Monthly Archives: July 2013

Charters Towers to Townsville

Weather in Charters Towers this morning was fine, but a few kilometres down the highway we got spits of rain on the windscreen, and not long after we had the wipers on full speed.  First time we’d seen rain for quite a while.  Eventually things settled down and we only got a few light showers as we headed further east along the Flinders Highway.

Morning stop was at a Reid River Rest Area about 75 kms out of Charters Towers.  Although listed in Camps 7 as a day stop only, the signs indicated that vanners could stay for 20 hours.  There were toilets and several under cover areas, and space for quite a few vans.

Heading into Townsville we were struck by the low cloud over Mount Elliott, which seemed to jump out of the otherwise flat terrain.

Clouds on the Mountains

Clouds on the Mountains

Clouds on the Mountains

Clouds on the Mountains

Tropical Feel in Townsville

Tropical Feel in Townsville

We arrived at The Lakes Holiday Park in Townsville just before lunch.  Getting into the spot was a bit of a challenge but we got there in the end.  We have an ensuite site and a lakeside view and should be very comfortable here.  This is the first park we have found where all sites are ensuite sites.

Arriving at The Lakes Holiday Park

Arriving at The Lakes Holiday Park

Lake Views

Lake Views

Important Note:

This will be our last blog for a while.  We will be staying in Townsville for a couple of weeks and don’t intend to inflict our blog readers with our daily adventures around Townsville unless there is something pretty special.  There are a few things we need to do like get the Ute serviced and just basically take a break after some 11,000 kms travelled so far.

But, as Arnie says, “We’ll be back!”  In a couple of weeks we’ll hit the road again and will restart regular blog entries.

Thanks to everyone who has shown interest in our 2013 Big Adventure to date, and especially to those who have livened up our blog with their comments.

In the meantime, if you haven’t already done so, you can subscribe to our blog via email and receive notification whenever we post a new blog entry.

We’re still living the dream!  Stay tuned…..

Categories: 2013 Big Adventure | Tags: ,

Hughenden to Charters Towers

After shower and breakfast I took the Ute and topped up with diesel before hitching up.  Just as well I did because I would have had some difficulty with the fiver at the local servo – no big accessible BP Roadhouse here!

Once on the highway we faced the same issues as yesterday.  Initially the road conditions started out terrible but I have to concede that the road surface did improve as we travelled on.  Not consistently mind you – there were still plenty of lumps and bumps and ruts – but there was an improvement.  Perhaps it’s just the cynic in me but I still reckon that things are improving as we get closer to Townsville and “civilization”.

The other thing was that the flat boring grassland plains were replaced by areas of trees and we did a bit of uphill and downhill driving as well.  There were some large areas of burnt landscape but it did appear that this was the result of a controlled burn-off along one side of the road.  At one stage we saw a stockman droving cattle up the side of the road – the only slightly incongruous thing was his hi-vis safety vest.  It makes perfect sense to us to run cattle down the “long paddock” as it not only provides feed for the cattle but reduces the fire risk at the same time.

Trees by the Road

Trees by the Road

Burnt Trees

Burnt Trees

Uphill and Down - plus Roadkill

Uphill and Down – plus Roadkill

 

Then there was the amount of road kill.  Dead bodies every-where; and they stink!  At one stage a headless kangaroo corpse was flicked up from underneath the caravan in front and bounced along the road towards us.  However, with lightening fast reflexes and superb driving skills honed by many years of watching the Bathurst 1000 on TV I was able to avoid the potential disaster of having to clean blood and guts off the front of the mighty BT-50!

Our morning coffee stop was at the Pentland West Rest Area which was quite a nice set-up and one or two vans could stay overnight at a pinch, but basically it’s a day stop.

Break at Pentland West Rest Area

Break at Pentland West Rest Area

 

From that point on we were on the lookout for a free camp for the night, but after checking out and disregarding several possibilities, we ended up in Charters Towers.  A couple of calls to caravan parks failed to find any powered sites available.  The Aussie Outback Oasis Van Park did have plenty of unpowered sites and we were very happy to accept one.  The chap here told us that the reason for a lack of vacancies was the State of Origin game tonight as the free campers had come into town so they could get TV reception.  People were still coming into the unpowered area after dark.

