Mataranka to Kakadu Day 34 to 44

There has been a shift in climate since approaching Katherine. Shorts and thongs are the new uniform. We arrived at Mataranka to 32 degrees and 14 overnight. Driving along the Stuart Highway we have seen the landscape change and change again. Spinifex and desert oak, then low rocky scrubland and now tall eucalypt forest. Through it all are cattle stations, some of them too big to fence. It must be cost effective for the farmers to lose a few stock rather than build the fences. Ant hills appear like tombstones, then grow tall and castle-like the further north we travel. 

Animals love it up here. Our campsite is home to little wallabies and flying foxes. You can’t miss the Fork Tailed and Whistling Kites which are constantly circling, nor our favourite Apostle birds who descend to scratch crumbs from beneath your feet. Lorrikeets, Blue faced Honey eater, Great bowerbird, Red tailed Black Cockatoo and even the little Blue Kingfishers will all be spotted by those with a keen eye. But it is the Hot Springs that draw people to Mataranka. 

Water filters down through the rocks miles away and emerges here through the limestone at about 35 degrees. A swim in the pools has been a real treat for us. Floating along with the slow flowing current at Bitter Springs was just magic. 

Our neighbours here are a musical family who provide the entertainment each night. On their night off, the standard dropped somewhat, until someone produced a snake. People flocked to hold the Northern Tree Snake which proceeded to bite a French tourist on the hand. Nothing says “sorry” like a few complementary drinks from the bar. Territory First Aid. The snake is only mildly venomous. Walking back to the tent Kael spotted, and I disposed of, our first Cane Toad. Then two more. I live to give. Yep, this is the real Australia.

Much to her delight, Lissa has discovered frozen spinach. Little ice hockey pucks of frozen green goodness.

None of us could resist a repeat visit to the hot springs after packup on our last morning. Snorkelling downstream at Bitter Springs revealed a world of limestone and giant tree roots with turtles fleeing to safety. Above the water, birds and palm trees even a White Chested Sea Eagle (it seems he has been stripped of his former lewd title).

Katherine forms the bottom corner of the humid triangle linking Darwin and Jabiru in Kakadu. It is the birthplace of Cadel Evans and Mango growing country. Travellers are often stocking up on supplies on their way South to Alice or West to Broome. Consequently, campsites are at a premium but we managed to secure a cheap and somewhat basic site by the river.

Katherine has its own attractions close by. We decided to visit Edith Falls and leave Katherine Gorge for our return visit. 

The falls themselves are a modest sight in the dry, with more appealing pools perched above.  It’s hard to imagine a better swimming spot with plenty of deep water to dive into. 

Katherine also has hot springs which the kids all enjoyed. Kael joined some local indigenous kids on the rope swing, Naomi found a $2 coin on the rocky bottom and Eva bobbed about with her floaties.

Kakadu demands a visit, however, the park seems a little more work than the likes of Uluru. A fellow traveller referred to it as Kakadon’t, preferring other lesser known destinations nearby. They had never been to Kakadu. We proptly ignored their advice and headed straight to one of the scenes from Crocodile Dundee, Gunlom Falls. If it’s good enough for Paul Hogan, it’s good enough for me. Pass me a Fosters.

After setting up in the heat, we took a dip in the plunge pool at the bottom of the huge rock face. The dry season sees only a small volume falling down the 50m cliff. We didn’t spot the resident 1.8m Freshie but there was a File Snake submerged in crack between rocks on the water’s edge. The real prize is the pools at the top of the falls. Dinner had a backdrop of the pink sunset with the silhouette of trees and the sound of dingoes and Blue Winged Kookaburras. Just in case we missed the clues, small bats buzzed above our heads to remind us that we have arrived in Kakadu. Kakadon’t try and talk me out of enjoying this place.

The steep climb to the top at Gunlom is a small price to pay for such clear pools, just begging to be swum in. There is a window of stifling heat from midday to about 5pm. The pools provide both shade and swimming which seem the only antidote. A series of increasingly secluded pools continue upstream separated by small waterfalls.

Kael and I came across a couple of sand goannas sunning on the bank. We had learned from a Ranger talk the previous evening that the arrival of the poisonous Cane toad has sadly kept their numbers low. Goannas are amongst the favoured sources of bush tucker protein as well as turtles, fish, magpie geese and crocodile eggs.






