northern territory: bitter springs to elliot, devil's pebbles

It was a very long day in the car, one of our longest from Bitter Springs to Elliot, a small town halfway between Darwin and Alice Springs. The Longreach Waterhole free camp, on a dirt road out of town, had the red tick in Camps 8 so we were eager to see how it measured up. Our friends, Fifty Toes Walkabout, had planned to stay overnight there too and we were pleased that there was space to pull up near them. This family are virtually our neighbours in Sydney and there we were by a remote billabong in NT, catching up.

There were loads of sites along the water. A grassy outlook (not dusty) is always a preferable floor at the entrance to a van too. 

Longreach Waterhole was home to many bird species including terns, pelicans, kites. It was teaming with wildlife! 

We got dinner together as the kids played and the two families sat down together to share experiences we'd had since leaving Sydney. We slept well that night after a fire and chat once the kids were in bed. The stars were endless and the quiet such a comfort. It reminded us of nights on the family farm near Bega. 

Elliot to Kunjarra (Devil's Pebbles)

Devil's Pebbles or Kunjarra is a beautiful free camp just south of Three Ways off the Stuart Highway. While we aren't snobby about free camps it is so wonderful to stay in an impressive one. 

Devil's Pebbles, I imagine, are the smaller version of the Marbles. There's a short loop walk through the pebbles and visitors are asked to remain on the path so as to avoid trampling this sacred site.

northern territory: kayaking katherine gorge

I've never been that enthused about flat water kayaking. I love the dynamic nature of the ocean - the swell, waves and surge around the rocks. That intoxicating smell of salt spray. However, one hears so much praise about Katherine Gorge and years ago when I was there with my younger brother we weren't able to get up the river so I decided to ask my wife for some time off to paddle up the gorge this time!

I left early in the morning before the kids got up for breakfast. I thought I'd be up at sunrise every morning of this year long trip but soon realised that despite my expectations of a year long 'holiday' the full-time work of 'growing up' a young family rapidly brought me back to reality. My wife and I stay up late, grasping onto the limited time alone together, only to be left tired the next morning. Just like home!

Once I slid into the mirror smooth green/brown water of Nitmiluk and began stroking upstream I began drifting into the world of quiet, solitude, reflection and solace. It was easy to get into a rhythm and as usual found my mind skipping from topic to topic, family-work-that was a freshwater croc-holidays-family-white breasted sea eagle-work-holidays-getting hot now-family...

The gorge is large and there are some beautiful sandy spits and banks with signs warning to keep clear of these fragile freshwater crocodile nesting sites. The first gorge seems to be the widest and as one gets further upstream the narrower it becomes. The towering orange brick-like cliffs looming in over me reminded me of the narrow canals in Amsterdam lined by leaning Dutch terrace houses!

Where I could I kept to the shady side seeking relief from the tropical sun. The first gorge ends at a rocky barrier that would produce some fun rapids when the water level was higher. There was very little flow when we were there so I dragged my kayak (the beauty of plastic!) up the middle and took advantage of a couple of pools that I could paddle across.

I paddled up to the third gorge which is as far as one is allowed to go on a day permit. It wasn't until I was there that I thought that I'd missed a good opportunity to do another solo overnighter (Steep Point being the last) by camping further up the gorge for a night.

Instead I sat on some rocks under a battered, almost horizontal paperbark tree between the second and third gorges and listened to the gurgling of Nitmiluk as it passed by me on its long course to the ocean. It was a wonderful moment and thoughts came to me of my late father who would have so enjoyed following our journey. I deliberately hadn't brought a camera with me this time and took in the scene before me intending to sketch it from memory when the kids were next drawing.

The thought of freshly ground coffee urged me back to our roaming home and we were also heading into Katherine town to catch up with some friends, another travelling family, who were overtaking us on their way east too. 

As I paddled back downstream it was the vibrant and varied colours of the gorge walls that stuck in my mind. Colour has been a recurring feature in my memories of this trip. The colours of northern Australia in particular really gets to me. Some of the most pleasurable moments have been driving the vast distances in this wondrous country of ours. Through the deep reds and oranges of the many Pilbara & Kimberley ranges spotted with light green and brown spinifex hummocks, through open savannah and Gulf country with miles of dry native grasses, oranges, purples, browns, yellows, the thin white trunks of the eucalypts with their dark green foliage stamped against the deep blue sky. We've had hours and hours of this and I love it.

northern territory: katherine gorge

We were at Katherine Gorge for two nights but arriving late in the afternoon we only had the time to cool off in the pool before dinner and bed. 

The lovely Matt and Georgia adopted B & P as regulars to their camper. The couple are just finishing their university degrees and are travelling the country for eight months. What a brilliant thing to be doing at their age. They made our stay a lot simpler by reading and playing with the kids while we packed and cleaned up. Thanks guys! I hope one day, when you travel again with your family some young'ns will help you out! 

J was up early and in his kayak on the water (after buying his permit). He paddled up through to Gorge Number Three and while he did forget his camera he did make this sketch on his return. These special moments in the quiet in the kayak are relished! (see the following post - J's blog post about his kayak up the gorge.)

The kids and I were slow going in the morning. Little A had his brekky and then explored every inch of dirt in the campground until he was coated in it. He had a ball! We had a swim in the pool then headed back in to Katherine to meet friends at Katherine Springs. We'd met this family at Sandy Cape, WA and travelled with them to Geraldton and Kalbarri and it was nice to see familiar faces although they're looking somewhat tanned after five weeks in Bali!