Going Troppo

It was time to continue north, up to the end of the Stuart Highway – Darwin.
It was still not 'The Dry'.
 When we had been up to Darwin in March last year, on the Ghan, we were told that we were a month early. We should be there later, in the dry, so now here we are a year and 6 weeks later – and it's still 'the wet'. The Dry is late this year, just our luck.

We paused for a quick lunch break in the car park of the Adelaide River Railway History park. This did look a bit more well used than Pine Creek and there were more exhibits, in better condition, but we decided against paying the $5 for a walk around in the heat.

(Missing the sign to turn off to the WW11 War Cemetery graves). We drove on to Darwin.
Once in the city limits we set the GPS and were soon outside our friend's house.
We managed to park under a large tree on his rear driveway and were soon sitting inside with the fans blowing catching up on gossip, and we were given the keys to one of their cars, so that we could easily get around the city.
One subject discussed was the swimming hole at Bitter Springs. Imagine our horror when they told us that on their last visit there they spotted a huge snake in the water next to them, and then spotted it's mate along side! They always swim at the Mataranka Thermal Pool now, and as we got over the shock we totally agreed with them.
That night we saw our first Cane Toad – spotted in the garden shortly before it met a large shovel.
There were also some beautiful Green Tree Frogs, they were very welcome in the garden.

The next morning we set off in our borrowed car. The first stop was a return visit to the wonderful Art Museum and Gallery. We didn't revisit 'Sweetheart' the crocodile or the Cyclone Tracey exhibit, we stopped at the Hermannsburg display – featuring a couple of Namatjira paintings and those beautiful pots that I so loved last time.
Then we looked at the things that we didn't get chance to see last time. There was an exhibition of art works by high school students – Wow, some amazingly talented youngsters around.

We ventured out of the air conditioning to have a quick look at the boats on display before deciding that it was time for a cold drink.

It was around 11.45 and the lunch menu looked good so we ordered an early lunch. A very good decision, it was fresh, tasty and reasonably priced.

Then we left the Art Gallery, and with the help of the GPS set off for the Military Museum.
This museum has received some excellent reviews regarding its Bombing of Darwin display. We paid our admission and went in. The first couple of rooms were well laid out, but as we moved around the museum I found a few of the explanatory notes were slightly contradictory with others in other rooms. Then we moved out into the open and the vehicle displays. I suppose that they might have intended to give the appearance of vehicles abandoned in the jungle, well all that it looked like was that they have found some rusty vehicles and put them out to rust further. They were certainly doing that.  

 It did not live up to the expectations of a good museum. Further rooms did not impress either, in fact I found myself comparing the place, unfavourably, with the Military Museum in Merredin, WA. Only 2 out of 10 rooms stood up, and that is the score we'd give it too – 2 out of 10.
Certainly NOT worth the admission price, (full admission $18), unless you absolutely must see about the Bombing of Darwin, but that has been well covered in books, tv programmes and DVDs so our advice is 'Don't bother, with the Military Museum'.

We drove into the city centre and strolled down the Mall before heading back 'home'.
We all went down to the Waterfront that evening for a Mexican meal, and took a stroll along the water, before driving home.

            coincidence or not - just heard the news that Prince(the pop star) has died and here we have Purple Rain

 

The next day we went with our friend to the old Qantas Hangar, where the local car enthusiasts restore, store and display their cars.


 A lovely set up, and a great idea where like minds can get together and share know how, especially in a city where there may only be one enthusiast of a particular marque. I imagine that it's hard to form a car club if you're the only one.

The Hangar was a short walk from the Parap Markets so we left the cars there and walked over.
There were the usual art stalls, jewellery stalls and more than anything – food stalls. It was too early to eat but we did enjoy a freshly made fruit Lassi. Freshly diced fruit, ice, yoghurt – lovely.

Our friend had to take the girls to dance classes so we left them and after another stroll around the  market walked back to the car. We set the GPS and set out to the Aviation Heritage Museum (with some trepidation, after the poor Military Museum).
The first pleasant surprise was the $10 admission and it got better after that. It was fantastic. Well preserved, well displayed exhibits.
They even had a B52 inside the hangar, what a beautiful beast that is.
 We were very happy with this museum and not only recommend it, we would go again.

There was no cafe at the museum, so after a welcome cold drink we set off for a shopping centre and food court.
Finally, at this museum, we had found a good street map of Darwin and were able to navigate without the GPS.

The shopping mall was as you'd expect at lunch time on a Saturday – busy.
We enjoyed our Thai meal and then wandered around. We found the Optus store and Michael checked his pre paid phone recharge date etc. But we didn't actually buy anything, plenty of time for that back in Perth.

