Broome

Hi again

Arrived in Broome yesterday, and are really enjoying the cooler weather and being at the beach after spending weeks in the outback amid the red dust & rocky gorges, amazing as they have all been.

We will be here for a few days, and have already enjoyed two sunsets on the beach, watching the sun set over the water, something we have missed since living on the Eastern seaboard.  Last night we enjoyed some prawns with our wine, this evening we had a chicken salad, so doing it tough as you can see !!

We have heard a number of negative comments about Broome, being expensive etc, but our caravan park is no dearer than Darwin and so far our experience has been all positive.  We are at Cable Beach and there are some very spoofy resorts in the area, and a couple of 4 star caravan parks, but nothing wrong with the one we are in which is smaller and quieter, and just a walk to the beach.  The big tourist thing to do on Cable Beach is a sunset camel ride, but we are happy to watch others do that.  To be honest, having ridden a camel around the pyramids in Egypt, a camel on Cable Beach doesn't quite do it for us, nice as it would no doubt be.

Of course if you want to buy pearls, for which Broome is famous, you'll be up for a few bucks, but I have pearls, so Trev is safe there :-)  It's interesting to read of the history of the pearl industry here, and to learn of the numbers of Aboriginal, Japanese & Chinese pearl divers who were lost to either the bends or through cyclone devastation to the luggers used.  The old fashioned diving suits must have been so heavy and quite freaky to wear, relying on someone on the surface to make sure the air hoses were operating properly.  A far cry from the modern diving apparatus available today.  I would have died of fright had I been submerged in one of those suits!!!

It is nice to be able to relax for a few days before heading down the coast, & without the risk of crocodiles in the water, so who knows, we may even get to have a swim in the Indian Ocean.

Cheers xx

Derby & Horizontal Waterfalls

Hi again

The road between our cliff-top spot at Ngumpan Cliff & Derby was fairly uninteresting actually, but great cattle country & we did pass a number of said animals en route.  Missed a great photo opportunity of capturing one particular beast who did not follow his compatriots across the road, but stood looking at us with the dopiest expression that had us hooting with laughter.  He was obviously a little mentally challenged I think. Bless him !!

Some of you may have seen our "Straying Stock" pic on Facebook.  Have seen, and missed photographing a few "Wandering Stock" signs, but the straying one really captured our imagination, especially with the reference to the road being 'unfenced'.  Am sure you Bible scholars could probably build a sermon on that !!

Have enjoyed a couple of days in Derby - the jetty at sunset is not to be missed, and the high & low tides are something to witness too, with the tide dropping 11.8metres. Quite astounding to see.

Low tide

High tide & sunset - Beautiful !!

We attended the Baptist Church on Sunday, and were very interested to meet a number of pilots working with Kingdom Aviation - a slightly different organisation than MAF, which we are familiar with.  These pilots fly out in pairs to the remote aboriginal communities and take turns in sharing the gospel as well as practically caring for the people out there.  They were all passionate about the terrible statistics of youth suicide out here, and are desperately trying to work with the elders to try and turn things around.  It was a very challenging & eye opening experience for us to talk to them, about this complex and serious situation. We've visited a huge boab tree called the Prison Tree, where aboriginals prisoners were often held overnight, the tree being hollow of course, and have cringed at some of the stories of man's inhumanity to man.  We visited a gallery, featuring the works of a local artist Mark Norval & talked to the artists wife.  Both were teachers here & she gave another aspect of the problems here with the young people - especially the young men.  Mark's paintings reflect some of the pain and hopelessness that seems prevalent in the indigenous communities. 

The Prison Tree

On a lighter note we had THE most spectacular day today.  We were picked up at 8.15, taken to the Airport, boarded on to a seaplane & flown out to the Horizontal Waterfalls, north of here (1/2hr flight)  in the Buccaneer Archipelago which is a beautiful area consisting of some 800 to 1,000 rocky islands. The islands are rugged and sparsely vegetated with patches of rain forest in moist areas and a fringing of mangroves where silt has accumulated. 

The area has huge tidal ranges up to 12 metres. These create such phenomena as the horizontal reversible waterfall in Talbot Bay. The falls are caused by the differential created when the tide flows between narrow island gaps. The tides and whirlpools caused havoc with the pearling fleets late last century. Many sailors and divers lost their lives. On numerous islands there are isolated graves, a testimony to the dangerous condition.

