Trip 108 - Border Store, Kakadu National Park

We arrived at the Border Store in Kakadu National Park on Monday 2 August 2010.  After setting up camp we met up with Andrew, the relief Manager.  Rick and Shirly, the current managers, are currently in Darwin for a couple of days.  Andrew and his father, Gary, were very welcoming and started to show us the ropes of how the Border Store operates.

The Border Store is located in the East Alligator region of Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory.  The East Alligator River forms the boundary between Kakadu and Arnhem Land.  The store sells souvenirs, aboriginal art, food, drinks, ice-creams and is generally the meeting place for tour buses. 

The East Alligator region contains rainforest, stone country, aboriginal rock art, extensive floodplains and the beautiful East Alligator River. 

Cahill's Crossing, which crosses the East Alligator River from Kakadu to Arnhem Land, has a tide which comes in very fast over the causeway.  The salt water crocodiles surf over the causeway and feed on the barramundi with fisherman trying to catch the elusive barra before the crocs do.

About 2km down the road from the Border Store, is Ubirr where you can see a range of different rock art styles telling stories about behaviour, food, law and creation.  Traditionally groups of people camped under Ubirr's cool rock shelters and exploited the rich resources of the nearby East Alligator River and Nadab floodplain.  Ubirr is now looked after by neighbouring clans.  Concentrated along the escarpment, in gorges, and on rock outliers, the art sites are tangible evidence of the close personal relationship of Aboriginal people with their land and spiritual heritage.  Once you reach the top of Ubirr, you are greeted with a 360 degree view of Kakadu National Park and Arnhem Land with the most magnificant sunset over the Nadab floodplain.

We offically started work on Thursday after meeting Rick and Shirley. I worked in the shop as well as preparing the sit down lunch meals for the tour buses.  Don worked at Ubirr as a Survelience Officer making sure that the tourists stayed on the designated tracks and didn't interfer with any of the priceless art work. 

In our last week, Don was invited to attend the Arnhemlander tour which is an aboriginal cultural tour into Arnhemland and northern Kakadu.  The Arnhemlander four-wheel drive day tour crosses the famous East Alligator River entering Arnhemland to visit Mikinj Valley, a superbly scenic area of sandstone outcrops and escarpment, forests, floodplains and billabongs.

 

We also went on the famous Guluyambi Cruise which is an exceptional Aboriginal cultural and scenic experience on the East Alligator River.  The Aboriginal guides specialise in catering to small groups for a personal and unique cultural, bush tucker and wildlife experience.  The tour focuses on Aboriginal culture as your Aboriginal guide shares skills passed down for generations, including the making of hunting tools and where to find bush tucker on this East Alligator River.

We worked 7 days a week for 3 months and thoroughly enjoyed our time here. Rick and Shirley have become great friends and were very good managers.

Till next time ...

Trips 100 - 107 Katherine to Annaburro

Camp 100 Douglas Hot Springs

Left Katherine after delivering the Stargate Atlantis DVDs back to Rob and Judith. On our way from Katherine to Douglas Hot Springs, we stopped in at Edith Falls for a look and a picnic lunch. Edith Falls is part of the Nitmiluk National Park and is accessed from the Stuart Highway, 42km north of Katherine. The car park is a further 19km from the turnoff. Adjacent to the car park at the base of Edith Falls is a large pandanus fringed plunge pool, which is a popular swimming area. The park offers a variety of walking tracks, picnic area and camp ground near the base of the falls.

Once we filled up our stomachs, we left Edith Falls to continue onto Douglas Hot Springs. After 2 years 3 months and 15 days on the road, we finally reach Camp 100. The Douglas Hot Springs are located 47km from the Stuart Highway via Oolloo Road. The last 7km is unsealed but generally accessible by 2WD vehicle. The springs are as hot as 60°C and swimming is recommended in the cooler pools downstream. These springs attract a variety of wildlife and unpowered camping is available. The hot and cold waters mix together at a certain point in the river where you can enjoy the temperature of the water that suits individual needs. Don stayed mostly in the cold part whereas for me the hotter the better.

We also saw a couple that we met in both Camp 86 Croydon and Camp 88 Hell’s Gate Roadhouse. What a small world!