Aussie Outback Oasis Van Park

Aussie Outback Oasis Van Park

Setting Up the Big Screen for the Rugby Tonight

Setting Up the Big Screen for the Rugby Tonight

Happy Camper

Happy Camper

 

We have a great site with plenty of room and spent the afternoon chatting to our neighbours including a chap who has just bought a fifth-wheeler and wanted to compare notes on a few things.  As darkness settled in we put up the awning and I cooked pork steaks on the fiver’s BBQ, which we had with potatoes and sour cream and peas. Delicious!

As I am writing this the rugby match is being projected onto a giant blow up screen in the camp kitchen area and plenty of vanners are sitting outside watching the game – and there is a fair bit of yelling at the screen too.  There is no point us having our TV on as the volume of the game is so loud – but I guess the game will be over at some stage!  It’s a great atmosphere, even if we don’t really follow the game.

Categories: 2013 Big Adventure | Tags: ,

Julia Creek to Hughenden

Nice hot showers this morning in comparison to yesterday.

Sunrise at Julia Creek

Sunrise at Julia Creek

 

Two things struck us as we headed East along the Flinders Highway from Julia Creek:

  1. The amount of roadkill was astronomical compared to most other places we had been.  Mainly kangaroos and a wild pig or two.  Unlike other places there does not seem to be any effort to remove the bodies from the roadside.
  2. The quite despicable state of the roads – despite some positive comments yesterday today was a different matter.  There were pot-holes down to the gravel; patches on patches on patches; dips, bumps and ruts; and even the newly surfaced roads were bumpy as.  There does not appear to be any attempt to actually fill in pot-holes or smooth out lumps and bumps before new bitumen is poured, so it’s just up and down all the way, and extremely tiring.  As a result we have to drive more slowly through boring flat country-side.  The only good thing is that maybe our fuel consumption will improve.

As a matter of interest, we are driving the heavily promoted Overland Way, which goes from Tennant Creek to Townsville (or vice versa).  It started off as the Barkly Highway then changed its name to Flinders Highway at Cloncurry. We’re crossing our fingers that the roads will be in better condition tomorrow as we get closer to Townsville.

Our morning coffee stop was at the Maxwelton Rest Area which was nicely set up for an overnight stop but would only fit in 10 vans or so, at a squeeze.

Decisions Decisions

Decisions Decisions

Bad Roads & Neverending Train

Bad Roads & Neverending Train

 

We stopped at Richmond for lunch at Kronosaurus Korner, the local tourist information centre which features a couple of dinosaurs outside and a great dinosaur museum/display inside.  We had lunch at the Moon Rock Café and Bakery at KK, bought some fresh bread, and then went for a short walk around town.  A butcher had a sign claiming to have the best award winning beef sausages in Queensland so we bought some and later had them for dinner.  And they were excellent!

Arriving at Richmond

Arriving at Richmond

Welcome to Richmond

Welcome to Richmond

Dinosaur at Kronosaurus Korner

Dinosaur at Kronosaurus Korner

Smaller Dinosaur

Smaller Dinosaur

 

From Richmond we continued on to Hughenden and set up the fiver at the Allen Terry Caravan Park in plenty of time to unhitch and drive into town for a good look around.

Hughenden has something of a dinosaur theme with several dinosaur sculptures in the main street as well as an amazing tribute to Comet brand windmills.

Arriving at Hughenden

Arriving at Hughenden

Dinosaur Sculpture

Dinosaur Sculpture

Dinosaur Sculpture

Dinosaur Sculpture

Thirsty Dinosaur at Hughenden

Thirsty Dinosaur at Hughenden

Windmill Feature at Hughenden

Windmill Feature at Hughenden

 

Afternoon tea was a lime spider and an iced coffee at the FJ Holden Café – and the proprietor really is Mr FJ Holden!

