Darwin Litchfield

WE'RE IN DARWIN   -   WEEK 1

FRIDAY 13TH JUNE   -  We left Katherine for our next destination Darwin, a further 270 kilometres north.  On the drive up we passed several signs “Please Arrive Alive” and “Rest or R.I.P”.  After a 4 hour trip, we arrived at Tumbling Waters Holiday Park, 50 kilometres outside of Darwin City.   We chose this park as there were only 4 caravan parks that took dogs and they were all full up. Straight away it had a very tropical feel and was on a lot of land, with different areas for camping, unpowered and powered sites and lots of tall, leafy trees and palms everywhere.  It was a very busy park and most of the powered spots were already gone as lots of people had been there for a few weeks or months.   The sites were on the smallish size, but we managed to get the van in ok.  Parking the car was a bit squashy right in front of the van. 

We had a wander around the park and visited the crocodile lagoon that had 12 smaller freshwater crocs in it.  There was a walkway above the pool to look at them.  Dave the Manager fed them at 5pm each Saturday. It was quite startling to see them lazing on the grass in front of the pool as you’re walking past.  They’re so camouflaged they’re hard to spot at times!!

We read up on the list of activities each week  -   bingo on Thursday mornings, fortnightly trivia nights, cinema under the stars twice a week, happy hour on Friday, markets on Sunday mornings plus Wild Brekkie an interactive wildlife experience.  There was also a lovely licensed garden café/restaurant on site open 6 days a week and a swimming pool – plenty to keep us busy.

SATURDAY 14TH JUNE   -   We drove into Darwin City and had a walk around the George Brown Botanical Gardens.  Unfortunately, during the 1974 Cyclone Tracey, 89% of all the plants were destroyed. They have survived many other cyclones and the direct effects of WWII.  The Gardens were established in 1886 and were named after Darwin’s much loved, longest serving Lord Mayor. They were beautifully landscaped on 42 hectares in a very tranquil and peaceful setting.

A BEAUTIFUL BIG TREE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARK

Dogs were welcome around the park which surprised us.   Eve’s Garden Café was close to the entrance to the park and was very popular, with a “doggie coral” on the grass outside.  The café was run in the restored original 1897 Wesleyan Church building, the Territory’s oldest church building.  It had a shady verandah and seating at the back of the building.

We went to see the crocodile feeding at 5pm at the caravan park.  The crocs were so lazy they couldn’t be bothered feeding on the fresh chicken wings Dave was throwing in for them.  They really didn’t move much at all.

SUNDAY 15TH JUNE   -   We went back to the Botanical Gardens for the DonateLife NT Service of Remembrance at 9am.  It was a very emotional service and we met some beautiful people and heard the stories from donors and recipients, which were heart-warming.  The organisers did a fantastic job and we also met many of the nursing staff involved in transplants.  They were all so dedicated and kind.  It was a small attendance and we had a lovely morning tea on the Borassus Lawn, followed by a poignant ribbon tying ceremony on the big trees inside the front entrance as a finale to the service.

After the service, we drove around Darwin’s coastline to Fannie Bay and East Point Reserve, a beautifully grassed 200 hectare picnic and playground area with cycle paths.  Unfortunately you cannot swim in most of the waterways in NT as they are infested with box jelly fish/sharks/or crocodiles, so it’s not advisable to enter the water!!!  

We stopped at the Darwin Military Museum at the end of East Point.  It was a fascinating place filled with photographs, memorabilia and first-hand accounts.  We learnt how Darwin was bombed 64 times by the Japanese over a 2 year period and how the Top End was the frontline during WWII.  Warships dropped anchor in Darwin Harbour.  January 19^th 1942 was the day that changed Darwin and Australia forevermore, with 242 Japanese aircraft launching the first of many aerial attacks on Northern Australia.  We owe so much to the efforts of the people that fought so bravely and lost their lives. 

MONDAY 16TH JUNE   -   We set out early to Litchfield National Park set in 1,500 square kilometres.  It took us an hour to get to the entrance from the caravan park.  Litchfield is named after one of the Finniss team of the first European explorers to the area -  Frederik Henry Lichfield.  For the first 75 years, it was the centre of tin and copper mining in the area. It then fell under a pastoral lease and was designated as a national park in 1986.

