Katherine, Northern Territory

Tuesday morning we enjoyed a leisurely start as was only 100 Km to Katherine. Got away around 10 AM and headed North on the Stuart Highway. Road was a bit bumpier than before but still great compared to our recent road experiences. We arrived in Katherine before lunch and checked into Shady Lane Tourist Park. It is located a few kilometres out of Katherine on the road to Katherine Gorge. Nice and quiet, with green, shady sites. We booked in for 3 nights and got a nice shaded drive through site with a concrete pad. A bit expensive at $43/night before our Top Tourist discount but on par with all the other caravan parks in Katherine. We are well and truly into the expensive caravan park area in Katherine, Kakadu, Dawin, etc of far north NT.

The amenity block is very modern and spotless. I will give it the second 5 Star rating of our trip. Laundry facilities are spotless  as well with large front load machines and a large enclosed area for clothes lines. Top Marks for it as well!

We had some lunch before venturing back into Katherine to shop. Our first Woolworths/Coles since Mareeba a month ago! A bit sad how excited we both were to go to a Woolies and a BWS. We spent a few hours stocking up and Sandra managed a quick hair cut as well. We stopped in at the Visitor Centre which is one of the best we visited on our last trip. Still really nice and very informative. We were a bit disappointed as a few Gorge experiences are not open or cancelled. We did the 3 Gorge Boat Cruise last time through and it was wonderful but we don't see any reason to repeat it. We had considered a canoe tour or a ferry to a rockpool but neither is operational currently. The walks we took the last time were not that good as only a very small portion of walk is actually near the Gorges and an lot of backtracking between lookouts. As such our only other Katherine Gorge option was a Helicopter flight. While this would no doubt be beautiful we decided to save our tourism activity budget for something more memorable. The lady recommended Edith Falls which had just opened as an excellent day trip. We had done this before but decided to do it again as was great experience and is economical (free)!

We had planned to do Edith Falls on Wednesday but when we woke up we decided to put it off until Thursday. Spent the day doing some more laundry and cleaning of the caravan. Took the car into the Katherine car wash in the afternoon which took quite a few Gold coins. Even after numerous washes there is still red mud dripping out of the rear tail lights and above the license plate. Don't know where it is being stored but at least we got most of it. Did a bit more shopping (pharmacy, butcher, hardware store, and dollar store). Nice to have all these options for buying stuff that we haven't had access to for a month. Gives you even more appreciation for the people living in Outback/Remote Australia. Their living costs would be substantial and you just simply don't have access to everyday conveniences that the rest of us take for granted!

The weather is still hot but cooled off a few degrees from what we have been experiencing. The nights are also feeling a bit cooler which really helps with the sleeping patterns. Hopefully will continue to gradually cool and become less humid over the next couple of months in the Tropical North. We enjoyed a cool down both days in the lovely swimming pool at the caravan park. One of the largest to date on our trip and a large shade cloth helps keep it cool. We had a nice Steak BBQ to top off the day.

Thursday morning we set off for Edith Falls by 9 AM. Trip was a bit longer than both of us remembered as you head 40 Km North of Katherine on the Stuart Highway before turning East for 20 Km into the Falls which is part of Nitmiluk National Park. The entire road was sealed and an easy drive. There is a campground at the falls which looks quite nice but from memory is not designed for large caravans such as ours.

It was already quite warm by the time we set off on our walk to the Upper Falls. We had forgotten it was a fairly steep climb as well. We managed to make good time with a few rest breaks as we climbed. Once we made it to the top we stopped for a refreshing swim in the upper rock pools. We were able to climb into the main waterfall pool and swim up to it's base although the force of the water made it very difficult from certain angles. You were then able to float with the current around a rock point and through a narrow passage way back to the main pool. Beautiful experience and really cooled us off!

From there we ventured up the other side of the Gorge and completed the loop walk back to the base of the lower falls. A good climb again but we were rewarded with the best view of the Edith Falls at the lookout on the far side. Sandra got a bit shaky so we needed to stop for some grapes and museli bars along the way.

We enjoyed a picnic salad lunch in the park at the bottom. Nice green grass and some shade which was nice. After lunch I had a quick swim in the large body of water at the base of the lower falls. I had got in trouble with my better half the last time we were here for swimming across to the falls. I behaved myself this time and stayed close to the park. The sign saying "Low Crocodile Danger" may have had an influence as well. I believe it means they think they have got all the saltwater crocodiles out of the water body but aren't 100% sure? Enjoyed my swim with no interruptions which was a relief!

