Not so good news....

As we aproached Darwin we started to get many messages on our three telephones, we have one each and a local phone too. We had been totally out of touch for eighteen days, travelling through the Gibb and across here, and we now hear that Anne's father is very ill, and the family is concerned for him.
We have made the decision to go home for a period, and have booked flights for Sunday next, by Singapore and Doha on obscure airlines.
Last evening we went to the Rotary Club of Darwin South, and asked if anyone there could garage our car for us while we are away, and we had a volunteer.
We have had a wonderful time here, this country is vast, and it has so much variety about it we could fill many pages more than we have. We have just scratched the surface so far, yet we feel so lucky to have seen so much.
We will be back, we have only completed around 6000k of our adventure, about a quarter of the way round. There is so much to see here, unfortunately because of our road accident at home and now this we will not be able to do the remainder of the north this year because of the wet season. So we will just have to extend our trip yet again.
So it's goodbye for now- keep an eye out for our return though- we will be back!!!!

The previous nine....

posts were made all together, as we arrived in Darwin, we had no signal for eighteen days whilst travelling through the Gibb and on to Darwin. Please start at Freshies, Fruit Bats and flies if you haven't already been there.
Ron & Anne.

It’s a long road to Litchfield

About 80k off the Stuart to the campsite, parks here, just like the country itself, are huge.

By the time we got there it was late afternoon, even with the aircon in the car it was very hot and humid, and we sweated profusely. It is a burden to set up camp, particularly the roof tent, as we had to cut the zip to get the cover off.

So when we finally finished setting up we were drenched with sweat, and very ready for a dip. About 300mtrs away from our pitch was Wangi Falls. You might well say “what-yet another waterfall”! For us however it was a godsend. There are two falls into the pool, around 70mtrs high, and the pool is circular and around 200 mtrs across.

This area has been developed, and although the pool bottom was rocky in places there were easy steps to get into the pool. So for the first time we were able to swim without sandals on. Sheer bliss!

The following day was a consolidation day, getting ready to enter civilization for the first time in 18 days. As it was we spent half the day in the pool, back and forward to try to cool off. But in between we managed to repair the zip, at least we hope so!, and change things round ready for Darwin.

Over the past few weeks we had come across quite a few small groups consisting of maybe two three or even four girls with just one boy escorting them on their travels.

Tonight was no exception, next door to us was a couple of girls and one guy in a camper. It always amused us trying to work out their sleeping arrangements, but invariably we got it wrong!

During the night we were visited by a wild boar, Anne woke me to show me him grazing just outside our tent. Glad we are six foot off the ground!

 Around here there are cane toads, highly poisonous, and we have to be careful not to step on them in the dark with just our sandals on. They move among the dead leaves aside the path, and can give you quite a fright on the way to the toilet at night.

Another day, and ready to move, and as we were on our way out of the park we took the time to visit a few more sites of interest, including a series of rocky pools just a few miles nearer the exit, which by that time were absolutely packed so we moved on to the Magnetic termite mounds.

That name does not adequately describe them as they are not mounds as such, they are tall slim constructions, around two metres tall, maybe over a metre wide, but only around 20 cms thick. But what is extraordinary about them is that  the thin edges are all aligned exactly north and south.

It is thought that they are this way in order to keep the themselves cool, many termites go underground when it is very hot, but as these are built on a flood plain these termites cannot. Fascinating!

So- on to Darwin, and what awaits us there?

Time for a change.....

The Bungle Bungle’s fire is worse than they told us- the road is unlikely to be open for a few days, so it is time to move on and miss a very interesting detour.

Our decision is to go towards Darwin, on quite a good road, the Victoria Highway. It is around 950kms in total, and with the visits we want to make will take us four days. Our first day is the longest, and quite a boring long road, to break it up we called at Lake Argyll, the largest freshwater lale in Australia, man made, and part of the Ord River Project from 1969. It feeds and irrigates millions of acres of farmland, and is very impressive.

The day ended at a roadhouse whose poster told us it was “under new wife”! An excellent meal there, very reasonable, and we retired early, ready for another early start in the morning.

As we drove on we saw a few memorials to the early explorers, we stopped to check out the history, and to look at the views of the Victoria River, tidal and full of salties so we resisted the urge to have a dip.

We have now crossed into Northern Territory, another state, and we had to change our clocks by one and a half hours. Weird! We had been used to going to bed at around 8 o’clock, and up before five with the dawn chorus, but now it was up at 6-15, and in bed at 9-30. Exactly the same times really, just a difference on the clock.

