- Gulf Country, NT to QLD -

(Me, enjoying a morning dip @ Mataranka, Thermal Pools)

After a wonderful trip around Kakadu with Mum, we wasted no time hanging around and decided to hit the road again, saying goodbye to Darwin and headed onto a new frontier! We left in the afternoon making our first stop over at Mataranka Thermal Pools, and then heading on in the morning to see the historic Daly Waters Pub. After a quick beer (mid strength), we then made the left turn heading towards the Gulf of Carpentaria!


(Our camp @ Calvert River Crossing)

Our first overnight stop was Borroloola, on the mighty Arthur River. The area is known to most as Barra country so we set off the next morning to the famous riverside camp of King Ash Bay with our sights set on catching the elusive fish! The plan was to set up camp somewhere for the night and get some fishing in, however riverside access was limited (not to mention we had to be careful of Crocs) which made fishing a little difficult without a Boat! We had a go for a while but no luck. So we decided to drive further east and camp somewhere along the way.

The country side changed dramatically the further we drove, going from flat station country into high ranges cut away by rivers roaring during the wet season. We drove quite a way, crossing 2 major rivers before finding a perfect camp beside the Calvert River. The water was too shallow for fishing, and being late in the day we set up camp. During the night we were woken several times to Cattle Road Trains crossing the River nearby, some were 3 trailers long!!

(Roadtrain @ Calvert River Crossing)

(Steep crossing)

The next day we crossed the border into Queensland!! We finally made it! Again the country side changed to really dry, drought stricken plains. There isn’t a lot to see along the way, unless you have a boat to get out to the islands along the Gulf coastline. I would love to go back and get amongst it properly! We stopped in Burketown to refuel and lunch, pushing onto Normanton for the night.

Normanton is also Barra & Croc country, and skirts the Norman River where in 1957 a local Crocodile Hunter Shot ‘THE WORLDS LARGEST CROCODILE’ measuring a whopping 8.7m (28ft) weighing 1,352 Kilo’s! I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to see this monster alive! Let alone while fishing in a tinny on the River!!

(A scale replica of the worlds largest Croc, Normanton)

The next morning we headed out to the mouth of Norman River, and took a look around the seaside town of Karumba. Again fishing was plentiful if you had a boat, we gave it go off the riverbank for a while but the tides were ripping out and you had to be extremely careful not to fall “A over T” into the mud! So we headed back to Normanton, and attempted fishing off the bridge for about 1 ½ hrs… still no luck!

(Liechhardt Falls)

The next day we called through Georgetown, a sleepy outback town that was founded back in the 1870’s with gold being mined on the banks of the Ethridge River. The visitors centre also houses an impressive collection of rocks, gems and minerals from the surrounding area and beyond, which was well worth a look. From Georgetown we only had 400kms to the east coast…. We we’re fast approaching the Cairns tableland region….

(Pretty small Police Station hey? Georgetown)

(Cumberland Chimney, 1870's Gold crushing plant, Georgetown)

- AMAZING KAKADU -

(The 3 of us @ Wangi Falls, Litchfield NP)

The DAY we got back from Bali, my mum flew in from Perth to join us on a trip through Litchfield NP and the long awaited visit to KAKADU. So you can imagine getting organised was pretty full on! We finally got everything together and the following day we set off for Litchfield, taking mum to all to the popular Waterfalls and rock pools. It was absolute heaven, and will always remain one of my favourites!!

(Mum & I enjoying a refreshing swim)

We entered Kakadu the following day with our first stop @ Gunlom Falls (which is featured in the famous Crocodile Dundee movie) it had almost dried up, and like most waterfalls in Northern Australia would look mighty impressive in the wet season!! We camped here the night & mum and I decided to do the walk to above the 100m falls… the view was awesome! (Bren unfortunately got a dose of the Bali Belly, and didn’t feel too good.) We continued onto Maguk Gorge, also known as Barramundi Falls, this would be the last place we could swim before heading further into the park…

(Above Gunlom Falls, Kakadu.)

We then visited Nourlangie Rock, home to some of the Australia best preserved Aboriginal Rock Art. It’s amazing to see up close! Paintings depicting the dreamtime and creation, the spirits, and of course the food source of kangaroo’s and barramundi!

(Rock Art, Nourlangie Rock, Kakadu.)



The next day we visited Jabiru, and Mum spoilt us to a 1 hour flight over the National Park!! It was truly amazing!! Just makes you realise the sheer size of the Park and how much remains untouched, unexplored. It truly is BLOODY HUGE!! The flight takes you over the Arnhem Plateau, following the South Alligator River and almost out into the Arafura Sea!!

(Ubirr Lookout.)

After the flight we headed out to Cahill’s Crossing on the South Alligator River to Spot wild Crocs!! We sure did find what we were looking for! We then continued onto Ubirr, which also has some spectacular Rock Art and views also featured in Crocodile Dundee!

After another fun filled day of adventure, the next day would surely not disappoint! We began the day checking out the Mamukala Wetlands, which was a hive of birdlife activity. Then we exited the park and stopped off at Adelaide River to join the ‘Spectacular Jumping Crocs River Cruise’. I wasn’t that NT crocs are especially unique and do miraculous tricks. Fact is if you hang a slab of meat out the side of a boat any croc is sure to want a feed, even if it means launching more than half their body weight out of the water!! It was impressive!! And gave us an “up close” look at these impressive dangerous monsters.

We then travelled back to Darwin and spent the next few days chilling out with mum, showing her around. We finished off with a delicious dinner at Pee Wee’s on the Point, in Fanny Bay, Darwin, which I highly recommend if you ever decide to visit the Top End.

