Darwin – hmmm!! Darwin means rest, maintenance, shopping and BUNNINGS!!!! I’m afraid this episode will probably be a bit boring.
After the excitement of Kakadu our stay in Darwin was somewhat sedate. We decided on the Big 4 at Berrimah which is about 15 minutes drive out of the CBD. A nice park with lots of trees and 3 pools, although the pools were nothing much to write home about. Mundane stuff for the first few days, washing etc and a trip to the information centre to check out the main attractions of Darwin. We booked a trip by boat to the Tiwi Islands for the following Wednesday.
Friday night, after dinner, we went to the Palmerston Market which was mainly food stalls!!!!!! Saturday Stephen disappeared for most of the day as it was Bunnings Day. He eventually arrived home with numerous hardware items including a ladder. Now one would have thought that he had had his fill of ladders for this lifetime, but I was wrong. He then had to buy a multitude of bibs and bobs to attach the ladder to the back of the van. This kept him busy for a couple of days while I spent my time reading and visiting the pool. The weather was very warm and quite humid with nights spent with the aircon on and not much else.
Sunday night we went to the Mindil Market. More food stalls and lots of people. We arrived home about 9pm and were joined for a drink by James and Niamh (for the plebians this is pronounced Neve), a young Irish couple who were camping next to us. These two proved to be the bad Irish people as we went to bed at 2.30am after several bottles of red. They were a very bad influence and earned us a bad name amongst the neighbours. Its amazing how those old grey nomads can hold a grudge and point every time you walk past.
After a late start on Monday we visited the East Point Military Museum where we paid $12 each for our entry only to realise less than 5 minutes after entering that we had already been there on our previous trip to Darwin. Let’s just say that we weren’t too sharp that day.
Tuesday night we met with Justine Rogers for dinner. It was great to catch up with her and hear all about what she has been up to. As I write this Justine will be back visiting her mum and dad in Melbourne with several pairs of track pants and many jumpers on. Kay’s heating bill will also jump quite substantially during her stay no doubt.
Wednesday we were up at the crack of dawn to catch the ferry across to the Tiwi Islands – Bathurst and Melville, a two hour trip. We were taken from the boat to the shore on a flat bottomed barge and met with our local guide. The morning was spent moving around the island and learning about the Tiwi culture. Let’s just say if you are going to be born on these islands it would be better that you are a boy and not a girl. Brothers do not speak to or make eye contact with their sisters at all and if they wish to communicate with each other it is done through a third person – mother or father usually. As uncles and aunts are considered parents, this non verbal contact applies to female cousins also. They were very family orientated and seemed to not need much to be happy. It is a very Catholic culture and the second religion is AFL football. Our guide was very happy to talk about anything to do with football.
While in Darwin we discovered Casurina shopping centre and spent a pleasant morning at the museum where they had a very good exhibition on Cyclone Tracey. Janet and Rob caught up with us at some stage which of course meant nibbles and drinks on a number of evenings. Saturday night we joined most of Darwin at the Marrara Oval to watch the Bulldogs wallop Port Adelaide. It was interesting to go to the footy with our shorts, singlets and thongs on. Other than that, reading, swimming, maintenance, shopping and rest. Oh yes, most importantly we both had haircuts and a colour for me which I guess fits into the 'maintenance' category, don’t want to end up looking like a grey nomad!! Stephen’s attempt at humour with the hairdresser backfired completely. When she asked how he would like his hair cut he replied that she should only cut the grey hairs. Her sharp retort was “So you want your head shaved”. The conversation practically ceased at this point.