We landed at a pontoon, with a couple of large houseboats moored there, as well as a couple of fast boats which immediately took us to see the falls which were just at the end of the tidal ebb,  and we were treated to a fast trip through the narrow opening which revealed a veritable inland sea of calm water which was draining at an amazing speed through the narrow gap in the rocks.

On returning to the pontoon we had the opportunity of hopping into a shark cage, to see a number of sharks at close quarters, who are obviously well fed by the tour operators, and who don't go far from the facility.  Trevor was a bit disappointed, as although they were given goggles & snorkels, the cage was only semi submerged, and didn't offer too much of an underwater viewing of the sharks feeding.  Can't remember what breed of sharks they were, but not hugely dangerous as they had small mouths & teeth.  Still wouldn't have wanted to put you hand in with them though - they would have your fingers!!

It did provide a chance to cool off in the water though, as no way could you dive overboard.  Many sharks & crocs there apparently.

We were taken on a lovely cruise around to Cyclone Bay, which is a very sheltered cove where they tow the houseboats & pontoon for the off-season, The Wet.  It is such a beautiful, pristine & remote area and we feel so privileged to have been able to see it.

After being treated to a sumptuous barbecued barramundi lunch, we were taken back to the Horizontal Falls to see the reverse falls, where the water had risen some 8 metres in 3 hours, and was pouring back through those two gaps in the rock at an alarming speed.  We went through the first gap, with much screaming and laughter, because half the boat got soaked in the spray, but was too dangerous to go through the 2nd one.  We all felt very satisfied that we had been treated to one of the most amazing natural phenomena and were happy to return to the pontoon and board the seaplane for the return flight to Derby.  A fantastic day, and well worth the many dollars spent.  

High tide line

So we've enjoyed Derby and will be heading off for Broome in the morning.  

  

Kununurra to Spring Creek/Bungle Bungles & onward

Hey everyone

Had a great camp at Spring Creek free camp, at the junction of the Great Northern Highway and the road into the Bungle Bungles.  It was pretty hot when we left Kununurra, so my dearly beloved decided we should make a really early start and do the Cathedral Gorge walk in the Bungle Bungles as early as possible to beat the heat.  We had read that it can get up to 50 degrees amongst the rocks there !

After my Emma Gorge experience I have to admit to being in fear and trepidation as the brochures indicated that the Cathedral Gorge walk was a Grade 3, 4kms return trip traversing some steep climbs, narrow ledges & slippery rocks.

If the Emma Gorge write-up was somewhat understated, the Cathedral Gorge blurb turned out to be definitely overstated and by comparison was a walk in the park. The couple of "steep" bits had man-made steps & a very sturdy handrail to boot, so my fears totally allayed I was able to really enjoy the magnificence of the setting.

However the actual 53kms drive in to the Park Visitor Centre, and then the further 26+kms to the Pickaninny Car Park from whence the walk to the gorge began, was an experience to be remembered.  Needless to say we left the van at the Spring Creek free camp while we did this trip. We thought the road up to Lawn Hill was corrugated, but this road had to be driven to be believed.  How the poor old Pajero stayed glued together I have no idea, but apart from the vehicle, I am so glad neither of us have false teeth, because I am sure they would have shaken out of our mouths at every turn!!   In spite of Trev reducing the tyre pressure 3 times to veritable balloons, we just couldn't stop the shaking, so there was nothing for it but to hang on from grim death and endure the hour & a quarter trip in, and then do it all again for another hour & a quarter on the way out.  Well worth it though!!

We enjoyed seeing it from the air, but nothing compared to being in amongst the bizarre striped domes, or seeing the strange honeycomb formations in the overhanging rocks as we walked the gorge.  Another strange phenomena was the termite mounds growing up like sentries keeping watch on the top of the domes.

White patch on top of dome is result of lightning strike

Amazing country - on one side low, undulating hills covered in spinifex, and on the other this collection  of amazing stripy domes rising out of the ground like a colony of beehives.

Tonight we are parked in another free camp just 96kms from Fitzroy Crossing - on the top of a cliff, with a cool breeze blowing and the moon hiding behind a bank of mottled cloud.  Loving the cooler temperature !!  Tomorrow Derby all being well.

Cheers for now x

Still in Kununurra

Today is a rest day before we head off in the morning towards the Bungle Bungles, then on to Derby & Broome.  We've been here a week and have done as much as we could or care to do.  It is a fascinating area and we feel we've explored it well.