FJ Holden Cafe

FJ Holden Cafe

Inside the FJ Holden Cafe

Inside the FJ Holden Cafe

Inside the FJ Holden Cafe

Inside the FJ Holden Cafe

 

During our walk Ann found an old fashioned drapery shop which had some quilting fabrics, and she was very excited to find some fabric that she had been looking for for some time!  We returned to the caravan park for a cuppa and an interesting chat to our next door neighbours.  They are heading in the opposite direction to us and it is always great to swap notes with other travellers as to where they have been and where they recommend.

As it was getting dark we wished our neighbours “good night” and I cooked our beef sausages on the fiver’s BBQ for dinner.

Sunset at Allen Terry Caravan Park

Sunset at Allen Terry Caravan Park

 

Still living the dream!

Categories: 2013 Big Adventure | Tags: , ,

Mount Isa to Julia Creek

Cold showers this morning – not happy Jan!  Even worse, in a way, was the attitude of the caravan park “Yeah, a few people mentioned that.  We might look into it”.  For a reasonable caravan park fee we should at least be able to expect a hot shower at 7.30 in the morning, and if we comment/complain that someone will take us seriously.  We won’t be back at Mount Isa Caravan Park again.

Our first stop for morning coffee was the Fountain Springs Rest Area.  This is a designated free camp area and would be quite pleasant for a day or two.  I had a chat to a camper there and he said that it was busy a few days ago but after a few days at a caravan park in Mount Isa he was back here as it was better and cheaper.

Next stop was the Mary Kathleen Memorial Park and Museum at Cloncurry.  We parked the fiver in a nice shady spot and had a good look around the Visitor Information Centre, the museum and the outdoor old machinery display.  We also got some exercise climbing to a lookout behind the centre and got some pretty good views over Cloncurry.

To this point the roads had been pretty good as we drove around and up and down mountains.  There were even overtaking lanes.  After Cloncurry the landscape flattened out considerably and the scenery changed from a few trees here and there to flat grassy landscape.  Unfortunately the road conditions deteriorated also and the contents of the fiver again got a good shake up.

Our final destination today was the Julia Creek Caravan Park.  Julia Creek is quite a nice looking town, worth a bit of a look around.  By the time we had set up the fiver with awning and end wall, it was too late and still too hot for the decent hike into town so we settled under the awning and relaxed for a while before I cooked tea on the outside BBQ.

Rocky Scenery

Rocky Scenery

Mary Kathleen Memorial Park & Museum at Cloncurry

Mary Kathleen Memorial Park & Museum at Cloncurry

Mary Kathleen Memorial Park & Museum at Cloncurry

Mary Kathleen Memorial Park & Museum at Cloncurry

Views from Mary Kathleen Memorial Park Lookout

Views from Mary Kathleen Memorial Park Lookout

Flat Grassy Landscape

Flat Grassy Landscape

Main Street of Julia Creek

Main Street of Julia Creek

Then it was inside for a short TV fix before a planned early night.

 

Categories: 2013 Big Adventure | Tags: ,

Mount Isa – Day 2

We were in no hurry to get up early today so the day got off to a leisurely start.  It was another warm and sunny day with a cloudless blue sky.

Once we got going, first port of call was the supermarket.  Local shopping laws mean that Coles and Woolies cannot open on Sundays, but the caravan park people directed us to a smaller independent supermarket where we could do the shopping.

After taking the shopping back to the fiver, we headed back into town for a nice, sit down coffee.  We started at The Coffee Club, which is generally good quality coffee, but they were packed with people having brunch, and although we found a table the waitress told us there would be a lengthy delay.  Not good enough, so we walked over the road to the Isa Hotel which was much bigger, brighter, had cheerful staff, and made a great cup of coffee.

From coffee we went for a walk around town and stopped at several other shops for various other purchases.  We walked down Rodeo Drive which is so named for the plaques set into the footpath celebrating various rodeo riders.  We also came across the City Clock which actually houses the ashes of John Campbell Miles, the founder of Mount Isa.  We also visited Outback at Isa, which includes the Visitor Information Centres and is the base for several touristy type attractions, including a tour of the Hard Luck Mine.  We picked up some brochures for the next stages of our 2013 Big Adventure.