Our time at Douglas Hot Springs was just spent relaxing and enjoying the serenity of the natural hot water.

Camp 101 Batchelor 1

With 2 gigs booked in at Batchelor in 2 separate venues, we left Douglas Hot Springs reluctantly on Friday 16 July 2010 to head up to Batchelor. Batchelor is located 98km south of Darwin and is the gateway to Litchfield National Park. The township offers a range of accommodation from motel rooms and cabins to bungalows and caravan parks.

My first gig was scheduled for Saturday 17 July at the Batchelor Butterfly Farm and Tropical Retreat. This retreat offers the Northern Territory its first and only butterfly sanctuary and tropical oasis which offers unique, quality cabin accommodation nestled within the grounds of its organic farm and butterfly sanctuary. Judy, the owner of the Butterfly Farm, let us camp in her private home backyard.

As well as my gigs here, Don and I have decided that we need to settle down for approximately 3 months till the end of October before the wet season starts again and find some work to build the kitty up again. So most of my time here in Batchelor, in between gigs, was spent job hunting as well as updating this website.

The gig on Saturday night at the Butterfly Farm was a quiet, subdued gig with people eating dinner and enjoying the live entertainment. Turned out so well, that Judy has booked another night for this coming Wednesday 21 July 2010.

On Sunday 18 July 2010 we went out to Litchfield National Park. Just 20 minutes from Batchelor, Litchfield offers several options for safe swimming in the spring fed waterfalls and rock holes.


The Magnetic Termite Mounds are a major attraction seen soon after entering the national park. Some of them stand up to 2 metres in height and are in a north-south orientation. This configuration acts as a built-in temperature control mechanism, allowing only the least possible surface area to be exposed to the heat of the sun.

Buley Rockhole is a series of small waterfalls and rockholes that provide the perfect site to cool off and relax. A walking track leads from Buley Rockhole to Florence Falls. Florence Falls is a spectacular double waterfall set amid monsoon rainforest. A nearby viewing platform is ideal for sightseeing and photography.


The impressive city site known as the “The Lost City” is some 8km off the main Litchfield Park Road, accessible on a rough track by 4WD only, it houses reminiscent of the ruins of some long lost civilisation in its formation of sandstone blocks and majestic pillars formed and weathered by the elements.

On Monday we moved from Judy’s backyard to the Batchelor Resort Big4 Caravan Park. Judy has a dog called Squash who unfortunately doesn’t like me very much and has already tried to go me a couple of times. So in order for Judy not to stress, for Squash not to stress and for me not to stress we decided to move out and give Squash her backyard back. Since I have a gig at the Batchelor Resort on Thursday night it was only logical that we move there. Monday and Tuesday nights at a 25% discount with Wednesday and Thursday nights free. Can’t complain about that!

Camp 102 Batchelor 2

Not a lot to say about this place. The Batchelor Motor Inn and Caravan Park is a Big4 resort with all the usual amenities. Generally, while I was waiting to perform the gig on Thursday night, we just sat around camp, swam in the pool and met some lovely people.

The gig on Thursday night was with a few of the locals and caravan park people.

Camp 103 Litchfield National Park 1 (Litchfield Tourist and Van Park)

On Friday 23 July 2010 we moved to Litchfield Tourist and Van Park just on the edge of Litchfield National Park. We only stayed 2 nights here waiting for the third gig at the Butterfly Farm on Saturday night which by the way went really well again with restaurant tables full of house guests.

A big thanks goes to Judy and Lyndal for booking three gigs in just one week and their welcoming attitude and hospitality.

Camp 104 Litchfield National Park 2 (Litchfield Safari Camp)

On Sunday 25 July 2010 (we never move on a Sunday) we left the Litchfield Tourist and Van Park and headed into Litchfield National Park on our way to Humpty Doo.

On our way we stopped at Tolmer Falls which is one of the most spectacular which cascades over two high escarpments into a distant, deep plunge pool. There is no public access to the bottom of the falls as this is home to several colonies of the rare and protected bat species, Ghost Bats and Orange Horseshoe Bats.