As we were sitting around having another lovely evening dining Al Fresco we realised that we had seen all that we came to Darwin to see.
We were getting exhausted by the unrelenting humidity – Going Troppo.
 That evening there were hundreds of dragonflies around, apparently a sign that 'the dry' is about to start, at last.
So, although loving the time with friends – they have their jobs to get on with, we decided to leave the next morning.

So the next day, mid morning we did just that – we left Darwin.
We drove back down the Stuart Highway and turned left for Humpty Doo (what a great name) and the Arnhem Highway to Jabiru through Kakadu National Park.
We were somewhat confused over whether or not we needed to purchase a pass to enter the National Park. The pass was $40 pp  ($30 concession) and was valid for 5 days. As we only intended to drive along the main highway, in one day, would we need this pass?
We stopped at the ranger station, at Windows on the Wetlands, and asked the question. This question has apparently been asked frequently and Head Office has not given a clear reply. It seems that if we intend  to 'enjoy' ANY part of the park – by looking out of the window, we are deemed to need a pass. Presumably if we were to drive along with our eyes shut, we wouldn't need a pass!!
Unable to give assurances that we would not look out of the window, and the fact that the weather was already more humid than Darwin city we decided to cut our losses, and headed back through Humpty Doo, to the Stuart Highway where we turned south and retraced our drive, intending to spend the night back in Pine Creek.
(IF we return to Kakadu we MUST do it in the dry, when we will be more comfortable and more likely to spend more than one day in the area. But to be honest that is now way down the list of things to do.)
We corrected our oversight and paid a visit to the WWII Cemetery in Adelaide River. What a lovely, peaceful spot. It was Anzac Day the next day and the graves and gardens were looking immaculate  ready for the dawn service. 

We returned to the highway and headed south for Pine Creek.
In the distance we noticed that the horizon was quite hazy, surely it's not rain..No it's smoke and it's getting thicker.

As we continued south we drove through some very smoky spots and as we got to the Pine Creek turn off and the smoke was still dense we decided to drive on. We didn't think that the smoke would clear enough for us to have a smoke free night's sleep.
We drove on back to Katherine.
In Katherine we filled up with diesel at a good discount price and then drove 9kms out of town, along the Victoria Highway. We had decided to avoid the larger, commercial caravan parks for a smaller, family run option. We were going to Manbullo Homestead caravan park, operating on a  working farm.

This turned out to be 4kms off the Hwy – well at least there won't be any traffic noise.
The park looked okay and we checked in. There were plenty of shady spots.
 In fairness I was told that the ablution block was being modernised but it seems that the owner was unaware exactly what the contractors were doing…..they had started on the Gents showers and toilets by removing all the doors! The ladies ablutions were still complete but really did have an abandoned feel.
 There were a few paperback books in the laundry area and we were in need of some new reading material but these books all had the dusty, dirty feel of something found under the floorboards of an old house so we didn't exchange any of our books. There were a LOT of 'permanent' residents, with wire fencing around old caravans, to keep the dogs in, it didn't stop them growling and barking whenever anyone walked past.
It was not an exceptionally cheap park at $34 a night and we made a note to ask to look around first if unsure or the whole park is not visible from the reception / driveway.
The next morning we headed back to the Victoria Hwy and our journey westwards.

We stopped for a cuppa at a rest area where we got talking to a couple in a caravan who were travelling east, they recommended a little spot another 70kms along the road – Victoria River.
So we headed there.
The camping ground was behind the roadhouse, where someone obviously had a sense of humour - and was only $25 a night. 

We were all set up in the shade, by lunchtime.
That night we had a lovely meal at the roadhouse and decided to stay another night.

The next day we just relaxed and enjoyed the scenery and the birdlife. There was even a Bower bird or two. One came to check out what we'd left lying around outside whilst we went in for lunch.

 Later in the afternoon there were lots of little wallabies around the park too.
We didn't go for a walk through the rushes down to the river, we walked along the road, over the bridge.

    

There only needs to be a hint about a crocodile and we're very, very wary.  

Then it was time to continue westwards and we were amazed at the wonderful scenery along the road. We saw a large herd of cattle with 5 or 6 stockmen on horses .
There were lots and lots of Kites flying over the road and in the paddocks. There were flocks of budgerigars and finches and we even saw a pair of Brolgas on the edge of a creek.
There was a changing landscape too, wetlands giving way to rocky outcrops and mountain ranges.

Then we were at the border with Western Australia.  Back in the west!!

Next stop is Kununurra.

    

Heading into the Top End

We bade our farewells to Margaret and Alf and went into Alice to stock up on supplies, get a script made up and even bought a couple of souvenirs. Then we got fuel and headed north.

We stopped at The Tropic of Capricorn rest area for lunch and a photo, the stopped again further north at 'Ryans Well'. A quite desolate spot, with a memorial to the early pioneers and across the road to the old well was the ruins of Glen McGarrie homestead. This was built in 1918 and abandoned in 1935, only 17 years, supplying the telegraph workers before everything was transferred into Tennant Creek. The spot may have been isolated but the flies were the friendliest I've come across.

