leaving darwin (unfortunately)

Well, all good things must come to an end, and I have to return to work on Monday. I have handed the camper back and am staying at Luma Luma apartments www.lumaluma.com.au tonight.

looking east from my balcony

looking west towards the city centre

I am on the top 7th floor so have good views of Darwin. I get picked up by the Airport Shuttle at 5.30am in the morning so wont be sitting up all night admiring the view.
Thanks for coming along on my trip with me, I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment but for now it is back to work and save up for June 2012 and the trip to Mitchel Falls and the complete Gibb River Road.
I have leaned a few things and observed a lot of idiots needlessly putting themselves in danger. I also observed that people have separation anxiety from their vehicles, and for some strange reason, even when there is no where to go they have to drive somewhere, even if it is just to the showers.
People also are in too much of a rush and need to stop and smell the roses occasionally.
In retrospect the Hilux Camper was a mixed blessing, it limited me getting to some areas, due to the house on the back and limited departure angle, but on the other hand, on the couple of nights the mozzies were bad it gave me a refuge to escape to.

It did prove that for the trip next year it would not be a good choice.

Well folks it is over and out for this trip......................sob

stay tuned same place same bat channel next June for the big one

Katherine to Darwin (the long way)

Hello all

well I survived being eaten by crocs and carried off by giant mosquitoes but I did get a touch of sunstroke, more about that later. From Katherine I drove the Kakadu Highway in towards Gunlom, I will have to create a new blog called 'Idiotic things I have seen' as choosing this week's Tool of the Week is just too hard.

I can't choose between the 6 metre Maui motorhome who overtook me and disappeared into the distance(I was doing 115kmh at the time) or the asian who drove the rental XR6 falcon into Gunlom on a 37km rough road marked '4x4 recommended' (I was down to 1st and 2nd gears in spots in a hilux and it was worse than the Gibb)

Gunlom Falls and plunge pool

Gunlom, wow what a little piece of paradise this place is, well it would want to be after 37km of bone shaking corrugations. The plunge pool is stunning but that pales into insignificance when you climb to the top. The climb to the top was a entrance exam for hell i am sure! It was 32c, little shade, steep, loose rocks for footing and to top it off I think I ended up with slight sunsroke for my troubles, but worth every step this place is magic...............

pools at the top of Gunlom

croc free at the top of Gunlom

campgound from the top of the falls

nature's own infinity pool

looking back at the pool from the track out

After another 37km of horror road I was back on the tar and heading for a quick stop at Yellow Water Billabong as it is always nice there.

yellow water billabong

yellow water

hungry croc cruising yellow water

leaving Yellow Water it was into Jabiru to fuel up but on the way I had to shoo some wildlife off the road.

Dingo with a death wish

Then up the road heading into Shady Camp I had more road wanderers.

blacktop buffalo

The graders were working on the road to Shady Camp so I had a dream run with no corrugations, not being a fisherman there wasn't much at Shady Camp but it is said to be THE place to see crocs but they were on holidays while I was there and I didn' get to see any fishermen attacked by crocs while fishing from the barrage.

freshwater side of barrage

fishermen on the barrage

early morning looking downstream

 I am in Darwin now and visited Charles Darwin National Park in the suburbs this afternoon, tomorrow it is breakfast on the wharf, followed by the Cyclone Trace Museum, followed by cleaning and handing back the camper. How am I ever going to get back into the work grind? Will do another post tomorrow about Darwin.
bye for now...

I don't want to come home

Hello all,

My sunburn is starting to settle down you will all be glad to hear (sly chuckle) and I have a slight blister from my thongs.
After tearing myself away from Kununurra I have started heading back towards Darwin. Every time I visit I find it harder to leave this magic area. Can't wait now for June 2012 to come and do the complete Gibb River Road and Mitchel Falls

Ivanhoe Crossing at Kununurra

I trekked into Keep River National Park (on the WA/NT border) as it was 21 years since I had been into Keep River. Some amazing scenery and Boabs can be found here.

Keep River Boabs

Typical Keep River scenery

Keep River National Park

 I had to keep moving, so it was back on the road to Katherine, the are so many people around, everywhere is packed out, every rest area is full, every caravan park is busting at the seams, in Katherine this afternoon hardly a parking spot was available. So much for getting away from it all....................

roadside scenery around Victoria River area

In the morning I will be heading into Kakadu, armed with Industrial strength Insecticide. My first point of call will be Gunlom Falls (previously known as UDP falls) apparently naming a tourist attraction after a mining company is not good and the night after I hope to be at shady camp on the Mary River armed with a Bazooka (shady camp is famous for enormous salt water crocs)

All going well there should be another post 

bye for now

Wyndham to Kununurra

Hello all 

A pretty lazy day today, I drove back up Five Rivers Lookout to get some non sunset photos this morning, then headed out to Marglu Billabong in the Parry Creek wetlands.

resident donkey at Wyndham caravan Park

duck

Marlgu Billabong

I drove in here 21 years ago and dodged the crocs and mud to see the billabong now there is boardwalks and bird hides. Adjacent to the billabong is the old Telegraph station ruins.

old Wyndham Telegraph Station

from the Telegraph Station across the plains

 I took the Old Wyndham Road to Kununurra and bloody hell it was rough, it made the Gibb River Road look like a freeway. Only a small post today as I haven't done much, except got sunburnt yet again LOL. Just doing laundry and stocking up in Kununurra and heading off to Keep River National Park on the Northern Territory border in the morning. This will again put me out of range for a few days as the next connection I get is Timber Creek to be able to post. Thoroughly wrapped with the photos I have so far and hope to get some rippers at Keep River.
Until then folks....