The second night was spent at Edith Falls, just north Of Katherine, the largest town we had been in since we left Derby, and one that we visited two years ago with David and Mildred. We weren’t impressed then, and we passed through the town quickly, and on to the falls which are 25k off the main road, the

Stuart Highway

, which runs from Darwin to Adelaide, some 2000k. It passes through Alice Springs, about halfway along.

As we arrived at the campsite we experienced our first rainfall since leaving home ten weeks ago, and what a downpour. Just as we got our roof tent and awning up it came down in torrents, with almost a river running under the car. It was a major thunderstorm, and rained off and on all night, we were told 6mm came down overnight. I hope this is not the start of the wet!

But tomorrow dawned bright and dry, and extremely humid. Sweat was pouring off us even before we dressed, so we took off for our early morning walk across the top of the falls, took us about an hour and a half, and then dived in for a welcome dip before breakfast.

As the roof tent was rather wet after the storm, we had to wait a bit before we could pack up. In this humidity things don’t dry easily even in the sun, but we got there eventually.

Unfortunately while zipping up the cover we got it jammed solid, couldn’t get it one way or the other, so we had to travel with the cover partly unzipped. Not a problem, unless it rained, when our bed would get extremely wet.

We were lucky however, and we made it to our next stop, Litchfield National Park. What awaits us here?

It’s a hard life in paradise……. .

Another day- another gorge. This time it’s Emma Gorge, cross over the Gibb and go to the other El Questro resort, to the north of the Gibb, and walk for an hour over increasingly difficult terrain, large rocks block our way, go over or around, carefull where you stand, there could be a snake down there. Don’t put your hand in that crevice- don’t know what’s in there either!

It was well worth the walk, at 50mtrs the tallest waterfall we had seen, falling into a beautiful clear pool. Once again, as we are early starters, we ended up alone in the pool. A welcome dip after a hot climb up to the gorge.

But we are soon joined by other visitors, and after a while we made our way back to camp.

Later that day we drove up to a viewpoint on the top of a hill. It was strictly a 4wheel drive track, across a very wide river with large rocks as the base, and up a very steep hill, around 1 in 2, with a camber that threatened to send us over the edge! But as always, Betty made it to the top, and we were rewarded with the most wonderful 360degree views, not just the Pentecost River and the Cockburn Range, but also the entrance to Chamberlain Gorge, which runs for over 80 miles.

We drove down to the gorge entrance, again down very steep hills, as it has a few salties in there we decided not to swim. The wet season last year has considerably changed the gorge, making it impossible to navigate more than 700mtrs from the jetty, so our plan to hire a boat for the day was shelved.

We had intended to move on the following morning, to the Bungle Bungles, a few miles to the south on the Great Northern Highway, but we were told that as there was a major bush fire surrounding the entrance road we decided to stay in El Questro for a couple of extra days to give them a chance to put it out. However as we were going through the river to visit a walk a few Kms away we had yet another puncture- the same wheel, in a brand new tyre! This time the tread was cut right through as though by a knife, there must have been a very sharp rock under the water. Another $350! This is getting to be a habit!

Hey-ho, that’s the way the cookie crumbles…..

The Pentecost and El Questo

The Pentecost awaits, and the following morning we set off full of trepidation. It was very early, just 6-30, not much traffic about, and we arrived there full of indecision. Should we attempt it on our own, or should we wait and let someone else go over first?

It is 100 meters wide, we have no idea how deep, or what is on the bottom.

Taking our lives in our hands, and with hearts racing, we engaged low range four wheel drive and started to cross. It was deep, at least 15 inches in places, and the bottom was full of large rocks, but old faithful Betty took us through and out the other side. Huge sighs of relief!. 

Home Valley  had proved to be somewhat of a disappointment, very commercial, with a huge bar and a big screen showing the footy, screaming Ausies. We made it a housekeeping day, what was left of it, and cleaned up a bit.

But our destination that day was to be El Questo, a resort on the side of the Pentecost, but some 60k on. As we left the Gibb to travel south to the station and after 15k we arrived at the township, which looked like something out of the wild west. A rustic bar and shop greeted us, all outdoor, and very pleasant staff.

As we were there for a few days, we had decided to pitch the ground tent, the first time since Broome. We looked around and found the facilities were excellent, with en-suite toilet, showers and basin rooms, and two good swimming holes. We took advantage of them very quickly!

