Left turn at Katherine

Rather than the boat cruise, we decided on a walk up to the top of the gorge for a view.  Well worth it, this 4km walk took us along the escarpment then across the flat and back to camp.

It certainly is a beautiful national park with plenty to see and do.

Our destination is "west" and at Katherine, we did our left turn.  This was the Victoria Hwy. and it was fairly flat for a while.  We did see a couple of boab trees, a telltale sign that we're heading in the right direction :)  Towards Victoria River we started to see a lot of rugged escarpments and hills, making it pretty interesting country.  There's a quiet roadhouse with caravan park right by the river so we decided to camp here, a really good choice.  Beautiful views up and down the river at sunset and even ...

... yep, one of them in the middle of the river below us.

The sunrise next morning was very red and beautiful.  One of us can vouch for that.  I'll leave you to guess which one was still asleep:)

Mataranka

We couldn't help it, Mataranka was just so lovely we had to spend two nights here.  The thermal springs were so inviting, the weather perfect, the campground tropical and relaxing ... quite an oasis.

This morning we did move on, though not too far.  Just 3km north of where we were is another thermal spring and creek, which we checked out for future reference.  There were some pretty good bush camping spots around too.

Bitter Springs thermal pool

We continued north to Katherine, which I was surprised to find is quite a large, modern, and green town.  There are some beautiful parks, plenty of space, decent shopping centre, every facility a local could want.  It's quite attractive.  Phil was here with his brother a couple of years ago and knew where the hot springs were (yes, more!) and that's where we went.  After lunch in yet another lovely park, we enjoyed a float around.  This one's more like a creek, with rapids at one end that flow into another pool.  It's a beautiful place, the water not quite as warm as Mataranka.  I'd describe it as tepid, but crystal clear, really deep in parts and a joy to be in.

Tonight we're camping in Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park, among little kangaroos and gorgeous gum trees including this pretty salmon one.

We've chatted to quite a few travellers along the way and met some interesting people who are keen to share their stories of where they've been, what's recommended, tips on the best things to see and do.  We are loving this lifestyle!

Still on the Stuart

Sunday 8^th June

Another day on the Stuart Highway – it’s a very long way from Alice to Katherine, especially when we keep finding interesting things to distract us.  We thought we’d be in Mataranka well before lunchtime but didn’t count on a tiny wayside inn at Larrimah providing so much of interest.

Yes, there's the pub.  However, Larrimah's also full of history due to its strategic operations during the second world war.  There's a fantastic little museum there, a voluntary project by some local historians full of wonderful old photos.  We spent ages looking and reading.  The surrounding park has old engines, bits of machinery, relics of the railways ... there in the open for everyone to see and enjoy.  Phil was in his element!

The pub is another story.  Wow, this place has a 'zoo' out the back like nothing we've ever seen. They rehabilitate injured and orphaned birds and animals and it's like a large backyard full of enclosures containing some really beautiful birds, a magpie that crows like a rooster, a huge eagle which was injured and is no longer able to fly, a 4 year old croc which has been blind since birth, a 10 year old saltwater croc, owls, lizards, snakes ... amazing stuff.  We actually spent all morning at this place!  

  

We were headed for Mataranka but took a detour to the Elsey Cemetery and site of the old Elsey Homestead.  Anyone who's read "We of the Never-Never" will know of this and several of the main characters in the book are buried here.  I read the book years ago and it was good to be right there, in the place described by Jeannie Gunn in her account of life on the station.

Mataranka "resort" is a beautiful setting among ghost gums and palms.  There's cabin and basic motel accommodation but we're enjoying the camping area which is gorgeous.  Lots of palms, greenery, a few peacocks wandering around and a mere 200 metres to the thermal pool, the first place we headed when we arrived.  Aaah, it was bliss.  Warm, relaxing, crystal clear water, a tropical oasis.

Spent the rest of the evening listening to the entertainment - a performer doing lots of John Williamson, Redgum, Aust Crawl etc.  Sitting under the stars again, in t-shirts, feeling very lucky.

To Daly Waters, N.T.

Saturday 7^th June

Just north of Tennant Creek was that town’s old telegraph station, another really interesting complex.  The government has done a great job with information boards, making it easy to imagine life back in the 1870s when these stations were at their busiest.

Next stop was the roadhouse at Three Ways.  Hmmm, keep going north?  South?  Or east across the Barkly Highway?  No, we want to go west.  But we still have to go a fair way north to go west.  A left at Katherine to be precise.

So on we went, a few more monuments, roadhouses and termite mounds.  The countryside changed a fair bit along the way, not all flat and barren as many think but a few little hills, wooded areas and pretty green.  We turned off to Daly Waters to have a look at the pub there, a very popular place. 