We then drove onto Wangi Falls where this is the park’s most popular visitor attraction because of its ease of access, with its two falls cascading into a cool, freshwater pool. A 1.7km walk, which commences near the pool, provides an excellent opportunity for photography and winds itself up beside the falls, over the falls and down the other side. We spent the afternoon doing this walk and then enjoyed the coolness of the water with a swim out to the falls and back.

We were going to camp here but all the sites had already been taken so we headed out to Litchfield Safari Camp for the night instead. At $20 per night for an unpowered site, we left early on Monday morning and headed the 4km back to Wangi Falls to see if there were any sites available and there was.

Camp 105 Litchfield National Park 3 (Wangi Falls)

We set up camp at Wangi Falls campground on the first available site which happened to be site number 1. We have booked in for 2 nights but since we don’t have to be in Humpty Doo until Friday, we may even spend another 2 nights here. Such a beautiful spot, quite cheap to camp and with the falls and swimming hole only about 500m down the track, very refreshing.

The weather is definitely getting hotter at around 35° with 40% humidity however there is a beautiful cool breeze today which makes all the difference. Hopefully we will be able to withstand this heat as we work at The Border Store, just 40km north of Jabiru, in Kakadu National Park, till the end of October / mid November.

Camp 106 Humpty Doo

We arrived in Humpty Doo on Friday early afternoon ready for the gig that night. The managers were very kind and gave us a hotel room for two nights. The Humpty Doo Hotel is an historical famous hotel of the Northern Territory. On Saturday night, a band called The Giants played which absolutely rocked the entire place. We even met some drillers, one from Ireland and the other two from Melbourne.



Camp 107 Annaburro

Moving again on a Sunday, we arrived at the Bark Hut Inn, Annaburro ready for the afternoon gig. The Bark Hut Inn is a roadhouse, pub, caravan park and souvenir shop. We only stayed the one night before heading into Kakadu National Park.

Take care, until next time ...

Trips 96 - 99 Lake Woods to Katherine

Camp 96 South Warloch Rest Area

Reluctantly, we left Lake Woods on Thursday 1 July 2010. As of today, we have now been on the road 2 years and 3 months. Who said it wouldn’t last! We started to make our way up to Katherine and as we don’t have to be there until Thursday 8 July we decided to do a few scheduled stops along the way.

For lunch we stopped at Daly Waters where there were so many caravans that we didn’t know what the attraction was. We found out that Frank the Chookman who entertains there every night was the main attraction as well as the 1930s Daly Waters historic pub. Daly Waters is an outback town with a rich history. The Daly Waters pub is the quintessential outback watering hole famous for its bush hospitality, huge meals and quirky decorations on the walls. Just 265kms south of Katherine, Daly Waters has the distinction of being Australia’s first international airfield. For almost 30 years, from the 1930s to the late 1950s, it was the focus of activity in the area. Initially, it was used for flying mail into the NT from Qld. It then became a staging and refuelling point for Qantas international flights flying through Darwin and onto Singapore and other domestic flight services. By the beginning of WWII, military air traffic had replaced civilian air traffic. Although the aerodrome was closed to commercial traffic in 1965, the original Qantas hangar still stands, housing interesting facts, photos and equipment, where you can explore the terminal ruins and walk along the airstrip.

After lunch we then drove further north to Mataranka but we ended up stopping 40kms short of Mataranka to stay at South Warloch Rest Area. A typical rest area with toilets only, we enjoyed the serenity for the night except early in the morning when a bunch of young people came in and decided to make as much noise as they possibly could waking the whole rest area stayers up.

Camp 97 Elsey National Park

On Friday 2 July 2010, we drove the further 40kms to Mataranka. Mataranka township sits on the upper reaches of the Roper River, an hour’s drive south-east of Katherine. With a population of about 250, it services outlying cattle stations and Aboriginal communities and is well equipped with facilities for travellers.

After stocking up on supplies, we headed out to Bitter Springs Thermal Pool just north of Mataranka for a thermal spring swim. Bitter Springs is a tropical spring-fed thermal pool located just 2km from Mataranka. Set among palms and tropical woodland, it is an ideal location to bush walk, swim or simply relax with toilet facilities, picnic benches and BBQs available. Swimming downstream with the current was very easy but trying to swim back against the current was extremely difficult. After only moving 5m of which it felt like 50m, I opted to float all the way downstream, get out and walk back while Don persevere with swimming against the current.