The highlight so far, has been the cruise from the Argyle dam down the Ord River & back to Kununurra.  Unusual for us, but we took a tour bus out to Lake Argyle, which included a visit to a replica of the Durack Homestead of "Kings in Grass Castles" fame - another Aussie classic written by Mary Durack, and telling the story of the Durack family & their quest to breed cattle here in the Kimberley.  Another amazing and resilient pioneering family.

We boarded the boat beside the dam wall and the afternoon unfolded into the most informative, delightful and scenically magnificent trip you could imagine.  Our young tour guide was so impressively knowledgable about all aspects of the Ord River - its history, its ecology and the flora and fauna, as well as the working of the river system.  He named all the birds on the way, and they were many, as well as the plants, trees and different aspects of how the Ord irrigates the Kununurra area and why.  We would give him 10/10 for local knowledge, and none of it one iota boring.

About to leave from the dam wall.

Once again the camera in its one-dimensional limitations really cannot capture the magnificence of the scenery, but ones memory and imagination are imprinted indelibley with images of deep red cliffs, time worn trees, and reeds shielding who knows what from the prying eyes of tourists.

Beautiful Jabiru

The local residents - Freshies
Finally someone explained why they are not dangerous for humans - our guide explained that the have a long thin snout, which is quite fragile, so that is why their food is small mammals & fish, not large stuff or humans - because they can't tear their food like the salties do, for fear of breaking their jaws.  Makes sense now !  Even so I won't be swimming with them :-) 

Maybe these pelicans weren't taking chances - don't often see pelicans in trees - on lamp posts yes, but not trees !!

We were served afternoon tea beside the river, and returned to Kununurra after sunset.  It really was the most enjoyable day so far, I think, and a bonus to be out on the water under a shady canopy on what was a very hot afternoon.

Yesterday was an early start as we were taking a flight over Lake Argyle, the Bungle Bungles, the Argyle Diamond Mine, then El Questro, the Cockburn ranges, Wyndham & back to Kununurra.

It was a 7 seater fixed wing plane, and there were 2 other couples plus the pilot on board.  We were interested to fly over some of the ground we had covered, and we had been told that a flight was the only way to fully comprehend the immense area that Lake Argyle covers, and the amount of water contained in it.  That is really true.  It is a huge expanse of water and seemed to me quite bizarre in light of the thousands of acres of very dry land surrounding it.

The Bungle Bungles are also quite bizarre, with the rock formations totally unique and different from anything else in the region.  Rock formations are the focal point of a great deal of the Kimberley region and each national park appears totally different from the other.  We had to land to pick up some tourists suitcase left behind, so it gave us a welcome break from the little plane & an opportunity to stretch our legs.  Welcome particularly as one of our number (the lady sitting next to Trevor) was unfortunately air sick most of the way !!   He drew the short straw - I for once in my life was the lightest passenger on board, so I had the doubtful pleasure of sitting on my own at the back - not quite on the tail, but close to it !! Great views though.

The diamond mine is huge - apparently the biggest in the world, and producing some of the rarest of pink diamonds.  It is said to have about 9 more years of production left in it.  

It was interesting to fly over the El Questro area that we had visited a few days before by road,  and the sandalwood plantations close to Kununurra, as well as other crops irrigated by the Ord.  A note of sadness really that 70% of the irrigated land here is planted down with Indian sandalwood (which is used for perfume, some skincare products and incense) & which takes 15 years before it can be  harvested, whilst the whole area was supposed to be a food bowl.  Something not quite right there.

I could post some more photos of the flight, but really I think you would get a bit bored with various shots of gorges, rocks & terrain.  We haven't edited them yet, and I will leave that job to Trevor because I wouldn't know where to start.  The photos above of Lake Argyle do give a hint of the vastness, and surprisingly too lots of little islands dotted through it.  Quite spectacular really, and we're so glad we did it.  But nearly 3 hours, with someone throwing up beside you was about as much as we could handle.  Needless to say we relaxed by the pool for the rest of the afternoon.

Cheers xx

Kununurra, El Questro, Wyndham

The above list is the line up for the past few days, and I have to say that we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves here, in spite of the heat which is a bit early this year, or so we are told by the locals.