Daly Waters is comprised of about 3 houses, with everything else part of the hotel – caravan park, cabins, a little petrol shed and that’s about it.  But what a happening place!  The caravan park was packed full of cars towing caravans … the grey nomad brigade!  The hotel was packed with said grey nomads and a small proportion of younger backpackers.  Music was emanating from the beer garden and the atmosphere was casual, welcoming, fun and outback.  The interior features walls lined with peoples business cards, name badges, paper money from all over the world, caps, t-shirts and a heap of bras hanging above the bar.  There are lots of artefacts to look at along with fun things like the “thong tree”.  

  

We bought a drink and sat out there listening to the musician sing mainly about travelling, places in Australia, and a few covers of classics such as Home Among the Gumtrees.  What a beautiful atmosphere on a balmy winter’s night up north!

Returning to our bush camp, we had a late tea then sat under the stars watching the night sky and were rewarded with 3 shooting stars.  It was a great evening.

The Stuart Highway

Friday 6^th June

After a wonderful 5 days in Alice with Fran and Brian, we thought we’d best move on so Friday morning saw us heading north on the Stuart Highway.  We contemplated the Tanami Track as an alternative route to the Kimberley, but there were places up north we wanted to see so will leave the Tanami till another trip.

The first stop we made was at the monument marking the Tropic of Capricorn.

Along the highway are several monuments commemorating various stages of the explorer John McDouall Stuart’s crossing of the continent and also the Overland Telegraph Line.  It’s a living history lesson!  At Barrow Creek we were able to have a look around the old telegraph station, which is being restored.

Wycliffe Well was a funny little stop, its claim to fame being the “UFO capital of Australia” with a reported UFO landing there

The Devils Marbles was a pretty amazing place, a conservation park full of fascinating rock formations.  Definitely not how I remembered it from 30 years ago! 

The further north we went, the more termite mounds we saw … along the sides of the highway, through the bushes, across paddocks. They were seemingly everywhere.  They must be a source of inspiration for bored travellers who occasionally stop to dress them – in t shirts, hats, singlets etc.  Quite amusing.

We reached Tennant Creek and stayed in the caravan park tonight. 

Alice Springs

It's been lovely just spending time here with Fran (and Brian in the evenings), re-acquainting myself with Alice Springs.  The city has grown such a lot but still has a great feel about most of it.  I love all the ghost gums, especially along and through the Todd River bed.  Yesterday we visited the Desert Park which is a multi-award winning complex at the base of the West MacDonnells - absolutely wonderful.  It's a very eco-friendly, low-impact building surrounded by hectares of natural desert/woodland.

There are sections where you walk among birds in their natural environment, lizards, kangaroos, dingoes (in a huge enclosure) and various other interactive displays.  Hard to explain but the best either of us has ever seen.

They have talks by rangers too, and we went to the bird show in the outdoor amphitheatre.  A ranger talks about various birds, mainly raptors, and the birds fly into the arena on cue to show off.  They are amazing!  She was using food to reward their efforts, but the way they did everything on cue was unbelievable.  What a fantastic way to see and learn about these birds - barn owl, black kite, brown falcon, magpie and quite a few others I can't recall at the moment.  There was also a nocturnal display and reptile display, a movie we didn't get to see, cultural tour later in the day ... we spent about 3-4 hours here.

     

West MacDonnells

It got a bit cool during the night and there was dew outside when we got up.   However it was a clear blue sky and sunny crisp morning.  By 8.30am we were at Ellery Creek Bighole which is a huge waterhole among the trees, again walled by towering orange cliffs.  The water was still and the reflections perfect.  It was a lovely time to be here.   

The drive east along the Macdonnells was especially beautiful with the ranges bathed in soft morning light.  It’s a stunning scene really.  We continued to Standley Chasm, the only one of the gaps in the ranges that we hadn’t seen yet.   Today they had a cultural tour, their first, a walk in to the chasm with an aboriginal woman.  This was terrific as she gave us a broad insight into aboriginal culture and issues along the way and encouraged us to ask questions.  I enjoyed hearing her speak and gaining a little first-hand insight.

The chasm was spectacular, especially as we were there at midday which is the prime time to capture the light on the walls.  The walk was great too, fairly rocky but pretty and not difficult.

            

This afternoon we headed in to Alice Springs to spend a few days with my dear friend Fran whom I've known since we were 21 and worked together at Australian Pacific Tours.  She and I spent a few times in Alice together way back then ... I was one of the tour planners at APT and got to do bits of the tours every so often as part of my job.  She met Brian, an American based here, and moved here permanently (though they had about 7 years in the US too).  About 10 years ago they built the most amazing Mexican styled home and I've finally got to see it.  We're spending about 5 days here.