Day 78 (4 October) – Bitter Springs (Mataranka) Caravan Park to Katherine Discovery Caravan Park
The trip from Bitter Springs to Katherine was uneventful – we still are amazed at how green the country side is as we travel up though the Northern Territory.
We arrived at Katherine, checked in, set up then went to the Information Centre in town where we booked two tours for the following day then back to the caravan park (in the heat) where I updated the blog and decided to go for a swim.
The swim (two pools – one for kids and the other for adults) and facilities are excellent. Brand new amenities and they are installing new modern cabins. This is a worthwhile park to visit! We loved the finish of the adults pool also. The pebble mix was finished so that it wasn’t too rough but also a great white/cream colour with blue specks.
More typing, getting the blog up to date and then dinner at The Katherine Club. Home and more blogging and admin.
Day 79 (5 October) – Katherine Discovery Caravan Park (Cutta Cutta Caves, Katherine Outback Experience, Katherine Hot Springs Pop-Up Cafe, Katherine Hot Springs [swim], Katherine Gorge Sunset Tour and Cruise)
My Birthday!
Although we had a lot to do it was a fairly late start.
We left just after 08:00 and headed East out the main highway to Cutta Cutta Caves. These are limestone caves with stalagmites and stalactites and fascinating formations inside. We walked around 250m into the cave which extended for another 500m but were told the air would be too hot and humid as there was no ventilation further in.
At the end of the cave walk we saw a number of ‘images’ – one that looked like an upside-down dragon – and I’m a Year of the Dragon person!
On the way to the caves, we had noticed a sign to the Katherine Outback Experience so we stopped by on the way back to be told that the afternoon’s session was the last in Katherine this year. We did some sums and realised we couldn’t do it as well as the Sunset Cruise we had booked the previous day. After having a talk with a couple of the performers, we pushed on back to Katherine and decided we’d have to miss the Outback Experience.
We decided to try the Katherine Hot Springs and found a really nice pop-up cafe where we had some drinks and lunch then headed down to the Hot Springs. These hot springs are the last of a series of hot springs down a route that travels over several hundred kilometres and includes the Mataranka and Bitter Springs springs. The route also travels under the Cutta Cutta cave on its way west.
A brief rest in the motorhome before leaving at around 15:30 for the Katherine Gorge Sunset Tour. The gorge is actually 13 separate sections, best viewed from a helicopter. The usual tours by boat are one, two or three gorges with walks of up to 400 m between the boat jetties. Our cruise was a two-gorge tour followed by a sunset dinner. The gorge scenery was magnificent and the setting for a number of Australian films and documentaries. We cruised up and down gorges 1 and 2 with a stop in between where our guide, Jamie, gave us some history of the rock art around 10m up on one of the walls between the gorges. We saw a black-necked stork (it was explained that it is very rare) and later a wallaroo (again very rare). We were paired with Henk and Celia from Holland. Henk had quite good English but Celia both was hard of hearing (she had hearing aids) and not as good with English. At one stage I told a joke and, after each part, Henk would turn to Celia and translate into Dutch – they both enjoyed the joke about the two golfers – one with bad eyesight and the other with a bad memory. The dinner was fantastic featuring a crocodile tail, kangaroo and chicken platter with local dips and followed by a local barramundi and a chocolate and ice cream desert which was accompanied by the entire party singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to me. A wonderful evening. We then drove the 26 km back to the caravan park slowly whilst being dazzled at times by the reflections from our new light bar on the Jimny.
Thanks to Lyn, I had a wonderful birthday.
Day 80 (6 October) – Katherine Discovery Caravan Park (Katherine Hot Springs Pop-Up Cafe and The Katherine Country Club)
Not much to do today as I was preparing to watch the NRL Grand Final. I did notice a Cessna 310 in really good condition as we were heading to the gorge yesterday so decided to go back to check for parts – no luck there though.
We headed into town and looked for the Katherine Country Club. It has a golf course with grass greens – unusual in these parts. We arrived too late to play and found that the course was closed for the next 3 days due to annual course maintenance. The good news is that we’ll be passing this way on our return from Darwin.
Off to the Pop-Up Cafe for brunch then back to the caravan park where we planned what to do for the next few days. We were due to get to Darwin on Wednesday so had a couple of days spare. We finally decided to drive towards the WA border and stay at the Timber Creek Roadhouse. When I tried to call, we found the phone disconnected and a visit to the website advised that the roadhouse was currently closed due to the effects of cyclone Edith. So, after a quick discussion, we decided we’d go to Victoria River Roadhouse Caravan Park and tour in the Jimny from there.
We decided to go back to the Country Club for lunch and refuelled the Jimny on the way in preparation for our journey west the following day. A reasonable lunch at the Country Club where we saw the golfers we’d seen earlier that morning having lunch also.
Back to the motorhome where I had a nap whilst Lyn went for a swim.
Then the NRL Grand Final. A great game spoilt by some decisions such as a clear try to Melbourne which was disallowed and a biting charge and penalty against Cameron Munster where the Penrith bloke but his arm around Cameron’s head and into his mouth. A few other dodgy decisions, but we are used to that by now from a NSW-centric game.
A bit of reading and some blog updates then off to sleep.
Day 81 (7 October) – Katherine Discovery Caravan Park to Victoria River Caravan Park
Happy Birthday Nicky Bill!