We spent a bit of time just relaxing here, restocking groceries & getting stitches removed from the thumb before heading off to El Questro for the day.  We planned to visit Emma Gorge, and maybe check out a couple of other spots before indulging in lunch at the El Questro Station.

The drive in to Emma Gorge from Kununurra wasn't particularly scenic, but the Resort there was very inviting - well at least the lounge & dining area was.  Perhaps a coffee before we started off would have been nice, but we were resolute in our determination to begin the Gorge walk as soon as possible so we headed off complete with ample bottles of water, sturdy shoes & bathers.  We met several red faced & sweaty groups on their way back, all assuring us that it was well worth the effort.  These comments were, I have to admit, somewhat alarming but totally justifiable as we were to discover later - quite a lot later !!!

To say the walk was challenging is for me a bit of an understatement.  Not that it was excessively steep, but most of the walk consisted of scrambling over rocks, and loose rocks at that, with scarcely any flat or smooth surfaces at all.  Added to that the searing heat (I think it was about 32 when we set off, and I swear it got hotter by the moment) so that by the time we reached the first pool I was ready to cast all caution aside and get in that water as fast as I could!!

I'm honestly not sure what the terrain looked like on the way up as we were concentrating on making sure our feet were on the path, but after the restoring dip & a further 10 minutes difficult climb we arrived at the most magnificent rock pool you could imagine.  The crystal pool lay beneath a virtual semi-circle of sheer rock face clothed in cool damp ferns & other plants drawing their life from the water constantly dripping over the rock.  The camera could not capture the beauty & majesty of the soaring walls which surrounded us, or the stillness & serenity in spite of the numbers of people, like us, just enjoying the cool water and the splendour of the place.

By the time we returned to the car, (the walk back was almost as challenging as the way in) the option of visiting other spots before El Questro station was off the list, so we headed off with the airconditioning on full bore !!  We had decided to treat ourselves to lunch at the Steakhouse at EQ but had a cruise to the Chamberlain Gorge booked for 3pm, so we had no time to spare.

About half way there we had a bit of an explosion which sounded like a tyre blowing, but which turned out to be a hose to the turbo charger.  We didn't discover that until we'd limped into El Questro lacking in power, had our lunch & our cruise & were wondering if we would get home that night.  Trevor had some divine inspiration during lunch of what the problem could be, and sure enough all it required was the hose to be reconnected and tightened.  Voila !!  Problem fixed !!

The cruise through the Chamberlain Gorge was very enjoyable, although not as spectacular as we had imagined, but nonetheless rugged and beautiful.  Our tour guide & the boat driver provided us with some musical entertainment as well as refreshments, and a highlight was feeding fish (catfish, barramundi & a smaller fish that eyed you up, sucked in water then spat at you).

We did see the exclusive $3000 per night El Questro Homestead resort perched on top of the cliffs, but the landscape has been changed so much by the massive cyclone in 2010/2011 which became a cyclonic depression that dumped so much water in the area it almost washed the resort away.  As a result the vegetation beneath it is only just regenerating, and it doesn't look that inviting from a distance.

A delightful & enjoyable day, made even more so by successfully fixing the car and getting home in one piece.

Yesterday we went to church & then drove 100kms to Wyndham. Just to see what's there.  To be honest, nothing much - but the original old town by the port had some interesting old buildings, and the Five Rivers Lookout gave us a good perspective of how the river systems converge & spill out into the Timor Sea.  On the way back we called into the Warlgu Billabong and were delighted to be able to spot many of the birds that were named on the boards along the boardwalk which has been beautifully constructed for just that purpose.  A real bonus for the day.

Today we did the Ord River cruise, and tomorrow a flight over the whole area including the Bungle Bungles and the Argyle Diamond mine.  But enough for now - today was spectacular and I'll tell you about it next time.

Cheers !!

Darwin to Kununurra

Hi again
We left Darwin Monday and made it to Timber Creek, stopping off at Adelaide River to visit the War Cemetery there.  A beautiful memorial to the many who lost their lives defending our country.  Was particularly awestruck by the youth represented in the headstones.  So many young men cut down in the prime of their lives.

Timber Creek was a great stopover - parked on the banks of the Victoria River, (albeit we could not actually see the river) but the "beware of crocodiles" signs, along with the frequent rustling in the bushes beyond our caravan made us quite OK about that.  It was hot when we arrived (over 35) but the evening brought a dramatic drop in temperature to about 14, so much so that Trevor lit a small fire & wiled away the evening enjoying that.