- Territory Day & Mandorah -

We learnt that the 1st of July is a very special day on the calendar for Territorians. Not only is it "Territory Day" the public are able to purchase their own fireworks and celebrate by setting them off (almost) anywhere! We didn't purchase any crackers (as we're saving for our Bali trip) however the Darwin City Council put on a spectacular display down on Mindil Beach. The show went for about 1/2hr with an impressive finale lighting up the sky.

We then headed back to Craig's to watch the neighbours light their crackers in the park adjacent to the units. Some crackers fell over setting fireworks off in all directions, albeit dangerous, it was entertaining watching people jumping out of the way! Some money must've been spent as there was splashes of colour all over the city skyline! Not to mention the debris the next morning, but generally people were pretty good. However there were at least 90 call outs for the fire brigade, putting next years celebrations under review!

On Saturday, Bren and I had a wonderful day with a trip to Mandorah. We took a 20 min ferry ride across the harbour from Cullen Bay and then walked a short distance to the Hotel. The views looking back at the city while sipping down a few Corona's was an awesome way to spend the afternoon. Quite a few people were fishing off the jetty, though we didn't see them catch anything.

After Mandorah we headed to the East Point Reserve to look around the Military Museum. It was quite interesting, detailing the WWII war effort and many artillery displays.

- V8's, Beer, Jimmy & The Presets! -

Darwin's Hidden Valley Race Track was home to Round 5 of the V8 Supercars....3 days of fast paced excitement, burnouts, boooze and bands! We seemed to have the hottest ticket in town, 3 days of racing, & 2 concerts with Jimmy Barnes & The Presets performing... all for just $70 Bucks!!

We decided to skip the Friday as we both had work & it was only the qualifying rounds, leaving us plenty of energy & beer money for the remain 2 days. Early Saturday afternoon we headed out to the track... the noise was incredible.. and fast!! We enjoyed a few races over a couple of beers and headed out to check out the merchandise ally and pit lane. The place was a hive of activity, with racing enthusiasts from all over the country!! After the days events had finished we stayed to enjoy Jimmy Barnes!! What a day.... and we still had Sunday to go!

On the Sunday Hidden Valley was buzzing!! Between races a fighter jet entertained the crowd by flying low over the track and doing stunt rolls with a deafening roar!! Burnouts and Stunts amped up the crowd.

Once all the racing was over... we waited close to the stage eagerly awaiting the Presets to perform. The crowd was intense, with a much younger crowd (than the Jimmy concert) jumping, screaming, singing & pushing to get a closer to the stage!! It was awesome!!

- Discovering Darwin -

We've been in Darwin a few weeks now, and thoroughly enjoying it. We've been checking out the sites and looking for work so we can stay a few months. We're staying with friends Craig & Nicky, who have a unit within walking distance to the city centre... very handy for those big nights out :)

(Me at the Tio Stadium, watching AFL, Port Vs Bulldogs)

We visited the Crocodylus Park, Darwins Croc Park and Zoo. Which is home to HUGE lizards... captured over the years from all over the Territory... the largest Croc (5m) caught in Darwin Harbour!!

(Dont think for a minute that he cannot move fast...)

(Bren got all friendly with this young kangaroo... aww cute!)

(Nicky & Craig)

(Mindil Beach Markets, great night shopping on twice a week)

- Litchfield National Park -

After Edith Falls we travelled to Litchfield National Park only 100km from Darwin. We stopped in at the Butterfly Park in Batchelor, taking some time out from the road and getting some awesome photo's.

We made camp at the Florence Falls 4wd camp ground and walked 15 mins for a swim in the plunge pool of the Falls. It was a little busier than expected, though still relaxing. Florence Falls is made up of 2 separate waterfalls cascading over a 15 meter cliff.

Once back at camp, we had to fight off the mozzies, while cooking etc and made for an early night.

The next morning we headed straight to the other end of the park to see Wangi Falls, again 2 separate waterfalls, though a much much higher cliff face. Unfortunately due to the recent wet season, swimming was still prohibited so we decided to do the 1.7km walk through the rain forest to the tree tops and then around the back of the falls. It was certainly a long way up and offered really great views of the surrounding country side.

Our Next stop was off the main track via 4wd to Blyth Homestead, having to cross river crossings deeper then we had on the Gibb and being potentially infested with Crocs!! Nice, i was a little worried to begin with as the water had seeped in under the bottom of the doors, however my worries lifted when we saw several other tourist vehicles had gone through and were much lower than our car!! Crazy if you ask me.

Blyth Homestead, was the location of an old tin mine back in 1929, a display throughout explores the hardships encounted by the early pioneers. We then made our way down to Sandy Creek Falls, which is a 3.4km return walk to a large plunge pool and of course a spectacular waterfall! It was amazing with the water temperature just right!!

Once back at the main road of the park we visited Tolmer Falls (a lookout over the falls as its home to 2 protected species of Bats) and then headed to Buley rockholes for a relaxing dip and a BEER!! The rock holes is a very popular spot, with easy access, and a few sections so your able to spread out and enjoy!! We stayed another night at Litchfield and then decided to head to Darwin in the morning.

- Edith Falls -

With the car all fixed (a seal had to be replaced) we finally left Katherine! About 60km up the road we took a detour into one of my favourite places in the N.T, Edith Falls. Situated in the northern end of Nitmiluk National Park, Edith falls is a great place to stay, swim and explore. Being early morning we decided to do the 2.6km walk to the upper pools and waterfalls...