July 19th-23rd, 2011-Katherine-Springvale Homestead Caravan Park

Tuesday morning we were off to Katherine. Had a short drive North arriving just before 10am and checking into the Springvale Homestead. We got there early as many caravan parks up here don't take bookings and they are fairly full. We got some roomy sites backing on to the Katherine River which is very nice. The ammenities are badly in need of being refurbished and could be cleaner. Luckily we are self contained and the sites we're in are in a beautiful location. Lots of birdlife and wildlife around. A number of fresh water crocodiles can be seen down on the river bank near here. The reception building is the original homestead and they do a free tour every day at 3pm. Interesting history.
We quickly setup and headed into the Info Centre. Got lots of great information there for Katherine on our future stays in Litchfield, Darwin, and Kakadu. From there we did some grocery shopping etc. Had to take my mobile phone into a Telstra Shop as it has quit working. Luckily we have a spare and can pick it up when we pass through Katherine again on our way west.

Wednesday morning the girls and I went to the Cutta Cutta Caves which are south of Katherine. We went on a 1 hour guided tour through the Caves. It was quite interesting but unfortunately we had a few very noisy children on the tour that made it difficult to hear.
The afternoon saw Sandra and I take it easy as she still suffering from the cold/flu she caught from me. The others toured the Cycad Gardens and Terry did some fishing in the Katherine.

Thursday morning we were off early to Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge. The Ransleys and Bewells did a loop walk up to a lookout of the gorge. It was rather disappointing other than the lookout itself. However it was good exercise and we did spot some nice wildflowers etc. As a side note there were thousands of Bats located in the trees near the Boat Launch.The Butlers met up with us later for a picnic lunch as Di has now fallen victim to the cold/flu.

After lunch we went on a 4 hour boat cruise to 3 of the 13 gorges that make up Katherine Gorge. It was beautiful! Another must see. You can really only see the gorges by boat or from the air (helicoptor tours). I personally would recommend the boat tour as you get right inside the gorges and spend much more time in them. We had two wonderful aboriginal guides, Chris and Rocky, from Townsville. Very informative and wonderful senses of humour. Highly recommended. Our tour included a walk into the Lily Ponds from the 3rd gorge. The tour provided light snacks and we had about 30-45 minutes for a swim in the Lily Pond. This was very nice but the walk in is quite tricky so wouldn't recommend to people that are not agile. I would recommend the 2 gorge tour for those less mobile. The second gorge is the most picturesque. We saw several freshwater crocodiles and examples of Aboriginal Rock Art on the trip. I have included a few photos but there are many more in our albums. We arrived home late and tired. Had a quick meal and off to bed early.

 Friday morning the Ransleys, Sandra, and I journeyed North to Edith Falls which is also part of the Nitmuluk National Park approximately 50Km North and 20Km East to the park. We enjoyed a 2 hour walk up to the upper pool and around the other side of the falls back to the base. Quite a vigorous climbing trail and not recommended to those with limited mobility. Stephen and I enjoyed a swim at the upper pools/falls before completing the walk. It is a very beautiful location to have a swim and was quiet when we first got there. As we were about to leave it got quite crowded, so we lucked out in our timing. We had a nice picnic lunch at the park before having a swim in the main pool at the park. I decided to swim across the pool to the base of the lower falls. Quite a long effort and I was buggered by the time I made it back. Wonderful clear water and not too cold at both pools. We returned to the camp and had a relaxing afternoon.

Saturday we went into town for the Katherine Markets and some shopping. The markets are quite small and didn't take us long to complete. We filled up the car, gave it a wash, before returning home. Easy day today as we prepare to leave in the morning. Our next stops will be Douglass Hot Springs and Litchfield. Talk to you again soon.

July 16th-18th, 2011- Mataranka- Territory Manor Caravan Park

Saturday saw us have a leisurely drive North to Mataranka. We stayed at the Territory Manor Caravan Park which is on the road to Bitter Springs. It is a beautiful caravan park. Well laid out, clean, and green. They have a nice dining room and do a daily Barramundi feeding show in the billibong at the park. Very nice!
We enjoyed 3 days of rest and relaxation. Sandra has caught my cold so spent much of it around the caravan trying to recuperate. We visited and swam in both Mataranka Homestead Springs (Home of the Never Never) and Bitter Springs on Saturday. Bitter Springs was our favorite as was a very natural setting where you could float down the stream in the warm current. We took our snorkel gear and it was very beautiful under the water. Lots of small fish and some turtles.

Mataranka Springs is nice but more commercialized. We took a walk from there on the Sunday and found a place called Stephens Hole. You could jump in the creek and be carried down a small set of rapids to an area where you could get out. We had a blast even though Carol almost drowned. Apparently no one told her you need to close your mouth when you go under the water. The rest of us had a great laugh.

Monday morning we got up early and did a dawn swim at Bitter Springs. Beautiful! We went out to a campground in Elsey National Park to visit some friends and did an 8 KM walk to Mataranka Falls. It was a challenging walk as was quite warm and much of it was in loose sand which made for heavy going. We were quite buggered by the time we made it back to the cars. To top it all off the Mataranka Falls were maybe 2 feet high. It was a pretty location along the Roper River but not worth the effort it took to get there and back. Stephen and I enjoyed a swim at the swimming pool and a hamburger lunch at the caravan park dining room upon our return. Had a nice quiet relaxing afternoon and prepared for our trip to Katherine tomorrow morning.

