Trekkin

Day 25 – Friday 13 August 2021 – 392km

Up early as the laundry opens at 7am & we have a load of washing, as we got back from our cruise too late last night. The Barramundi Discovery Centre in Karumba opens at 9am and we were there waiting for around 10 minutes for it to open.  This is a really interesting and new centre where they breed barramundi for release back into the rivers and lakes to provide a sustainable fishery for both amateur and professional fishers alike. The displays are very informative with loads of information on not only barramundi but the birdlife that inhabits the gulf region. Outside is a very large pond that is stocked with lots of barramundi. There are some big fish in there and the barramundi were busy feeding on the multitudes of flying grasshoppers that landed in the water. Black kites circling overhead were also feasting on the grasshoppers.

On the road back to Normanton we saw lots of brolgas on the side of the road, including one flock that must have had more than 200 of these magnificent birds not 50 metres from the road, an amazing sight. The trip from Normanton to Croydon was uneventful with the old railway line running along not far from the side of the road, crossing over at Black Bull.

We stopped in Croydon to refuel and have lunch, then we walked around the town exploring some of the old historic buildings on display. Croydon is an old gold mining town and in the late 1800s had a thriving and wealthy community. The old Courthouse, Council chambers, Police Station and Police Sergeant’s house have all been preserved and restored with some remarkable written history and displays. Even old coffins that were unused from more than 100 years ago. In town there is also displays of some of the old gold mining machinery, with gold battery stampers and steam engines and associated pulleys and wheels, all very interesting. The Gilbert River was a vast wide expanse of sand as we crossed the road bridge. It must carry some water when in flood. 

On the road to Georgetown the road changes down to poor single lane conditions many times and we are thankful we don’t meet too many cars or trucks coming the other way. We stop to look at a solitary chimney standing in a paddock. A remnant of a very large gold mine and large town. All else has gone.

In Georgetown we pull into the Goldfields Caravan Park, with two very large quartz rocks marking the entrance. We were lucky we got the last site. After setting up we walk down the main street looking at the buildings (they do not have very many old or for that matter any houses as the town is very small now) and we admire one house (the only one) that has a very lovely & colourful garden, with a magnificent mural painted on the side of the house.  The house had many different uses but at present it is a museum. We chat to the lady tending the garden for a while, she told us that they are hoping to celebrate 151 years since its establishment (They couldn’t celebrate last year because of Covid, hopefully this year).  We then head to the Uwena pub across the road for dinner & a Corona beer. While we waited for our food we had a chat with James, he is now working from home. N.S.W. & A.C.T are locked down to try & control the spread of some confirmed Covid cases. We are living in a worrying time now.  Very nice meal but once again we are so full. Another great day.

Day 24 – Thursday 12 August 2021 – 438km

Sunrise start again and we tried to be quite as the other campers were still asleep. This is a very nice camping spot, right on the river, lots of trees, lots of birds. The road out is very rough climbing out of the river banks on a rough dirt track, we wind the car up to full height and slowly climb out. Back to Gregory then turn right and off to the Burke & Wills roadhouse on the way to Normanton & Karumba. There are lots of dead wallabies and kangaroos on the side of the road plus lots of kites feeding on them plus a few wedge tail eagles on the carcase.  Termite mounds by the thousands on the side of the road are a feature of the drive.  We refuel at Burke & Wills plus have a burger for an early lunch, this place is so busy, lots of caravans and camper vans doing the same and heading in all different directions.

Normanton is another 2 hours north & we stop to see Krys the crocodile before heading off further north to Karumba. On the road into Karumba we spot some Brolgas & get excited, then we see a flock of over 100 brolgas feeding on the ground around 50 metres from the road. We see lots more brolgas on the way into Karumba. We spot a caravan park as we drive in with a few spare spots visible then the other caravan park at the boat ramp is full. We find a spot at the first van park for the night, set up camp then go for a drive. As we stop at the river foreshore by the boat ramp we notice a group of people gathered then after a while we notice a pontoon cruise boat being launched. We wander over & ask if there are any spots available. We are in luck, two spots and we pay & board the boat for a sunset cruise.

