September 13
Katherine, Northern Territory
I am sitting in the “veranda” of our tent on a hot night in Katherine typing this note which we will send off tomorrow. Our 4500 km journey from Cairns to Broome is now about half complete as we are smack in the middle of the Northern Territory, some 350 kms south of Darwin. So far, we've had a fantastic trip, having driven through amazing terrain and having seen some interesting places. We are taking a bit of a break here in Katherine as we will stay for three nights before again taking to the road on our westward trek.
Our trip has gone very smoothly with no problems other than a screw in one of our tires which caused a puncture (when it was removed at the tire store....no flat tires luckily in the middle of nowhere) and had to be repaired. We have spent many long hours on the road driving along the surprisingly good roads but have rarely been bored. The outback country side is much more diverse than we had thought it would be. There are of course, areas where little else but scrub grasses cover the terrain for as far as the eye can see, but much of the land is covered by a surprising number of trees and scrub bushes. The terrain seems to change every 20 kms or so, so it keeps things interesting. In many ways it's like driving through central Alberta or Saskatchewan with a couple of significant differences. First, the soil is a bright rust color in most areas and second, much of the land is absolutely uninhabited. We passed stretches where for over 200 kms there wasn't a building of any kind....no farm houses, towns, shelters, or anything. And of course the roads are so straight you just have to point the car in the right direction and step on the gas! A curve in the road is something to take note of! Another difference with driving in Canada is the amount of roadkill here. On average there is something dead and decaying on the side of the road every couple of kilometres. We've seen many kangaroos but also cattle, dingos and even a large feral pig. Most of these would probably have been done in at night by the large trucks and road trains which rumble along the highways all night. Anyway, driving here has been a better experience than we had thought it might be and all in all has been an interesting part of our last ten days.
We left Cairns on Monday September 3rd and headed south along the coast to Innisfail where we turned west and headed inland towards our first stop, Undara. Undara is famous for the lava tubes that were formed from volcanic eruptions millions of years ago and we planned to take a tour the next day. The campground was a bit of a “bush camp” but it was adequate. We set up our tent and after cooking up a meal, went to a presentation by one of the camp rangers around a campfire. Once again we got the lowdown on all the nasty creatures around this part of Australia .... mostly the various snakes that can fill you full of highly toxic venom in the blink of an eye. We had heard similar pitches at various zoos and other attractions, but it was nice to sit in the cool evening around the campfire.
The next morning we did a short walk through the bush and then headed off on our afternoon tour of the lava tubes. These were basically a series of caves, some of them elongated in a the form of a tube (funny that) where the lava had oozed through eons ago. Some of them were huge, sixty or seventy feet in diameter and at a couple of places we had to be very careful as we scrambled over rocks piled at a tube entrance. Nothing as difficult as our Guatemalan cave adventure, but a little challenging just the same. The tour was interesting but we both agreed not as good as the cave tour we'd taken in Chillagoe some weeks before.
The next morning we packed up the tent and set out on the road for Charters Towers, a town about 350 kms to the southeast of Undara. In effect we were backtracking somewhat but we wanted to avoid the unpaved roads which lead westward on the more direct route. And we had quite the trip. Much of the road was single track which means a narrow strip of paved road wide enough for one vehicle bordered by gravel shoulders. When two vehicles approach they slow down and pass on their respective shoulders. All vehicles that is except the gargantuan road trains which thunder along these roads. Road trains are comprised of huge semi-trailer-type tractors pulling 3, 4 or even 5 trailers. Many road trains have typical “container” like trailers, but there are many cattle cars, oil tankers and huge ore carriers. Rest assured that these heavyweights control the road and they don't go to the shoulder...you do! So driving along this road to Charters Towers, I had to be constantly alert for on coming traffic and had to make an instant assessment whenever a vehicle appeared as to when to head to the shoulder as the surface of thesese gravel strips varied considerably. But despite being showered with pebbles and dust a few times, we made in unscathed to join the main road running west which is fully sealed and two lanes.
We found a nice campground in Charters Towers and opted to stay in an on-site cabin for the night. In the morning we had a walk around this picturesque town which is full of late 18th century buildings which have been fully restored. Charters Towers was once a large commercial centre catering to the need of thousands of prospectors who came to the area from all over the world in search of the precious metal which had been found in large quantities in the area. The gold rush is long over, but the town has tried to keep alive the memories of those boom times.