On Monday 15 June we left Darwin and intended to go to Litchfield National Park. However we stopped at the shops to buy some food and when we returned to the car to put the purchases in the car fridge we discovered that it wasn’t working. Great!! We decide to instead go to Berry Springs which is about 25 kms down the road in case we needed to come back into Darwin for major fridge repairs. We have had Berry Springs jammed down our throats by Chris and Di Ridsdale who obviously had a very nice time when they visited. As we emerged from the car we were greeted by the buzz of the mosquito swarms that immediately attacked not only me, who they love, but also Stephen. By the time we had the verandah up on the caravan we had been bitten on all exposed skin. Stephen discovered the problem with the fridge was a blown fuse (we seem to be having a problem with the fuse god since we left home). A replacement fuse was easily purchased in Berry Springs and promptly fixed. We spent the afternoon at the hot springs, which I must admit were very nice, but the rest of the day inside the van hiding from the insects swarming around the caravan door. Next morning we were out of there but unfortunately we were covered in bites resulting in much discomfort and scratching for the next few days. Can someone please explain to me how you get bites on the bum when said bum is neatly covered by shorts????
Tuesday we drove into Litchfield and found a lovely little caravan park about 4 kms past Wangi Falls. After setting up, and deciding that we really liked it there, we drove to Wangi for a refreshing swim and a bit of a lay around on the grass – see we really are getting the hang of this holiday. Wednesday Stephen was itching for a walk so we drove to Florence Falls then walked to Buley rock pools and back. Buley is a beaut little spot with a waterfall that has a series of rock pools you can either sit or swim in. The 90 minute walk proved to be about 30 minutes so not too taxing at all. On the way back we 4x4’d into the Lost City which is a little similar to the Devil’s Marbles, rocks precariously balanced on top of other rocks which gives the impression of a relic of a long, lost city. Stephen went into hunter and gatherer mode when we got home and came back with lots of wood for the fire we could finally light. We spent the next few evenings sitting around the fire and watching the stars which were brilliant.
Woke up Thursday with a head cold, no not the swine. Walkers Creek walk was the morning’s exercise. A series of camping spots along the creek with their very own swimming holes, however in order to enjoy them you need to hike in with your gear. It was a very pleasant walk to the end of the creek and back. We followed this up with a walk to see Tolmer Falls which turned out to be the most spectacular of all the falls in Litchfield. All this walking made us very hot so we went for a swim at Wangi, however we decided we would do the climb to the top of the falls before our swim. I wish we hadn’t because it was quite unspectacular and very steep. The water was quite refreshing (cold) at Wangi which we really appreciated after all the walking and climbing as we were very hot by that stage.
A late start on Friday and another walk to a lovely plunge pool above Green Ant Creek. We were all alone there for sometime but then, of course, the Germans arrived and our peace was over.
Saturday we packed up and drove to Katherine where we will spend two days before heading to the west, just in time for the school holidays!!
Photos @
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/stephen.hede/DarwinAndLitchfieldNP?authkey=Gv1sRgCK2_3-rE7_HylwE#
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Kakadu 31 May - 5 June
Up the road to Kakadu. First stop Mary River Roadhouse and caravan park. Not bad digs for a roadhouse stop. We planned to have a fire but a van pulled up right next to the fireplace while we were out and Stephen thought they mightn’t like it if we set fire to their van. Some people can be so fussy!!
We arrived early in the day and after an early lunch drove to Gunlom Falls. The drive in was on 37 kms of dirt track but not too bad. There is a very nice picnic ground at the falls and we were surprised to find lots of people there. We found the track leading up to the plunge pools at the top of the falls. The usual trip – up, up, up, rocks, rocks, rocks but the sight at the top took our breath away. The pools were crystal clear and overlooking southern Kakadu. There were three separate pools, none very deep but the water was so clear the sand was visible. The third pool ran over the edge – the falls – with a magnificent vista behind them. It really was breathtaking. After a swim with the German tourists drinking VB (not only is half of Queensland here, so is half of Germany) we climbed back down and had a swim at the bottom of the falls. A lot cooler than the plunge pools at the top. Back at the picnic ground we were entertained by one of the Germans who had his tightrope strung up between trees and was walking up and down it. Not a bad afternoon’s entertainment if you have nothing to do!!