A relaxing first day was followed by a very busy one. Early the next morning found us on our way to Zebedee springs, ( sounds like Magic Roundabout?) where after following a hairy four wheel drive track, we came to a river about 75 mtrs wide. It can’t be as bad as the Pentecost! It was worse, about two foot deep, very rocky indeed, and Betty put up a tremendous bow wave as she battered her way through it. My fear was that the electrics would be swamped, and we would be stuck in the middle, but it amazes me what this car can take!

A short walk from the car park, through what was almost rain forest, brought us to a lovely oasis of peace, a babbling brook in a rocky valley, small waterfalls filling a tiny plunge pool surrounded by palms. We were first there, and as we entered the water we found it was comfortably warm, the springs come up from deep below the earth at a temperature of around 40c.

It wasn’t long before we were joined by a crowd, and we decided to move on. Back to the car, - and that river again! How she made it through I don’t now, we could hear the exhaust bubbling loudly. The water was over the wheels, but she ploughed on- never missing a beat.

On now to El Questo gorge, a much longer drive followed by a much longer walk.

It was advertised as a medium difficulty walk, if it was I will not be doing one of their difficult ones! Extremely rocky terrain, crossing and recrossing streams, clambering over big rocks, it took us well over an hour to reach the half way pool, which we had decided was our destination for the day. Once again we were on our own, so in the pool we went. This one was a bit cooler than the last, but after that walk it was needed.

Making our way back, we marveled at the many birds that flew around us, and the sounds of their songs. Throughout the Gibb we have had the most wonderful Dawn Choruses, there is such a variety of birdlife here, from the brightly coloured Lorrikeets to crows, from bower birds to the White cockatoos. There are over 250 different birds in El Questo alone, and most of them wake us each morning.

Back to base, and our third swim of the day. This time in a sandy pool just 100 mtrs from our tent, deeper than we could stand up in, just warm enough to be comfortable.

A busy day…..

Dust and scones?

Back to the Gibb and onward to the Kalumburra road, which goes for some 300k to the far north to the extremity of Cape Londonderry. It’s a step too far for us, the road is not as good as earlier in our travels, so we just go up it to Drysdale station, some 60k up. There we refueled and stayed overnight to recharge our batteries, this is the first time we have had power since Derby.

 The roads in this area vary greatly, sometimes we could almost be on tarmac, other times it is sand, or even flint stones. The latter is not good for our tyres, and we have to try to avoid the worst of them, and the sandy areas are difficult to drive and steer, even in four wheel drive. Then there are the bulldust  holes, you can’t see them before you hit them, and they jar the teeth out of you!

There are many small river crossings along the way, some dip down alarmingly, then rise steeply on the other side, and the danger is that the tow bar can scrape the bottom. And if there is water in, some of which can be 12 to 15 inches deep, there is no way of knowing what the bottom is like. Some are smooth, almost to the extent that they may have been concreted, others are full of rocks and holes. Pot luck! And of course there are the ubiquitous corrugations, some not so bad, others jar your teeth, but always there.

The countryside also varies, from dense forest to bare rock, shale hills, to grassland. We drive through miles of totally flat countryside on arrow straight roads, then an area of low hills and twisty passes. This is wild and untamed country, much of it only accessible by horseback or air, with stations and homesteads maybe 100k apart.  Almost all of this is cattle country, with stations of a million acres, running 10,000 cattle or more, but we are told that even at that scale returns are meagre.

On our way back down to the Gibb we followed what we knew must be a very large vehicle for many miles, the air was full of dust and we could see the double wheel tracks in the road. At times the dust was so thick that we had to almost stop, and in fact by the time we saw a large three trailer cattle truck we were almost upon it, he had stopped to negotiate a river. Scary! We were able to overtake him as he was slowly moving uphill after the river, and we could see once more.

Dust has been the bane of our lives the past few days, always followed by it, often our sight would be obscured by a passing vehicle, sometimes a road train. Occasionally we had to stop it was so bad. And it seeps into the back of the car, meaning we have to clean down everytime we stop, and our clothes are soon dirty. 

A short diversion during our mornings travels took us to Ellenbrae station, where we were entertained to tea and the most delicious cream scones by a very rustic man with a breast long beard, the most unlikely waitress ever. Ellenbrae is delightful, a green oasis in a sea of brown desert, with  tropical plants all around occupied by small birds. They have a Kimberley cabin somewhere on the station, with an open bedroom and an outside open bathroom, the bath on the top of a viewpoint. Quite different!