Tuesday morning we headed west for Lake Argyle, passing over the border into WA and having to relinquish most of the contents of our veggie drawer in the fridge as well as our fruit bowl.  Silly people, we hadn't taken note of the quarantine requirements and had re-stocked (pardon the pun) our supplies of fresh fruit and veg in Katherine & Darwin.  We did salvage a few things by cuttting the tops off the carrots, peeling the onions and a few potatoes.  The sweet potato and pumpkin were passed though - go figure. Anyway it only amounted to about $20 so small fee for our lack of research I guess!

Lake Argyle is spectacular, stretching as far as the eye can see, and reminded me a lot of the Aswan Dam in Egypt in it's remote & rugged beauty.  We drove to the dam  (which I'm told our honourable Prime Minister visited yesterday), watched the sun set from the top of a challenging 4WD track, complete with bottle of red for the occasion, and swum in the stunning Infinity Pool overlooking the lake at the Lake Argyle Caravan Park, where we stayed the night.

 It's pretty warm up here, so our walk yesterday morning happened at about 7.30am when we climbed to the lookout overlooking the Ord River Gorge.  Very spekky and well worth the effort. Such a wildly magnificent part of the country.  So different from the grandeur of NZ Fiords or European mountains, but equally as spectacular.

We left Lake Argyle about 9.30am and were surprised at the number of vehicles heading in, but of course they were probably transporting all the hangers on or media covering the visit of our illustrious leader !! Which by the way we didn't hear a whisper about while at the Lake.

Now in Kununurra, and enjoying a very pleasant spot on the Lake just opposite the town.  It looks pretty harmless being covered to a large degree with lilly pads or some other water plant, but rife with mossies at sundown (which we have largely avoided by copious amounts of repellant.)  However our neighbour informed us this evening that the saw an unsuspecting ibis snatched by a freshwater croc just meters away from us.  Scarey considering we were watching a girl standing on a paddle board out there at the same time yesterday !!

Tomorrow we are driving to El Questro, & taking a cruise on the Chamberlain River later in the afternoon.  Some great stuff to visit, but also very pleasant days drive in the air conditioned car :-)
News of this next time.....

"Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong, under the shade of a coolibah tree...."

Still in Darwin

So yes, it's Monday morning and we obviously didn't leave Darwin on Saturday morning.  We did in fact move camps though, so are now parked at a reserve/polo cross park, and enjoying it so much better.  Have come to the conclusion that we are not particularly posh, (with all the bells & whistles) caravan park people, much preferring to be in an unpowered site with space & usually grass & a more bushy feel.  This place, Robbie Robbins Reserve is a great spot if you're heading to Darwin with a van.  They only had a set amount of vans in at a time, and only have full vans or buses/motor homes.  No pop-tops or camper vans - they say they look messy  & the committee won't allow them!!

As you may have spotted on Facebook, instead of getting to the markets on Thursday night, we spent the evening at the Emergency Department of Darwin Hospital, having slammed my thumb in the car door causing a somewhat serious & excruciatingly sore deep wound in said thumb.  We were treated quite quickly I thought, considering some in the waiting room were touting a 5hr wait for sure !! We were out in 2 1/2hrs sporting a 4 stitch, glued & steri-stripped digit & 2 needle punctured arms (Tetanus & local anaesthetic).  Oh - I forgot to mention the lump on head & sore butt from passing out in the van while Trev was looking for plasters.  I'm a worry :-)  but my poor, long-suffering husband was so lovely & appeased me with a pottle of wedges while we were waiting, so all is honky dory & I am absolutely fine.

Since then we have enjoyed looking around Darwin, including a drink at the Trailer Boat Club overlooking the water, a coffee at the Stokes Hill wharf and ate at the Mindil Beach markets last night, visited Darwin's excellent Museum & Art Gallery. Also had the water tanks fixed by a plumber, as one of the tanks wasn't draining into the other, we've put a basket on the roof to carry a 2nd spare tyre, and we've had some lovely relaxing time just mooching.

The market was interesting.  The car park was packed very early, and there must have been several thousand people there although many of them appeared to come for the food which they then took to the beach to watch the sun go down.  There were more food stalls than anything else, and with such a variety of cuisines it was difficult to choose.  Many came too for the live entertainment, and we spent some time watching & listening to a couple of guys, one on the most awesome and extensive drum kit, & the other playing a bank of 4 didgeridoos.  He was so talented, and the sounds he was coaxing from his instruments were so diverse & totally amazing.   A very enjoyable evening!!