The boat heads up the river past the port and the boat guide explains all the details of the different wharf facilities plus the areas used by flying boats, both Qantas & the 2^nd world war. The boat then turns & head down river and out to sea. Seven km later a low tide sand cay appears and we stop and nose into the sand. We are each given a fold up chair & explore the sand & collect a few unusual shaped shells. The crew set up some tables and lay out nibblies & cold cooked king & banana prawns plus champagne, wines and cold beers. We sit & watch the sun set over the Gulf of Carpentaria, paradise.

Back to the boat ramp & back to the van park by 8pm, hot showers, bliss. Another great day.

Day 23 – Wednesday 11 August 2021 – 280km

Up at sunrise again and as we were packing a trio of brolgas flew across in front of us, they are really big birds, more so when flying. We stopped in Camooweal, handed in our census form and refuelled before heading off towards Gregory.

The bitumen road was OK, but then we hit the dirt road & it was a lot of very slow going with corrugations, washouts & dips in the road making for a slow trip. We came across another Kimberley Karavan coming the other way & stopped for a chat on the road with Wayne & Theresa. It is a 2006 model, the same as ours & they have owned it for 6 months. It is their home & they are just travelling.  Wayne suggests a camping spot on the Gregory River as the usual spot at the bridge is so crowded. We spend a few more hours driving slowly on the dirt, sometimes the road is so bad, locals have created their own tracks off the side of the dirt road, and they are much smoother to drive on.  We don’t see any sign of habitation between when we left Camooweal & arrive in Gregory, the country is like desert, we don’t know how the cattle we see survive out here.  About 20km from Gregory we have new bitumen, so good. We stop in Gregory and have our lunch at around 2pm and chat to some more travellers. They suggest the same spot as Wayne did as they are staying there as well. Our very favourite camping spot 11 years ago, when we maybe had about a dozen campers under the bridge, now it is like a city, so full of campers it is so popular. 

We turn back onto the bitumen to try and find this new camping spot, we find the marker and turn in onto a rough track into the bush. It gets worse as we get closer to the river & drive down the banks, where are we going we think. The track is rough, now we know why there are only about a dozen campers here.  The track opens onto gravel & there is the river, pretty as a picture with lots of birdlife. We find a spot & set up camp then walk 10 metres to the river, the water is refreshing. Back to the van & time for cheese, bikkies and a glass of red. Tereza prepares a nice chicken stir fry for dinner, also making custard and fruit salad. We are so full after dinner we go for a walk & end up chatting to a couple having dinner on the river bank. We chat until it gets too dark to see them, then walk back to our van in the starlight. Another great day.

Day 22 – Tuesday 10 August 2021 – 598km

Up at sunrise, again a stunning view of the landscape out our Karavan window.  We are on the road early and stop at the Three Ways Roadhouse to refuel and morning tea before heading across to Barkly Homestead. There are so many caravans on the road heading north and so many of them are big caravans, we are amazed. The road trains are also numerous, with most of them four trailers long, there were a lot of army trucks as well. The scenery changes from jump ups and small ranges to with twists and turns and ups and downs to long straight flat stretches.

We stop at Barkly Homestead to stretch our legs and have lunch. Out the front is a collection of old steam engines and inside an old Rudge motorcycle is hung above the bar. We both order a monster Barkly Burger, it is so big I can hardly put my mouth around it. When we finish it we are both so full. It was delicious. After Barkly Homestead the road turns to endless straight roads and flat treeless land as far as the eye can see. We cross into Queensland and arrive at Camooweal shortly after, around 4.30pm by the time we set up camp at Camooweal Billabong. There are lots of caravans in here stretched out along the billabong. The census person arrives in her ute and gives us a form to fill in for tonight. We take a walk along the billabong and enjoy the numerous birdlife and the waterlilies in flower. There are other people doing the same so we stop & chat to them as well, it is very sociable. A highlight is seeing a gaggle of brolgas feeding along the water edge, these are such a rare bird to see and they are very stately. We don’t have any dinner tonight, so full from lunch still. The stars are again amazing in the huge black sky that you cannot experience in the cities.  Another great day.