Monday we packed up early and drove to Gagudju Lodge in Cooinda – the home of the mossie. We had been forewarned by other campers that the mosquitoes were really bad so we made sure we had lots of Bushmans on board. As this year’s wet season was short, the waters have receded much quicker and the mossies are around a lot earlier – lucky us. On arrival we find that we cannot set up the van because they do not allow new bookings until midday so we booked into the 11.30am Yellow Waters Wetland Cruise. These wetlands are part of the South Alligator River floodplain. The many and varied birdlife on these wetlands was fantastic to see. I would normally not know one bird from another but Emma, our guide, showed us your cormorant, your little egret, your jabiru, your comb-crested jacana “and over here we have your saltwater crocodile”. I am sure she is a lovely girl but I wish someone would tell her how to speak proper like. Stephen has now bought 3 separate bird books so that I can now tell the difference between a blue breasted tit and a white breasted tit!!!! We spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool which had a rating of about 7 for those that care. We quickly cooked dinner and headed for the safety of the caravan. Those pesky mossies aren’t going to get me.
Tuesday was to be a big day. This is Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls day, a 40 km dirt road, then a further 20 kms into the falls, real 4x4 truck drivin’. With peanut butter and cheese and vegemite rolls on board, adventure awaited us. The first 40 kms were fine, a little bit corrugated but generally aok. The next 20 was only just single lane (I hope we don’t meet anyone going the other way) through sand, over rocks and through water, real fun. We found ourselves travelling with another car so felt a lot happier that if something went wrong we would be okay. Our first stop was Twin Falls Gorge. We were met by Kim, a ranger, who took us up the river on his punt. Kim didn’t let us down, he talked non-stop the whole way telling us to be careful along the ledges we were going to have to shimmy along to get to the falls. Groan, I hate ledges. I wished he would just shut up. This of course proved to be BS as it was an easy climb over to the falls. We were unable to swim here – crocs you know – but were surprised at the amount of water still coming over the falls. We walked back to the boat with our new 4x4 buddies and more of Kim’s chat. Then back to Jim Jim Falls. The walk into Jim Jim is quite strenuous – Stephen in his element of course – over big boulders, lots of them. By the time we arrived at the falls we were hanging for those rolls and a drink of water. We were thrilled that we were able to swim in the rockpool at the bottom of the falls – no crocs here. It was freezing but just what we needed on a very hot day. All in all, a great day.
After some discussion on the agenda for the next few days we decide to travel to Jabiru. We called into Nourlangie for a quick walk and some rock art. On arrival in Jabiru we check into the Kakadu Lodge. We had our pick of the very large and grassy sites. We settled in and headed for the pool – well, we were hot by now. This pool is a definite 10, big, clean and lots of chairs and grass with the obligatory bar and bistro. I cannot believe we stayed down the road at mossie infested Cooinda when we could have been here. A very lazy afternoon follows, swimming, resting, watching people come in – oh my goodness is that Janet and Rob’s van, yes it is, I think we are being stalked! Eats and drinks with our old new best friends. We decide to stay on an extra day as it is so nice here. Next morning a very early rise and off to the Marnukala bird hide for a bit of whistling duck and magpie geese spotting and mosquitoes by the thousands. Home for a brekkie of bacon and eggs. Stephen heads off for a ride on his bike while I head for a day by the pool. Unfortunately so do the sandflies and mossies as I discover later in the day when I am covered in bites. We spend the late afternoon driving with Janet and Rob to Cahill’s Crossing (on the border of Arnhem Land) where we see the local indigenous people throwing in a hand line to catch their dinner and two idiot white fishermen walking in the waters of the East Alligator River where only a month ago a guy was taken by a croc. We drove onto Ubirr where we climbed the rock and watched the sunset over the wetlands. Can life get any better! I hope so.
Next morning Stephen and Rob do a tour of the Ranger Uranium Mine while I stay home and pack up (see it is me who does all the work), a quick swim in the pool before driving with Stephen sprouting facts and figures about the mine in my ear all the way to Darwin.
