Week 7 : 6 Apr to 12 Apr 2012 -- Mataranka to Darwin

Since we covered a fair bit of territory last week (or should I say, The Territory?) this week was a little more laid back. Last week we arrived in Mataranka and on Good Friday we continued to soak up the very casual atmosphere of the area. So much so that we did bugger all except relax and go back to Bitter Springs and float around for a couple of hours before coming back to the van and watching the footy. 

Bitter Springs

Watching the footy through
the window - got to love it!

We stood the tele in the window of the caravan and sat out in the shade of the tree where it was still quite balmy after being 37deg during the day. So that’s how it was as we watched the Broncos beat the Tigers 18-14.

After a lazy Saturday morning we went just up the road to the neighbouring caravan park and watched the daily feeding of the barramundi live in their lagoon.  They are all well looked after and consequently… BIG. 

8 - 10 kilo barramundi

This guy hand feeds them and manhandles them out of the water and shares some really interesting facts about the fish. For example… did you know that all barramundi are born male and change when they’re ready to reproduce? 

Man-handling a barra

Go to www.matarankamotel.com to see what I’m talking about.

 From there Vic and I went out to the Mataranka Homestead and looked through the Elsley Homestead replica, which was built for the 1982 movie “We of the Never – Never”.

Elsey Homestead replica at Mataranka Homestead

We had a swim in the Mataranka Hot Springs. Unlike Bitter Springs, which are very natural, these ones are more like a conventional pool, except that the water flows in one end and out the other. The “pool” was built by the American GI’s who were stationed here during WWII and was for the exclusive use of the Officers. 

Mataranka hot spring pool

It was a very relaxing afternoon and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We checked out Rainbow Spring on the way back to the car. This is where the Crystal clear water actually comes out of the ground and makes it’s way, eventually, to the Timor Sea. Absolutely mesmerizing!

This was SO clear
the photo doesn't do it justice

urrrr!!!

On the way back to the van we grabbed a loaf of bread and 1L of milk… $9.80!! Bugger!!

We’ve had an ongoing problem with ants and despite spraying almost every day, they’ve gotten into the car and the caravan. We’ve added ant powder and ant traps to the arsenal so we’’ll see what happens.

Last float at Bitter Springs
before hitting the road.

After packing up on Easter Sunday we drove back down to Bitter Springs for a last float before hitting the road again. We arrived in Katherine at 11.30 and visited the Tourist Info Centre which my mate, Neil, had told me was one of the best stocked centres you’ll come across. He was right! Because Katherine is the point where you go north to Darwin, south to Adelaide and west to Western Australia etc there is info here for every thing as well as the local stuff.

We booked into the Shady Lane Tourist Park which is located about 6 klms out of town. After setting up camp we headed down for a swim in the pool before sitting back and watching Sunday Footy.

On Monday we ventured out to Katherine Gorge to take the 3pm cruise of 2 gorges. Even though there are a number of tours done of the area including morning cruises, sunset cruises and multi gorge tours, the 2 gorge cruise is the only one being done at the moment because the dry or tourist season hasn’t officially started yet… Bummer! We arrived early enough at 2 o’clock to have a coffee in the café before the tour, but guess what… the café closes at 2!! Double bummer!! No coffee!!

Chris our tour guide

It was really interesting to listen to our guide explain how the traditional owners made a land claim in the late 80’s and after 11 years of deliberation, ownership of the area now known as Nitmiluk National Park was handed back to the Jowan People, the traditional land owners. Chris is a member of the Jowan People and took us on a really good 2 hour tour of the absolutely magnificent Katherine Gorge.

Katherine Gorge escarpment

SO so high!

The water is still high following the wet season and water is still pouring into the river via the numerous waterfalls so even though our tour was restricted to 2 gorges, the timing was great. 

Walking between Gorge 1 and Gorge 2 boats

Gorge 1 of Katherine Gorge

What intrigued me as much as the gorge itself is the fact that it took us 2 hours to do the tour, and we saw only 2 of the 13 that make up Katherine Gorge. We spotted a little fresh water croc as well which was a bit of a bonus.