Our first stop in the park was at stunning Wangi Falls. It was a short walk from the car park to the main falls which were absolutely breathtaking, with 2 waterfalls cascading down the high cliffs into the large swimming pool. There was a boardwalk around the falls and a longer walk up to the viewing platform overlooking the plateau, through tropical rainforest monsoonal ferns and bushes.

We drove on to Tolmer Falls, another fabulous waterfall in a deep gorge that housed protected rare species of the Orange Horseshoe Bat and Ghost Bat. There was a 1.6 kilometre walk  around Tolmer Creek.

We had our picnic lunch besides gorgeous Buley Rockhole, a series of small waterfalls and rock holes with a walking track to Florence Falls.

Just as we thought we couldn’t’ possibly see anything more spectacular, we came to Florence Falls – a deep gorge with mind-blowing double falls set in a pocket of monsoon forest with a viewing platform looking into the awesome chasm and plunge pool below.

Some of the areas are only accessible by 4WD tracks.  Others were closed.

On the way out of the park, we came to the Magnetic Termite Mounds, some of them standing up to 2 metres tall. They were quite an awesome sight.  The mounds’ thin edges point north-south, minimising exposure to the sun, keeping the termites inside cool.

There were also many 6 feet high cathedral termite mounds around the park.

It was a  beautiful park to visit and well worth the drive out.

THURSDAY 19TH JUNE   -  We went to the evening markets at Mindil Beach Sunset Markets.  They operate from April to October each year on Thursday and Sunday nights from 5pm to 10 pm.  The market attracts up to 20,000 visitors each week.  There were about 200 stallholders.  They employ approximately 1,000 locals and it all contributes to the Northern Territory economy.

There were lots of art and craft, jewellery and clothing stalls, but the main attraction was the exotic range of food stalls – a gourmet’s delight - including Thai, Indian, vegetarian, pizza, ice cream and more.  Everyone was wandering around eating and the smells of food were divine.  We headed straight for the Thai stall as I’ve been hanging out for some spicy Thai food for ages.  I had stir fried calamari and vegetables in an aromatic chilli sauce – delicious. The market was buzzing with people milling around.  We went onto the beach area that was really busy with people sitting around waiting for the sunset to happen.  The sunset was amazing and over all too soon.  We went back into the market for an ice-cream dessert.  There was entertainment throughout the market with a band playing on the grassed picnic area.  Although there were a lot of people there, we managed to find a parking spot fairly easily.  We wandered around the stalls and enjoyed listening to all the music happening in different spots.

TRIVIA:  an amusing definition of Grey Nomads we found on the back of a wine list recently:

The “Land Down Under” has provided the ideal habitat for the recently discovered species of Homo Sapien, the “Grey Nomad.”  First emerging in the sixties around beach areas, travelling and residing in strange shaped boxes on wheels.  They have since evolved to favour much larger and luxurious contraptions.  Rarely sighted in cities, the “Grey Nomad” migrates north during the winter, where they frequent isolated coastal regions, the Top End and are spotted in the Red Centre.  Not at all with grey fur, known to be very friendly, tranquil and inquisitive, they are extremely approachable if offered wine.  Their offspring are often heard to utter: “Have you seen our parents?” and “Don’t spend our inheritance.”  This sociable mammal likes to congregate around waterholes to interact with other Grey Nomads from different habitats.”

It’s been very hot and humid since we arrived in Darwin.  Average temperatures 28 – 30 degrees most days and it’s only winter. We’re glad we aren’t anywhere near here in summer, it must be unbearable. Two nights this week it got down to 23 degrees and was so cold we had to put sweat tops on.

NEXT WEEK:  We will still be in Darwin and going on the Jumping Crocodile River Cruise, visiting Darwin Dam, Berry Springs and the Wildlife Park.   

WE'RE IN KATHERINE, NORTHERN TERRITORY

SATURDAY 7TH JUNE   -  We left Daly Waters for our next destination Katherine 276 kilometres further north.  It took us 4 hours to arrive at Riverview Tourist Village.  It was a big caravan park and $40 per night (we got a 10% discount as we’re Top Tourist members) with lots of shady tropical trees around.  There was a swimming pool and The Barra Restaurant/Café on site.  The staff were all very friendly and helpful.  Our spot was at the back of the park, with a gate in the fence leading down to Katherine Hot Springs – a 2 minute walk from our van.  We immediately liked the park and felt very comfortable there.  It was nice to have a bit of luxury after our 4 busy days travelling and free camping and we decided to stay here for 6 nights, as we couldn’t get into the caravan park in Darwin until the following Friday 13^th June.