We are trying a new way of showing the photos we have taken. So, if you want to see the photo of Kakadu go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/stephen.hede/GunlomFallsYellowRiverTwinFallsAndJimJimFallsJabiru?authkey=Gv1sRgCNKe3aXkhvPUrQE
We arrived early in the day and after an early lunch drove to Gunlom Falls. The drive in was on 37 kms of dirt track but not too bad. There is a very nice picnic ground at the falls and we were surprised to find lots of people there. We found the track leading up to the plunge pools at the top of the falls. The usual trip – up, up, up, rocks, rocks, rocks but the sight at the top took our breath away. The pools were crystal clear and overlooking southern Kakadu. There were three separate pools, none very deep but the water was so clear the sand was visible. The third pool ran over the edge – the falls – with a magnificent vista behind them. It really was breathtaking. After a swim with the German tourists drinking VB (not only is half of Queensland here, so is half of Germany) we climbed back down and had a swim at the bottom of the falls. A lot cooler than the plunge pools at the top. Back at the picnic ground we were entertained by one of the Germans who had his tightrope strung up between trees and was walking up and down it. Not a bad afternoon’s entertainment if you have nothing to do!!
Monday we packed up early and drove to Gagudju Lodge in Cooinda – the home of the mossie. We had been forewarned by other campers that the mosquitoes were really bad so we made sure we had lots of Bushmans on board. As this year’s wet season was short, the waters have receded much quicker and the mossies are around a lot earlier – lucky us. On arrival we find that we cannot set up the van because they do not allow new bookings until midday so we booked into the 11.30am Yellow Waters Wetland Cruise. These wetlands are part of the South Alligator River floodplain. The many and varied birdlife on these wetlands was fantastic to see. I would normally not know one bird from another but Emma, our guide, showed us your cormorant, your little egret, your jabiru, your comb-crested jacana “and over here we have your saltwater crocodile”. I am sure she is a lovely girl but I wish someone would tell her how to speak proper like. Stephen has now bought 3 separate bird books so that I can now tell the difference between a blue breasted tit and a white breasted tit!!!! We spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool which had a rating of about 7 for those that care. We quickly cooked dinner and headed for the safety of the caravan. Those pesky mossies aren’t going to get me.
Tuesday was to be a big day. This is Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls day, a 40 km dirt road, then a further 20 kms into the falls, real 4x4 truck drivin’. With peanut butter and cheese and vegemite rolls on board, adventure awaited us. The first 40 kms were fine, a little bit corrugated but generally aok. The next 20 was only just single lane (I hope we don’t meet anyone going the other way) through sand, over rocks and through water, real fun. We found ourselves travelling with another car so felt a lot happier that if something went wrong we would be okay. Our first stop was Twin Falls Gorge. We were met by Kim, a ranger, who took us up the river on his punt. Kim didn’t let us down, he talked non-stop the whole way telling us to be careful along the ledges we were going to have to shimmy along to get to the falls. Groan, I hate ledges. I wished he would just shut up. This of course proved to be BS as it was an easy climb over to the falls. We were unable to swim here – crocs you know – but were surprised at the amount of water still coming over the falls. We walked back to the boat with our new 4x4 buddies and more of Kim’s chat. Then back to Jim Jim Falls. The walk into Jim Jim is quite strenuous – Stephen in his element of course – over big boulders, lots of them. By the time we arrived at the falls we were hanging for those rolls and a drink of water. We were thrilled that we were able to swim in the rockpool at the bottom of the falls – no crocs here. It was freezing but just what we needed on a very hot day. All in all, a great day.