I got up, read a bit, updated the blog and packed up in preparation for our departure.
Not a big trip today – around 190 km. We arrived just after lunch, set up, then decided to take the Jimny and travel towards the WA border.
We got as far as Timber Creek then turned back. On the way back we pulled into a number of tracks into the Judbarra/Gregory National Park. The first was to Joe Creek – fascinating escarpments all around. Photos don’t do this place justice. Next, we put the Jimny into 4WD (low at times) and went down to the Old Victoria River Crossing. You could see the tracks leading in from our side and out the other side. Lyn wasn’t keen to challenging crocodiles so we headed back to the main road. Last in this trip we travelled to the Victoria River boat ramp which was just behind our caravan park.
Then. back to the caravan park in time to go to dinner. They seemed to focus on burgers – of all different types.
There were a few locals fronting the bar – certainly there are different cultures up here.
Then to the motorhome, replanning our movements for the next day and preparing to leave for Katherine (we decided on The Katherine Discovery Park we’d been in over the weekend) again. As I visited the amenities block it was interesting to see some of the wildlife. Note that the stains are from the bore water, not what you may have thought.
Day 82 (8 October) – Victoria River Caravan Park to Katherine Discovery Caravan Park
An early start back to Katherine arriving around 09:40. Before we set off, I decided to check on the effectiveness of our water filter (I install it just after the tap at each caravan park). You can see the difference in the water from the tap and after being filtered in the following photos.
We refuelled the motorhome and the Jimny then checked in to the Katherine Discovery Caravan Park. We got the site next to the one we had previously (15m x 10m) as a new family had moved in the day before. Our new site is 15m x 7m.
I spent the day (6.5 hours) doing our financials and BAS statement while Lyn read and went for a swim in the big pool. I had a swim in the small pool around 16:45 then into the Katherine Club for dinner followed by updates to the blog.
Tomorrow, we head for Darwin!!!
Day 83 (9 October) – Katherine Discovery Caravan Park to Aspen Holidays Darwin FreeSpirit Camping Park
Off fairly late as we didn’t have far to travel. I decided to give all the windows on Elsie and Lucie a really good clean and got a lot of the pre-departure chores done then settled down to more admin (mainly doing this blog).
A stop along the way at Edith Falls – a fairly small waterfall from an upper pool to the lowest. We had a look around, decided against the 2.6 km walk around the cliffs above the pool and so went for a swim in the bottom pool only. We swam towards the waterfall around 150 m away but decided to turn back halfway. The water was murky and warm, so only a quick swim. Cold coffee (made with ice) at the cafe then we continued on to Darwin.
We arrived at the FreeSpirit Caravan Park in the early afternoon, set up, then went to Bunnings to buy the flexible hose I’d seen earlier in the trip, we finally found one in the Darwin City store and then decided to go for a drive around the city. We found the DoubleTree Hilton where we are to start our Kakadu trip and then went back to the caravan park for a meal of prawns and smoked salmon (and salads). I managed to fix the problem with the TV not picking up the digital and analog terrestrial signals (it was a loose coax connection behind the TV) and then aligned the driving lights I’d reattached a couple of days before.
Day 84 (10 October) – Aspen Holidays Darwin FreeSpirit Camping Park (Darwin Museum and Art Gallery & The Mindil Sunset Market)
This morning Lyn had to do a Telehealth call (11:30 in Melbourne and 10:00 in Darwin). So, I headed out to Emkaytee airfield where I met Trent, the Head Instructor from Darwin Aerodrome, and Sam who had met me at Bacchus Marsh a few months ago. I couldn’t believe he recognised me and we shared stories about the use of VH-ESA (a Cessna 172 with glass cockpit) through Point Cook Aviation (Darren). Just a quick call at the airfield as I don’t think I’ll be able to do any flying because we need to get back to Melbourne for Lyn’s Silver Spoon golf game.
I decided to book a room at the Doubletree Hilton for the following night so we’d only have to go downstairs on Saturday morning to join our Simply Kakadu tour with Outback Spirit.
Back at the caravan park and then we decided to head into Fannie Bay and Mindil and visited the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory – an interesting place which was well done. A lot of animals and some history of Darwin – including a movie on Cyclone Tracy – as well as a lot of fishing boats, some of which had been intercepted trying to reach Australia.
The Mindil market opens on Thursdays and Sundays from 16:00 so we went back to the caravan park to kill some time before the market opened.
We arrived at 16:05 and found the market almost in full swing. Mostly food vendors and trinkets for the tourists. It was interesting to see a small container of food, initially at $9.00 as we arrived, being sold for $12.00 an hour later. (Don’t tell Wren and Luna about this next bit though until they have been given the items). We purchased some grains of rice with their names on one side and ‘Gamoze’ on the other. We grabbed some overpriced food and drinks then went back to the caravan park for a dinner around our table then a quiet night reading and ITing (watching YouTube, doing my financial admin, converting photos and doing the blogs).
Day 85 (11 October) – Aspen Holidays Darwin FreeSpirit Camping Park (Darwin Aviation Museum, The Mall, WWII Fuel Storage Tunnels and the RFDS experience)
I emptied the Jimny that we’d be leaving in the carpark at the Doubletree Hilton, removing all the items to be left in and around the motorhome as well as packing the bags we needed for the Kakadu tour. We finally left the caravan park at 08:50 which would bring us to the end of week 12.
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