Camooweal to Lara Station

Shortly after crossing back into Queensland, we arrived at Camooweal. The following night was spent camping by the Georgina River just outside town, in the same spot where we camped not long ago. 

With the threat of rain once again forecast for the afternoon of our second night's stay, we decided to move away from the black soil surrounding the billabong to a safer location.
 
We wanted to shop in Mt Isa but preferred not to stay in a caravan park, so we drove to the WWll Airfield Rest Area, 54 km NW of Mt Isa, for the evening. The site features eco-toilets, shelters, and barbecues. It's currently 4:10 pm, and we are surrounded by dark clouds with quite heavy drops of rain falling on the van. Hopefully, it will help cool down another very hot day, with the temperature at Camooweal when we left just after midday being 39 degrees.

The wind picked up this afternoon as we sat outside enjoying our evening drinks, with the sound of thunder all around but very little rain. 
The temperature has dropped considerably and is now quite pleasant at 28.5 °c inside the van.
 
We are waiting for the wind to ease so we can put up the awning and cook our meal outside on our BBQ, which eventually happened. We ate inside first, then sat outside with another glass of wine, admiring the incredible lightning off to the west.
 
It rained heavily on and off throughout the night, and we were awake several times, shutting and opening windows as the wind changed direction many times. It was cool enough during the evening to pull up the doona for extra warmth. 
This morning was overcast with rain and a cool 21 °c, which makes for a lovely change.
We shared this large campsite with another van and several Wizz Bang vans.
 
With more consistent and heavier rain falling at 9 am, we decided to move into the Isa. Just under an hour later, we were looking for a place to park the van near one of the alcohol outlets, but that wasn't to be. Undeterred, I still managed to carry the carton of Fat Yak across the main highway and several hundred metres to where the van was parked in a side street. Then it was on to Coles and the dump point next to the racecourse.
 
A word of warning...all supermarkets are closed on Sundays in the Isa.
 
Our original plan was to continue on to Julia Creek for a few days, but with the free camp surrounded by black soil, we changed our minds.
With light rain still falling, we decided to head for Mary Kathleen, where we camped in early September. The access road into the old township was a bit boggy in places, and we camped on one of the old bitumen streets.

Another enjoyable evening with no road noise from the highway, and four more groups camped up for the night.
 
We left early today for a long drive that would take us through Cloncurry, before stopping in McKinlay for a coffee. We passed through here on our way to Darwin and stopped at the Walkabout Hotel, made famous by Paul Hogan in the first Crocodile Dundee film, to enjoy a brew.
This time, we took a detour down a side street to a local park and came across a plaque and statue honouring John McKinlay. He was born in Scotland in 1819 and died in Gawler, South Australia, in 1872.

He was commissioned by the State Government to search for the missing Burke and Wills Expedition. With his party, along with horses, cattle, camels, and sheep, he left Adelaide in 1861 and reached the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1862. He thereby completed the first and greatest transcontinental droving feat. We then passed through Kynuna and Winton before stopping for the night at the Crawford Creek Rest Area, just over 32 km south-east of Winton. 

Our original plan was to camp at Long Waterhole just south of Winton, but with the recent rains and the black soil, that was enough reason not to. We have often passed this rest area, so now was as good a time as any to stop here for the evening. We backed the van in as far as possible to get away from the highway, but we didn't need to bother because there was very little passing traffic during the night. 

Later, we were joined by another van and a 4WD, and we all sat together over evening drinks before heading indoors for dinner. What a shock to the system this morning at 6am, with the van interior at just 14.6 degrees. The hot water system was cranked up, and after each of us had a hot shower and a coffee, we were feeling much warmer. 

We left around 8ish as we headed for Longreach, another 132 km away. Here, we refuelled before stopping in Ilfracombe for coffee, then passed through Barcaldine, where we turned south onto the Landsborough Highway. Our last five-day stay at Lara Station was so enjoyable that we just had to come back again. What a shock to see the auction sign as we turned off the Landsborough Highway onto the 13-km dirt access road leading to the station.