As soon as we’d set up we went for a dip in the hot springs which were very refreshing and not overly hot.  There were 4 or 5 different crystal clear pools, at a constant 32 degrees.  They looked like glass as they were so clear to look into. There were grassy banks and big shady trees with a bbq/picnic are nearby.

Katherine is 317 kilometres from Darwin with a population of 11,000.  The first people of the area were the Jawoyn and Dagomen people.  The area is called “The Crossroads of the North”, with the Explorer’s Way and the Savannah Way leading north, south, east and west from here. The region stretches from the Gulf of Carpentaria to the west Australian border.

We took Sally to the local park twice a day for an off-leash run, which she really enjoyed.  It was a lovely green grassed area with a gushing stream coming over a low weir wall from Katherine River. It was very relaxing watching the water flowing by. 

TUESDAY 10TH JUNE   -   We went for a drive to Edith Falls in Nitmiluk National Park.  It took us an hour to get to the car park.  There were 3 popular swimming holes, the first one within easy reach from the car park.  Edith Falls is a popular tourist area with a café and picnic areas and also camping available.   Nitmiluk Gorge winds along 12 kilometres of sheer rock cliffs, most over 70 metres high.  There are 13 separate gorges.  Nitmiluk means “cicada place”.

The first pool was stunning with a cascading high waterfall.  The pool was surrounded by large pandanus trees.

We walked along the Leliyn Trail, a 2.6 kilometre round trip, which took us to the top of the escarpment and down to the upper and lower pools.  It was quite a rugged clamber up and down the rocks in places and we had to watch our footing, but the views over the falls and pools were stunning and well worth the effort getting up there. 

We had a lovely picnic on the grassed area by the café and car park.  We were eagerly looking forward to a relaxing lunch after our strenuous exercise.

THURSDAY 12TH JUNE   -   We went on a 30 minute helicopter ride with Heliwork WA Tours, a newly established company close to the Gorge.  It took us 40 minutes to get to the helipad.  We were greeted by our young pilot Jake and his 4 month old very well behaved black Labrador puppy Blakely.  The helicopter we were on was a small 4 seater and had no front doors.  Fortunately I was in the back and had a bar to hold on to plus a locked door.  I was still nervous as we headed off.  We got up to 1,000 feet very quickly and the wind was quite strong.  Soon we were flying at 1,500 feet above the tree tops.  Every time the chopper banked my stomach went with it and I was feeling sorry for Richard in the front with only a seat belt holding him in.  He was a bit scared to, particularly when it banked to the left, and he was holding on to his camera and trying to take shots with one hand, with his left hand holding onto the interior handrail. The views were stunning and it made us realise just how vast Australia is from up there.  We flew up and down the 13 separate gorges and over Katherine River. There hasn’t been much rainfall in the area so the waterfalls were quite dried up.  All too soon, we were back at the helipad and couldn’t believe the time had gone so quickly as we were just starting to get right into the flight.

After our ride had finished, we drove up to Katherine Gorge where you can do boat trips or hire canoes.

It was a busy area with school trips coming and going and tourists getting on and of the cruise trips.  We had a picnic lunch beside trees full of bats which we didn’t realise at first.  We’ve never ever seen so many of them in one spot, and didn’t realise they came out in the hot afternoon sun.   Fortunately none of them messed over our lunch!!! 

We went up to the Visitors Centre and had a look around.  It was a very interesting place. 

We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Katherine.

HONEY EATER - FREQUENT VISITORS TO OUR VAN SITE

NEXT WEEK:   We will be travelling up to Darwin – a 310 kilometre trip north from Katherine. We’ll be staying in Darwin for at least 3-4 weeks before deciding which direction next.  There are lots of choices to consider.  We’ll let you know as soon as we do.  

MT ISA TO NORTHERN TERRITORY AND DALY WATERS

FULLARTON REST AREA TO MT. ISA, CAMOOWEAL, TENNANT CREEK AND DALY WATERS

 

MONDAY 2ND JUNE   -   We left our overnight stop and headed towards Mt. Isa, 184 kilometres further north.  We stopped at Cloncurry to visit a memorial cairn for Burke and Wills, commemorating the place where the explorers passed through.

