KATHERINE - BATCHELOR (LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK)

Bridget diving at Edith Falls

The kids were so good on all our walks

DAY 25 – KATHERINE -  BATCHELOR (LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK)           Wednesday, 27^th July

Chef David was hard at work this morning cooking French toast for the lazy chicks in bed.  It was delicious!!  We had a lazy morning and didn’t leave Katherine until about 10am – late for us! 

David had been for a walk around the area first thing in the morning and met up with a man who had just purchased 5 acres outside Katherine “to escape the rat race”.   David and I had a good chuckle about that!  There are about 5,500 people in Katherine.  I would hate him to see Melbourne!  He was, however, very interesting about the indigenous problem here which he says is getting worse and worse.  He has owned stores in indigenous communities and sees the problem of drugs becoming just as bad as the problem with alcohol.  He was interesting in that he has noticed that in previous years there have always been the Aboriginal elders who managed to pull the young guys into line if they got out of hand.  But these elders are now dying out and there is no-one with the leadership skills to take their place.  Previously if young men were out of control, they would conduct a tribal ceremony which often put them back in their place.  But the young men don’t conduct ceremonies anymore.  It is such an enormous problem

Off to Edith Falls which was absolutely beautiful.  Just this amazing oasis in the middle of nowhere.  The kids took a while to get in (it was rather cool!) and to feel comfortable swimming around waterholes but they found this amazing cave and waterhole with the most abundant plant and fish life!  David was impressed with the kids walking to the waterhole but, as they said, after the walk around Nitmiluk National Park, ANYTHING else is easy!!!

We popped into the Commonwealth War Cemetery outside Adelaide River on our way to Batchelor.  It was very interesting to see actually how many air raids were conducted over Darwin and the Northern Territory during WWII.  I had no idea.

Arrived in Batchelor in time to meet a nice family next to us from Wantirna.  We ended up having drinks and dinner together.  A beautiful balmy evening in Litchfield National Park.  Sitting outside in shorts and t-shirt until 10pm and then going to sleep with all the windows open, letting the gentle breeze caress you as you sleep ….. “living the dream!”   Sorry about that, you cold Victorian people!!

KATHERINE (NITMILUK NATIONAL PARK)

Father and Son overlooking Katherine Gorge

Mother and Daughter overlooking Katherine Gorge

Beth in the longed-for canoe ride on Katherine Gorge

DAY 24 – KATHERINE (NITMILUK NATIONAL PARK)                           Tuesday, 26^th July

Well, today was not what you would have called one of our more successful days.  It started off well – perfect weather …again!  So we drove out to Nitmiluk National Park to take in the sights and sounds of Katherine Gorge.  David, having been here the last two years, thought it best to take canoes at our own pace.  However, we then discovered that Beth and Ben could not go in a canoe by themselves.  Cruises are very expensive so we decided to hire one canoe which David and Tess would paddle down to Southern Waterhole and meet the rest of us.  There we would have lunch together and David would take the kids one by one out on the canoe and then paddle home with Bridgie while the rest of us walked back to the car.  The ranger assured us that this was a feasible plan, so off we went feeling very confident.

Sounds like a good plan, but I know all you Dads out there are feeling a little bit uncomfortable … thinking “We have all had a great plan like that …. which then goes completely wrong!!!”.  The walk was very difficult, very hot and VERY LONG.  We didn’t realise, but it was about 8.4 kms of really difficult walking over rocks, sand and boulders.  Lots of climbing up steep rocks and down into gorges.  By the time Beth, Ben, Bridget and I reached the waterhole, I had already decided that there was no way we could go back and David would just have to ferry us all back in the canoe to the carpark!  When we arrived at the waterhole it became obvious that you cannot reach the waterhole from the Katherine River by canoe and even the people at the waterhole said you cannot do it on foot.  So, with no way of contacting David, and not knowing if perhaps he was waiting somewhere on the Katherine River for us, I left the kids at the waterhole (don’t stress, Mum, it wasn’t TOO far) and took off to see if I could find him.  Arriving at the Katherine River I could see no sign of David up and down the River, so after having a small meltdown, I went back to the kids and informed them of the bad news – that they would have to walk the 4.5 kms back out of here.  Promised only a measly icecream, they were magnificent!  They did not complain once, even though it was 30 degrees and they had to climb and walk for another 2 hours to get back to the car.  Ben was beautiful helping his old Mum and Bethie was the best older sister, helping Bridgie all the time.  The only falter was when we ran out of water and had to walk almost 2 kms without water.  This is when Bridgie started telling me that she had rabies from the spinifex!!  Vintage Bridget.  Could not convince her that rabies does not come from spinifex.  But she did insist on hearing the story of my first love in Grade 4 over and over and over!!  Doesn’t it sound fun!!!!