On again, almost at our destination for the day, Home Valley Station. As we crest a hill we catch our first sight in the distance of something we have been dreading- the Pentecost river. It is far wider than anything we have forded so far, and we have no idea how deep. Also it is full of salties, crocs that love to eat unwary travelers. But that’s for tomorrow, will we sleep tonight?

The rocky road to…..

Heaven.

Friday, 30^th September, again up early- but not to travel on today. We had decided to drive up the 10k to a valley on the station that was exclusive to the very few people who were staying on the station- and that day that meant just us.

As we had breakfast we watched the Peacock put on a display for an obviously uninterested mate, his feathers werec wonderful. There is also a white peahen here, strutting around as though she own the place!

We packed up our lunch and plenty of water and set off to leave the homestead, driving through the paddock with a mare and foal, then through a creek with a very steep descent and ascent out, and along what was nothing more than a track, just wide enough for our car. It started reasonable after the creek, but very soon deteriorated, some of the rocks on the road were a foot high, and Betty had to go over them There was no way we could travel at any speed, and it took us more than 45 minutes to travel 8.5k. As we approached the top of yet another descent we looked over and said NO WAY! There were holes up to 15” deep, and rocks just as big, so we decided to leave Betty and walk. By then it was becoming very hot, and it seemed a very long walk over difficult terrain, even though we were following the road to the final car park. There was no way I was going to subject Betty to this!

It took us an hour’s hard walk to get to the water, and the first sight was wonderful., an oasis of peace, with waving palms, a delightful waterfall, a sandy beach, what more could we want? Complete seclusion- and we got it. We were the only people there, and we very quickly changed and stood under the waterfall to cool off, then into the pool.

Alternately sunbathing and swimming, we spent an idyllic morning, a lovely picnic lunch, then back into the pool- our very own sanctuary. All that was missing was a lackey to bring us cold champagne.

When I told Anne she had leeches on her bum there was panic, off came the costume and on went the salt, but they weren’t really leeches just small creatures picked up in the waterfall. Good fun!.

But every good thing has to come to an end, and as we started the long trek back to the car we looked back at the beauty of the valley, and said thanks for a wonderful day. Fortunately there was a slight breeze, and some light cloud, so it was a little less hot, maybe about 90 in the shade, but it still took us over an hour to reach Betty.

Then the ordeal of the rocks again, it seemed even worse going back, but our old friend made it in style.

We had decided to join the guests at the homestead for dinner- makes a change from cooking and washing up ourselves, and we spent a delightful evening with four Swiss people who were doing a brief visit to the area- they had driven 400k that day on the Gibb, we average only around 150 each day. Good luck to them!

Later we joined a young couple from Holland around the campfire who were traveling in the opposite direction to us, we swapped stories about the places we had been, picking up a few pointers to the places we must visit and those we should avoid. Very useful. Anyway- tomorrow, onward again, sorry to leave Elizabeth Station, but there is so much more to see yet..

Nothing prepared us for……

Once again we set off early for yet another gorge, but first we had to swim across a pool to get to the start of the walk to Manning Falls. We knew it was an hours walk, but we did not know there was no shade, over rocks, and almost entirely uphill! We made it eventually, to lovely pools, just what we needed to cool our weary feet. The waterfall was a disappointment, but it was obviously quite sensational during the wet. It had been quite a clamber to get there, and we had to go back yet!.

 Undaunted, we set off, but by the time we got back to the campsite we were quite done in, not ready to tackle packing up and moving on. But the cup that cheers revived us, and off we go to Mount Elizabeth, a working cattle station, some 150k onward, and about 30k off the main road. The first 20k on the Gibb after Mount Barnett were extremely rocky, a slow start to the day, but eventually we came to a surface that was more like tarmac, and we were able to press on. This area is much more green, with small hills around us, and more twisty roads. Turning off for Mount Elizabeth took us on a reasonably good road, over 30k north, but which was twisty, and of course if we are not careful it is possible to slide on the loose surface.

The site was almost deserted, so we sat down for a quiet afternoon after we had set up and had lunch, time out to enjoy our surroundings.

 A wallaby came up right beside us, with a joey in it’s pouch, almost tame enough to touch, he grazed peacefully by us while we had our lunch. A Peacock strutted close by, occasionally screeching. Colourful birds flew from tree to tree all around us, and we could see many wild kangaroo in the field next to us. A peaceful afternoon, just another day without cares…..