In the late morning, we headed west to Hughenden another small town on the westward route. About noon, we stopped at a rest stop where there was a lookout overlooking the surrounding terrain. As we pulled up I noticed two large bikes parked there and a couple of middle aged bikers. We exchange a “g'day” with them and then they were on there way. I mention this only because later in the day, we drove out from the town of Hughenden to an escarpment some 10 kms away which had been recommended by the local tourist office as a great place to watch the sunset. We made our way carefully along the back country road and up the steep incline to the top of the mesa-like structure. And of course we were surprised to find two other people there as well...you guessed it...the bikers we'd seen at the lookout en route. We chatted with them as we had a can of 4X and took in the magnificent 360 degree view from this high vantage point. They were interesting fellows, forty-ish, who were using their vacation to bike around this part of outback Queensland. We watched the sun sink, turning the sky to a deep red color and the surrounding grasslands to deep orange, and then made our way back to town as the black night quickly descended.
The next morning we were off to Mount Isa, the fabled mining town in Western Queensland. As the Aussies say, you're not a real Australian till you've been to The Isa. The road was long and dry...the terrain a mixture of grasslands, rocky outcroppings and scrub trees. We arrived at the campground in the early afternoon and set up tent before heading to town for a few grocs. The town of Mt. Isa is dominated by the mine which sits on a slight rise to the west. Two huge smokestacks rise into the clear sky, a light stream of smoke from each wafting up and away to the west. The Isa Mine is one of the largest lead/copper/zinc mines in the word with hundreds of kilometres of tunnels reaching a depth of over 2kms. The surface mine plant itself is massive seemingly stretching half the length of the town. In fact, the early days the town was divided into two separate towns...one side being the mine side and the other the town site. The mine remains the town's raison d'etre though there is a flourishing tourist industry to augment the mining bucks.
We spent two nights in the Isa. On our second day we toured the mining museum where we saw a couple of very interesting films about the history of Mt Isa and things to see in the area. There was even a mention of Calgary in one of them as they said the prize money at the yearly Isa Rodeo was second only to the Calgary Stampede. We then pottered around town and drove up a small hill for a panoramic view of the area and a look at large sign post with directions and distances to places around the world. The afternoon was spent relaxing at the camp pool something we had committed to do every few days on this long trek. Most of the better campgrounds here have pools and they are a great way to cool off after a long drive or day of site seeing.
We were up early the next morning and our first order of business was to take the tent down before sun started to send the temperature skyrocketing. We are usually sweating profusely by the time the tent is packed, so we take it down first and then have breakfast and showers.
We headed west from Mt Isa on Sunday September 9th heading for the only habitation for the next 1000 kms or so, the Berkley Roadhouse. Roadhouses are Outback traditions...small outposts in the middle of nowhere where there is fuel, accommodation and food available. We had decided to book a motel room here at this road station which consists of a gas station, pub/restaurant, campground and 10 motel units. We were very glad we had chosen this option as the campground was hot and dry. The motel room was very nice, especially the cool, air conditioned interior! We had a walk around the grounds in the late afternoon heat but were soon back at the small pool for a refreshing dip. Just before sunset I ventured out to see if I could get a good sunset shot, and was amazed to see a cloud of red dust behind the gas station churned up by a single-engined Cesna which was rolling to a stop. I was dumbfounded as to how it had got there as there was no airstrip we could see anywhere around the place. I knew that planes and helicopters were used by ranchers in this part of the world to round up cattle from their large ranches, but where this one had landed I had no idea. It was only the next day when we stopped at the Three Ways Roadhouse for a coffee that we learned ranchers often land their light planes right on the road and will drop into a road house for visit or to get some provisions. I guess with the vector-like roads and infrequent traffic, it makes sense for these planes to use the highway as a landing strip.
We decided to have a meal at the pub that evening and were lucky enough to strike up a conversation with a retired fellow who was on his way back home in Victoria. He had been visiting his brother who ran a campground at Mataranka and he said we would enjoy a night there if we were in the area. Matarank was between planned stops for us, but as it turned out we had a long drive the next day covering nearly 800 kms and did make it to this recommended stopover.