Day 21 – Monday 9 August 2021 – 543km

We had breakfast & packed up camp in the thick dust of the camp. I had to keep shaking the dust out of my shoes, it was that fine and plentiful. We left around 9am and headed south towards Katherine where we refuelled and bought some bread, plus, most importantly, completed our travel declaration for Queensland. Phone & internet access in the Northern Territory is only found around the major towns and they are few and far between.

Our next stop is at Mataranka, around 90km down the road. We turn in towards Bitter Springs and are relieved to find that the National Park gates are open this time, the crocodile must have been caught. Bitter Springs are absolutely beautiful, the water is crystal clear and in the natural setting, with trees all round. The water is amazingly nice to swim in, 34C and again we chat to fellow travellers. One couple were from Chile, she had a Hungarian father. Another couple, he was Finnish & she was Cambodian, but their child had Hungarian god parents, amazing. One lot came from Victoria the other from South Australia. We are meeting up with people from every state & even a few from overseas. Australia is a truly multicultural society. After we got out we felt a little cool. The air temp was 34C, how is that? We sat & had lunch on the elevated pool viewing platform before we hit the road again.

On the road again and we put some distance south, lots of caravans & tourists heading north plus a gaggle of trucks with explosives plus about four or five wide loads carrying army tanks. We stop at Dunmarra for a refuel & a leg stretch. We have a little over half a tank of fuel, but out here, you don’t know where you can get fuel from, so we play it safe and make sure we are carrying plenty of fuel.  We keep driving past Elliot and towards Renner Springs when the shadows start to lengthen and we look for somewhere to pull over for the night.  We find an old road works area & pull in there, no-one else around. We pull in as far off the road as we can & tuck in behind some trees.

Dinner on the BBQ is marinated chicken with fried potatoes plus a nice salad. The sunset is spectacular plus the view from our Karavan is like an Albert Namitjura watercolour, it is stunning. As night falls the stars stretch from horizon to horizon, it is so dark here and the numbers of stars are endless. Another great day.

Day 20 – Sunday 8 August 2021 – 316km

Today when we head out we refuel & top up with oil in the car before heading to Nourlangie. This area has a few impressive things to see. We stop first at Nawurlandja and walk up the large sloping rock to the lookouts, the views are spectacular, with Anbangbang Billabong in the foreground. The very large and ruggedly impressive Burrungkuy rock is a standout in the landscape, dominating all around. This walk, both up & down give Tereza’s knees a good workout.

The Anbangbang Billabong is a large waterhole with lots of water lilies in flower, grasses and all manner of waterbirds, we walk most of the length of the billabong admiring the beauty of it all with Burrungkuy rock as a magnificent backdrop. There are hundreds of plumed whistling ducks, corellas and a few magpie geese, whistling kites, a jabiru and countless other species. It is truly delightful.

We then drive down to Burrungkuy and admire the myriad of aboriginal art galleries, some of it takes our breath away. The jumble of huge rocks that have tumbled down from the top & sides of Burrungkuy are truly impressive. The shelters that they provided for the aboriginals over thousands of years is easy to understand and protection for the art works is n ongoing process. The explanation provided with the signage is very interesting and gives a great insight into the culture of the artists. This is an impressive art gallery.

On the road again and we stop next for lunch at Gungurul campground. Glad we are not camping here tonight, it looks fairly average, plus you have to pay for the privilege.

Our final destination is Edith falls, a fair drive away & we arrive there around 4.30pm, the campground is full, so no stopping here tonight. The pool below the falls is really large, the falls themselves are dropping a fair bit of water, but more of a small cascade than a fall. We go for a swim and chat to a few people, these pool noodles make life a lot easier in big pools like this. The water is a bit colder than we have been used to up here so we don’t stay all that long in the water. We head back out towards the highway and pull in off the road to camp for the night. This place we drive in very deep fine dust – some places it is a foot deep, we try to drive on a bit harder ground before setting up camp .Tereza again cooks a superb dinner. We are interrupted by an aboriginal ranger telling us that we should not be camping here. He allows us to stay plus one other couple with a small child, the other four campers are told to move on. We are not sure why he allowed us to stay, maybe he felt sorry for us oldies.  Another great day.