Freshwater crocodile at Katherine Gorge

On Tuesday we were moving on, which was a good thing because we were woken by the sounds of trees being lopped and mulched. Obviously, it wouldn’t have been a quiet day around camp anyway. After travelling 40 or so kilometres north we took the turn off to Edith Falls and travelled the 20kms to the car park. 

Edith Falls

High water mark above the
fork in the tree

This is still part of Nitmiluk National Park and is a beautifully rugged part of the country. Again, due to the recent wet season, there is a lot of water cascading over the falls and because the river is still high here also, there is no swimming until there is a survey done to confirm whether or not Salties are present. (Apparently they like to move up river while the water levels are high). Hopefully we’ll get back here while we’re staying in Darwin.

Back on the Stuart Highway, we continued north and visited the Adelaide River War Cemetary where 400 military personnel and 63 civilians are buried, mostly victims of the many Darwin bombings during WWII. There were 63 in all. This is the 4^th biggest War Cemetary in Australia and is extremely well maintained by the Australian War Cemetaries Commission.

Adelaide River War Cemetary

Between here and Darwin there are quite a few WWII sites and we checked out a couple but Strauss Airfield is a beauty. The original airstrip runs parallel with the highway and large cut outs of fighter planes are spaced out at the edge of the scrub.

Strauss Airfield fighter plane cutouts

As with the rest of this section of highway, there are virtually no free camping opportunities along here so it was late afternoon when we pulled into Darwin, and off in the distance Vic finally saw the water again. We checked into the Shady Glen Tourist Park which was recommended to us by some vanners along the way. We were going to book in for a week but when we got to our designated spot it felt quite crowded and noisy, though it was very shady. We decided to give it  a couple of nights to see how it went.

There is obviously some major upgrading being done around this park because a massive power generator is taking up a site in the next alley over from us and was running 24/7. Consequently I didn’t sleep real well and in the morning we were also greeted to a post hole digger creating havoc.

Casuarina Beach

Vic and I decided we’d go have a look around Darwin and try to familiarize ourselves with the area and found ourselves at Casuarina Beach. We were both keen to get our feet into some salt water again so we took a bit of a stroll along the beach.

After leaving there and driving around some more we found ourselves back where we’d started but we had checked out 4 other van parks and made up our minds to move the next day.

Darwin mall

By lunch time we were in the city where we spent the next couple of hours checking the CBD out. I’d have to say Darwin is a very casual city and easy going. There is no rushing crowds or hustle bustle we are familiar with at home. Parking is easy and cheap and I’m told there is no peak hour… just a peak ½ hour! There are probably more tourist/souvenir shops here than dress shops… much to Vic’s disgust!

After sitting in the shade of a big old tree, overlooking the bay, for a while we drove down around the expanding wharf area and where the WWII tunnels are (will do them another day) then back to the van for a quiet night.

And so this morning we packed the van again and moved out to the 'Free Spirit Resort Darwin' which is 8kms further out on the Stuart Highway but only 5 minutes or so because from here it’s 100kmh zone to within a couple of k’s of the city. This is where Rob and Marg stayed when they visited Darwin on there trip around Australia for Caravan and Motorhome Magazine. (You can check their blog at www.caravanandmotorhomemagazine)

This park is so much nicer than the other with heaps of shade, much bigger sites, great amenities, lots of grass, quieter and far less crowded.

We went and checked out Palmerston which is only 5 minutes away and found what will probably become our local shopping centre for the next few weeks at least. Back at camp we put the annexe up for the first time since leaving, before having a swim in one of the 3 pools here, which has a bar and bistro beside it. Could be great for when the footy’s on! 

As we relaxed in the shade with a cold drink this arvo we were driven inside by a heavy shower… such is life in the tropics!

So at the end of week 7 we’re settling into Darwin which is the end of our first Capital City to Capital City leg of our big trip. We are unsure of what lies in store for us here but we will be here until our trip back to Brissie in August, to meet our already much loved new grandson. And of course family and friends. Till next week.....