As we drove along the next morning, again fascinated with the expanse of territory stretching before us, we remembered reading about the cattle ranches or “stations” in this part of Australia.....the largest in the world. The Berkley Roadhouse had been located in the middle of a station that was 10,000 square kilometres. There is another to the west of us that is 14,000 square kilometres! No wonder they have to use aircraft to round up their cattle.
Late afternoon of Monday September 10th found us at a quiet campground just outside Matarnaka which had been recommended to us the previous evening. Mataranka is on the Stuart Highway, the main north-south route which basically bisects Australia from Adelaide through Alice Springs to Darwin. We joined it at Three Ways Roadhouse and headed north, getting as far as the dusty village of Mataranka. We checked into the campground and were delighted to find plenty of shade trees to shelter the tent from the intense late afternoon sun.
This day was my 59th birthday and I was celebrating it in probably the most remote place I'd ever had a birthday. My only “celebration” was to be a wonderful swim in the thermal pools for which Mataranka is famous. After we got set up, we took a stroll about half a kilometre to the thermal hot springs where swimming hole was in the midst of an oasis in the dry land. Tthe spring has supported growth of palm trees and other green vegetation and the area looked utterly divine in orange glow of the setting sun. The swim in the pool was wonderful....very calming and relaxing. Sue hadn't felt like going in, but I think regretted her decision not to don her bathing suit after hearing my ooh and aah as I floated in the warm water. Unfortunately, she didn't get a chance to go back as that night she came down with a nasty stomach bug and was quite ill the next morning. We had been planning to leave for Katherine but instead we arranged for one of the air conditioned on-site cabins from Bruce, the brother of the fellow we'd dined with at Berkley Station, and Sue spent the day sleeping. Luckily she was much better Wednesday and we set off for Katherine.
Sue has been wanted to visit Katherine for many years. The Katherine Gorge is world famous and is a “must-see” attraction for anyone visiting this part of the world. We had only a 100km drive that morning so we arrived at the lovely campground, set by a river with lots of shade trees and a huge pool, before noon. The sun was beating down and the temperature was hovering around 35 by the time we entered the town's only shopping mall and were greeted with a wonderful blast of cool air from the mall's air conditioning. We had some shopping to do at Woolies (have I mentioned before that Woolworths is one of the two large national food chains in Australia?) We also wanted to stop in at the Visitor Information Centre to book our Katherine tour for the next day.
Thursday morning we were up early to get breakfast in before our 30km drive to the Gorge and our 9:00 a.m. Departure on the river tour. We had booked a four hour trip which took us along the Katherine river which, at this time of year (dry season) at least, meanders slowly through the gorge on its way to the sea near Darwin. In the wet season the river becomes a raging torrent some 10-15 deeper than it is in the winter months and is only navigable by high powered speed boats which use their 450 hp engines to push upstream against the might flow. On this beautiful clear day though, our flat-bottom tourist “barge” with twin 40 hp outboards was perfect for the job.
We joined about 25 others on the boat and set off upstream. The tour took us to the first three of thirteen separate gorges stretching south eastward. Each of the gorges are separated by rapids which the boats cannot navigate, so we had to disembark and portage upstream a few hundred metres to board another boat waiting to continue the journey. The scenery along the river was awe inspiring. The cliffs of the gorge rose vertically on each side of the river, their orange, gold and brown rock sparkling in the morning sunshine. Small white sand beaches appeared at intervals and we could see tracks made by some of the fresh water crocodiles that inhabit the river. Our Aboriginal guide told us that these relatively small crocs are no danger to man and that they subsist primarily on a diet of insects if you can believe it.
We marvelled at the beauty of the gorge as each new bend in the river brought a new and dramatic vista before us. Several times we passed canoers paddling their bright yellow craft slowly along the river. We thought that would be a great way to see the gorge too, but unfortunately my hip eliminated that option. But our boat trip was perfect anyway. At the end of the third gorge we turned around and retraced our path, till we got to the last portage where we stopped for morning tea (morning and afternoon teas are a standard of half day tours here) and a wonderful swim and a calm pool at the base of the small rapids in the river. What a delight! The temperature was in the high thirties by this time, so the lovely cool water of the river was very refreshing. So the Katherine Gorge had been all we'd expected and more....one of Sue's long-term ambitions fulfilled!