We continued along the road and the landscape changed from very flat, dry and dusty to colourful hills and trees and made a pleasant change from the barren lands we had been driving through.  We reached Mt. Isa after lunch and pulled into Sunset Tourist Park where we stayed for 2 nights.  They were fully booked when we rang that morning, but said we could go on the overflow area if that suited us.  We didn’t have much choice.  We learned that the Annual Rodeo, lasting 3 days, would be taking place in August and everywhere was fully booked. There were also a lot of mine workers living in the park.  

We weren’t too happy being in the overflow area at first as it was right behind the entrance gate, but we were parked beside a nice grassed area with a big tree.  Everyone kept asking us how we’d managed to get the best spot in the park.  After walking around the rest of the park, we had to agree that we did indeed have the best spot, as the rest of the park was very dry and dusty with very little shade available.   

 

Mt. Isa is one of the World’s top ten producers of copper, silver, lead and zinc.

Mt. Isa is the “Rodeo Capital of Australia”. It is in the North West Region of Queensland and located 1,829kilometres from Brisbane and 883 kilometres from Townsville.  It covers 43,310 square kilometres, with a population of 24,000.

On 19^th January 1924 Mt. Isa Mines Ltd. Was established, so a town and all the amenities were needed to attract workers for the mine.  At one time, the town held the record for the most consumption of beer than any other similar town in the commonwealth.  By 1955 Mt. Isa Mines became the largest mining company in Australia.  In 1968, the town was declared a city. 

Some famous people born in Mt. Isa are:

Simon Black – Australian Rules player

Deborah Mailman – Actress

William Barton – World famous didgeridoo player

Pat Rafter – Tennis Champ

Greg Norman – Golf Champ

Scott Prince – Rugby player

Altiyan Childs - Singer

We went to the City Lookout and got panoramic views of the city and the mine area.  There was an amusing signpost showing distances to many national and international cities. 

TUESDAY 3RD JUNE   -   We went for a drive to Lake Moondarra, 16 kilometres out of town.  It was the city’s main water supply and was also a popular spot for boating, fishing, water-skiing and canoeing, with picnic areas.  It hosts the Annual Fishing Classic, one of outback Queensland’s most iconic events which has been happening for the past 16 years.  The lake is stocked each year with barramundi fingerlings, sooty grunter and long tom.  Sleepy cod are also in the lake.

The dam was constructed in 1957 and was called Leichardt River Dam.  It holds 107,000 ML of water with a maximum depth of 11 metres when full.

It was really beautiful and quite an unexpected lush oasis on the other side of a big industrial mining town that’s very dry and dusty.  There were lots of birds flying around and peacocks roaming freely around the picnic areas. We took the scenic drive around the lake and went for a walk across the dam wall. 

Mt. Isa operates the School of the Air and helps around 220 students covering an area from Northern Territory to Burketown, and Birdsville. 

WEDNESDAY 4TH JUNE   -   We were happy to leave Mt. Isa.  We found it to be a big, dry and dusty industrial mining town.  To be fair the town is in a chronic drought situation and I suppose they’re doing the best they can.  We drove further north for almost 2 hours towards Camooweal and got stuck in a pretty nasty accident.  The police had blocked the road off and were trying to free a man that was trapped inside his 4WD and trailer that had rolled over into the side of the road.   He had pretty bad head injuries but was conscious. We were behind a huge cattle truck in the front of the queue.  The animals were getting upset and pooping everywhere.  Richard went to see if there was anything he could do to help, but the police had it under control and were waiting for the Royal Flying Doctors to arrive.  It was a long, flat, straight stretch of road, so we don’t know what made the car roll over.  We just hope he was ok and felt quite upset afterwards, so glad that it wasn’t us involved in such a horrid accident.  We had to wait almost an hour for the road to reopen again.  We continued driving north and the landscape was quite beautiful with big undulating hills and different shades of browns, greens and yellows along the way.  There were trees around and it was more interesting looking at the colour variations.  By 1pm we had crossed the border into The Northern Territory. 