Isa Hotel

Isa Hotel

Plaques on Rodeo Drive

Plaques on Rodeo Drive

Mount Isa City Clock

Mount Isa City Clock

Outback at Isa

Outback at Isa

Tribute to Miners at Outback at Isa

Tribute to Miners at Outback at Isa

 

By now it was lunchtime so we headed back to the Isa Hotel where we shared a delicious gourmet Moroccan pizza.

After lunch we returned to the fiver to catch up on emails, do a bit of a tidy up, and have a long chat with our next door neighbours before tea and retiring for the evening.

Interesting Facts:

  • John Campbell Miles found lead ore in what is now Mount Isa in 1923
  • Milling and smelter operations commenced in Mount Isa in 1931
  • In 1943 the mine halted lead mining and started mining copper to meet WW2 requirements.  It switched back to lead in 1946 but changed to both lead and copper in 1953
  • Mount Isa Mines Ltd built Lake Moondarra in 1958 which was the largest water scheme in Australia to be financed by private enterprise
  • The City of Mount Isa is 44,000 square kilometres in area
  • Mount Isa is the birthplace of Greg Norman, Pat Rafter and Deborah Mailman
Categories: 2013 Big Adventure | Tags:

Barkly Homestead, NT to Mount Isa, Qld

I was woken by the sound of the helicopter taking off from the paddock behind us but rather than get up I was content to lie in bed looking through the open skylight over the bed and watch the leaves on the trees above change colour as the sun came up.  In due course, cups of tea, breakfast and showers, not necessarily in that sequence, happened, the fiver was packed up, and we hit the highway.

We decided that today would be a driving day with Mount Isa as the final destination.  It was a longer day that we generally plan for, but very doable, and certainly not the longest we have done on this trip.  Basically we decided that we needed three things:

  • Power for the cooler
  • TV reception – we haven’t seen any for a few days
  • Shops – some supplies are running low.

Another night of station stay or free-camping just wasn’t going to do it.

Our first quick stop was to check out the Wonara Bore Rest Area where friends of ours had stayed not long ago.  This is a great spot with plenty of room  Our morning coffee stop was at the Souden Rest Area which is also a spot with plenty of room but also had zillions of flies!

Landscape wise today was again pretty monotonous and boring, although perhaps there were a few larger trees replacing some of the low scrub.  Most of the time we generally seemed to be going uphill, which is probably not that surprising given that we are in the Barkly Tablelands.  The roads aren’t that great either and the fiver bounced around a lot – cupboards opened, cushions flew about, etc.

Flat Scrubby Landscape

Flat Scrubby Landscape

Flat Grassy Landscape

Flat Grassy Landscape

Avon Downs Rest Area

Avon Downs Rest Area

Avon Downs Police Station

Avon Downs Police Station

Peace Runner

Peace Runner

 

We had a look at the Avon Downs Rest Area and decided that it would be a safe place to stay, especially as it was directly opposite the Avon Downs Police Station – way out in the middle of nowhere.  Suffering through all of this is a hardy band of Peace Runners who are obviously out there in the blazing heat carrying burning torches in aid of charity.  Each to his own I guess!

About 30 kms from the Queensland border we hit roadworks.  Nearly 10 kms of 60 kph detour along a very bumpy side road while major work took place on the Barkly Highway.  Unfortunately we missed our photo opportunity at the NT-QLD border as some drop-kicks had set up camp with tables and chairs and ruined things for everyone else!

Barkly Highway Roadworks in NT

Barkly Highway Roadworks in NT

 

Just over the border at Camooweal we stopped in a nice shady spot for lunch, then topped up the diesel before continuing our journey.  We had a coffee break at the David Hall Rest Area and later had a quick look at the WW2 Airfield Rest Area just before Mount Isa.  This would be a very good option for travellers not necessarily wanting to stay in a caravan park in town.  The landscape did change as we were nearing Mount Isa and hills/mountains re-appeared.

Finally we arrived at our destination – Mount Isa Caravan Park.  This is an older park with plenty of character, and we have a shady drive through site, power and TV reception.  And there are shops in town.

Different Landscape

Different Landscape

Different Landscape

Different Landscape

Smoke Stacks in Mount Isa

Smoke Stacks in Mount Isa

Welcome to Mount Isa

Welcome to Mount Isa

Set Up in Mount Isa Caravan Park

Set Up in Mount Isa Caravan Park

 

Milestone: Our arrival at Mount Isa Caravan Park ticked over 10,010 kms travelled so far on our 2013 Big Adventure.