We headed back to Katherine and the caravan park after our lunch and swim. Enjoyed an easy afternoon with a long swim in the pool. Met some nice people in the pool that we compared travel adventures with. We've also been researching our next stage of our adventure. Our original plan was to spend a week or so in Kakadu revisiting some of our favorite locations near the end of the Wet season and explore a few new ones. We have decided against Kakadu for two main reasons. Firstly, Kakadu Management in their wisdom has significantly increased both the cost of the entry pass and the camping costs. Entry fees have been increased from $25 to $40/person and camping fees have been increased from $10 to $15/person/night. The camping fees are ridiculous as the level of service provided at these National Park camps is very minimal. The entry fee was already a deterrent at the lower price as very few other National Parks charge anything. Litchfield which is also close to Darwin is free and many would say superior to Kakadu. The second reason we have decided against Kakadu is many areas are still closed because of the Wet Season. So not only are you paying a premium many of the Park attractions are inaccessible. Hopefully other Grey Nomads will make the same decision on how to spend their travel budget; and Kakadu will notice the negative impact on their tourism revenue! Many of the tourism activities in Kakadu are also quite expensive and may also suffer from reduced visits to the Park. We are choosing to support other Northern areas, Parks, and tourism activities outside of Kakadu National Park.

We decided to stay an extra day in Katherine before heading North to Douglas Hot Springs/Adelaide River area for a few days as a result of our decision. We will work our way from there towards Mary River area where we plan to meet up with the Ransleys again. Friday we had a bit of a later start and a bit of relaxation. I'm working on our Blog update for Katherine and Sandra is giving the inside of the car a bit of a wipe down.

Friday afternoon we headed into Katherine to have a look at a couple of tourist attractions. First stop was a gas bottle refill however. New record for cost of 9KG refill at $35! Believe it or not but this was $10 less than I was quoted at Mataranka and Borroloola. I probably could have made it through to Darwin on my other tank but better safe than sorry. From there we headed to Katherine Hot Springs to have a soak. Sad to say we hadn't visited this attraction in our first two visits to Katherine. Was a nice natural setting with a few different areas along the stream to get in and out. The water was clear but not really what you would classify as hot. Got fairly busy while we were there and the water got a bit churned up and murky. Good to see that it is well utilized by tourists and locals alike!

On our way back to the caravan park we stopped at Knotts Crossing on the Katherine River. Apparently this was the original river crossing at Katherine. Not in use now and would have been fairly harrowing as the water flows through quite forcefully as you can see from the photos. Beautiful peaceful reflections when you look upstream. We returned to the caravan park for a late afternoon swim in the pool. Katherine has been a nice peaceful stop with quite a few things to do. Still a few that we haven't done yet! Maybe the next time. Very high marks to Shady Lane Tourist Park as is one of the best we have stayed at so far! We found Katherine in general a much nicer town during this visit than in 2011.

Mataranka, Northern Territory

Friday morning saw us on the road early again as the Ransleys wanted to reach Katherine by the end of the day. We were joining them as far as Mataranka, from where they would continue on alone. We headed West on the Carpentaria Highway for the 270 Km to the Stuart Highway near Daly Waters.

The road was primarily single lane again,  with a fair number of hills and turns. This road is also frequented by Road Trains servicing the area. Not a great drive and not one we would recommend! We had a couple of stops for small breaks and to check our tyre pressures.

The trip took us just over 4 hours to complete and we arrived at the Stuart Highway Junction at lunch time. We had a quick picnic lunch at the Fuel station while Stephen made flight arrangements etc on the Internet. From there we turned North on the Stuart Highway towards Darwin. The road was considerably better with two lanes and long straight stretches. Speed limit increased to 130 Km although Sandra assured me that I didn't need to achieve this speed! Took us about 2 hours to travel the 170 Km to Mataranka. We said our goodbyes to Carol and Stephen here as they were continuing on to Katherine so they could make their Saturday afternoon flights from Darwin to Sydney. Sadly they received news from home shortly after they had left us, that Stephen's Mum had passed away. Our sympathies go out to both of them, and the extended Ransley family.

We had planned to stay at Bitter Springs in Mataranka as we preferred them to the Mataranka Springs on our last trip through in 2011. However as we were about to turn into the Bitter Springs road we noticed heavy smoke and a procession of several caravans heading out of the area. We quickly decided to reroute to the Mataranka Homestead for the night. We booked in to a powered site for $30/night. Our site was quite large and there were good shade trees. The sites were dry and dusty however. They did have a ute going up and down the roads spraying water but I think it was fighting a losing battle. The amenity block was not up to standard. Although fairly modern was poorly maintained and not clean. Only 1 Star for this one. Once we got setup we went down to the Thermal Springs for a quick swim. It was fairly busy and as per our previous visit we found the Springs commercial feeling and quite run down/dirty. We had a quick cool down before returning to the caravan. We decided we would only stay the night and then relocate to one of the caravan parks at Bitter Spring. Really a shame with the Mataranka Homestead, as has a lot of potential that is certainly not being capitalized on.