We seriously are heading off tomorrow morning, but have really enjoyed our wee sojourn here in the Top End.

Trev getting up close & personal !! Rather him than me thanks !!

Sweetheart was the name given to a 5.1 metre saltwater crocodile responsible for a series of attacks on boats in Australia between 1974 and 1979. Sweetheart attacked outboard motors, dinghies, and fishing boats. In July 1979, Sweetheart was finally caught alive by a team from the Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission, but drowned while being transported when it became tangled with a log. 

Humpty Doo & Darwin

Sitting here under a shady tree where the van is parked for a couple of nights while we take in some sights around Darwin, and get ready for our trek West.  In a way this seems like the end of phase 1, as we have spent the last couple of days doing "housekeeping" type things, in readiness for the next phase.

At Humpty Doo we parked the van on the property of family of family, Kim & Teagan Pope, who made us very welcome and gave us the benefit of their local knowledge to get a couple of jobs done on the car & van.  The car's necessary scheduled service was duly completed on Tuesday morning, although it did necessitate Trevor walking back 3 1/2kms from the mechanics, and then both of us walking back in the heat to pick it up.  But we needed the exercise, so it wasn't a problem.

While at the Humpty Doo shops I took the opportunity to get a haircut, and am now sporting an extremely short but oh so cool (as in temperature cool) new "do".  Annie Lennox's short cut pales into insignificance when you see what mine looks like.  But amazingly Trevor likes it, which is a real bonus for me !!  I figured it would save hat hair at least & money too, as I won't need another haircut anytime soon :-)

We enjoyed an evening at the Howard Springs pub for a lovely meal with Kim, Teagan and their two lovely kids, Toby & Bronte, and set off after lunch yesterday for Darwin itself.  A brief visit to the Casuarina shopping centre, where we indulged in our first Coffee Club coffee in a long time, while we had some new tyres fitted to the vehicle.

We chose a van park reasonably close to the City, which also happens to be at the end of the
darwin Airport runway.  They, by the way, don't have the nighttime flight curfew that Adelaide has, so we were treated to regular take-offs & touch-downs during the course of the night.  No matter, it is a central spot so who cares?

I have to admit to having a bit of a "moment" this morning.  The nearby ladies toilets were closed for cleaning when I required the use of the abovementioned, so was told to go to the next lot.  Well apart from having to walk almost in to Darwin to find them, I passed by the Mens sign, and entered at the other end of the building.  Was surprised to find quite a line of showers before I came to the toilet stalls.
Having completed my task, I was washing my hands, when I suddenly spotted a large stainless steel construction with moth balls in the bottom of it - daylight dawned and I beat a hasty retreat before being spotted, hopefully, by any other occupants.  Needless to say the Ladies block was across the road.
Was my face red ? You better believe it - however I now know how to recognise where I am should it ever happen again.  Can you get prayer for the spirit of embarrassment?

This afternoon we will take a drive out to satellite city Palmerston, just 'cos we can, and then this evening will go to the Mindil Beach markets. Nice.  As we speak Trev is visiting the Darwin Military Museum & the Australian Aviation Heritage Centre. Woohoo !!  I'd much rather talk to you :-)

We leave Darwin Saturday morning to head West.  So more later.

More Litchfield & Darwin

Hey there :-)

Sunday night and have had a busy but great couple of days.   Saturday we spent in Litchfield National Park, fitting in as much as we could.  Started the day with an exciting 4x4 trek through the scrub to see the "Lost City" - unusual rock formations we read, not expecting anything spectacular, but apart from the 10.5km drive in, which was hair-raising and bone crunching, but the rocks were indeed unusual & fascinating.  It really did look like a ruined city long abandoned and lost amongst the forest.  Weird !!

We could not believe some of the precarious positions of the rocks, one stacked on top of another.  A really amazing place and well worth the bush bashing off-roading we did on the way in.  Took nearly 1/2hr to drive the 10.5kms in and almost the same time driving out.  Was great fun though, and of course Trev enjoyed the drive.  Bit of a change from the bitumen.