Categories: 2013 Big Adventure | Tags: ,

Banka Banka Station to Barkly Homestead

After beautiful hot showers and breakfast, we packed up the fiver and set off some 100 kms down the Stuart Highway to Tennant Creek.

We had no real expectations of Tennant Creek and would have to say that once arriving there it was somewhat underwhelming.  We passed the John Flynn monument near Threeways Roadhouse and Caravan Park and continued down the highway; down the main street; did a U-turn and headed back to Threeways where we topped up the diesel and had our morning coffee.

At Threeways we turned off the Stuart Highway onto the Barkly Highway and headed East.

John Flynn Monument

John Flynn Monument

Arriving at Tennant Creek

Arriving at Tennant Creek

Main Street of Tennant Creek

Main Street of Tennant Creek

Threeways Roadhouse

Threeways Roadhouse

Way to Go

Way to Go

 

After driving through some 230 kms of pretty monotonous landscape, we arrived at our destination – Barkly Homestead – arriving in time for a late lunch.  We have learnt from experience that we really need to arrive at our nightly destination sometime between 1.00 pm and 2.00 pm in order to get a really good spot.  It doesn’t matter if you are free camping or staying at a caravan park, but get there much after 2.00 pm and you may have difficulty getting a good spot, or sometimes even a spot at all.  The situation is made worse by many places not taking phone bookings and relying on the first in first served basis.

Anyway, we got here at a good time and had a good selection of wide drive through spots to choose from.  They are gravel, which is sometimes a good thing, and well shaded, and importantly, level.

Arriving at Barkly Homestead

Arriving at Barkly Homestead

Lush Gardens at Barkly Homestead

Lush Gardens at Barkly Homestead

Reading in the Shade with Paddocks Behind

Reading in the Shade with Paddocks Behind

 

After lunch, we settled down in our chairs for awhile then went for an explore.  This is a very well thought out place and development is continuing.  It is still a working station but they have approached the tourism aspect quite seriously and professionally.  Amenities are great and they are adding more new facilities; they have a good shop and café and some nice mementos of your visit – I bought a very nice Barkly Homestead polo shirt.  We enjoyed afternoon tea in the shady bar area before continuing our walk – we even saw a helicopter landing in the paddock behind the caravan.

Then it was back to the fiver for a light dinner and then catch up on blogs, phone calls and email.

Categories: 2013 Big Adventure | Tags: ,

Daly Waters to Banka Banka Station

Despite our night of entertainment at the Pub, we awoke refreshed after a good night’s sleep and set to breakfast and packing up the fiver.  As it turned out, the Pub’s caravan park was quite full and we had to wait for a few other vehicles to leave before we could escape.

Once back on the highway, it was interesting to watch the changing scenery.  At times there were dense plantations of healthy green trees growing right up to the roadway, whereas at other times the trees thinned out markedly.  In general the terrain was quite flat with gentle undulations – not great for fuel economy but better than rolling hills or mountain ranges.

Changing Landscape

Changing Landscape

Changing Landscape

Changing Landscape

Changing Landscape

Changing Landscape

 

Our first stop for coffee was at the Newcastle Waters Rest Area, which was very well set-up and very popular.  As an over-nighter for us maybe not, given our size, but for smaller motorhomes and campervans there would probably be a good selection of spots to choose from.

After Newcastle Waters the landscape changed again with the trees making way for plenty of dead, dried scrub and much more dusty and rocky soil.

View from Newcastle Waters Rest Area

View from Newcastle Waters Rest Area

Dead Scrub

Dead Scrub

Rocky Landscape

Rocky Landscape

 

We stopped for fuel at Elliot and later stopped for a stretch at Renner Springs Roadhouse.  This had been our intended overnight destination as there is a caravan park behind the roadhouse, but we had been making good time so we decided to press on a bit further today and save some driving time tomorrow.