We drove on to the next rest stop – Prowse Gap. Here there really was a 'gap' in the fence at the rest area, leading through to a shaded area, further away from the road noise. We drove through, found a shady spot and set in for the rest of the day. In the early evening a young couple in a 4WD drove up and joined us. They set up, cooked and ate dinner under the protection of fly veils and then retreated into their vehicle, we at least had the luxury of 'in house' cooking and dining.

It was definitely getting hotter, the temperature in our van was reading 32 degrees and humidity was 50%. I think we'll have to go into caravan parks from now on if this continues. It's hard to think that we had a duvet on the bed on our last night in Alice Springs.

The next day we were away before our neighbours, which doesn't happen often. We drove into the Devils Marbles but as it was lunch time and the temperature was up over 34 degrees we kept on driving. We had been there before and had had a lovely time exploring. If it had been cooler and later in the day we might have been tempted to linger but we chickened out and headed on into Tennant Creek.

The last time we were in town we stayed at the Tennant Creek caravan park on the north side of town, on the main road. It had been basic and noisy. We heard of another caravan park off the main road so went to check it out. We did phone them but at 1pm they still had their night answering phone on, so drove out there. The price of a powered site was $39 – with my seniors card I got a full $2 discount. We went back to the highway and checked out the other park – here a powered site was just $29. We checked in here, hoping for a quieter night than last time……..

Just behind the caravan park the BP service station has changed to 24hr opening and unfortunately our visit coincided with a cash, royalties payment for the locals – the party started early and continued very late.Just when we thought that we'd get a couple of hours sleep, the contractors at the caravan park arrived to start construction on the new chalets – 6.50am

Not many people in Tennant Creek got a good nights sleep last night!

We checked out and drove around to have a cup of coffee with a chap that we'd met in Alice Springs. He and his wife had been staying at the B & B and told us to drop by – so we did.

Then we continued northwards.

On our last trip we had come across Queensland on the Barkly Hwy, meeting the Stuart at Threeways, where we almost ran out of fuel. This was the furthest north that we have been in this area. We reminisced about the drama of almost running out of fuel and celebrated by stopping at Threeways Roadhouse and sharing a burger, with the lot, and chips for lunch.

Then we were off on 'uncharted territory' for us, new ground.

We stopped and enquired about camping at Renner Springs, but with no shade anywhere ($16pp) we drove on. We asked again in the 'township' of Elliott and as there was plenty of shade ($30pn) we checked in. The ablutions were spotless even if old and the presence of a tiny frog behind the door and peacocks wandering around the place was an added bonus.

The temperature didn't drop much at night, we kept the a/c running and pulled up the duvet. This proved too much for Michael in the middle of the night and he turned off the a/c and went back to just a sheet. This was too much for me, I threw off the sheet!

The next morning we were aghast to find the kitchen worktop seething with ants. When we checked we discovered that they had climbed up the power cable and got in through the socket. They must be in the cavity as they were swarming – I wiped up all those visible and scattered talcum powder around the cupboards.

I HATE ANTS! If they persist maybe we'll have to see a pest control firm in Darwin.

We pressed on northwards stopping briefly at Newcastle Waters

for a photo with an iconic stockman.

We were amazed to find water at Newcastle Waters, we drove over a causeway to reach the town – we had thought that it was just a name, not a fact.

The town is a ghost town now and we just did a quick tour of a couple of streets before rejoining the Hwy and heading on to our next stop – Daly Waters.

We stopped at the signposted WWII Aerodrome on the outskirts of town. Our leaflet told us the we could look around the hangar and walk along the airstrip – the place was deserted and overgrown with signs saying No Admittance to Airstrip. We continued on into Daly Waters settlement.

The Daly Waters pub is one of those famous outback places, like the Ora Banda pub in WA Goldfields, the Innamincka pub or the pub at William Creek. We were thinking of maybe having lunch here, but as we parked a Contiki coach pulled up alongside us and a horde of youngsters disgorged. Maybe they'd pre ordered but we didn't think it would be a quick lunch stop so we opted for soup and a roll in the van.

It was a good couple of degrees cooler outside than it was in the van so I grabbed a stool and sat out. 

I recognise that ruckus! There they were – a dozen or so crazy birds, Apostle birds. They came over to join me, strutting and hopping between my feet. They really are a delight.

Then we were back on the road. We were too hot and bothered to even think about a road side stop, we drove on to Mataranka. We saw a bit more wildlife than we'd seen earlier in the day, at one point several cattle walked across in front of us and then we disturbed 3 Black Kites feasting on some, centre of the road, roadkill.

