Katherine - NT

10th August - 13th August 2014

I'm very excited to stop in Katherine for a few days as it's a biggish town with a proper supermarket and we can get mobile range!  We stayed at the Big 4 in Katherine and were meeting up with a family we met in Banka Banka.

We decided to take a boat cruise through the Katherine Gorge, you could also hire kayaks but we took the easy way out!  Our cruise went through the first and second gorge and there are a total of 13 gorges.  Between the first and second gorge you had to get out of one boat, walk a little bit then get on another boat to do the second gorge.  The scenery was stunning!  We saw a few pieces of aboriginal artwork on the rocks, which apparently had been there between 8000 - 10,000 years! On this cruise we also spotted our first crocodile!  Only a little freshwater croc so nothing to worry about! It was very difficult to imagine this same place in the wet season, where they use power boats for the cruises to keep up with the water flow.  You also don't need to worry about changing boats during the wet season, as the water is high enough to cross over the gorges.

On our last day here we took a dip in the Katherine Hot Springs.  They weren't as hot as the springs in Mataranka but lovely all the same.  They had a unique little water fall which you could slide down into another pool of water which felt just like a spa bath.  Very refreshing for your skin.

Onto Kakadu from here!

The trees are covered in Fruit Bats!

Katherine Gorge

Katherine Gorge

Katherine Gorge

Between the first and second gorge

Katherine Gorge

On the boat - Katherine Gorge

Katherine Gorge

 On the walk between the first and second gorge

On the boat - Katherine Gorge

Katherine Hot Springs

Sliding down the little waterfall at Katherine Hot Springs

Enjoying my spa bath at Katherine Hot Springs

Mataranka - NT

8th August - 10th August 2014

We stayed at Mataranka for 2 nights in a caravan park right near Bitter Springs.  The springs are definitely the main attraction in Mataranka as there's not much else here!  Although in saying that we did manage to buy fresh bread for the first time in a week, so that was nice!  One thing that did strike us here is the heat, no jumpers required any more!

Both days we went down to the Bitter Springs and spent a couple of hours there.  The water is like a bath, very warm and clear.  You grab a swim noodle and float down the river, get out and do it all again.  You can definitely waste a lot of time here!  

Our next stop is Katherine.

The Bitter Springs

Underwater

Josh floating around!

Underwater

Ashton underwater!

Daly Waters - NT

7th August - 8th August 2014

We are staying at Daly Waters for one night out the back of the pub.  The caravans are packed in like sardines!  It's a bit of a tradition to eat at the pub for dinner and experience the "beef or barra". Stu and l decided to do half / half and it was a beautiful meal, accompanied with salad and damper! Happy hour was between 5-6pm and everyone made the most of that!!  The entertainment started at 6.30pm and he sung mostly older music, but we still got up for a boogie!  It was a great experience stopping here, well worth it!

The next day on our way out of Daly Waters we stopped at "The Stuart tree" and an old WWII aeroplane hangar.

Our next stop is Mataranka.

Stuart enjoying a beer at the Daly Waters Pub

Daly Waters

Barra or Beef?

Everyone happy with a coldie!

Ashton infront of the "Ashton" speakers!

The kids enjoying a dance

Stu at the "Stuart Tree"

Banka Banka Station - NT

5th August - 7th August 2014

We stopped here for 2 nights after doing a few one night stops we needed the break.  It was really nice to have a shower after being dirty and dusty for the last few days.  Banka Banka was a great place to catch up as there is nothing here!  The boys made a few friends and kept themselves entertained.  There was a pet cow "Betty" that wondered around the camp sites, she was more like a dog than a cow laying down to nap on campers sites.

Every night the managers started a campfire which was lovely chatting to people from different walks of life.  The boys got to toast marshmallows for the campers and the managers made a really nice damper for everyone to share.  

It was a really nice spot to stay, l especially loved it because it had some grass!

Our next stop is Daly Waters.

The boys with Betty

Banka Banka from the lookout

Banka Banka lookout

The Kiosk - (Pub)

Wendorah Bore - NT

4th August - 5th August 2014

The highlight of today was crossing the Queensland / Northern Territory border.  It felt like we had been in Queensland forever!