I laugh now at my voice when I saw the watertank at the halfway mark!  I was almost hysterical!  “I can see it, Bridgie!”  I had to keep pretending that we were in John McDouall Stuart’s expedition from Adelaide to Darwin!! 

Meanwhile, my beautiful husband paddled for three hours to try to find us! He and poor Tessie had no food with them all day and they were aching from the paddling against the current!  I think he had a worse time than we did.  (David’s note:  “What do you mean “they were paddling”?)

David did manage get rid of the canoe and work out where we would come out eventually and came to rescue us!  He then did manage to convince the people at the Canoe Hire that he needed to give his other three children an experience of canoeing through the Katherine Gorge!  They were very happy they got the canoe ride in the end.  Needless to say the dip in the pool when we got home was very welcome – AND the icecream!   

We live and learn.  Often these stories are the ones you end up telling the most – and embellishing a little bit!! J  J

Mataranka to Katherine

DAY 23 – MATARANKA - KATHERINE                                               Monday, 25^th July

Well, having said that about the winter clothes, my hubby woke me at 2am to get some blankets because big, tough David who never gets cold, found a sheet and cotton blanket insufficient.  But as my dear friend, Fran, has already pointed out, no-one is feeling sorry for our chilly mornings when we are having 29 degree days with sun and swims!!

Off to a botanic walk around Mataranka this morning and then to Bitter Springs for the most beautiful thermal springs and lovely caravan park – wish we had stayed there.  The kids were just carried down the stream on the current in water temperature of around 34 degrees, in glistening, crystal clear water.  Just like out of a movie!  Just amazing to find these springs in the middle of nowhere.  They have “barra feeding” every afternoon at 1pm so we went along.  Unfortunately, the water turned cold over the last few days and the Barramundi hate it.  That, combined with the fact that they are too well fed, meant that we could not even convince them to eat Bridget!!  All the kids got a turn at holding the fishing line and having the Barramundi eat the fish, or SNAP the fish off the end.  Except Tessie – they were full by then.

After that, straight into Katherine where we did a bit of shopping (yes, civilisation again) and went back for happy hour at the bistro at the caravan park.  A fantastic bush poet was there and it was a great experience for the kids to hear and see him.  Of course, I could not quite believe that after all the kilometres I have traversed over the last three weeks, up mountainsides, down gorges, out to rocky outcrops, I remained injury free.  Yet I arrive at Katherine, have one glass of chardy at the bistro, and end up tripping over and trashing both legs and my hand.  Blood and guts and gore everywhere in front of 60 people.  I don’t think I have done that since schooldays!!  L  Anyway, my beautiful husband and children cared for me lovingly.  I had people squeezing my hand, people putting Bepanthen on my wounds, people massaging my head and arms.  It was great!  Really, Mums should fall over more often – I can’t remember the last time I had this kind of attention! 

Tess having breakfast with a friend

Botanic garden, Mataranka

Bitter Springs - not bitter at all - so sweet!

Bitter Springs

Surfing Bitter Springs!

Am loving the fact that, as I sit here at 9pm, all the windows in the van are open and I am still in my shorts!!  This Queensland girl is loving this.  Sorry to all the Victorians freezing down there!!