We were here to spend the next five days, and upon arrival, there were just two other groups, which left the following morning. Jo is no longer able to cope with the crippling debt after her husband died in 2014. She hopes to have enough money to clear her debts, purchase 1000 acres near Mt Morgan, and do some travelling. The auction is scheduled for November 15th.
 
One of our days was spent travelling the 41 km into Barcaldine to do some shopping and sightseeing, but the rest of the time has been dedicated to relaxing. Ros has identified 27 bird species so far, and with one more day here, I'm sure the count will increase.

This rack of lamb was bought before we left home, so it was about time it was cooked.

Jo's mare gave birth to this beautiful colt on our second last day, and we were so thrilled to have the chance to see him with Mum and Dad in the background.

Mother Nature certainly left her best till last with this most amazing sunset for our final evening.

During our last two days, we assisted Jo and Bill, the caretaker, in moving sprinklers around the camping area after the lawns had been cut and trimmed. The estate agent, who is holding the auction, was bringing interested groups through for inspections.

 

We wish Jo all the best for the future.

The Northern Territory

The prediction of heavy rain last night did not come true, but we did receive some rain in Camooweal, though it was hardly enough to wet the ground.
 
There was also a noisy crowd at the pub, which ended in a fight, and the van park where we are staying is attached to the pub. We were kept awake well past midnight with all the drunks in the street. Lesson learned...
 
We left around 9ish and were soon crossing into the Northern Territory. Most of the creeks for the next 66 km, until we reached Avon Downs, still contained water, and for our entire 376 km journey, the roadside verges were covered with lush, green grass.
 
We made a quick stop at Wonarah Bore for our morning coffee before stopping at the Barkly Roadhouse for lunch. Two bottles of iced chocolate, a sausage roll, and an egg and bacon roll cost over $23.00. Ouch..
 
We had planned to continue across the Barkly Tableland past the Three Ways this evening, but once we reached the 41 Mile Bore Rest Area, I decided that was enough for the day and that we needed to stop for the night. The strong headwind we had been driving into all day was another reason for stopping early.

Last year, when we camped here, we spent time collecting eight bags of rubbish and disposing of them in the bins provided. This year, we were pleasantly surprised by how clean the area was, until we walked towards the rear of the site and were utterly disgusted by the amount of toilet paper and faeces scattered on the ground. Soon, free sites like this will be closed all over the country. It may be the backpackers in their flashy vans, Australians who have no idea, or simply those who just don't care.
 
Several drops of rain fell this afternoon, with more overnight, but again, not as much as had been forecast.
We left just after 8am and, 70 km later, reached the Three Ways before turning north onto the Stuart Highway, which would eventually lead us to Darwin. From there, we continued north towards Daly Waters. Our original plan was to camp for seven days at Longreach Waterhole, but recent rains have led us to believe that the black soil surrounding the waterhole might trap us indefinitely.
As we passed the turnoff, it was clear that the access road was flooded with pools of water, making our decision a wise one.
 
We arrived in Daly Waters and paid $20 for an unpowered site, with powered sites costing $32.
The campground is a large dirt paddock; a better option is to stay at the Highway Inn Motel and Caravan Park. It's located on the Stuart Highway, not far from Daly Waters, and offers much better facilities, including a swimming pool and lush green grass.

 

The pubs license has been in continual use since 1930 and it's a little unconventional because over the years many female customers have donated their bras and G-Strings which hang from the ceiling along with all other sorts of memorabilia.

The nearby aerodrome was constructed in 1930. Qantas operated from the facility from 1935 as a refuelling stop for its flights to Darwin and London. The RAAF also utilised the strip during World War II. 

It rained intermittently throughout most of the night, but not quite enough to prevent us from leaving the campground, although we did pick up some mud on our tyres.
 
We continued further north and were surprised by the amount of water along the side of the road and in the spoon drains. I lived in Darwin in the seventies, and the water beside the road reminded me of what it's like during the monsoon season.