Along the Gibb (sorry about the large blog-lots to tell)

Well folks,

Back within range of Internet connection for a couple of days. What an amazing few days I have had, I left Kununurra and headed for the Gibb river Road.

starting along the Gibb

What an initiation, corrugations the size of small mountain ranges and knobs trying to overtake you doing 90-100kmh towing caravans and trailers in blinding dust. The sooner a permit and aptitude test is required to leave suburbia the better.

heading into El Questro

El Questro is a Spanish word roughly translated meaning 'always have hand in pocket' www.elquestro.com.au Firstly an entry permit is required, closely followed by camping fees, 'oh no sir your vehicle can't go there but we can take you for $100, you get the idea.

the Crossing into El Questro

 There were numerous 20ft caravans in here and it was best described, for the Melbournites, think Rosebud foreshore at Christmas, or the Perthites Mandurah at Christmas.

El Questro Wilderness? Resort

Very basic facilities

 The property itself is fantastic and gives people a variety of Four Wheel Drive trails and Gorges to explore but I think they are trying to turn it into Disneyworld on the Gold Coast, and at times of the day reminded me of 5.00pm on St Kilda Road with everyone scurrying to their organised activities. The next morning I went out to Chamberlain Gorge, which was stunning in the early light.

early morning Chamberlain gorge

for $1595.00 per person per night you can stay here

That afternoon I trekked into El Questro Gorge which was an interesting drive to get there.

the road to El Questro gorge

El Questro Gorge

El Questro Gorge

After I nearly got wiped out by the melon driving the 150 series Prado doing at least 80k in a maximum 60k zone I visited Zebberdee Hot  Springs. These artesian Springs are a constant 28-30c. I chuckled to myself the whole time I was there, all I could think of was the movie "Cocoon" where all the oldies wallowed around wanting their youth restored.

Zeberdee Hot Springs

From there it was onwards to the mighty Pentecost River Crossing (salt water crocs included at no extra charge) and I needed to get this one right !

Pentecost River Crossing

Before I go much further I need to award the 'TOOL OF THE WEEK AWARD'
Let me explain a little background first, Home Valley Station is owned by the Indigenous Land Council funded by you and me through Government handouts. I don't have a problem with that, this Home Valley Fishing Safari Tour guide flogged be bejesus out of this Troopy for over an hour, refusing all offers of a winch or tow out, through nothing but pig headedness.(remembering who is paying his wages) after he stupidly reversed in too far retrieving the boat and ended up being towed by the Home Valley Tractor anyway.

Tool of the Week

Onward it was to Home Valley Station, www.hvstation.com.au I chose the Pentecost Bush camp over the Homestead Camp and the following photos will explain why................

view from camp

Cockburn Ranges at sunset

Cockburn Ranges

sunrise this morning

 This place was paradise until the sun set, and being tidal flats the mosquitoes arrived in squadrons.

sunrise on The pentecost

looking down the Pentecost River

The blokes fishing here caught a couple of good size Bull Sharks and a couple of barra. Unfortunately I have to leave this paradise and begin to work my way back to Darwin.

Pentecost crossing note the flood debris in the foreground!! and road level in the distance

typical road conditions and scenery

  I was fortunate the grader was working the road and the horror stretch I endured on the way in was fixed for a couple of days anyway. I headed to Wyndham for the night, but on the way detoured up the King River Road to the prison tree.

Whyndham Prison Tree in the early days they used to lock prisoners inside the hollow trunk

I am not very happy as I distinctly asked for my new boat to be delivered to St Kilda Marina but they must have got the paperwork mixed up and delivered it to Wyndham just as I arrived.

My new Boat (I wish)

Five Rivers Lookout (The bastion)

Wyndham is a hive of activity at the moment (nothing much has happened here since 1986 when the meatworks closed down) I am told they have found Iron Ore near Warmun and are trucking it here in 4 trailer road trains to be shipped overseas and are building the loading facilities. The Bastion overlooks Cambridge Gulf and the five major rivers of The Kimberley all drain into here.

looking toward the sea

Phew...... so much has happened and I am having trouble deciding which photos to post, it is so easy to take a great photo up here, the colours are amazing. I hope you enjoy this small sample. Tonight I am staying in the caravan park in Wyndham (complete with resident donkey- yes you read that correct) to give everything a charge up, mobile, laptop, dual battery system in the camper etc this is the first powered site I have had all trip. Tomorrow night is Kununurra after a trip along the Old Wyndham Road (now classed as 4x4 only) past some great billabongs and following the Ord River most of the way. I will try to post again tomorrow night otherwise the postings get too big like tonights.
P.S. it is still 30c every day hehe
until tomorrow.................