Be under no illusion, ants are the rulers of this world. The evidence has become less subtle with termite mounds now resembling cathedrals. Eden became paradise lost when our tent became infested with tiny brown terminator ants. We were warned by our neighbours, but the lure of shade was too great. With our fridges chewing up battery power like a termite at Bunnings, and our tent demanding a spring clean, we made tracks for Cooinda on the Yellow Water Billabong. It proved to be good timing as we seem to have inherited a tummy bug in our travels. An intestinal ant perhaps? Kael has been hit hardest with the rest of us just feeling lethargic. 

A guided Ranger walk along the wetland bank was a good option as we reined in our plans. There he was, our first Saltwater Croc relaxing on the surface of the river just 20m away. 3 metres from teeth to tail. Wow. 

He would need to rest too with all the birds, fish and feral pigs around just begging to be snapped up. We have seen brumbies, a donkey and buffalo droppings as big as wedding cakes.


With energy levels returning to normal, we made our way to Maguk also known as Barramundi Gorge, and we weren’t disappointed. It is one of the more accessible falls with an easy walk to a deep plunge pool. 

As we approached the falls fish became more plentiful in the pools and we spotted our first Barra. It is amazing how the combination of midday heat and a strangers “all clear” are enough encouragement to ignore the crocodile warnings. That fresh water is just magic. My decision not to skinny dip, born of modesty, proved to be wisdom as an inquisitive Sooty Grunter decided to bite my finger. It was more of a peck than a pash. Fish were everywhere. I counted 12 different species including Barra, Saratoga and Long Tom. 

It was just the ticket to lift our spirits.

Kid's Journal Entries

Kael

Kael

Naomi

Naomi

Naomi

Naomi

Kael

Alice to Daly Waters Day 29 to 33

Alice Springs is a hard place to grasp. The river cuts a path through the MacDonnell Ranges which rise up sharply to the East and West. The town is dead flat and all the buildings low with corrugated iron fences keeping the suburbs hidden. Old Alice is a rough old bird. BIG 4 had us back in the lap of luxury. Hot showers, power, camp kitchen and for the adults, giant jumping pillow. If you are unfamiliar with the term “Jumping Pillow”, let me explain. Imaging a cross between a jumping castle and a trampoline. The pillow shape rises out of the sand and seems to handle an infinite number of bouncing kids.

Lissa had requested a day trip to Palm Valley where she’d been with her Mum 20 years ago. Palm Valley sits in the West MacDonnell Ranges 130km from Alice. It is a surprisingly beautiful drive along a flat road with jagged mountains either side parallel to the road. Swarms of Budgies fly erratically from gumtree to gumtree. After turning off the sealed road the dirt becomes river sand then river rocks. It was a beautiful drive with a few bits of real 4wding as we approached the natural spring. 

We walked along the ridge above then along the valley with its pools and giant palms. The kids photographed their first really noteworthy lizard. 

On our way home we were attacked by a squadron of Budgies. It was the last mission for one of the brave little pilots as he tried to enter our car through the windscreen.

Tuesday night, Kael and I had a crash-course in star gazing with a local astronomer. Wednesday night in the TV room, I single handedly fought off a bunch of uncultured campers who preferred Tour de France highlights to the State of Origin. Barbarians! I stood firm despite their mind games until reinforcements arrived.

A detour heading north saw the kids digging for gemstones in Gemtree. Garnets and Zircon are the main prize along with Rubies and Mica.

One of the surprising highlights of our trip has turned out to be camping at the Devil’s Marbles. This place rocks. No really, it’s too good to credit to the Devil. According to the information bay (even more reliable than Wikipedia) it all began 1700 million years ago with some cracking of the granite layer into columns. Throw in some lava and some chemical weathering and BINGO, hundreds of giant orange boulders. In this explanation there is no mention of the Devil, or the other guy.

 

The campground is surrounded by piles of boulders which appear in pockets all the way to the horizon. It’s a photographer’s dream. Endless shapes and sizes of rock set amongst spinifex and smooth white gums. It is ready made for exploring and climbing. 

They could charge plenty for such an experience and I’d pay happily. What dish would you suggest for such a location? Why, Aloo Matar of course. Potato and pea curry with rice and a campfire. Priceless.

