - pronounced Mar gook....to see the attraction there...another beautiful waterfall and plunge pool...and en route stumbled across another camp area that was absolutely beautiful...Ironically I had said to Hans that morning.."wouldn't it be nice if we could find a great place to camp with grass underfoot, tall shady trees, privacy from other campers, a plentiful supply of firewood that we could make our home for a few days and just relax and enjoy, and set up a more permanent camp for a few days"...and lo and behold that's exactly what we drove into!
See... what you think about does become reality!
So this was our base for the next 3 nights...

Camp Maguk

Preparing dinner...



The day bed, or "chaise lounge"

Princess through the fly screen!

We did a 4km return walk to the waterfall...the waterfall area was as usual chocka with tourists, but we found our own 'little piece of heaven' to have a beautiful refreshing dip.

Maguk Falls

Nights in the area were very cold and we were always grateful for a bloody good campfire!...
Had a cinema in the bush night....Watched a DVD starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine...an oldie but a goodie...
Bush cinema

That night just before bed, Hans heard the grass around the camp rustle close by and with the torch , captured the eye shine of a dingo...probably roams the campsites at night looking for food.He didn't hang around when he knew he'd been spotted, but funnily enough the next night he was back, but skirting the camp from the other side....thinking we hadn't noticed him....then he sneezed 3 times!!!...he'd blown his cover!
Second night we set up the camp shower and had the luxurious experience of washing our hair and the dust of the body....amazing, how living simple, allows you to appreciate gratefully, the things we normally take for granted ...like a shower!
Woke up to another minor 'hiccup' the next morning....a slow leaking flat tyre.

Flat tyre caused by a nail.

Tyre changed and on our way again this morning....Visited various sites and features in the park including aboriginal paintings....this 'evil spirit' struck me as 'very well hung!'....he apparently attacked women with yams and then ate them!!!!

And now we are in a motor camp in Jabiru....Had to find a place to wash the clothes as we were running out (of clothes)...those duly washed and I am sitting here with Sarongs blowing around me (now our camp signature),washing on the line,dinner cooking in the pot and getting this blog up to date again...all is well....life is great....It's cool man!... :)

Wonga to Katherine

So here we go....the journey thus far....Headed out from Mossman,onto Mareeba,Chillagoe,Mungana and out west....new territory for us...




First camp...was along the beautiful Walsh River before the Walsh joins the Mitchel River adjacent to Wrotham Park Station.





We were settled in nicely for the night enjoying the ambiance of the campfire and admiring the starlit night when we were disturbed by 2 carloads of aboriginals ...they crossed the river and one of their cars broke down...they didn't seem to be aware of us camped nearby...there were torches,revs,towing ropes and swearing +++....Obviously Chef Ramsey has had an influence on these people as well!!!...Twas enough to make Billy Connolly blush!



With Robyn's breakfast loaf, that she so kindly made us for our 1st few days travel in our tummy's with several cups of billy coffee we were back on the road...



Seen along the way...Brolgas,Red wing black cockatoos,Whistling kites,Galahs,Bustards and of course crows!



Rivers now drying up...only waterholes around...croc territory....no traffic to speak of ,a 4wd every 2-3 hours...badly corrugated dirt road and long stretches of bull dust...terrible stuff!




Second camp....well off the road in bush near a place on the map called Wyaaba river on the western edge of Stark national park.Looked ideal till dusk....then the mozzies came out in full force,buzzing round us all night....wore my 'mozzie hat' for the 1st time ever...Mozzies don't bite Hans but they love me...protected my self with spray and clothes...thought I had it covered didn't I?...only the next day my butt and other areas I wont expand on, were covered in bites!!!...didn't think to spray that area for when I had to answer the call of nature did I?




Today we saw more Brolgas, Jabirus, a beautiful large Goanna, pied ducks, brown ducks, spoonbills, wedge-tailed eagles, blue winged kookaburras, wallabies, all around waterholes both natural and man made.Good photo opportunities!