After out swim at Bitter Springs we decided to visit the Mataranka Homestead Thermal pools for another swim. Mataranka Thermal Pool was dedicated as a reserve in 1967 to ensure preservation of the thermal spring and surrounding palm forest, which has survived from an earlier age. The pool is at a constant 34°C and flows from Rainbow Springs at an amazing 30.5 million litres a day. Although a couple of degrees cooler than Bitter Springs we still enjoyed the swim and met a lovely couple our own age, Mario and Ann Marie, from Melbourne.

After our swim, the four of us visited the Elsey Homestead which is an authentic replica especially constructed for the film “We of the Never Never”. Every detail is duplicated down to the hand-hewn local cypress pine. Nearby Aboriginal gunyas, or wurlies, built with the advice of local Aboriginal elders can be seen.


As Mario and Ann Marie were staying at Elsey National Park, they asked us to join them for the night and camp beside them. Elsey National Park, 8km from Mataranka, is another of the region’s natural attractions. The Roper River meanders through the park, flowing through waterholes and tumbling over rocks and tufa dams. We didn’t end up doing the 4.1km one way walk to the waterfall as we didn’t have enough time and everyone was saying that it is not really worth it as the waterfall has been overrun with vegetation.

Camp 98 King River Rest Area

On our way out from Elsey National Park the next day, we stopped at the WWII Aboriginal Camp where 355 occupants where there in 1943. Very interesting to see the cement slabs still in tack with loads of steel drums laying all over the place.

Turning onto the main highway heading into Katherine, the slide out kitchen on the camper decided to slide out and land on the road. Bummer! A couple of vans stopped to assist in lifting the kitchen back up and sliding it into place. Minimal damage with both of the hot and cold water pipes snapping and some slight damage to the underneath of the front section. Very luck actually that the whole kitchen did not buckle or come apart as it landed on the bitumen. Just goes to show how strong a stainless steel kitchen can be.

Therefore, we decided to stay at King River Rest Area for the night to give us a chance to fix it up before heading into Katherine. Tomorrow we are hoping to visit the Tindal and Cutta Cutta Caves just 28km south of Katherine. Then into Katherine Gorge National Park to check out the gorges. Then into Katherine for Thursday and Friday night gigs.

Found out from one of the travellers that the Cutta Cutta Caves costs $16 per person and you must enter with a guide – so a no go this time. Oh well, maybe another time. So instead, we stayed a couple of nights at the King River Rest Area just relaxing and talking to other travellers. We even met a couple of Taiwanese backpackers who told us all about living in Taiwan and their culture. Very interesting and all I kept saying was “Made in Taiwan”.

Camp 99 Katherine

After leaving King River Rest Area and arriving in Katherine driving only 50kms, we visited the Information Centre and then went to the Katherine Hot Springs. These natural thermal springs are located just 5 minutes from the centre of town on the banks of the Katherine River. With a constant temperature of 32°C with surrounding grassy banks and shade trees, this is an ideal spot for a pleasant swim to soothe away aches and pains with toilet and hot shower facilities.

Katherine is the third-largest town in the NT and home to about 9,000 people. It is 320km south of Darwin on the Stuart Highway and is often described as “where the outback meets the tropics”. Renowned for its strong Aboriginal culture, the region is scattered with natural thermal springs, quirky outback pubs and massive rivers. Katherine is often referred to as the “crossroads of the north”, because the Nature’s Way, Explorer’s Way and Savannah Way lead north, south, east and west from this point.

After our dip in the thermal pools, we had a lovely well-deserved hot shower and then headed to the Stuart Hotel to let Athol know we had arrived in town. The gigs in Katherine were scheduled for Thursday 8 July and Friday 9 July and even though we arrived early on the Monday, Athol was so obliging that he offered his front lawn for us to camp on. His property is about 5km out of town and consists of 20,000 acres with orchards, goats and dogs.