It was almost 3pm as we drove into Mataranka, we drove past the signs for the old Elsey homestead,the Graves and the Thermal pool. (Mataranka is the setting for the book – We of the Never Never. )

We turned off the Hwy on the northern edge of town and went out to the Bitter Springs cabin and caravan park – the closest to the Bitter Springs Thermal Pool. This pool is apparently totally natural, whereas the Mataranka Pool is now tiled and commercialised.

I booked in for two nights as a powered site was only $35. to be honest I was expecting a lot more.

We found a shady spot, with hopefully shade in the morning too, and set up. I coated the power cable with talcum powder because I didn't want a repeat ant invasion. They do seem to have disappeared.

Later in the afternoon I strolled along the river to have a look at the thermal Pool. Certainly within walking distance. One participant exclaimed that it was warmer than bath water, swimming in it feeling quite unnatural. We'll find our for ourselves tomorrow.

When I got back I spotted a little wallaby across the park, when we went out to look more closely a couple of children rode past, disturbing about 20 of them that had been grazing nearby. Maybe tomorrow we'll see more.

The next day was either a little cooler or we were getting used to the heat, we sat outside just after breakfast and stayed out to enjoy our lunch. These inquisitive little Blue Faced Honeyeaters were not shy in joining us.

Around 4 pm we put on our bathers and walked down the road to the thermal pool.

There were only 3 other people around the pool, yesterday there were around 20.

Michael stepped down the ladder into the water and said how pleasant it was, and it did look inviting. I joined him and then thought, “It's now or never” and took off swimming down to the exit steps, around the bend in the river.

 Michael followed and we easily arrived at the first stage, feeling confident we carried on and were getting a bit anxious when we couldn't see the exit ladder. I spotted a low tree branch and swam over to hang on for a while, Michael caught up and I took off again. Just around a bend I spotted the exit ladder – Hurrah! We both made it but were very grateful to climb up that ladder and rest. We had been told that it was easier with a 'noodle' and we would recommend one to everyone making the trip. We felt like a couple of old codgers as we emerged from the water, but were pleased with ourselves for doing it.

I told Michael that I couldn't have done it without him with me, he said the same about me too.

Last week we climbed over rocks and walked into Standley Chasm, this week swimming in Bitter Springs – next week I think we'll tackle something else. Something like a shopping centre in Darwin. It will have to have coffee lounge though.

This caravan park and the Springs are not commercialised. The Springs is totally natural and the caravan park has basic amenities, as the following photo of the amenities block shows. But it was lovely, we both enjoyed the two day break.

The next morning we hit the road again. We didn't go into Mataranka itself, deciding against driving out to the more famous Mataranka Thermal Pool.

We drove into Katherine and found a shady spot to park on the street. 

When we had been in Katherine last year, on a stop over on our trip on the Ghan we noticed all the “No trailer, No caravan, No motorhome” parking signs so were glad to find street parking. We went into the supermarket and bought just the few basics that we needed. We found the post office and posted a present to a friend and then headed around the corner to a cheap fuel outlet before turning back onto the Stuart Hwy and continued northwards.

We turned off the Hwy into the small town of Pine Creek. It was a bigger town than we envisaged and we headed out to the Historic Railway Precinct where we pulled up under the shade of some huge trees and had lunch.

                             

There was a lot of noise in the tree tops, we thought that it was Corellas but when I stepped out of the van and looked up – I was surprised to see hundreds of BATS. They were flapping and squawking in the heat. We don't have fruit bats in Western Australia and I think they're sweet but am mindful of the problems that they can cause and the disease that they can spread. I was happy to photograph them up in the trees.

We had noticed a small caravan park as we drove out to the Railway but it did not appeal, we had also seen a sign to another park, behind the Lazy Lizard Tavern. We checked this one out, $30 for a powered site, and use of the swimming pool. We were in. We set up and leaving the a/c running to cool the van, went for a swim.

 Heaven, not too cool and no where near the 30 degrees of Bitter Springs. We spent over an hour in the cool and then went back to relax. In the cool of the evening we sat outside and watched the multitude of birdlife around the park. There were Red Winged parrots, Lapwings, and to our delight – Great Bower Birds pottering around a nest just across the grass from our camp spot.

 

 These birds are fascinating, we had never seen one in the wild before. The male works tirelessly making this 'bower' to woo a mate. The nest apparently always runs north-south and this collection of glass, snails and plastic was typical. There were 3 or 4 birds around this nest so I suppose that they would eventually have to fight it out over the lucky female. Mating takes place in the bower and then the female flies off to lay an egg and raise a chick. The male certainly works hard preparing his 'love nest' even if it's not used as a nursery.

 It was so relaxing and we had enjoyed our two day break in Mataranka so much that we decided to have another two day break and stay on another day. How hard could it be?
 Watching parrots and bower birds and relaxing in a huge swimming pool.