Day 19 – Saturday 7 August 2021 – 190km

Up early and out on the road towards Arnhem Land and to Cahill Crossing for high tide.  It is around 50km and the scenery becomes interesting as we get closer, with weathered sandstone ranges starting to appear, some very rugged. We need a permit to go across the river crossing into Arnhem Land so we park in the carpark and walk to the crossing. There are a fair few people there observing the crocodiles and waiting for high tide when the water starts pushing up over the crossing. They are there because crocodiles gather there to hunt fish as the fish travel both upstream and downstream over the crossing. The crocodiles wait on both sides of the crossing for their lunch. There are lots of fishermen there too trying their luck. There is a wreath of flowers and a small memorial on the side of the crossing where a fisherman got killed by a crocodile. We wait until high tide and see a crocodile come from downstream & up onto the crossing and walk across then wait for fish. I did see a number of large fish travel both upstream & downstream over the crossing. By now the spectators have amassed in large numbers, we leave.

Just a short drive away is Ubirr Rock and a collection of aboriginal art galleries. We start on the loop walk and see a nice series of aboriginal rock paintings, then we turn towards Ubirr Rock, gallery.   The collections of aboriginal art here are amazing, some are extraordinary with the level of detail & the sheer variety and quantity. We start walking up the rock & we come across more rock art. As we get higher the view of the surrounding countryside gets better and better. It is an effort to get to the top but the views are truly spectacular, worth all the effort. The walk back down is just as strenuous and we are glad to get onto flat ground again. A few more rock art galleries then lunch in the shade shelters back at the carpark.

Back to Jabiru and the scenery is just as nice from the other direction. We go to Bowali, the Jabiru visitor centre, it is very interesting and well set out. The displays are top quality and well worth a visit. The ranger on duty gives us some information on what to see and walks to do, plus some suggestions on the Yellow Water cruises. We go back to our van and look at the Yellow Water boat cruises and decide to see if we can get on one this afternoon. Online it is all booked out so I give them a call. Yes, there are a couple of spots available, it is 3.30pm & the cruise starts at 4.30pm.  In the car and off the road the 60km or so to Cooinda & Yellow Waters.

We arrive with a tiny amount of time to spare, we are seated on the boat at 4.20pm and then out on our tour. This is a totally different environment than Corroboree Billabong, but very spectacular in its own way. We see crocs, big & small, lots of waterbirds, kites and eagles plus water buffalo coming down to the water. We see the sunset over the water before heading back to the dock then into the car back to Jabiru.

We are back in Jabiru by 7.30pm and decide to have dinner at the poolside bistro again as it is a bit late to start cooking. The barramundi is again superb and tonight it is washed down with two corona beers.  Could get accustomed to eating out every night & the Corona beer too.   Another great day.

Day 18 – Friday 6 August 2021 – 308km

Up early to pack as we need to be at the Covid vaccination centre before 9.25am.  We reach the centre in Lyons with time to spare. The staff are very efficient and Tereza is processed promptly and is jabbed by one of the four nurses on duty. I noticed a bit of a lull in the people coming in & asked if there was any chance I could get my 2^nd Covid vaccine jab, even though I had not booked as there were no time slots available. The staff were very kind & checked for me & yes, so I went straight in. Win-win, Tereza & I have now both been fully vaccinated with Astra Zeneca.

We depart the centre at 10.10am and head for Corroboree Billabong and our lunchtime cruise, it is a fair drive on the road towards Kakadu National Park and we make the billabong by midday in plenty of time. The bus from Darwin arrives packed, the boat is full and it is only a short motor from the dock before the first crocodile is spotted, a small freshwater variety. A nice salad lunch is distributed and Evan, the cruise boat skipper, gives very detailed information on the animals & plants, he is interesting plus has a sense of humour.

As we travel along the billabong the crocodiles get bigger and the birdlife is amazing, so many waterbirds catching fish. The lily and lotus flowers are pretty and the overall scenery is very pretty. We see a big Jabiru wading bird up close, the iridescent colouring on its neck is striking. We see a jabiru nest with large chick plus a sea eagle nest with large chick.   The crocodiles get bigger again and the biggest we see for the day is around 5 metres long. All too soon our tour of Corroboree Billabong is over & we are back on the road again.