Next we went on to Wangi Falls via a couple of other falls on the way.  Wangi is large and lovely, but being a long weekend every man and his dog were out enjoying the refreshing waters, and shady trees under which to spend a warm afternoon.  You could be forgiven for thinking you were in Germany, France or some other European country as there are many tourists in this neck of the woods.   A lot of young people obviously doing a gap year and working their way around Australia.

The countryside along the way is so dry, and in many places there appeared to have been controlled burn-off of the long grass amidst the several varieties of blackened gum trees and many of what we used to be allowed to call "Blackboys", looking for the world like armies of skinny legged picaninnies adorned with feathered headresses standing among the trees.

Although it's hot during the day, like 30-35 the nights are cool, even quite cold in the early morning.  Nice !!

So today we moved north to Berry Springs, had a quick dip at the National Park swimming hole here, and then drove into Darwin, via Humpty Doo where we are getting the car serviced on Tuesday morning.

After a bit of a drive into Darwin, out to Lee Point and then along the coast at Nightscliffe, we sat by the jetty there, watching the sun go down, and enjoying fish & chips, followed by a real coffee. The temperature was just perfect, 25 or so, and with the balmiest breeze imaginable.  Delightful end to a lovely day.

We've spent a bit of time in Darwin in the past, so will probably stay somewhere close to the city, attend to a couple of jobs & then head out west.  Really looking forward to WA.

Goodnight

Edith Falls & Litchfield

Well, we were pretty happy with Mataranka Springs – just a short walk to the pool from the caravan, warm water and easy access in and out of the pool. Not too many people, but those that were there were amenable and interesting to talk to.  Plus live entertainment in the bar area in the evenings.

BUT, the past 3 days we have been at Edith Falls, just 20 kms off the Stuart Highway and just north of Katherine.  Once again we had an amazing lawned park, just 2mins flat walk to the most divine swimming spot at the bottom of the falls.  

 I have to say the first time in was a bit of a shock to the system being many degrees colder than the Mataranka water, but after the initial heart-stopping plunge, it was beautifully refreshing, and surrounded by the red cliffs, was nothing short of …….well to pinch the exclamation of a visiting French family swimming with us …….c’est magnifique !!!!

We learned that people would stay in the carpark awaiting someone leaving, as the parks were limited, but having left Mataranka early, we were so blessed to drive into virtually the No.1 spot before lunch, closest to and right by the path to the pool.  God is good !!!

A note of interest is that the Barkley Tablelands, a huge cattle country plain stretches from Katherine on the west, to Kakadu National Park on the Nth West, on into Queensland on the East and down to Tennant Creek south side. Lawn Hill Gorge, we camped at in Qld, was the Easts side Escarpment drop-off, the Kakadu side Escarpment produces all it’s magnificent waterfalls as does Katherine Gorge and Edith Falls on the west side.

Our 2^nd day there we decided on the longest 8.5km walk to the top pool of the series of 4 pools – Sweetwater pool, so off we set at a reasonably early hour with our bathers and snack for lunch, + lots of water to drink.  The first 500m or so was quite a steep climb through the scrub, but soon levelled out and the majority of the walk was fairly easy going.  We scrambled over rocks, walked through grasslands and eventually reached our destination – a magnificent pool with sandy places for us to walk in to the water. 

I don’t think I’ve ever been so enthusiastic about getting in the water, and have never felt so refreshed by plunging my body into fairly cool water.  To say c’est magnifique is a bit of an understatement, but another swim in the Long Pool, the next level down on the way back was equally as delicious.   The first pool, just above the Campground Pool, had a bit of a climb down to it, and after walking to the top & returning taking 4 1/2hrs we both decided we could live without swimming in that pool. Tomorrow we will explore more Falls and tourist spots.

Once again we have been blessed with just perfect camp spots, and today we are in Litchfield National Park at the LNP Caravan Park, & have a delightful unpowered site complete with shady trees and water on tap plus a swimming pool, café & coffee machine !!  Tomorrow!! We have swum in Florence Falls, and Buley Falls this afternoon, visited the Magnetic Termite Mounds, and are now sitting in the cool outside having drinks & nibbles, waiting for our leg of lamb to roast in the BabyQ. 

Life doesn’t get much better than this!  The DREAM in reality at last. Are we happy ?  You better believe it !!!

More Litchfield NP stuff tomorrow, then on to Berry Spring  & Darwin on Tues to get the car serviced. 

More later – Cheers !!