Week 21 : 14 July to 19 July 2012 -- Goodbye Darwin

Our final week in Darwin passed quickly as we made preparations to hit the road once again. We stocked up our fruit and veg at the weekend markets and prepared some meals, which could be frozen and reheated later. On Monday, Vic finished her stint with the NT Government, Tuesday we completed packing the van after doing some laundry and grabbed last minute groceries. On the return trip to Brisbane we intended to free camp as much as possible and new we would be there in a couple of weeks, so didn’t need to load the freezer too much.

Flash chilling down the highway

The news from home was suggesting that our grandson was going to arrive before we did so the decision was made to leave earlier than originally planned. I moved the caravan out of the yard on Wednesday morning and mowed the lawn while Vic did some housework. 

Once we were sure the house was ready for the family to come home, we gave Flash ‘the Wonder Dog’ a final bath and she was so excited she jumped up into the Jeep. She sat there until we were ready to go - there was no way she wasn’t going ‘somewhere’. Off we went and down the highway we booked her into the pet resort. It was sad to say goodbye L

At 3pm we turned onto the Stuart Highway and started our trip south. We had a good run down the highway and pulled into the Bridge Creek Rest Area (#143 in Camps 5), about 140 kms from Darwin. This area was closed when we came through in April, due to road works and even though it’s quite dusty, it’s not a bad spot. There are toilets, picnic tables, water and bins, a bit of shade and plenty of space. It’s close to the road so there is a bit of noise from the traffic. By the time happy hour was over and the sun was setting, there were 16 camps set up.  

Bridge Creek Rest Area

By 8am on Thursday we were on the road again and making our way to Katherine where we arrived in time for a Macca’s brekky. We had a stroll through town and were amazed at the amount of traffic around. We found out later that over the following weekend the annual Katherine Show would be held. Katherine is usually quite busy at this time of year anyway, thanks to the number of travellers on the road, remembering that this is where highways from the north, south and west converge. The car park of the Tourist Info Centre was chock a block with caravans and motorhomes of all shapes and sizes.

Katherine

After filling the fuel tanks (145.9c/litre) we resumed travelling south and stopped off at Mataranka for a swim in Bitter Springs. There were quite a few more people here than last time, but it was still refreshing and enjoyable.

We had lunch here and topped the tanks (173.9c/litre), then continued on toward the Daly Waters Roadhouse where we topped up the tanks again (167.9c/litre) before turning east along the Capricorn Highway. I was going by the theory that the more I kept the tanks topped up, the less I would have to buy at Cape Crawford or Barkly Roadhouse where I expected the price would be close to $2.00/litre.  

East toward Cape Crawford along the
Capricorn Highway

From here, the road became a single lane and while it was in fairly good condition, the trip was slowed by oncoming traffic, when I would pull off the road and stop. The truckies were happy to stay on the road and maintain their speed but not too many others got the idea and still left the road on their side and threw stones everywhere in the process.

Bullwaddy Rest Area

90 kms from the turn off, we pulled into Bullwaddy Rest Area (#17 in Camps 5) and set camp for the night. There were only 3 other camps here so plenty of room was available. There are covered picnic tables, water and bins here and it’s a peaceful spot because there is very little traffic and the area is back from the road.

We arrived here at 6pm and since leaving Bridge Creek we’d travelled 533 kms, making the day very long by our standards. We’d had a problem with the water pump (in the van) all that day so were thankful for the water available here. (More on that later.)

Until next week…. Happy travels.