Our next destination is Jabiru in Kakadau National Park, around 180km away. The road is good and the scenery changes a bit now and then, some wetland floodplains and some savannah & some patches of pandanus. We cross the South Alligator River & the tide is out, steep mud banks with a few small crocs sunning. We arrive in Jabiru & after a small search find the van park & book in around 5.30pm. Dinner at the bistro of fresh barramundi was superb, washed down with a Corona beer to celebrate getting fully vaccinated. Small world, the campers next door are from Canberra.

The night is cooling down nicely and it is pleasant to sleep, not too hot, each day is around 33C.

Another great day.

Day 17 – Thursday 5 August 2021 – 70km

This morning we were super efficient, we had breakfast, done our laundry & we were at the Darwin Museum by half past 9 (it opens at 10am, since the Darwin Sailing club is very close we drove past the Darwin Sailing Club to see what it is like. Very fancy and big, with designated parking out front for both the Commodore and Vice Commodore. Tereza recons it is something we should do in front of the Canberra YMCA Sailing Club.

The Darwin museum on the waterfront is next on the agenda, we walk up to the doors just as they open, we are the first tourists in today. The museum is very neat & tidy, not overcrowded, with good displays and good write-ups. The natural history display is good, the skeleton of a giant goose gets our attention.  The story of Cyclone Tracy that destroyed Darwin in 1974 is also well portrayed. The cultural history gallery is most interesting and the maritime display has a good array of boat examples. By the time we finished the museum it was lunchtime, so what better place to have lunch than the Saltwater Café at the museum, sitting on the veranda with the nearby ocean as a very pleasant backdrop. The seafood we had was delicious.

We then drove around the waterfront at Cullen Bay to see how the wealthy people in Darwin live, there are some very nice waterfront homes. Next to Doctor’s Gully to see the fish feeding but it was closed, the tides are all wrong.

Next was a drive out into Darwin suburbia to find the location of the Covid vaccination clinic because Tereza is booked in to have her 2^nd Astra Zeneca jab tomorrow morning. We need room to park the Karavan as we will be on our way to Kakadu tomorrow. We found the centre, thank goodness for satellite navigation, plenty of parking room for our van.

Next we stopped at the massive Casuarina shopping centre for a grocery stock up, the first major shop since we left home. We are amazed how full our shopping trolley was, however, it has been more than two weeks now.

Back to the van, pack the groceries away and collect the washing and pack that away as well. Next it was back into Darwin city again to have a look at the sights before we drove through the Botanic Gardens then to the Mindil Beach Markets. We got there early enough so finding a park was easy enough. The markets were not too packed at first as we walked around, lots of all different sorts of food stalls as well as the typical market type stalls selling all sorts of things. We practised a bit of retail therapy before buying a bucket of fruit salad for dinner then joining the thousands of people on Mindil beach to watch the sunset. We walked a bit & found a nice comfy spot to sit & the sunset delivered with a spectacular display, helped by the drifting smoke from a fire on the other side of the harbour. A few sailing boats crossed in front of the setting sun to add to the effect.

Another great day.

Day 16 – Wednesday 4 August 2021 – 107km

Back to Berry Springs this morning for a swim, the car park was nowhere near as full as yesterday, but we arrived there before 10am.  Plenty of parking spots. We spent a couple of hours in the lower pool, it is very large and a beautiful scene. The pool is not crowded at all & we chat to a few different people about travel experiences and we get some good advice on places to see & things to do in Darwin. My legs get nibbled on a few times by some small fish in the pool. There are lots of archer fish and smaller sooty grunter swimming around. We have nice homemade sandwiches for lunch as we dry off a bit before wandering off to explore the other pools. The springs have a nice cascade into the top pool, it is very pretty there as well

Back to our van to change into dry clothes then into Stokes Hill Wharf in Darwin city. We easily find a park on the wharf & parking is free. We walk along to the Royal Flying Doctor Service Museum and explore it for a couple of hours. The museum is very informative and entertaining and we both enjoy the experience. We finish in the museum at 5pm, right on closing time and wander on further along the wharf to the food places.  We run into some travellers we met in the pool at Mataranka & chat to them for a while before ordering barramundi & prawns for dinner, washed down with a nice ale.

We watch the sun set over Darwin harbour then head back to the van, neither of us cooked dinner so it tops an even more a great day.