We passed through Mataranka before staying for several nights in Katherine. Katherine received 42mm of rain the night before our arrival, and it rained intermittently on our first day. We were there to buy groceries and alcohol to last us for the next two weeks. 

Alcohol is now only sold from 2pm onwards, and each outlet has a police officer on duty to ask where you are staying.
 
As we left Katherine this morning, the skies were dark with storm clouds.
We are now on our way towards Pine Creek and drove through quite heavy rain at several points.
 
Our original plan was to spend a week in Darwin, but that turned into two weeks. The high temperatures and intensely humid conditions have led to many southerners leaving to return home. We are staying at Hidden Valley Tourist Park, about 10 km south of Darwin and just off the Stuart Highway. Currently, 15 of the 180 sites are occupied.
We wouldn't dare visit during the busier months when it's packed with campers; that’s just not our scene.
 
We left Darwin after a very enjoyable fortnight. Our drive today, just over 300 km, will take us back to Katherine for four days of camping. Our Landcruiser is scheduled to go to the Toyota dealer for its 30,000 km service and wheel alignment.
 
If you don't mind the heat, then the middle of September and October are the perfect times of year to stay north of the Tropic of Capricorn. The days are hot, but the main bonus is that there aren't too many people travelling. We are again staying at the Big 4 park, where just ten vans are currently parked. It’s far better than being squeezed in like a can of anchovies.

Daily temperatures are in the high thirties, with expectations to reach the forties later this week.
 
Our drive today, on Monday, 17th October, will be 435 km, with the final 13 km over a sandy and slightly corrugated track. We are again camping at Longreach Waterhole, just north of Elliott on the Stuart Highway. 

We camped here last year on our way to the Kimberleys.

 

This waterhole is a permanent body of water on Newcastle Creek. At the southern end is Lake Woods, which fills after good rains. Unlike Longreach Waterhole, Lake Woods is on private property, and access is not possible.

 

The area is managed by NT Parks and Wildlife, and, of course, camping is allowed, with the only facilities being rubbish collection and a long-drop toilet. There are numerous spots to camp beside the waterhole, which stretches for many kilometres.

We spent two days here, and on arrival, there was just one other van. We camped about 20 metres from the waterhole, and because the ground sloped towards the water, I dug two holes so that the offside tyres would sit in the holes without needing to use our levelling ramps.

Whenever we free camp, we like to leave the area in a better condition than when we arrived. Our walk this morning of just over a kilometre with disposable gloves in hand and a bag produced this, which we deposited in a nearby bin.

After experiencing the bird life in Kakadu, it's almost impossible to get excited about any other area we have ever visited. Apart from the several hundred pelicans and the occasional kite flying overhead, that was pretty much it. We have often seen the ritual where the pelicans work together as a team to herd fish into the shallows before they're up and head down underwater to locate the fish. It was no different here, watching this spectacle played out many times each day.

It was time to move on, and we soon rejoined the highway as we continued south towards The Three Ways before turning east onto the Barkly Highway. Our drive today of 587 km takes us to the Soudan Bore Rest Area, located 132 km past the Barkly Roadhouse.

We thought we would have company tonight, but the two groups of people travelling together left just after we arrived, so we had the whole place to ourselves for the evening. The site is quite close to the road, but we only heard the occasional truck pass during the night. Yet again, the whole campsite resembles a pig sty with rubbish lying about everywhere, including toilet wipes and toilet paper blowing in the breeze. I cleaned up the immediate area around our campsite within a thirty-metre radius and deposited what I had collected into one of the many bird-proof bins spread around the site. 

Less than two hours after leaving last night's campsite and 132 km later, we crossed back into Queensland.

Darwin and Surrounds

Another short drive today of just over 200 km. After spending the past seven days in Kakadu, we joined the Arnhem Highway and soon stopped at the Mamukala Wetlands. The wetlands are at their best late in the season when the water begins to recede, causing the birds to gather together. We managed to take some wonderful photos from the largest bird hide we have ever seen, located on the edge of the wetlands.