So for a few days we just sat around camp relaxing and watching movies. Athol had a change of plans and decided that Wednesday and Friday from 11:00am to 3:00pm would work better. The gig on Wednesday was great with about 120 people showing up with the majority being black. The Indigenous people always make a great crowd with loving the music and dancing their little hearts out. Friday’s day gig from11:00am to 3:00pm was even better with about 150 people showing more enthusiasm than Wednesday. Athol then offered that I play again on Friday night from 6:00pm to 10:00pm so I can have a 3 hour break in between. Friday night’s gig was a little bit more quiet than the day gig but still rocked however I lost my voice at about 9pm and just played DJ music until 10pm. The crowd still enjoyed it and danced the night away.

On Saturday, we went to the Katherine markets where we ran into a travelling couple we had met back at Camp 83. Rob and Judith are travelling Australia like us and have almost been on the road for 2 years selling home made soya candles along the way at shows and markets.

We also spent a couple of afternoons at the Katherine Hot Springs where Don played with the kids while I just relaxed in the warm, crystal clear water.

Don also managed to find out that they have the four seasons of Stargate Atlantis which I spent a considerable amount of time copying onto our external hard drive.

We left Katherine on Wednesday 14 July 2010 to continue north. Thanks again to Athol and Terese for letting us camp on their property and for the gigs at the Stuart Hotel.

Until next time, take care ...

Trips 90 - 95 Borroloola to Lake Woods

Camp 90 Brunette Downs Rest Area

On Tuesday 15 June 2010 (my birthday) we decided to leave Borroloola and head south towards Brunette Downs for their 100th anniversary of their amateur race day where I will be performing two gigs. We stopped at Cape Crawford which lies at the intersection of the Carpentaria and Tableland Highways. It provides a roadhouse, camping and meals so we stopped for a quick drink before continuing on to a rest area some 100km south.

We arrived at the rest area to find the nosiest squeakiest windmill you will ever come across so we decided to continue onto the next one for the night.

At the Brunette Downs Rest Area we met two lovely couples, one in a huge American motorhome and the other in a caravan. We had a lovely night and I even got a cake, candles and espresso coffee for my birthday.

Camp 91 Brunette Downs

We arrived at Brunette Downs on Wednesday 16 June 2010 to set up camp for the week. Since we were camping on open plains we decided to put the full annexe up for protection from the south easterly wind hurling over the black soil plains.

For this 4 day weekend, Brunette Downs is celebrating their 100th anniversary of their race meeting. A huge weekend is expected with over 3,000 people arriving.

We met Tash whom I had booked the gigs through and she introduced us to the necessary people and places. Even though Thursday was the official opening day, Wednesday night was State of Origin at the bar so we stayed in the night.

Thursday morning started off early with the camp draft followed by the horse races at midday. At 5pm the Battle of the Barkley was held which is a fun event and very funny. With an obstacle course of getting out of your swag, rolling it up, putting on your shoes and hat, eating cold green curry porridge, then riding a brumby to a flag and back. The funniest part was riding the oil sleek saddle on a round drum on a round pole and pulling yourself down the pole. The guys kept falling off sideways. For some reason Australians think it’s funny when people hurt themselves.

My first gig on Thursday night was in the Art Gallery for wine and cheese night promoting local artists. With a crowd of approximately 100, I played subdued music including ballads, soft country and piano bar music.

Friday was more camp drafting and rodeo that night. We went to the rodeo after dinner but didn’t stay long because there were so many people that we couldn’t see anything.

Saturday saw the official race day where the ladies and gents dressed up just like Melbourne Cup Day. It was so windy today that I just managed to watch 5 races and the ladies parade then it was back to the camper to get out of the wind for the while.

Sunday bought another very windy day with most of the 5,000 people leaving Brunette Downs to get out of the wind. We would have too if I didn’t have a gig on this afternoon. Not sure how that is going to go as most of the people have left, it is very windy and cold. Anyway, we will just have to wait and see.

The gig on Sunday afternoon was absolutely fantastic. Initially a 4 hour gig from 4-8pm, I was extended for a further 3 hours until 11pm and well paid for it. This now gives us a bit of back up money, which we have been lacking lately. The bar rocked with dancing, presentations of the camp draft results and even a local singing a couple of songs. Even my voice lasted the whole 7 hours which was amazing considering the wind and the dust.