Shake, Rattle & (Almost) Roll.

On we go to Bell Gorge, some 180k down the road, to a lovely campsite at Silent Grove. It was about 20k north of the Gibb River Road, on a surface that was less than ideal, full of rocks and sharp stones, as well as the ubiquitous corrugations. Betty shakes like mad, and the rattles are deafening, but she perseveres and never lets us down- we thought! On the way we passed through our first river, not too deep, but very rocky in the bottom, but a doddle!

We had decided to relax for the rest of the afternoon, in a temperature of 106f, but not much relaxation as the march flies were out again, and the evening was a matter of trying to evade the flying cockroaches that were dive bombing us every time we went near the light.

Early the following morning we packed up to drive the 10k to Bell Gorge, and a short walk from the car park took us to a beautiful tropical valley, with a waterfall and safe swimming hole below. Words do not adequately describe the beauty of this whole region, and although we have seen many gorges and waterfalls this one is probably the best so far.

However all good things must come to an end, so after an hour of total peace there we made off again towards the Gibb River Road, once again tackling the very poor surface. Then- disaster! As we went round a bend the car started to slide and roll, only just coming to a stop close to the edge. We had a flat! And that was only the start of our problems. The liquid filler we had for this purpose didn’t work, so we had to change the wheel. Where’s the jack? Eventually we found it, but no handle. What to use? We had a small tyre lever which took the wheel up high enough to get it off, after a struggle with the studs as they had been hammered on. But not high enough to get the spare on. What to do? We could have let the new tyre down and then blow it up again, but a better idea was to get out our spade which had been bought for an entirely different purpose and dig a hole below where the tyre was to go. Bingo! it worked, and we were back on the road. We made it to Imintji, where there was a mechanic, cost us a new tyre, and we bought a second secondhand spare for the roof. Once bitten! Together with a jack handle we are now fully equipped.

After our adventure we drove to Galvins gorge, where there was a lovely swimming hole, We were exhausted after our exertions and needed to cool off, and in we went. It was glorious, just what the doctor ordered!

But ever onward, to Mount Barnett Roadhouse, and another campsite.

Freshies, Fruit Bats and flies

It’s a good road from Derby to the Gibb Road-so far. Then we lose the Tarmac, and it becomes a little corrugated. But we persevered, and after about 140k of jiggles and rattles we arrived at Windjanna gorge, where we had lunch. We intended to camp there, but i

t was still early so decided to go on a bit to Tunnell Creek.

On the road we were overtaken by a tour bus, it is our policy not to exceed 70kph on these ‘roads’, and they go like a bat out of hell. They are purpose built for these areas, with huge wheels and very high clearance. Unfortunately they leave a great deal of dust in their wake!

However we took advantage of their guide through the tunnel, which consists of a wet cave, about 750 metres long. We had to wade through waist high water, which, on our own, we would not have tackled, as there are crocodiles in there. We could see their eyes reflected from our torchlight, because it was pitch black in places. We went from cavern to cavern, and in between the flora was wonderful.

There were aboriginal drawings from many centuries ago, and bats, some of which were white, and endangered.

We heard the story of Jandarra, a renegade Aboriginal who hid in the caves, and how he evaded capture for many years. He was eventually shot, after another Abbo tracked him down.

Returning to Windjanna, we came across a Bower Bird, who build a very stylish nest on the ground. We sat and watched as she tidied up the nest, what a sight.

A very hot day, over 40 degrees, 104f plus, followed by a very hot night. As the sun arose the following morning it soon became extremely hot again, and we had decided to walk the 7k through the Windjanna Gorge, as soon as we could after breakfast, while it was perhaps a little cooler. There are many pools in the gorge, which is formed from an undersea reef thrown up many millennia ago, and during the wet season a raging torrent runs through, becoming some ten or twelve metres deep.

There were many fresh water crocs lazing in the calm water, and hundreds of fruit bats in the trees, waving their wings to try to keep cool. The gorge itself has so many wonderful colours, a photo does not do it justice. The bird sounds are continuous, from the screeching of the cockatoos to the many mellodious songs of the others.

Unfortunately there are also the march flies, just like our horse flies and they bite, they are a real pest, and we had to keep walking as every time we stopped we were eaten.

Having seen the gorge by 10-30, and not looking forward to a very hot day ahead, we decided to press on in our air-conditioned car, to see what further adventures lay ahead.