Before Tennant Creek we stopped to assist a stranded local family who’s Falcon had stopped short of town. After a few successful jump starts where the engine soon faded and stalled it became clear that the battery was not their main problem and they weren’t going to make the footy. All we could offer was fruit and water to the 8 of them as they waited for someone from town. 

After passing the rough diamonds of Tennant Creek and Elliot we enjoyed our warmest night so far in Daly Waters Pub campground. The kids fell asleep listening to the storytelling, poetry and questionable jokes of the evenings entertainer. There is not much competition on this stretch of the Stuart Highway but the beef and barra meals were drawing quite a crowd. Sadly our budget does not allow for pub meals, however tempting they look.

There have only been a few stops where we haven’t chatted to someone nice. Plenty of farming families amongst the city slickers and gromads. Dairy farmers from Gippsland, Cotton and Wheat farmers from Goondiwindi, Chook farmers from Emerald and a Poppy farmer from Sassafrass, Tasmania. There is certainly camaraderie between campers. Maybe we are all a bit lonely, or it’s just the fact that we have one obvious thing in common. Maybe I’ve been in the city too long…

Uluru to Rainbow Valley Day 20 to 28

Eva is starting to grasp our itinery. “Are we going to Uluwooo?” she piped up as we left a freezing free camp at Curtain Springs. A big day of driving has taken us from SA into NT and 80km from Uluru. Lissa and I woke at 2am to the sounds of munching. She wasted no time finding and escorting our unwelcome mousey friend back out into the cold. The thermometer read minus 2 degrees. Thermometers lie.  Sir Douglas Mawson would have been shivering. It seems that we have hit a particularly cold snap with icy winds keeping things fresh. Each night there is a battle between a warm sleeping bag and a full bladder. 

My hair is getting longer and flattening out. At the moment I resemble an unkept bogan lego man or perhaps a rejected contestant from “Farmer wants a Wife”. Never mind.

Our campsite backs onto orange sand dunes which lookout to the rusty icon. The facilities don’t match the splendour of the scenery. The campsite fills and empties like old lungs as people stop just long enough to see the sights. It’s windy and clear with the cold nights keeping the flies away.

As we drive closer Uluru grows out of the sand dunes, changing shape slowly. It’s a pretty mind blowing sight from the base. A ranger takes us for a Mala walk around the base pointing out the features and cultural practices of the Mala people group. 

The indigenous owners ask people not to climb, but it is the wind that is keeping tourists off the rock today. Watching Uluru change colour as the sunset change proved to be a predictable,yet thrilling highlight.

Talking about highlights, how about camp stove Naan? Or for the sweet tooth, stove top apple pie (Naan stuffed with Sam’s Apple and Cinnamon Jam). Tops.

Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) can be seen 35 kilometres away from Uluru. The cluster of orange boulders is an equally impressive sight. Walking around the base of the rocks felt like walking on the surface of the moon.

To complete the big 3, we have parked the Trak Shak facing the sunrise over Kings Canyon. 

We tackled the 6km loop around the Canyon. After an initial climb to reach the top of the ridge, the path meandered through spectacular rocky gorges either side of the cliff edge. Eva managed the 4 hour walk with a little encouragement from Mr Lollybag. It was worth the effort.

There are many familiar faces since we joined the predictable tourist trail. One such family joined us for dinner. They are a couple of Expats from Scotland with son and daughter (9 and 4). They have planned a similar journey to ours however they are travelling light in a pop top VW. The kids have enjoyed playing with their lego rations.

As soon as the sun sets here, the dingos emerge from the bush to scavenge and steal. Shoes and meat are the favoured booty. Before leaving Kings, we joined the happy campers in the beer garden for some good old fashioned bush entertainment. An interactive mix of music, bad jokes and audience humiliation had us begging for more. Eva even joined Kael on stage at one point in the night.

On our way to Alice we cut back to the highway and across to Rainbow Valley for a sunset overlooking the striking sandstone formation. There are just enough bumps on the road to scare away the crowds. A frosty -3 degrees made for a restless night but the kids love the bush camping, Naomi especially.

Kael remains a favourite with the oldies. He’s like a little Johnny Howard. Tonight in the shower he was trumpeting away the tune of Stevie Wonders “Part time Lover”. Probably best left as an instrumental.