Daly Waters to Mataranka

Daly Waters Heritage Hanger

My beautiful husband's beard. Off now because of complaints from wife.

Anneas Gunn's grave, Elsey Cemetery, Mataranka

DAY 22 – DALY WATERS – MATARANKA                                                  Sunday, 24^th July

This morning was a beautiful morning, and the first morning for Sarah to put on the shorts and t-shirt!!  And what a great feeling.  We went off first to inspect the aerodrome at Daly Waters which has the oldest hanger in the Northern Territory and was actually the airport for international flights at one stage, as well as an enormously important base during WWII.  In fact, my grandfather, who was the first civilian into Darwin after the bombings in 1943 to organise provisions for the Australian and American forces, flew into Daly Waters on his way from Brisbane to Darwin.  He flew there in one day which was pretty amazing for 1943.  (Thanks Aunty Marg for the info!)  I could hardly believe how this tiny place in the middle of nowhere, and so far from Darwin, could have been so important during the war.

After that we travelled further up the Stuart Highway to the Elsey Station cemetery and memorial.  One of my very favourite books is Jeannie Gunn’s We of the Never-Never.  Actually being up here and seeing the land, makes me appreciate even more what an amazingly gutsy woman she must have been.  It was very special to go to the grave of “the Muluka” and to the graves of others in the story whose remains have been re-interred there.

We then reached Mataranka by about 12:30pm.  I was not going to miss out on another powered site!  It is quite a nice secluded camp site right next to the thermal springs so after setting up (at which I may say we are getting quicker and quicker – especially with Beth and Ben’s incredible help!) we headed down for a dip in the springs.  34 degrees is just the way things ought to be!!  Of course probably too hot for my hubby.   I have never quite seen springs bubble up the way Rainbow Springs bubbles up here.  It is just like they have a spa bubble machine going at the bottom of the water.  Quite amazing.  We went for a walk to the Waterhouse River which runs into the Roper River and saw plenty of turtles and two freshwater crocodiles sunning themselves.  The kids were keen to hop into the river to say hello – Mummy much less so!  The kids just loved our first opportunity to get into the water and wandered around in their bathers for the rest of the day.  Tess and Bridgie in particular just loved discovering all the wildlife in the park here, including peacocks and wallabies which just sit all around the park, not tame enough for you to go right up to them, but tame enough to come and sit among the caravans, even tiny babies just out of the pouch. 

Just lovely to be able to put away all the warm clothes and blankets.  Won’t need them now for quite a while!! Yay!!

Wycliffe Well - Daly Waters

The Devil playing with her marbles!!

DAY 21 – WYCLIFFE WELL – DALY WATERS                                                           Saturday, 23^rd July

Man!  My hubby is a taskmaster!  I thought holidays meant sleep-ins.  Clearly I am on the wrong holiday!  Up at 6am this morning to pack up so that we could get to the Devil’s Marbles (about 100kms south of Tennant Creek) for sunrise.  Absolutely spectacular.  The kids loved running through the rocks and discovering different angles for Mummy’s photos.  I had no idea they were so extensive.  I thought it was just a few rocks clumped together but it is spread over a number of acres.  So we had a great discussion led by our “frustrated-geologist-Daddy” about sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks, because all the boulders are granite.  Am sure some of this will infiltrate the kids’ brains and magically come out in Year 9!

We were very glad that we did not stay at Tennant Creek for the night.  Although we did go and visit the Christ the King Catholic Church which was moved here from Pine Creek in 1936.  It was brought on three trucks, unfortunately during the wet season.  The first made it through, the second upturned in a creek near Daly Waters and the third waited in Pine Creek for the dry season to commence.  It was known as the “longest church in Australia” because its front door was in Tennant Creek, its back door in Pine Creek and its side wall scattered over Daly Waters!!  We prayed for all of you there.  Except for the Gordons.  Another unsuccessful geocache.