That evening we sat around with two Aussie couples who have both sold up and are caravaning around their country. One of the couples was our age while the other was in their thirties, but we all shared a common goal of seeing much of this vast country. The older woman was a Canadian expat having emigrated from Vancouver 30+ years ago. Hers is a story we've heard more than once...came for a visit and never left. We have often speculated on this trip what would have happened if we had come to Australia in 1977 instead of New Zealand....we might well be Aussies ourselves by now!
Friday Sept 14
Well I will finish off this entry and try to post it at the free Internet hot spot we discovered in the mall here in Katherine. We are sitting in the cool shade of the campground after a morning visit to Edith Falls about 65 kms north of here. Several people had recommended we go, so we set off this morning hoping to do the walking circuit before the real heat of the day hit. The sign at the start of the trail noted that temperatures on the escarpment where we were climbing to could hit the mid 40s, so be sure to take plenty of water and sunscreen!
Once again we discovered an absolute gem. A climb up a rocky path and along a trail took us to the falls. Several large pools are connected by cascading falls....it reminded us a little of Chemuk Champay in Guatemala where we had seen some spectacular cascading pools. We were already hot and sweating from only 1.5 kms of hiking, so we weren't two minutes getting into the wonderfully cool waters....what a treat. We swam around the pools for almost an hour, not anxious to get back to the intense heat of the trail nor the incessant buzzing of flies around our heads. (We have finally encountered the flies for which the outback is noted. They buzz around your head continually landing in ears, nostrils and eye sockets. Insect repellent smeared liberally on the skin pretty much keeps them from landing, but their buzzing around is very annoying, though something of an Aussie icon). Anyway, the swim and scenery were well worth the effort. By the time we got back to the van, the day was sweltering and we put the A/C on full blast as we headed back to Katherine.
Well, you are up to date as of today. Tomorrow we are heading to Kununurra and will be crossing into Western Australia...a state we've never been to before. Lot's more interesting things to see. So, till next time.....
Robb and Sue
Katherine, Northern Territory
I am sitting in the “veranda” of our tent on a hot night in Katherine typing this note which we will send off tomorrow. Our 4500 km journey from Cairns to Broome is now about half complete as we are smack in the middle of the Northern Territory, some 350 kms south of Darwin. So far, we've had a fantastic trip, having driven through amazing terrain and having seen some interesting places. We are taking a bit of a break here in Katherine as we will stay for three nights before again taking to the road on our westward trek.
Our trip has gone very smoothly with no problems other than a screw in one of our tires which caused a puncture (when it was removed at the tire store....no flat tires luckily in the middle of nowhere) and had to be repaired. We have spent many long hours on the road driving along the surprisingly good roads but have rarely been bored. The outback country side is much more diverse than we had thought it would be. There are of course, areas where little else but scrub grasses cover the terrain for as far as the eye can see, but much of the land is covered by a surprising number of trees and scrub bushes. The terrain seems to change every 20 kms or so, so it keeps things interesting. In many ways it's like driving through central Alberta or Saskatchewan with a couple of significant differences. First, the soil is a bright rust color in most areas and second, much of the land is absolutely uninhabited. We passed stretches where for over 200 kms there wasn't a building of any kind....no farm houses, towns, shelters, or anything. And of course the roads are so straight you just have to point the car in the right direction and step on the gas! A curve in the road is something to take note of! Another difference with driving in Canada is the amount of roadkill here. On average there is something dead and decaying on the side of the road every couple of kilometres. We've seen many kangaroos but also cattle, dingos and even a large feral pig. Most of these would probably have been done in at night by the large trucks and road trains which rumble along the highways all night. Anyway, driving here has been a better experience than we had thought it might be and all in all has been an interesting part of our last ten days.
We left Cairns on Monday September 3rd and headed south along the coast to Innisfail where we turned west and headed inland towards our first stop, Undara. Undara is famous for the lava tubes that were formed from volcanic eruptions millions of years ago and we planned to take a tour the next day. The campground was a bit of a “bush camp” but it was adequate. We set up our tent and after cooking up a meal, went to a presentation by one of the camp rangers around a campfire. Once again we got the lowdown on all the nasty creatures around this part of Australia .... mostly the various snakes that can fill you full of highly toxic venom in the blink of an eye. We had heard similar pitches at various zoos and other attractions, but it was nice to sit in the cool evening around the campfire.
