Again we Stayed in camp besides the Gregory River & did a few necessary things, like reading, swimming, collecting firewood, swimming, walking, swimming, bird watching.  We went for a walk this morning up to the Gregory Downs settlement & discovered the public toilets with showers, (we don’t need a shower we are clean from all the swimming) a dump point (important as we must use our toilet, this public toilet is at least 10 minute walk from the camp) & the Gregory Downs hotel/motel/shop/petrol, a very old building that has stood the test of time.  There is also a caravan park with a few caravans in it, nowhere near as good as we have it down on the river.  We went exploring further & found the Telstra exchange (very small) next door to the Gregory education facility, complete with satellite dishes & power generator & covered playground, the only lovely new building.  There were a few horses roaming around feeding, a few derelict overgrown disused buildings & a few derelict overgrown used buildings.  This area is also used as a camp (dog boxes with an air conditioner) for the road workers & other contractors working in the area.  We walked back over the new, high concrete road bridge and were amazed to see flood debris caught in the trees a long way above the bridge, the floods in this river must be at least 10 metres deep.

The last bit of exploring we did tonight with our head torches on the little island across from our campsite, discovering fish asleep, frogs & disturbing a sleeping water bird.  We warmed our wet feet on an abandoned campfire near our Karavan before hitting the roost.

The people that transit through this little camp are most amazing, there is a woman who gives Thai massage for $35 an hour, another will give a haircut for $10, 1 sells homemade jam & our neighbour paints peoples dogs, others will tow foolish people out of the river, offer you cut wood (some have chainsaws with them). Ron helped an older gentleman with the use of his mobile phone (Ron must have that Telstra look about him).  There are people with satellite dishes and watch TV, and have proper washing machines & mini Hills Hoist clothes dryers. Most people are so friendly and kind – it’s a real village atmosphere.  A lady gave us a Traveller’s Guide to Australian Interstate Quarantine booklet, which is very handy as we will be entering Northern Territory & Western Australia soon.  We have vegetables for one day.  We still have ½ jar honey (so plenty of honey on Ron’s oats, toast and damper). We still have some oranges & lemons from Grafton.  I started to freeze the lemon juice, (I need it for my water) & we’ll juice the oranges, it is OK if they are processed.  I hate to throw things away.

Ron started to relax, this place is very therapeutic. We will stay another day & leave Monday.  We are not in a hurry as we don’t have to be in Alice Springs until the 2^nd of August, that’s when our friends, Sue & John are due to arrive and they will continue the journey with us.