Of course we dawdled a little too long in Tennant Creek so did not make it to Daly Waters in time to get a powered site.  This little city chick was not happy.  Hubby did manage to sneak a hose to some vacant tap somewhere but no electricity which meant no microwave, no kettle, no toaster, and no lights!!  But we did go and listen to some music in the pub for a while, while the kids did their journals (plied with promises of a softdrink).  The Daly Waters pub is a sight to behold, with ladies underwear displayed all around, notes of all currencies stapled around the bar and a sign saying that it was the shortest lived and most remote McDonald’s outlet in Australia – lasted only for a day.  (I think it was for some charity event).  After putting the kids to bed we went back to listen to “Chilli” the comedian who was very funny.  And also very moving.  He sang and explained about Paul Kelly’s song “From Little Things, Big Things Grow” about Vincent Lingari and the Vestey’s.  It somehow meant a whole lot more when you are sitting out there in the middle of very large Northern Territory cattle stations and on Aboriginal land.  He also sung “I am Australian” which he said “was a song about every single one of us”.  It was beautiful.

Glen Helen Gorge to Wycliffe Well

DAY 20 – GLEN HELEN GORGE TO WYCLIFFE WELL                                            Friday, 22^nd July

Let me paint you a picture…  I am sitting here with my Jameson’s Run Cab Sav and some blue cheese, as the sun is quietly setting, watching the husband and children kick the football on the grass beside me.  Of course, we are in some weird town called Wycliffe Well which believes that aliens visit them from time to time and the park is full of statues of the Incredible Hulk, Elvis and other assorted weirdos!!  You are right … I need to fill up the glass! 

We were up early this morning and driving out of Glen Helen Gorge by 8am.  A long day in the car – 8 hours including stops to get to Wycliffe Well, driving back through Alice, passing through Aileron with the giant Aborigine and his wife and child, then on to Ti-Tree, Barrow Creek to Wycliffe Well.  All children need a really good shower and wash of the hair tonight!!  Things were grim at Glen Helen.  Hubby wants us up early to see sunrise at the Devil’s Marbles about 100 kms away.  Good luck with your project, I say!!!  J

Glen Helen Gorge (Ormiston Gorge & Redbank Gorge)

DAY 19 – GLEN HELEN GORGE (ORMISTON GORGE & RED BANK GORGE)              Thursday, 21^st July

Ormiston Gorge

Our babies at Ormiston Gorge

Sarah, the artiste!

Glen Helen Gorge

A relaxing morning with pancakes in bed for Mum (cooked by Chef David)!  We then went to Ormiston Gorge, where David worked in 1982.  He said it was very interesting to see the effect of tourism on the Gorge.  Many more made roads and walking tracks.  The walk down to Ormiston Gorge was just beautiful.  Magnificent River Red Gums everywhere and a beautiful sandy, rocky river bed.  The photos just don’t do it justice.  The beautiful gums against the red rock were just stunning. 

Out to Redbank Gorge for lunch!  This was a more difficult walk over the boulders in the river bed down to the waterhole at the end and the gorge itself.   Redbank Gorge is a very narrow gorge and David can remember being here in summer and swimming all the way down to the end and back again.  The kids have been amazing with their ability to keep walking each day for long periods of time.  The promise of a chocolate frog every now and then helps too!!

We came back for some “R and R” at the “resort” and to do some schoolwork.  Before dinner, we strolled down to Glen Helen Gorge itself.  With the setting sun on the red rock, it was absolutely spectacular.  A pair of Heron were sitting on the water as well as a flock of wild ducks, which stunned us.  We haven’t seen many water birds in Central Australia. 

Entertainment tonight in the bar was from Peter Skipson who played the guitar, singing some of his own compositions as well as some Eric Bogle and other assorted.  He is a photographer in his spare time and his photographs of Central Australia are nothing short of stunning.  Hard to explain but there is something special about listening to “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” and a song about Bogabilla (being a Queensland girl) as you sit quite literally in the middle of Australia.