This is a quick overnight stop just off the Barkly Highway at a free camp called Wendorah Bore.  It has nothing.  No power, no water, no shower or toilet!  It was the first time we have really been surrounded by red dirt!  It was extremely windy and very unpleasant with dirt flying everywhere. We did see a lovely sunset, but I couldn't wait to leave here in the morning!

Our next stop is Banka Banka Homestead.

Very excited to be in the NT!

Hmm don't think we can go that fast with the caravan on!

The camp and the dirt...

Lovely sunset

Beautiful colours

Camooweal - QLD

3rd August - 4th August 2014

We stopped at a free camp in Camooweal for an overnight stop.  Camooweal is the last town in Queensland  before you cross the Northern Territory border.

The free camp was quite a nice spot overlooking some water.  There was a vast variety of very pretty bird life.  It was very intriguing listening to their strange sounds.

In the afternoon we went to the drovers museum as Camooweal is the drovers capital of Australia.  We took a tour and had a very passionate guide explaining the life of a drover.

On our way out of town the next morning we stopped to fill up the caravan with water and came across a convoy of army trucks.  The boys thought they were very cool, so we went up and had a chat to the army men and women and grabbed a few photos as well!  They were on their way back home to Darwin.  They even gave the boys a hat each and a couple of patches!  They were stoked!

Next stop is Wendorah Bore.

Yes we are in the middle of no-where!

Drovers Museum

Our camp

Gotta have a camp fire!

Josh & Ash with the Army crew!

Mount Isa - QLD

30th July - 3rd August 2014

We are spending 4 nights in Mount Isa as we need to stock up on some food and there’s a few tours we would like to do.  We have been travelling with Craig & Julie (The Willo’s) since Mount Surprise which has been nice to have some travelling buddies!  The kids are all getting along really well.

Our first tour was to the Mount Isa School of the Air.  This was a really interesting and eye opening experience.  We sat in on a couple of classes in progress and saw how it all really works.  The students all live very remotely on stations throughout Far North Queensland and Northern Territory.  We were shown on a map where all the students were located.  A lady walking through the corridor had bought her child into the school for an activity day. They had driven 300 kl ms just to get there, they still had to drive home again!  The remoteness is amazing and the children’s lives so very different to our kids. 

We then spent the afternoon cooling off at the Family Fun Park, which was a free council park complete with a water splash area!

Our next tour was at The Hard Times Underground Mine.  We all had to suit up into overalls, boots, hats and head torches!  Our tour guide “Bill” had worked at the Mount Isa mine through the 50’s till the 80’s.  He had lots of stories of working in the mines in the “old days” and how the machinery and procedures have changed.  We took a lift down 20 meters and were now underground.  I was amazed at how dark it was, absolutely pitch black, very scary if your torch went flat!  Bill demonstrated how some of the machinery operates and even drove a huge machine through the mine.  We all had a turn at doing a bit of drilling, which was a very noisy and shaky experience!  I don’t know how people can work in these very hot, noisy and dark conditions.  Unfortunately photo's were not permitted, so that's why you won't see any here.

Our next stop is Camooweal.

The kids at School of the Air

The town of Mount Isa from the lookout, the mine is right at the back

Fun at the free water park!

Entrance to the mine tour

Terry Smith Lookout - QLD

29th July - 30th July 2014

This was an overnight free camp stop on our way to Mount Isa.  We parked up, made a fire, sat back and took in the beautiful views with the Willo's.

We stopped in at the Burke & Wills Roadhouse

The boys kickin back

More beautiful sunsets!

Sunset

The camp set-up

Karumba - QLD

27th July - 29th July 2014

Karumba is most popular for it’s Barra fishing.  Lots of people travel here each year just to fish for a big catch!  The sunsets here are also amazing.  We took a trip to the local fish & chip shop named “Ash’s” and took a few snaps, as Ashton never gets to see his name anywhere!  We didn’t think too much of the caravan park as it was very crowded.

Unfortunately we didn’t have any time for barra fishing, but the highlight of our visit was the gorgeous sunset over dinner at the local pub.  When we departed the next day, l had my first drive towing the caravan!  Stuart was actually quite relaxed and said l did a great job!

Karumba

The sign says it all!

Ashton with his name sake!

Sunset at the Karumba Pub

Sunset

Sunset

The kids enjoying the sunset

Our stop off in Normanton to visit the big croc!