Further down the highway the landscape seemed to change again, with a sudden rocky outcrop standing out in the generally flat terrain.  We also saw a huge plume of what we assume was smoke on the horizon.  Hopefully we’ll hear more about it in due course.

Renner Springs Roadhouse

Renner Springs Roadhouse

Changing Landscape

Changing Landscape

Looks Like Smoke

Looks Like Smoke

 

Some 60 kms from Renner Springs we arrived at Banka Banka Station.  Followers of our blog will be aware that we like to stay on farms, certainly in preference to camping behind roadhouses, so this was ideal accommodation for us tonight.  We much prefer the sight and sounds of cattle and sheep to those of road trains, diesel and exhaust fumes at a roadhouse.  Just after we arrived, three large trucks arrived to disgorge their cargo of cattle.  This is very much a working station.

Although there is no power, there is abundant spring water available and the caravan sites are large and grassy.  There are several short bush walks around the station and plenty of interesting artifacts and bits of old equipment around and even the original Banka Banka Homestead, which was restored a few years ago.

After setting up the van and awning, we happily sat and read for a while and chatted to some of our new neighbours.  Ann also did a load of washing which only cost $2 and it was dry in a couple of hours.

Arriving at Banka Banka Station

Arriving at Banka Banka Station

Unloading Cattle

Unloading Cattle

Banka Banka Station Caravan Park

Banka Banka Station Caravan Park

Banka Banka Homestead and Farm Buildings

Banka Banka Homestead and Farm Buildings

Interesting Furniture at Banka Banka

Interesting Furniture at Banka Banka

Banka Banka Laundry

Banka Banka Laundry

 

Banka Banka is a great spot.

Categories: 2013 Big Adventure | Tags: ,

Katherine to Daly Waters Pub

We have just got back from a fabulous night out at the Daly Waters Pub, in Daly Waters, NT.  Actually, we’ve been longer at the pub than it took us to get here from Katherine!

This morning was coolish, but soon heated up, so we got going reasonably early.

Morning tea was at Mataranka.  We pulled over and had a bit of a wander through town before returning to the van for coffee and cake.  Among other things Mataranka is popular for its world’s biggest termite mound!

Tony's New Friend at Mataranka

Tony’s New Friend at Mataranka

Streescape at Mataranka

Streescape at Mataranka

Streescape at Mataranka

Streescape at Mataranka

 

Speaking of which, there were plenty of termite mounds, or ant hills – we’re not sure which is which or if there is any difference – along the road today.  Once again they are of all sorts of different styles, heights and sizes, but interestingly every kilometre or so we would come across an ant hill wearing a hat, or sunglasses, or a t-shirt, or some other article of clothing.   Some ant hills even had arms.  No idea who did this but it adds to the adventure anyway!

We arrived at the Daly Waters Historic Pub for a late lunch.  Check in for the caravan park is at the pub, at a very reasonable $12 per person per night for a powered site, no water though, and we were escorted to our site.  Amenities are clearly not to everyone’s taste and we will probably shower in the caravan tomorrow!

Daly Waters Pub Caravan Park

Daly Waters Pub Caravan Park

Daly Waters Pub

Daly Waters Pub

Daly Waters Streetscape

Daly Waters Streetscape

 

The big feature here is the beef and barramundi dinner, again at a very reasonable cost.  We chose the 6 o’clock sitting, partly because from experience everything is a lot fresher earlier in the night.

After setting up the fiver, we went for a quick walk around town – and it is quick because apart from the pub there is basically a service station and gift shop with a helicopter on the roof, a museum and an artist’s gallery.  We inspected the museum which included a lot of historical aviations photos, and spent quite a bit of time chatting to Kevin Rogers, the Daly Waters artist in residence.  He has some amazing artwork and photos!

As the temperature was somewhere in the high 30s, we headed off to the pub for Happy Hour in the shaded beer garden starting at 4.30 pm – they like a drink or two in the NT and start early.

There was live entertainment from 4.30 pm and it was all fantastic.  First up was Col who was an acoustic country singer with some covers and originals and some great jokes.  He was followed at 6.00 pm by Steve Still Rocking who did more rock and roll type material from the 50s, 60s and 70s and had the crowd singing along and dancing.  Did I mention that most of the crowd were baby boomers/grey nomads like us?