After some discussion on the agenda for the next few days we decide to travel to Jabiru. We called into Nourlangie for a quick walk and some rock art. On arrival in Jabiru we check into the Kakadu Lodge. We had our pick of the very large and grassy sites. We settled in and headed for the pool – well, we were hot by now. This pool is a definite 10, big, clean and lots of chairs and grass with the obligatory bar and bistro. I cannot believe we stayed down the road at mossie infested Cooinda when we could have been here. A very lazy afternoon follows, swimming, resting, watching people come in – oh my goodness is that Janet and Rob’s van, yes it is, I think we are being stalked! Eats and drinks with our old new best friends. We decide to stay on an extra day as it is so nice here. Next morning a very early rise and off to the Marnukala bird hide for a bit of whistling duck and magpie geese spotting and mosquitoes by the thousands. Home for a brekkie of bacon and eggs. Stephen heads off for a ride on his bike while I head for a day by the pool. Unfortunately so do the sandflies and mossies as I discover later in the day when I am covered in bites. We spend the late afternoon driving with Janet and Rob to Cahill’s Crossing (on the border of Arnhem Land) where we see the local indigenous people throwing in a hand line to catch their dinner and two idiot white fishermen walking in the waters of the East Alligator River where only a month ago a guy was taken by a croc. We drove onto Ubirr where we climbed the rock and watched the sunset over the wetlands. Can life get any better! I hope so.
Next morning Stephen and Rob do a tour of the Ranger Uranium Mine while I stay home and pack up (see it is me who does all the work), a quick swim in the pool before driving with Stephen sprouting facts and figures about the mine in my ear all the way to Darwin.
We are trying a new way of showing the photos we have taken. So, if you want to see the photo of Kakadu go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/stephen.hede/GunlomFallsYellowRiverTwinFallsAndJimJimFallsJabiru?authkey=Gv1sRgCNKe3aXkhvPUrQE
Monday, June 1, 2009
Daly Waters to Katherine 24 - 30 May
It was intended that we have 3 or 4 days in King Ash Bay, but we awoke early after our first night, packed and left before the dust had time to settle.
Our target for the day was Daly Waters about 400 odd kms away. Chris and Di had told us you have to be at the pub early or you will miss a camping spot. We arrived at 2.00pm and got the 10th last spot. They can sure squeeze them in. We headed for the pool and had a nice cooling swim and a chat with some fellow pool lizards. Happy hour was from 5 – 6pm so we didn’t dilly dally and headed straight for the bar. It is hard to find words to describe this hotel. Unique is a possibility, but fun is a definite. The bar staff toss you for drinks during happy hour and Stephen had free drinks for the hour which left a big smile on his face. Finally his luck has changed!! During the day we had passed some bike riders from Kyabram and Echuca who were riding from Adelaide to Darwin to raise money for prostrate and breast cancer. During happy hour we introduced ourselves and immediately had a rapport with them. One fellow, Lindsay Cooper, is the school principal from Kyabram Secondary College – does the name ring a bell Sue Mahoney?? Think asst. principal at Niddrie Sec. College. He was spending his long service leave doing the ride. A very nice chap and when he found out I had worked as the Head’s PA at SKC I was his new best friend. He rightfully believes that PAs are worth their weight in gold – his words not mine. We stayed at the pub for Beef/Barra night and were entertained – I think you could call it that – by the chook man. His two chickens sat on the bar while he told yarns and sang songs. Daggy but great fun. He convinced two Italian tourists that the chickens were Wedge Tailed eagle chicks and he was training them for a birds of prey show later in the year. The facilities at the camping ground left a lot to be desired so I forwent the shower until the next day. While we were packing up we got chatting (a lot of chatting seems to occur) with our neighbour. His name was Kevin Jones, a printer from Northcote, also does some work for Treacy – does his name ring a bell Bill Wilding?? It is a big country but someone always knows somebody that you know.