 

My parents lived on Myilly Point in Darwin in the late sixties, and I attended my final years of schooling there. Our house was on a cliff overlooking Mindil Beach. This was before the casino was built.

The accommodation at Myilly Point was reserved for the heads of all government departments, including the Army Colonel whose residence was at the very tip. The only exception was the private residence of the Paspaleys, who own the largest pearling company in Australia. Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin in 1974, causing widespread destruction that included demolishing all the houses on Myilly Point. 

Aside from the houses that make up the Myilly Point Heritage Precinct, the only remaining house on Myilly Point is the rebuilt Paspaleys' house. We had planned to stay at the Free Spirit Caravan Park, but after hearing about the conditions there, we chose to camp at a park in Hidden Valley instead. We pre-booked a site while still in Kakadu, but it was unnecessary as most southerners had already left for home to escape the high temperatures and humidity, being so late in the season.

We recommend the Hidden Valley Tourist Park.  

We chose a premium, large powered site out of six available. There are 180 powered sites in total, most of which have en-suite facilities. When we arrived, it was lucky if 50 were occupied. We had planned to stay for a week, but due to low occupancy, we extended our stay by another week.
 
The Top End, like the rest of Australia, has been experiencing unusual weather. 
Much of Kakadu was closed due to rain, and we have been experiencing thunderstorms most afternoons, accompanied by rain.
As we drove along the Stuart Highway on our second day heading towards the Mindil Beach markets, the heavens opened up, reminding me of life during the wet season.

Each day has been spent heading off to a different point of interest in the morning, then returning after lunch to relax in the pool and our lovely, air-conditioned van.
 
The Truma Aventa air conditioner now being installed in Bushtracker vans is just fantastic and far superior to the one in our previous Bushtracker. With outside temperatures well above 35 degrees, sometimes nearing 40, and the humidity sapping our energy, this air conditioner keeps the van's interior at a very comfortable 26 degrees or below every day.
 
Some of our outings have included:
Cullen Bay..

The Darwin Military Museum is situated at East Point, about 8 km east of the city centre. The museum primarily exhibits the defence of Darwin during the Second World War. On 19th February 1942 at 09:58, Darwin was attacked by 188 aircraft from Japanese aircraft carriers. There was a subsequent raid involving 54 aircraft at 11:45, which resulted in 235 fatalities.

Also located nearby is the East Point Reserve, which exhibits evidence of Darwin's wartime history.

We ventured south from Darwin one day to swim and photograph Litchfield National Park and Berry Springs Nature Park. Litchfield is located 129 km south of Darwin. We last visited here in 1996, and boardwalks have been added in many places to accommodate the increasing number of visitors. This termite mound is over five metres high and is estimated to be over fifty years old.

These magnetic termite mounds are aligned north to south to minimise the exposure to the sun.

Access to Florence Falls was closed when we visited, so we took our photos from the lookout.

Wangi Falls is the most popular because of its easy access.

Berry Springs is 58 km south of Darwin and is a lovely spot to cool down.

Today, we visited the Australian Aviation Heritage Centre just down the road from where we are staying in Berrimah. There are some impressive aircraft on display, including a Spitfire, Mirage, F111, several helicopters, and the B52, which dwarfs all the other aircraft.

We spent several hours along the waterfront before stopping for lunch.

On another outing, we visited Doctors Gully to see the Aquascene fish feeding that takes place during high tide. This scene has been happening since the 1950s, when wild fish come in and are hand fed slices of bread.

We were very disappointed with our visit to the Darwin Botanical Gardens. We last visited here twenty years ago, and even though it's towards the end of the dry season, we thought the entire place was badly neglected.

On our 2nd last day we visited the Skycity Casino for lunch. The casino overlooks Mindil Beach.

Just as we had finished cooking our dinner on our last evening, a significant downpour lasted for about fifteen minutes. The build-up to the wet season has indeed begun.