The first thing we noticed was a speed sign for 130 KP!!!  - we were staggered.  The landscape continued to be very flat, dry and yellow with very few trees.   At 4 o’clock and after a long day travelling 410 kilometres, we pulled into our overnight stopover Wonarah Bore Rest Area. 

OUR FIRST FREE CAMP IN NORTHERN TERRITORY

 

It was a very big area, set well back from the road.  It was already quite full and we found a good flat spot to park.  There were no toilets there which was quite unusual.  We had a wine and chat to our neighbours, glad that we’d finished driving for the day. Vans pulled in until quite late in the evening.  We certainly wouldn’t be on the roads that late.  We try not to drive past 4pm as there are too many kangaroos around by then.

THURSDAY 5TH JUNE  -   We left the rest area at 9am and continued our journey.  We stopped at Tennant Creek to have a look around the town and get petrol.  It was a pretty small town, full of aborigines hanging around and didn’t have a very nice feel to the place.  There was a caravan park, but we certainly wouldn’t stay there.  We were a  bit disappointed as we’d expected it to be a bit nicer and a bigger place.   We had a quick lunch in a roadside pull off and carried on with our trip until we came to Newcastle Waters Rest Area, 700 kilometres later at 4pm.  It was a small rest area and luckily, we got the last spot available.  At the back of the rest area we could see over a big green valley stretching for miles.

FRIDAY 6TH JUNE   -   We left our overnight stop and headed for our next destination, 132 kilometres north, to the historic spot of Daly Waters, 600 kilometres from Darwin and 1 ½ hours from where we’d stopped over the previous night.  We were glad to only have a short drive today.  Daly Waters had an old historic pub, established in 1930, and licensed in 1938, with a caravan park next to it.  Some of our friends had been there before and told us not to miss out on the experience.  We got to Daly Waters Caravan Park at 11.30 and it was quite full already.  It’s a very popular spot and had powered sites for $28 per night, or unpowered, with an overflow area across the road.  We opted for a powered site for a change.  We quickly set up and wandered down to the pub to have a look around and to order our dinner for the evening.  They had a daily special “Beef n Barra” for $29 with a help-yourself salad bar included.

INSIDE THE PUB - NOTE THE LEGS COMING OUT OF THE CEILLING!!

 

THERE ARE CAPS, BRAS, -SHIRTS AND FOREIGN CURRENCY HANGING EVERYWHERE INSIDE  

 

 

A coach of lunch time visitors turned up and the place was rocking with a musician there also for a couple of hours.  There was a steady flow of caravans coming in all day and the powered sites filled up pretty quickly.  We had a site with a tree at the back of the van which gave us some shade.   It was a really old quirky sort of place with some real characters living there.  Most of the bar staff were backpackers.   We were directed to our site by the darkest skinned Scot’s man on his famous bicycle called Lightening that we’d ever seen.

SIGN OUTSIDE THE PUB - AS IF YOU NEED A REASON TO DRINK11

 

THE SIGN OUTSIDE THE LOCAL 'HOLESALE' SHOP

 

THE LOCAL 'HOLESALER' SHOP

 

Daly Waters is famous for having Northern Territory’s oldest pub and Australia’s first international airport, which was a major Air Force Base during WWII for both American and Australian Air Force personnel.  It was used for flying mail into the Northern Territory from Queensland and then became a refuelling point for Qantas international flights through to Darwin and onto Singapore.  The original hangar is still there. 

In 1862, John McDouall Stuart crossed the continent from South to North Australia.  He discovered fresh water and named the area Daly Waters to honour the governor of SA, Sir Dominic Daly.  Fresh water was vital for droving cattle and Daly Waters was the last watering hole before the perilous Murranji Stock Route.

We wandered down to the pub at 5 o’clock for the hour long happy hour and were entertained by Steve Kerley an old bush poet/singer/comedian. 

 

He had us in stiches with his jokes and yarns.  The pub was very full and everyone was enjoying the entertainment.  Our meal was beautiful, huge servings of wild barramundi and perfectly cooked steak, along with all the salad you could eat. Terrific fun, and good value.  We’ll definitely be stopping here on our way down from Darwin. 
 
It's been another action-packed week with lots of travelling - 1,250 kilometres.  We finally crossed the border in Northern Territory and are steadily making our way up towards Darwin-   
 

NEXT WEEK:  We’ll be heading to Katherine, our last destination before finally reaching Darwin – another 310 kilometres north