A short hop up the road (170 kms) our destination was Mataranka. We were advised that Mataranka was famous for its home made meat pies – buffalo, chilli camel etc. However, we were a little confused and stopped along the way at Fran’s in Larrimah for one of her pies. We were a little late and there was not much left so Stephen had a buffalo pie and I had a Cornish pastie. They were huge so we had leftovers for ‘ron. We arrived at Mataranka fairly early and headed for their very nice swimming pool. This was a lovely park with peacocks roaming around the grass and lots of birds. A chook befriended Stephen and made a comfy little nest beside our mat. We have our suspicions that it also took Stephen’s socks which were in his walking shoes outside the door as they have disappeared forever. Some chooks are just not fussy! We spent two days kicking back and doing some domestic chores, washing clothes, car and van of red dust which we had been gathering over the past week. On our second day in Mataranka Anne went to get the real home made pies but found that the oven had blown up and there would be no pies for at least another week. Lucky we were confused at Larrimah. We spent a couple of hours at the hot springs (Berry Springs) nearby but frankly we preferred the pool which was a lot cooler. We met some more new best friends and passed a number of hours trading travelling stories that night.
Up late again and packed for our trip to Katherine (100 kms). I have been given a new outside duty, winding up the caravan feet. I am obviously getting too good at helping and will have to wind back my enthusiasm
Stephen: Anne is always very enthusiastic at the moving on stage and asking what she can do to help so I have to find little chores for her that with the right amount of “mentoring” she can’t break anything. Winding up the feet is the latest. It's impossible to break the feet. Back to Anne.
Our target for the day was Daly Waters about 400 odd kms away. Chris and Di had told us you have to be at the pub early or you will miss a camping spot. We arrived at 2.00pm and got the 10th last spot. They can sure squeeze them in. We headed for the pool and had a nice cooling swim and a chat with some fellow pool lizards. Happy hour was from 5 – 6pm so we didn’t dilly dally and headed straight for the bar. It is hard to find words to describe this hotel. Unique is a possibility, but fun is a definite. The bar staff toss you for drinks during happy hour and Stephen had free drinks for the hour which left a big smile on his face. Finally his luck has changed!! During the day we had passed some bike riders from Kyabram and Echuca who were riding from Adelaide to Darwin to raise money for prostrate and breast cancer. During happy hour we introduced ourselves and immediately had a rapport with them. One fellow, Lindsay Cooper, is the school principal from Kyabram Secondary College – does the name ring a bell Sue Mahoney?? Think asst. principal at Niddrie Sec. College. He was spending his long service leave doing the ride. A very nice chap and when he found out I had worked as the Head’s PA at SKC I was his new best friend. He rightfully believes that PAs are worth their weight in gold – his words not mine. We stayed at the pub for Beef/Barra night and were entertained – I think you could call it that – by the chook man. His two chickens sat on the bar while he told yarns and sang songs. Daggy but great fun. He convinced two Italian tourists that the chickens were Wedge Tailed eagle chicks and he was training them for a birds of prey show later in the year. The facilities at the camping ground left a lot to be desired so I forwent the shower until the next day. While we were packing up we got chatting (a lot of chatting seems to occur) with our neighbour. His name was Kevin Jones, a printer from Northcote, also does some work for Treacy – does his name ring a bell Bill Wilding?? It is a big country but someone always knows somebody that you know.
Mataranka and Berry Springs - Stephen and his new friends
A short hop up the road (170 kms) our destination was Mataranka. We were advised that Mataranka was famous for its home made meat pies – buffalo, chilli camel etc. However, we were a little confused and stopped along the way at Fran’s in Larrimah for one of her pies. We were a little late and there was not much left so Stephen had a buffalo pie and I had a Cornish pastie. They were huge so we had leftovers for ‘ron. We arrived at Mataranka fairly early and headed for their very nice swimming pool. This was a lovely park with peacocks roaming around the grass and lots of birds. A chook befriended Stephen and made a comfy little nest beside our mat. We have our suspicions that it also took Stephen’s socks which were in his walking shoes outside the door as they have disappeared forever. Some chooks are just not fussy! We spent two days kicking back and doing some domestic chores, washing clothes, car and van of red dust which we had been gathering over the past week. On our second day in Mataranka Anne went to get the real home made pies but found that the oven had blown up and there would be no pies for at least another week. Lucky we were confused at Larrimah. We spent a couple of hours at the hot springs (Berry Springs) nearby but frankly we preferred the pool which was a lot cooler. We met some more new best friends and passed a number of hours trading travelling stories that night.