Refilled the petrol tank from the reserve tank on the roof rack...worked out we have a 650km range with the 2 tanks....(plus we have another 10 litre tank on top we haven't used yet)



Next morning headed for Karumba....no sealed road till Maggievale but remember we are taking the scenic route!...That's where the turn off is to Karumba and sealed again...




Karumba...What a beautiful little fishing village...a sight for sore eyes after so much dry and dust.


Beautiful blue/green water.



Its a grey nomad town at this time of the year....dedicated fishermen come from all around the country to spend time here fishing....



Caravan parks are bursting at the seams...4wds, camper vans, caravans, buses, boats all of varying sizes ....millions of $ worth of gear...



Booked into a cabin for 2 nights but extended it to 3 as we loved being there so much.It was good to have a decent shower and wash of the dust and dirt,wash clothes and download photos onto the laptop....went out each night and photographed the sunset this coast is renowned for...just beautiful...







Then it was on to Normanton...and being a Sunday the place wasn't exactly humming!!!...bit like Mossman on a Sunday!...bought food supplies and tanked petrol...$1.98/litre!...cant buy any grain bread for love nor money out in these towns...bread is white and usually frozen....diet products of any sort are out of the question...you wonder how diabetics get on out here!....




Then headed onto Burketown...230kms of dirt road..had 2way contact with another couple on the road and ironically met them again several times in different areas...Ingrid and John...they're headed up to Darwin ...John is to play in a Hockey tournament whilst up there...nice people...









Camped that night alongside the Albert River which runs through Burketown....wide river...bit like the Daintree and inhabited by crocs..threw the fishing line in whilst having a sunset drink...caught several large catfish which put up a good fight....not good 2 eat though so they were thrown back...was just tending my line when out of the corner of my eye saw something move....it was an olive python coming up the bank to check us out...all 8ft of him/her!!!...nearly shit myself!!! (as you do)....but Hans identified it as a 'friendly snake'....so got the cameras out and took some great pic's!...(I didn't sleep well that night)








Next morning...Monday and the shops (all 2 of em) were open for business in Burketown again.....Refuelled, bought a few food supplies and went to buy some wine.No such luck!...can't buy wine in Burketown, only beer or spirits.No room for a carton of beer so resorted to a bottle of rum...because we were headed in the vicinity of Doomagee, an aboriginal 'dry' settlement, we had to fill out forms to buy alcohol...name, DOB, rego of car, drivers licence no....penalty if caught with alcohol on the Doomagee settlement is to have your car confiscated...not something we can afford to do!...So we skirted around Doomagee which led us to Lawn Hill National Park...Wow....it is an 'oasis in the middle of a desert'...



Camping ground there - Adel Grove....was absolutely beautiful in a very natural way..it catered for every sort of traveller....so we were able to bush camp there and have our fire for warmth and to cook on....Stayed there 3 nights....we loved it so much...and also gave us the opportunity to visit the Gorge, which creates this oasis.


Got up at the crack of dawn and walked 3 of the tracks there to catch the morning light...ideal for photography....and also best time to walk as it gets so very hot there during the day.



Swam each day in the river...so refreshing and invigorating! (took awhile to get in, being so cool) but once in it was worth it...there are fresh water croc's in the river but they didn't bother us.








Then it was on the road again...corrugated dry and very rough road back to the Savannah Way.



We crossed the border into the Northern Territory at 1610 hrs.





As we crossed we came across a young Swedish couple who had a flat tyre...offered assistance but they were ok...there 'welcome' to Qld wasn't quite what they had expected...they had bee n on the road for 5 months and this was their first flat tyre....felt for them as it was stinking hot out there.


Found a beautiful place to camp well off the road....plenty of wood around so had a great fire that night ...played music from the mp3 player through the stereo of the car.Another beautiful starlit night!


Next town Borroloola...a further 200kms of very corrugated roads.