July 15th, 2011- Daly Waters Pub

We travelled North from Tennant Creek to Daly Waters Pub. We had been advised to get there early to get a good site with power. We arrived around lunch so got good spots. We set up and enjoyed an easy afternoon. Lots of campers pulled in after us and the facilities are very basic and its only really a couple of big fields where everyone sets up. The highlight of course is the famous Beef and Barra BBQ meal and the great entertainment at the Pub. We all booked in and enjoyed a great meal in the Pub with some good entertainment. Enjoyed a few beers to celebrate Terry's 69th birthday which is tomorrow.

The pub is quite entertaining and the various souveniors left behind are interesting. Great collection of undergarments! We signed a thong and nailed it to one of the posts before we left the next day.

July 13th & 14th, 2011- Tennant Creek- Outback Caravan Park

Wednesday morning we took the short drive North to Tennant Creek and the Outback Caravan Park. We had originally planned to skip Tennant Creek completely due to a number of negative reports. Just before we left Heritage Caravan Park in Alice Springs however we ran into two different groups that had really enjoyed the Outback Caravan Park in Tennant Creek and reckoned it was worth a visit. The caravan park is actually very nice and has huge drive through sites with lots of trees. Full and clean amenities. I was suffering from a cold or a Man Flu as the girls put it so I enjoyed just relaxing for a couple of days.
The girls did lots of laundry and we did do some sight seeing in the area.
Visited the Devils Pebbles on Wednesday afternoon. Not that memorable after the Devils Marbles which are much larger and more impressive.

We also got the key from the caravan park and toured one of the last four remaining original Telegraph Stations just north of Tennant Creek. It was quite interesting.

 We stopped at Mary Ann Lake (Dam) on the way back to town. It was a nice lake and beautifully green with gas BBQs etc. Had  a short break there before heading back to town.

Thursday saw us all take an easy day partly so I could recuperate. Sandra and I did a couple of errands at the Post Office etc before touring the Battery Hill Tourist Center and a local Aboriginal Art Gallery.
The evening saw us enjoy a short show from Jimmy Hooker, a local bush tucker expert. He was very entertaining and made us some lovely damper and lemongrass tea. Other nights apparently he does witchery grubs or Kangaroo tail. Also showed us a number of natural remedies etc which I sampled for my cold/man flu. He told a number of humerous stories and did some bush poetry as well. Well worth the $5 admission and he performs at the caravan park every night. He was a real character and a real memory of a different part of Australia.

July 12th, 2011, Devils Marbles Camp site

Tuesday morning saw us on a short travel day of 100Km to the Devils Marbles. We stopped at roadhouse at Wycliffe Well as per Alan Pierson's suggestion. All I can say is it is one hell of a way to get people to stop in the middle of nowhere. UFO Capital of the World apparently. As you can see we saw a few strange characters.

We travelled North through Wauchope to Devils Marbles arriving around 10am. We were advised to get to this site early as it gets quite busy. They weren't wrong as there were close to 50 caravans, motorhomes, and camper vans, of different sizes and shapes crowded into whatever space they could find by late afternoon. We reckon another 30 came in and left because it was too full. Luckily we were there in good time and had a good selection of sites. As you can see from the photo our van had an excellent outlook. Facilities are basic for such a popular spot with only two pit toilets for the whole campsite. Fees are reasonable at $3.30 per person which seems to be consistent for National Parks in Northern Territory. A lot more reasonable than the $10/person in NSW plus daily vehicle entry fee of $7.

The Devils Marbles are another incredible part of Australia. Once again you really need to see them in person to appreciate. They are basically just sitting there in the middle of nowhere like the Olgas and Uluru. We only explored small sections as they stretch out for quite a distance. A great place for kids to explore and climb although you would definately want adult supervision for some of the higher locations. As you will see from some of the photos we all had some fun acting like kids too! We all had a couple of walks and climbs during the day. Sandra, Carol, Stephen, and I made it to the top however Sandra didn't stay long enough for a photo. It got quite crowded while we were at the top and it was a bit nerve wracking as some people are just idiots and obviously don't know that gravity will really, really hurt them! We moved on to quieter areas and enjoyed some other climbs with just the 4 of us. We returned at Sunset for some pictures but unfortunately the sunset was not nearly as spectacular as the sunrise that morning at Taylor's Creek. The colours were still amazing!
We also got some shots of a Dingo and a number of Black Kites.

Definitely on our must see list and I would suggest staying overnight so you can do a number of walks through them at different times of the day. Like so many of the sights in the Centre of Australia the colours change so much with the changing sunlight. Get there early if you want to get a good spot!

July 11th, 2011- Taylor's Creek Rest Stop (50 KM South of Wycliffe Well)

Monday July 11th saw us up early and finally leaving Alice Springs. We travelled North along the Stuart Highway just over 300Km before stopping at Taylors Creek Rest Stop. We passed by the Tropic of Capricorn marker which means things should start getting warmer from now on. We have had good weather but the nights are still cold. We also passed by the Aileron Man which is a huge statue. This picture was taken from quite a distance on the Highway.

Taylor Creek is a very nice free camp spot with Pit Toilets, Picnic Tables, and tanks of drinking water. Everything was very clean for a rest stop. We enjoyed a nice sunset and a wonderful sunrise with about 15 other vans. The night was a bit windy however.

John and Stephen topped up their fuel tanks with their Jerry cans so we could make it through to Tennant Creek without refueling. Unfortunately, we had a bit of an incident while doing this; with John getting a faceful of diesel. Luckily my glasses saved my eyes and no harm was done other than my Alaska North Pole T-Shirt which was a casualty. The three girls were all fast to throw cold water on me to rinse off the diesel. A bit too fast and too cold for my liking! I think the cure was worse than the accident. Luckily no harm was done and we will be a bit more careful in the future.