Katherine Gorge

Another top day today- sunny and VERY hot...about 35 in the middle of the day. We went and explored lovely Katherine Gorge. Hired a canoe for a half day and paddled up the first two of the 13 gorges. The second is apparently the most impressive of the lot and it was great, with high walls on either side. We pulled up at sandy beach and had a swim (we needed it!) and travelling at our own pace in the canoe was nice, seeing some birds etc. I floated for a while and it was great staring up at the high rock walls. We then had lunch and went for a walk to some lookouts over the gorge. So a good day (although having now seen it, we both think Katherine gorge is a bit over-hyped. It's good- but not the best we've seen so far. Lawn Hill Gorge was better in our opinion).

Off to Edith Falls tomorrow, which we've been told are must-see waterfalls about 60kms from Katherine.

Love to all. xx

The top ten things you need to know about Caravanning

Caravanning is a way of life. Adam and I are learning more and more about its ins and outs the longer we travel. I was thinking about it tonight and just wrote this jokey article which I thought I'd share on here:

Thinking of caravanning? Here are the top ten things you must know before you pull into your first van park.

1) There is no sleeping in.

People in caravan parks like to rise early. They have places to be and they need to get there ASAP. I know, I know, they are on holidays, but there is no rest for the wicked and the early bird gets the best site at the next van park. Plus many caravanners are older retirees and they’ll be the first to tell you, they usually wake by 5am anyway. So expect a lot of clatter and banging, car engines starting and loud morning greetings, before the sun is even in the sky.

2) Privacy is a thing of the past.

You may have dreams of quiet nights in a tranquil bush setting, reading a book in your folding chair outside your travelling home. But while that can happen if you head off the beaten tourist track, or into a national parks campground, most of the time you will be on a small site (grassed if you are lucky) with another caravan, campertailer of campervan a few feet either side of you and quite possibly one behind you as well. Most have flimsy walls and lots of open screen flaps and windows, which means sound travels- a long way. Your own conversations and those of the people around you, will bounce across the reaches of your not-so-quiet oasis for all to hear. And that’s before the lights go out and the snoring starts. You can hit your own husband when he starts to grunt and snort in his sleep, but you can’t do much about the foghorn five caravans down.

3) People like to watch.

Caravan parks are like mini theatres, with an ever changing cast and crew watched by an openly curious, and often downright nosy, audience. New arrivals to the park are like a new set of actors entering the stage. Oldies sit at their outdoor tables and stare as the latest travellers struggle to back up their van and maybe exchange a few harsh words to each other in the process. A good domestic during the treacherous setting-up-of the-van process can brighten any caravan park afternoon. If you are young and appear inexperienced, all the better. Still in our thirties and on our first long-haul caravan journey, my husband and I usually draw plenty of attention.

4) The toilets stink in the morning.

We humans often follow a fairly set routine when it comes to eating and ah, expelling our waste. The after breakfast trip to the amenities block is therefore never a pleasant experience. Often there is a queue and the toilets invariably stink. There are also all those embarrassing bodily function noises emanating from the cubicles, adding to the overall experience

5) Someone will always know better than you do.

There are tens of thousands of people currently on the road around Australia, many of them have lapped the country more than once, and let me tell you, they know a thing or two (or three or four) about caravan travel. They know how to get the best fuel consumption, the best places to see and the places not to see. And they won’t be backwards in coming forwards when it comes to telling you the things you should be doing, or shouldn’t have done. There is no solution, but to nod politely and agree.

6) The Honeymoon is Over.

No matter how much you love your partner, living in a confined space for an extended period of time will test even the strongest relationship. Especially if your chosen mode of traveling accommodation is small (in our case a 12 foot 26 year old caravan). Being with someone 24/7 can be tough, especially when you can’t move from one side of the van to the other without crashing into each other. Tension between couples on the road is the subject of many jokes. Expect it and do your best to create space when it’s needed.

7) Things go Wrong.