The next morning we did a short walk through the bush and then headed off on our afternoon tour of the lava tubes. These were basically a series of caves, some of them elongated in a the form of a tube (funny that) where the lava had oozed through eons ago. Some of them were huge, sixty or seventy feet in diameter and at a couple of places we had to be very careful as we scrambled over rocks piled at a tube entrance. Nothing as difficult as our Guatemalan cave adventure, but a little challenging just the same. The tour was interesting but we both agreed not as good as the cave tour we'd taken in Chillagoe some weeks before.
The next morning we packed up the tent and set out on the road for Charters Towers, a town about 350 kms to the southeast of Undara. In effect we were backtracking somewhat but we wanted to avoid the unpaved roads which lead westward on the more direct route. And we had quite the trip. Much of the road was single track which means a narrow strip of paved road wide enough for one vehicle bordered by gravel shoulders. When two vehicles approach they slow down and pass on their respective shoulders. All vehicles that is except the gargantuan road trains which thunder along these roads. Road trains are comprised of huge semi-trailer-type tractors pulling 3, 4 or even 5 trailers. Many road trains have typical “container” like trailers, but there are many cattle cars, oil tankers and huge ore carriers. Rest assured that these heavyweights control the road and they don't go to the shoulder...you do! So driving along this road to Charters Towers, I had to be constantly alert for on coming traffic and had to make an instant assessment whenever a vehicle appeared as to when to head to the shoulder as the surface of thesese gravel strips varied considerably. But despite being showered with pebbles and dust a few times, we made in unscathed to join the main road running west which is fully sealed and two lanes.
We found a nice campground in Charters Towers and opted to stay in an on-site cabin for the night. In the morning we had a walk around this picturesque town which is full of late 18th century buildings which have been fully restored. Charters Towers was once a large commercial centre catering to the need of thousands of prospectors who came to the area from all over the world in search of the precious metal which had been found in large quantities in the area. The gold rush is long over, but the town has tried to keep alive the memories of those boom times.
In the late morning, we headed west to Hughenden another small town on the westward route. About noon, we stopped at a rest stop where there was a lookout overlooking the surrounding terrain. As we pulled up I noticed two large bikes parked there and a couple of middle aged bikers. We exchange a “g'day” with them and then they were on there way. I mention this only because later in the day, we drove out from the town of Hughenden to an escarpment some 10 kms away which had been recommended by the local tourist office as a great place to watch the sunset. We made our way carefully along the back country road and up the steep incline to the top of the mesa-like structure. And of course we were surprised to find two other people there as well...you guessed it...the bikers we'd seen at the lookout en route. We chatted with them as we had a can of 4X and took in the magnificent 360 degree view from this high vantage point. They were interesting fellows, forty-ish, who were using their vacation to bike around this part of outback Queensland. We watched the sun sink, turning the sky to a deep red color and the surrounding grasslands to deep orange, and then made our way back to town as the black night quickly descended.
The next morning we were off to Mount Isa, the fabled mining town in Western Queensland. As the Aussies say, you're not a real Australian till you've been to The Isa. The road was long and dry...the terrain a mixture of grasslands, rocky outcroppings and scrub trees. We arrived at the campground in the early afternoon and set up tent before heading to town for a few grocs. The town of Mt. Isa is dominated by the mine which sits on a slight rise to the west. Two huge smokestacks rise into the clear sky, a light stream of smoke from each wafting up and away to the west. The Isa Mine is one of the largest lead/copper/zinc mines in the word with hundreds of kilometres of tunnels reaching a depth of over 2kms. The surface mine plant itself is massive seemingly stretching half the length of the town. In fact, the early days the town was divided into two separate towns...one side being the mine side and the other the town site. The mine remains the town's raison d'etre though there is a flourishing tourist industry to augment the mining bucks.
We spent two nights in the Isa. On our second day we toured the mining museum where we saw a couple of very interesting films about the history of Mt Isa and things to see in the area. There was even a mention of Calgary in one of them as they said the prize money at the yearly Isa Rodeo was second only to the Calgary Stampede. We then pottered around town and drove up a small hill for a panoramic view of the area and a look at large sign post with directions and distances to places around the world. The afternoon was spent relaxing at the camp pool something we had committed to do every few days on this long trek. Most of the better campgrounds here have pools and they are a great way to cool off after a long drive or day of site seeing.