Refuelled...$1.88/litre..Just glad we haven't got a large 4wd and towing a caravan!!!


There was a Corroberee going on in town where neighbouring tribesmen/women were coming in all week to celebrate Aboriginal week...were given permission to take photos of some of the dancing.






Then back on the road heading for Cape Crawford...(which is nowhere near the sea as the name suggests!)...couldn't find a suitable place to camp so booked a 'motel room'...$75 for the night and when we drove around to it found it was really just an old Donga!...with 2 single beds and that was it!...Toilets/showers were shared by everyone...no cooking facilities so you really didn't have a choice but to eat in their 'restaurant' at $25pp buffet dinner....lets just say it filled the hole!!


And guess what this place is called?? The Heartbreak Hotel!






Met Tony and his son Josh who had just come back from a fishing trip at Bing Bong (sorry having a chuckle here!...they say kiwis have strange place names!!!)...anyway it was a fruitful trip and after a drink or 2 he cooked us up a beautiful big mud crab and gave us a fish he caught which we put on ice and had for dinner the next night.


Another patron in the line of Donga's we were in we named Mr Grumpy...wouldn't even acknowledge you or say hello!...later that night after many rums in the bar Tony told us that he actually became Mr Happy and shared the fact that he was a cleaning product and toilet paper salesman!...can you imagine trying to sell that stuff the the local communities?..what a job!...no wonder he was a Mr Grumpy!


The Donga walls seemed paper thin and you could hear your neighbours snoring and talking...not to mention other noises!


Brewed billy coffee and made cheese on toast on the deck on our little burner the next morning for breakfast...packed up and back on the road.


Oh, now that we are in the NT there's a half hour time difference to QLD.



Long day on the road...long, long, seemingly unending straight roads...everytime you go over a crest you see more km's of the same long straight road...but eventually we hit Daly Waters...Don't know why its called that cause there is no water there!...refuelled and continued onto Larrimah....had a beer in an old pub there ...full of character and old relics...and they guy behind the bar, Fred was from Yorkeys Knob!...he was going to live out his days here...had enough of the city...


Continued on to Mataranka hoping to camp there and have a dip in the hot springs the place is known for, but no luck....place was full of caravans/camper vans, backpackers and all accommodation was taken so carried onto Katherine...accommodation at a premium here too especially as we didn't arrive till 1915hrs but were fortunate enough to get a cabin for the night.


Travelled 550kms that day.


First mobile/Internet coverage since we left and it was great to be finally in communication with loved ones again.



After speaking with other people, we found out that the V8 races were on in Darwin this w/end and accommodation was fully booked so people had come down this far to find a place to stay...add to that school holidays, grey nomads, tourists and self drive tourists and backpackers the Katherine is fair bulging at the seams!


Had to move out of cabin next morning as could only have it for one night....went out to Katherine Gorge to check out camping in National park but not suitable for us and there's a fire ban on here at the moment...Spent another 2hours going from place to place to find any sort of accommodation with very little luck...so here we are now in the Katherine Motel...nothing flash...but at least its a place to stay and has given me the opportunity to finally get this blog up to date.


Caught up for dinner with Dean and Anja Clapp from the Daintree...they are riding a tandem bike from Kuranda to Broome via the Savannah Way....pretty much the way we came...they left on their bike on June 6th...we left 25th...and Saturday we both arrived here in Katherine....I take my hat off to them....it would be total hard yakka doing what they're doing....the atrocious roads, the heat, the sore bums!!!...Never the less they are looking great and enriched by their experience.




Today ....Monday, is Hans's birthday!..


So to 'celebrate'....we got up at 0600hrs and went down to the Gorge with a picnic breakfast and canoed our way up and down the first part of Katherine gorge for 4 hours...another great photo opportunity as its beautiful especially in the morning...the arm and shoulder muscles had a bit of a work out and I'm sure we will be feeling the pain tomorrow but heh!...no pain, no gain!

So that's the story up to date.....Till the next time! :) .