Camp 92 Elliott

From Brunette Downs we decided to head back north 60km to the Barkly Stock Route which took us across to Elliott and Renner Springs the short way. The Barkly Stock Route runs for 233kms between the Tablelands Highway and the Stuart Highway. This gravel road provides the best opportunity to experience the vast open grasslands of the Barkly Tablelands. This route was used extensively by famous drovers, such as Nat Buchanan in the late 1800s and early to mid 1900s, to move stock from the large cattle stations of the Territory and the Kimberley into Queensland. Watch out for livestock while you enjoy the views of the sweeping plains often without even a single tree in sight.

On coming out of the Barkly Stock Route and hitting the Stuart Highway, the speed limit sign said 130km. That’s OK if you are in a sports car, but with our rig, we stuck to 80-90km for the 20kms run to Elliott.

Since we don’t have to be in Renner Springs until Friday 25 June 2010 and we couldn’t find the shortcut track down to Renner Springs, we decided to spend a night at the Elliott caravan park for a well deserved rest and a nice hot shower.

The traditional name for the township of Elliott is Kulumindini and it is the traditional hoe of the Jingili desert people. Located 252km north of Tennant Creek and halfway between Alice Springs and Darwin, Elliott is the second largest town of the Barkly and was named in 1947 after Army Captain Reginald Douglas Elliott, MBE.

Camp 93 Lake Woods

Nearby Elliott is Lake Woods, the spectacular lake which was once part of a huge freshwater basin, which dried up in the last Ice Age, around 23,000 years ago. During this period, the lake reduced in size from 5,000 sqkm to its current 420 sqkm. Longreach Waterhole forms part of this lake and is an important breeding ground for a great number of inland birdlife.

After leaving Elliott caravan park, we opted to drive the 18km of dirt road out to the lake just to have a look however we ended up staying the night cause it is such a beautiful spot. Now don’t get me wrong, I have seen pelicans before, I just haven’t seen them in such vast numbers bobbing their heads in and out of the water looking for fish. Actually, very funny birds when you sit down and watch their activities. Lake Woods is certainly a bird sanctuary and if I was a bird, I would want to live here too. It is so nice here that we even might come back for a couple of days after Renner Springs and on our way up to Katherine.

The night at the lake turned out to be one of the most peaceful nights we have had in quite a while. The wind eventually died down completely, the sky shone with no clouds and the brightest of stars and we even had a camp fire for the first time since Swanvale. What a priceless night!

Camp 94 Renner Springs

Renner Springs, named after Dr Frederick Renner, a medical officer to the workers of the Overland Telegraph Line offers a roadhouse with great meals, friendly hospitality, accommodation and camping facilities.

We left Lake Woods and arrived at Renner Springs on Wednesday 23 June 2010 ready for the gig on Friday night. The grey nomads and other travellers usually only stop overnight here as really it is in the middle of nowhere with nothing much to see or do. Other than the natural spring behind the property which is home to four very territorial geese who attack your legs every time you walk pass them.

The gig on Friday night was a very quiet affair with mainly staff members as the crowd and a couple of travelling grey nomads. The manager decided to charge a $15/head cover charge and although the caravan park was full and so were the hotel units, many people decided not to pay the cover charge and enjoy the show. All in all, we still had a good night with the ones that were there enjoying the music and a bit of dancing.

Camp 95 Lake Woods

On Saturday 26 June 2010 we left Renner Springs to start heading north towards Katherine. Since we have about 10 days up our sleeve till my next gig in Katherine, we opted to spend a few more days at Lake Woods after enjoying our first visit here less than a week ago.

We picked the same camp spot although this time there were a lot more campers scattered around the lake. The wind has picked up slightly during the day but the nights are so still and peaceful. We still enjoyed watching the different species of birds and their antics in the around the lake. Truly a magnificent spot and well worth stopping here if you have a few days up your sleeve.

On Tuesday, Don decided that a full clean out of the car was in order, so we took everything out, laid the stuff out on the tarp and started to clean and cull. Three garbage bags later and the car had been repacked and fairly clean. You know you can never get all the red dust out of everything!

Until next time, take care ...