We were up early the next morning and our first order of business was to take the tent down before sun started to send the temperature skyrocketing. We are usually sweating profusely by the time the tent is packed, so we take it down first and then have breakfast and showers.
We headed west from Mt Isa on Sunday September 9th heading for the only habitation for the next 1000 kms or so, the Berkley Roadhouse. Roadhouses are Outback traditions...small outposts in the middle of nowhere where there is fuel, accommodation and food available. We had decided to book a motel room here at this road station which consists of a gas station, pub/restaurant, campground and 10 motel units. We were very glad we had chosen this option as the campground was hot and dry. The motel room was very nice, especially the cool, air conditioned interior! We had a walk around the grounds in the late afternoon heat but were soon back at the small pool for a refreshing dip. Just before sunset I ventured out to see if I could get a good sunset shot, and was amazed to see a cloud of red dust behind the gas station churned up by a single-engined Cesna which was rolling to a stop. I was dumbfounded as to how it had got there as there was no airstrip we could see anywhere around the place. I knew that planes and helicopters were used by ranchers in this part of the world to round up cattle from their large ranches, but where this one had landed I had no idea. It was only the next day when we stopped at the Three Ways Roadhouse for a coffee that we learned ranchers often land their light planes right on the road and will drop into a road house for visit or to get some provisions. I guess with the vector-like roads and infrequent traffic, it makes sense for these planes to use the highway as a landing strip.
We decided to have a meal at the pub that evening and were lucky enough to strike up a conversation with a retired fellow who was on his way back home in Victoria. He had been visiting his brother who ran a campground at Mataranka and he said we would enjoy a night there if we were in the area. Matarank was between planned stops for us, but as it turned out we had a long drive the next day covering nearly 800 kms and did make it to this recommended stopover.
As we drove along the next morning, again fascinated with the expanse of territory stretching before us, we remembered reading about the cattle ranches or “stations” in this part of Australia.....the largest in the world. The Berkley Roadhouse had been located in the middle of a station that was 10,000 square kilometres. There is another to the west of us that is 14,000 square kilometres! No wonder they have to use aircraft to round up their cattle.
Late afternoon of Monday September 10th found us at a quiet campground just outside Matarnaka which had been recommended to us the previous evening. Mataranka is on the Stuart Highway, the main north-south route which basically bisects Australia from Adelaide through Alice Springs to Darwin. We joined it at Three Ways Roadhouse and headed north, getting as far as the dusty village of Mataranka. We checked into the campground and were delighted to find plenty of shade trees to shelter the tent from the intense late afternoon sun.
This day was my 59th birthday and I was celebrating it in probably the most remote place I'd ever had a birthday. My only “celebration” was to be a wonderful swim in the thermal pools for which Mataranka is famous. After we got set up, we took a stroll about half a kilometre to the thermal hot springs where swimming hole was in the midst of an oasis in the dry land. Tthe spring has supported growth of palm trees and other green vegetation and the area looked utterly divine in orange glow of the setting sun. The swim in the pool was wonderful....very calming and relaxing. Sue hadn't felt like going in, but I think regretted her decision not to don her bathing suit after hearing my ooh and aah as I floated in the warm water. Unfortunately, she didn't get a chance to go back as that night she came down with a nasty stomach bug and was quite ill the next morning. We had been planning to leave for Katherine but instead we arranged for one of the air conditioned on-site cabins from Bruce, the brother of the fellow we'd dined with at Berkley Station, and Sue spent the day sleeping. Luckily she was much better Wednesday and we set off for Katherine.
Sue has been wanted to visit Katherine for many years. The Katherine Gorge is world famous and is a “must-see” attraction for anyone visiting this part of the world. We had only a 100km drive that morning so we arrived at the lovely campground, set by a river with lots of shade trees and a huge pool, before noon. The sun was beating down and the temperature was hovering around 35 by the time we entered the town's only shopping mall and were greeted with a wonderful blast of cool air from the mall's air conditioning. We had some shopping to do at Woolies (have I mentioned before that Woolworths is one of the two large national food chains in Australia?) We also wanted to stop in at the Visitor Information Centre to book our Katherine tour for the next day.