We passed through the Mataranka township and turned into the Bitter Springs road. We decided to give the Bitter Springs Cabin and Camping park a try. We had stayed at the Territory Manor near the highway last trip which had been good, but decided to try the one closer to the Springs. Quite a nice caravan park with large individual sites surrounded by trees. Power and water is supplied in clusters so you need to make sure you are within reach of a Power supply and water tap. We got setup in a nice large shaded site with both power and water tap at the back of caravan. For those campers not requiring power there are some beautiful secluded sites down near the river at the back of the property. Pricing was $35/night although we got a 10% discount for a 3 night stay. Amenities are rustic en suite style out of corrugated iron. That being said they are large and some of the cleanest we have seen during our trip. 3.5 Stars for these!

Once we were setup we went into town to pickup a few basic supplies and fill up with Diesel. Diesel was reasonable at $1.26 with a discount we received from the Homestead caravan park. There is a large Aboriginal population that appears to hangout in the Park across from the stores. The grocery store/bottle shop was full at 11 in the morning but I think we were the only two people buying groceries. There appears to be no restrictions on the sale of alcohol and for the first time Sandra and I felt uncomfortable with the Aboriginal community. Huge amount of alcohol being sold and no doubt being consumed in short order in the Park across the road. Very sad as on both days there were large numbers of Aboriginal children that were part of the groups.

We returned to the caravan park for lunch. I did a bit of computer catch up while Sandra started in on the laundry that has accumulated over the last week. We walked the 500 Metres down to the Bitter Spings in mid afternoon. There wasn't many people there and we enjoyed a lovely refreshing swim. Beautiful natural setting where you float down the creek before climbing a ladder and walking back to the start. We took turns with our snorkel mask as we floated down the stream. Incredible amount of colour in the clear water. Sandra was lucky enough to follow a turtle downstream with her turn on the snorkle mask. This is really a great experience that any travelers in the area should take advantage of.

We returned to the caravan refreshed and upbeat where we enjoyed an easy afternoon. We made a lovely roasted pumpkin salad to enjoy with our BBQ Chicken skewers. Delicious!

Sunday was a quiet day at home, with lots of computer work and cleaning. I got a couple of Blog entries completed for our last few stops while Sandra gave the inside of the caravan a good clean and continued with the laundry. After lunch we went for another swim at the Springs. Unfortunately, it was a lot busier but we still enjoyed a nice hour of relaxation. Upon our return to the caravan I helped Sandra with giving the outside of the caravan a hand wash. We got both sides and the back done. Not a perfect job but it certainly looks a 100% better than it did. Only the front left to go, but this is by far the worst! We enjoyed another BBQ Steak dinner in the evening.

Monday morning saw us up early to be at the 6 AM ANZAC service in Mataranka. Was a really good turnout (100+) for such a small town and we noticed a few other people from our caravan park there as well. So good to see the large turnouts with lots of kids. About a dozen Aboriginals joined in the service which was nice to see.

Had a late breakfast and Sandra got back into the caravan cleaning while I worked on the Mataranka Blog entry. Here is my darling hard at work!

I gave Sandra a hand and we had the front of the van done before lunch. Not perfect but a lot nicer than it was. Got the WD-40 out and gave all the hinges, locks, and latches a bit of a spray. We walked down for another swim at the Springs just before lunch. A bit quieter today and saw some Turtles again with the Snorkle Mask. Beautiful clear water!

An easy afternoon is planned with some Skype catch ups with the girls. Really peaceful time here at Bitter Springs. We are on the road to Katherine in the morning.

Lorella Springs Station, Northern Territory

We were on the road by 8 AM retracing our way to Cape Crawford. Sandra drove this section so I could be fresh for the trip North from Cape Crawford. The traffic was good and we made the trip in about 90 minutes. We had a quick break/stretch at Cape Crawford before setting out on the Roper Bar Road North.

We stopped and lowered the tyre pressures on cars and caravans to 30 PSI before tackling the dirt road ahead at 10 AM. We were to travel North on this road for 100 Km before turning East for the 30 Km drive into Lorella Springs Station. Sounds easy enough, doesn't it? The road started off fairly good and we traveled the first 45 Km in just over an hour. From there things became progressively worse! Lots of corrugation, sharp rocky sections, deep sand/bull dust, River/creek crossings, livestock, and large holes/dips!

We took it slow and easy and both of us survived the trip without any serious damage. The Ransleys, Jayco Poptop definitely was stretched to it's limits with some parts of the track. Our Vacationer took it fairly well in stride but we wouldn't want to push it any harder than this. To make a long story short the last 85 Km took us just over 5 hours to complete. We pulled into Lorella Springs just after 4 PM exhausted and mentally frazzled.