The barramundi dinner was delicious!

The main act at 7.30 pm was “Chilli” and he was amazing.  Great banter and jokes, plus original songs accompanied by a power point show that had you laughing one minute and almost crying the next.

Col at Daly Waters Pub

Col at Daly Waters Pub

Steve Still Rocking at Daly Waters Pub

Steve Still Rocking at Daly Waters Pub

Chilli at Daly Waters Pub

Chilli at Daly Waters Pub

 

Finally, after 5 hours at the pub it was back to the fiver for coffee and a big sleep before tomorrow’s adventures.

Categories: 2013 Big Adventure | Tags: ,

Timber Creek to Katherine

The difference in the time zone change from WA to NT was abundantly obvious this morning.  At 6.00 am yesterday at Lake Argyle, there was full day-light and people were up and about cooking breakfast, using the laundry, packing up their caravans to move on to their next destination, and so on.  Today at Timber Creek, it was still quite dark at 7.30 am and there was barely any activity in the caravan park at all.

So were up a bit later than previously but still managed to shower, breakfast and pack up the fiver and get on the road at a reasonable hour.

Weather wise today was stinking hot and driving was not enjoyable at all!  We even drove some of he way with the air-con turned on – something we generally try to avoid.

Driving wise, we had been warned about mad NT drivers and today we saw them all – overtaking on blind corners and crests of hills, going over double lines, etc.  The road rules simply don’t seem to apply here at all.  Talking of road kill, unlike the previous week or so, there was a lot more road kill on the road; mainly small kangaroos or perhaps wallabies.  Fortunately no stinking dead cattle!

We have still not become blasé about the amazing scenery that we pass through every day – it really is amazing and I can assure everyone that our photos simply do not do Mother Nature justice.

More Amazing Scenery

More Amazing Scenery

More Amazing Scenery

More Amazing Scenery

First stop for diesel and coffee was at the Victoria River Roadhouse.  The cost of diesel was 12 cents per litre cheaper than at Timber Creek, and the caravan park behind the roadhouse looked pretty good too.  We would probably stay here next time rather than at Timber Creek.

Victoria River Roadhouse

Victoria River Roadhouse

I Seem to do this Much Too Often

I Seem to do this Much Too Often

Scenery from Victoria River Roadhouse

Scenery from Victoria River Roadhouse

 

Lunch was at the Vince Connoly Crossing Rest Area, which was rapidly filling up with free-campers.  This was about 1.00 pm.  We almost (repeat almost) felt guilty about taking up a spot while having lunch and preventing someone else getting in and setting up for the night.  It did look quite a good free camping spot and was obviously popular!

After lunch it was only about another hour before we reached Katherine, and it has changed quite a lot since we were last here over 15 years ago.  At our friend Faye’s recommendation we had phoned ahead and booked a spot at the Shady Lane Tourist Park, and were very glad that we had booked as other vans were being turned away!

This is a very lush, tropical caravan park and we have a great drive through powered site close to the amenities block and the swimming pool.

Welcome to Katherine

Welcome to Katherine

Main Street of Katherine

Main Street of Katherine

Welcome to Shady Lane Tourist Park

Welcome to Shady Lane Tourist Park

 

After unhitching and setting up the awning, and turning on the air-con, we drove into town for a look around.  We visited The Coffee Club and treated ourselves to some freshly brewed coffees and fattening treats.  It was very cool inside so afternoon tea took quite a while!  We then headed off to explore the town.

After returning to the fiver we made sure that all the windows were open to take advantage of the cool breeze that had sprung up.  We then went for a wander around the park before I cooked tea, outside on the fiver’s slide out BBQ, which was accompanied by salad and a crisp white wine and eaten outside.

BBQing at Shady Lane Tourist Park

BBQing at Shady Lane Tourist Park

 

The mozzies eventually came out to join us so we retired inside to catch up on emails and this blog, and watch a bit of TV.

We’re heading South tomorrow – we’re not visiting Darwin on this trip – and we’re not sure if we will have phone or internet access.

Categories: 2013 Big Adventure | Tags: ,

Blog at WordPress.com.