Thursday morning we were up early to get breakfast in before our 30km drive to the Gorge and our 9:00 a.m. Departure on the river tour. We had booked a four hour trip which took us along the Katherine river which, at this time of year (dry season) at least, meanders slowly through the gorge on its way to the sea near Darwin. In the wet season the river becomes a raging torrent some 10-15 deeper than it is in the winter months and is only navigable by high powered speed boats which use their 450 hp engines to push upstream against the might flow. On this beautiful clear day though, our flat-bottom tourist “barge” with twin 40 hp outboards was perfect for the job.
We joined about 25 others on the boat and set off upstream. The tour took us to the first three of thirteen separate gorges stretching south eastward. Each of the gorges are separated by rapids which the boats cannot navigate, so we had to disembark and portage upstream a few hundred metres to board another boat waiting to continue the journey. The scenery along the river was awe inspiring. The cliffs of the gorge rose vertically on each side of the river, their orange, gold and brown rock sparkling in the morning sunshine. Small white sand beaches appeared at intervals and we could see tracks made by some of the fresh water crocodiles that inhabit the river. Our Aboriginal guide told us that these relatively small crocs are no danger to man and that they subsist primarily on a diet of insects if you can believe it.
We marvelled at the beauty of the gorge as each new bend in the river brought a new and dramatic vista before us. Several times we passed canoers paddling their bright yellow craft slowly along the river. We thought that would be a great way to see the gorge too, but unfortunately my hip eliminated that option. But our boat trip was perfect anyway. At the end of the third gorge we turned around and retraced our path, till we got to the last portage where we stopped for morning tea (morning and afternoon teas are a standard of half day tours here) and a wonderful swim and a calm pool at the base of the small rapids in the river. What a delight! The temperature was in the high thirties by this time, so the lovely cool water of the river was very refreshing. So the Katherine Gorge had been all we'd expected and more....one of Sue's long-term ambitions fulfilled!
That evening we sat around with two Aussie couples who have both sold up and are caravaning around their country. One of the couples was our age while the other was in their thirties, but we all shared a common goal of seeing much of this vast country. The older woman was a Canadian expat having emigrated from Vancouver 30+ years ago. Hers is a story we've heard more than once...came for a visit and never left. We have often speculated on this trip what would have happened if we had come to Australia in 1977 instead of New Zealand....we might well be Aussies ourselves by now!
Friday Sept 14
Well I will finish off this entry and try to post it at the free Internet hot spot we discovered in the mall here in Katherine. We are sitting in the cool shade of the campground after a morning visit to Edith Falls about 65 kms north of here. Several people had recommended we go, so we set off this morning hoping to do the walking circuit before the real heat of the day hit. The sign at the start of the trail noted that temperatures on the escarpment where we were climbing to could hit the mid 40s, so be sure to take plenty of water and sunscreen!
Once again we discovered an absolute gem. A climb up a rocky path and along a trail took us to the falls. Several large pools are connected by cascading falls....it reminded us a little of Chemuk Champay in Guatemala where we had seen some spectacular cascading pools. We were already hot and sweating from only 1.5 kms of hiking, so we weren't two minutes getting into the wonderfully cool waters....what a treat. We swam around the pools for almost an hour, not anxious to get back to the intense heat of the trail nor the incessant buzzing of flies around our heads. (We have finally encountered the flies for which the outback is noted. They buzz around your head continually landing in ears, nostrils and eye sockets. Insect repellent smeared liberally on the skin pretty much keeps them from landing, but their buzzing around is very annoying, though something of an Aussie icon). Anyway, the swim and scenery were well worth the effort. By the time we got back to the van, the day was sweltering and we put the A/C on full blast as we headed back to Katherine.
Well, you are up to date as of today. Tomorrow we are heading to Kununurra and will be crossing into Western Australia...a state we've never been to before. Lot's more interesting things to see. So, till next time.....
Robb and Sue
Only time for a few pictures to be uploaded this time...hopefully many more to follow next time.
Atypical view out our front windscreen.
A view over the town of Mt. Isa
Unfortunately an all too common site on outback roads.
This "stitched" photo of a road train didn't turn out very well...there were actually four trailers, but it gives you the idea!
A northern Australia icon...termite mounds ... some are 8-10 ft or more tall.
The swimming hole in the Katherine Gorge 
The swimming hole in the Katherine Gorge 
A view of the steep cliffs along the gorge.
Swimming in the Katherine Gorge.
On the walk to Edith Falls
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