The staff at the Station welcomed us warmly and proceeded to give us lots of information about Lorella Springs and activities we could enjoy during our stay. At this point I just wanted to park the van and have several cold drinks! The entry into the camping area itself was a bit of a challenge as involved a creek crossing with trees on both sides of the track. We made it across and got setup. The campground is a huge area with lots of space for privacy. There were 3 amenity buildings throughout the area. They were very, very, basic but had running water. Had a donkey heater if you wanted hot water. Given the temperature the fire wasn't really required. Only a 2 Star for these! We were all pretty shook up from the trip and enjoyed a few cold drinks before an easy dinner.

Wednesday morning we were up early and enjoyed a morning soak in the Natural Thermal Springs before breakfast. They were only a 100 metres or so from our camping area and wonderful. A beautiful setting with a very comfortably warm temperature.

After breakfast we checked in with reception to advise of our travel plans for the day. This is a 1 million acre property and you need to sign out and in when you leave the camping area so they know where to look for you if you don't return. Amazing size as is bigger that some 30 countries in the world! We registered with the office and we all piled in the Jeep for a morning drive. We planned to be back for lunch but as we are quickly finding out time and distance in the Outback is deceiving.  We ventured across a bit of a deeper river crossing to begin our journey. We then 4WD traveled through a variety of countryside/road conditions to the Musterer's Cave. This was about 15 Km I believe but took us almost 1.5 hours to arrive. We did a short climb up the escarpment to explore the cave(s) and view the property from above.

Our next stop was a walk into a place called the Water Slide. Beautiful secluded rock pool with a sloping rock face entering it from one side. We took turns sliding down into the water which was fun and refreshing. We had some good laughs.

There was another Falls/water hole that we had hoped to walk to from the Water Slide but unfortunately it wasn't signed. We also couldn't find the Archway point of interest due to poor signage. The property is beautiful and a huge adventure but I would offer a few constructive suggestions. Firstly, a little better signage would greatly enhance the experience with very little cost or effort. Both Stephen and I were quite frustrated that we couldn't see the Archway and Waterfall. Secondly, a minimal amount of work could see the road/track conditions improved considerably while still preserving the 4WD adventure theme. A number of large, sharp rocks could be removed from the tracks with not too much effort. This would speed up the travel considerably and reduce the chances of suffering Tyre or vehicle damage.

Our 2 hour planned trip turned into about 5 and we didn't return to the campsite until mid afternoon. We obviously need to recalculate our distances/travel times. We had planned another short trip for the afternoon but decided to enjoy a relaxing afternoon in the Thermal Springs. A great decision as we all needed a break. We had a nice BBQ Pizza dinner to finish off the day and decided on our activity plan for the next day.

Our plans took a sudden change as Stephen was contacted via the Station office from home, in the late evening. His mother has been suffering from poor health for some time, and had taken a significant turn for the worse over the last few days. We quickly decided to proceed towards Darwin as quickly as possible so Stephen and Carol could fly home. Unfortunately, given our location it would be a challenge to get there quickly.

We were up early and all packed up ready to go by 7 AM. The return trip was much the same as the trip in and took us 7 hours (about 1 hour of breaks) to return to Cape Crawford. Saw a bit of Wildlife including a Water Buffalo and Wedge Tail Eagles on the return. We made it safely with no damage, although exhausted, dirty, and mentally fatigued!

Stephen had planned to carry on for a few hundred kilometres but we all decided it would be safer to rest up and get an early start. We checked into Cape Crawford "Heartbreak Hotel" Caravan Park for the night. $30/night for powered site that were mostly shaded and grassy. Amenities were not the best and would only be a 2 star at best. We were forced to top up our diesel at $1.99/litre which is by far the most expensive so far on our trip.

We did  a bit of basic clean up although a proper clean will need to wait. Enjoyed a nice cool swim in the pool which refreshed us all a bit from our travels. Had a fairly easy meal and prepared for an early start in the morning.

In summary we enjoyed Lorella Springs but given the effort/stress to get there we would definitely recommend a minimum stay of 3-4 days or probably a week. There is a lot to see and you can't do any of it very quickly given the road conditions and distances involved. The staff and owners were lovely and very welcoming. Also very supportive in assisting Stephen with communication etc with his family. Would be that much better if they took my suggestions above into account and if the road into the Station was better. They can't control the condition of the main road but they could certainly improve their 30 Km driveway into the Station somewhat. This took us 2 hours both trips. There would still be some bad parts but a lot could be improved with Rock removal and a grader. I don't think we will be returning this way unless the trip there is improved considerably. This is a shame as has a huge amount of potential and should be able to be enjoyed by more Australians.