Up late again and packed for our trip to Katherine (100 kms). I have been given a new outside duty, winding up the caravan feet. I am obviously getting too good at helping and will have to wind back my enthusiasm
Stephen: Anne is always very enthusiastic at the moving on stage and asking what she can do to help so I have to find little chores for her that with the right amount of “mentoring” she can’t break anything. Winding up the feet is the latest. It's impossible to break the feet. Back to Anne.
Katherine - Butterfly Gorge: Anne looking worse for wear, Stephen after a photo opportunity, Anne missing the ironing so helped a neighbour (our new best friends Janet and Rob in the background)
We booked into the Big 4 Low Level Camping Ground – why low level?? You actually pass over a single lane bridge over the Katherine River to get to the camping ground. The main street of Katherine has its Big Brother Bridge. What a find! We were tentative about booking for too long as it was quite a way out of Katherine. However, it was fantastic and we ended up staying for 4 days. We are mostly rating the parks by the pool. This was crystal clear and big, just what we like. The weather has really heated up and the days are around 32 – 35 degrees. The nights are a little too hot for our liking but we just wack on the aircon. Our first day in Katherine we drove to Katherine Gorge and went on an 11 kilometre walk to Butterfly Gorge, as one does. Five hours later, dripping of perspiration, we got back to the car. I swear he is trying to kill me. Kids, the will is in the safe and make sure no bimbos move in for at least 5 years. Friday was declared a day of rest, well at least the morning was. In the afternoon we drove to Edith Falls. Just luverly. Swam in the upper pools at the falls. When we returned from the falls our regular new best friends, Janet and Rob were parked behind us at the caravan park. They are from Brisbane and we first met them at Uluru, then Kings Canyon, then Alice Springs and now they have followed us to Katherine. They have become our drinking buddies and we have spent a lot of time laughing and telling stories. Stephen is in love with Rob as he was formally a manager of a hardware store. They are quite often seen playing together in their sheds (backs of cars). Rob has a ladder which Stephen has used more than Rob has. Janet is a former nurse. What more can I say. She has a drug cabinet that takes up half the caravan, however there is nothing that can be smoked or snorted – well not that I know about yet. I have to be careful about what I say as Janet reads my blog. We will hopefully catch up with them again in Darwin. On Saturday we went on a breakfast cruise up Katherine Gorge followed by a helicopter trip. There are 13 gorges at this national park and the helicopter flew over them all. The boats can only go to the 3rd gorge. We landed briefly at the 10th gorge and took some photos. It was quite an adventure. On the way back into town we stopped at the museum and watched a video on the 1998 floods in Katherine. The flood didn’t recede for a full week and was devastating. The town folk had to start from scratch as all properties were badly damaged. While I talk about Katherine in glowing terms it should be noted that there is a large aboriginal community here and unfortunately it is not recommended that you stay in town at night. That is apparently the reason that most of the caravan parks are well out of the town. It is hard to imagine that this situation is ever going to improve, no matter how much money the government throws at it.
Edith Falls - Stephen playing at the falls, Snap and jump in as fast as you can, Pretty pictures of water
Katherine Gorge Cruise and Helicopter Ride
Tomorrow we continue up the road to Kakadu. I cannot believe how time is rolling on. I thought you might like some of the Territorian (newspaper) headlines before I sign off:
“Youth stabs girlfriend: I only stabbed her lightly”
“Woman fights off horny emu” - this is true
“Swine flu flies into the Territory” - who says pigs can’t fly!
“Youth stabs girlfriend: I only stabbed her lightly”
“Woman fights off horny emu” - this is true
“Swine flu flies into the Territory” - who says pigs can’t fly!
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