No matter how well laid your plans, things will invariably come undone from time to time. The caravan park you want might be booked. Your warm tropical week in northern Australia might be windy and rainy. You might blow a tire or your vehicle might suffer some other type of mechanical problem. Be prepared and stay flexible. Throwing the odd tantrum sometimes helps too.

8) The Washing lines are always full.

Washing and drying clothes when on the road can be a difficult chore to complete, especially when the limited number of clothes lines and driers always seem to be full. Unless you are one of the above mentioned early birds, my advice is to wash at night. Get in way before the sun has come up.

9) You become a slow driver.

Before my husband and I began towing a caravan we used to complain about caravans on the road, travelling below the speed limit, often with a line of cars banked up behind them. "Bloody caravanners" we’d mutter. Now we are one of those moving road blocks. We travel carefully and usually sit a bit below the speed limit, not because we have to, but because we get better fuel consumption that way. And with petrol one of the biggest on-the-road expenses, if you start towing a caravan, I guarantee your Fangio days are over. Of course some people do take this concept to new levels, crawling along at a snail’s pace. Bloody caravanners.

10) Caravanning is one of the best things you’ll ever do

Despite points 1-9, nothing beats the freedom of the open road. The sense of adventure and fun which comes from exploring new places at your own pace and the flexibility which comes from taking your accommodation with you. Australia is a fantastic country full of beauty and diversity and there are lots of great people to meet. Don’t put it off. Hook up that caravan and hit the road.

Now at Katherine after some lovely hot springs!

Howdy!

Well, we had the car serviced in Alice…turns out the oil filter hadn’t been replaced properly at the last service which is why we had been losing oil. Alls back OK now.
We enjoyed having time to actually catch our breath in Alice after all the long drives and busy days. We went out for a nice lunch and did some grocery shopping, washing, updated our banking etc etc.

We then set off again..heading north. We planned to go past Tennant Creek (500kms from alice) to Daly Waters so we could have dinner in the famous pub there (oldest operating in the NT)..which has a beef and barra bbq every night.

So we were driving along, having passed Tennant Creek and been in the car quite some time (its sometimes not possible to sit on 100 with the van on, due to wind resistance, fuel consumption etc) when Adam asked me where Elliot was, as all the signs kept giving kms distances to there. I said, “Oh it’s a far way before Daly Waters”… Now at that stage by my rough calculations (I hadn’t really examined the map at all on this particular day for some reason which is very unlike me!! I usually study it in depth), we should have been about 100 ks from Daly Waters. It was however, still 150 kms to Elliot!! And a futher 400 odd kms to Daly waters!!!!!

We decided to push on anyway- and after 10 hours in the car we made it to Daly Waters by about 6.30 pm…having covered 910 kms in a day.

We showered and went to the pub…we were late for the bbq dinner and it was crowded, but we still got a meal- it was delicious, and lots of food! They had entertainment on , country singers etc and the pub has lots of interesting memorabilia and trinkets etc that have been left by tourists from across the world, so a good place to see, even if it did take us literally all day to get there!

Today we allowed ourselves a bit of a sleep in, before continuing on…only 170kms though thank goodness (our bodies and backs have had enough of the car for now!). We are now at Mataranka, south of Katherine. This area is where the movie "We of the Never Never" was filmed, and the story was based on local characters.
There are lovely thermal springs here, where you can swim amongs a setting of lush palms etc. Plus some nice walks along the river. So that’s how we’ll spend this afternoon. We are going to stay here tomorrow too and do some other walks and visit some other hot springs- Bitter Springs- which were recommended to us by a friend who has already travelled through this area.

The weather is all of the sudden hot again, now that we are much further north again. After the chilly nights and mild days of the centre this is a big change. It’s probably about 28 or so today- the nights still cool though, but certainly not as cold as Alice was!
****************************

Hi again…just arrived in Katherine after a couple of lovely days at the Mataranka Homestead…the hot springs were great…even better were the Bitter Hot Springs…so so clear…we drifted down the warm creek with our masks and snorkels…it was an eerie world below us with little fish and turtles and weed etc, and due to the high mineral content the water was a beautiful emerald green/blue. And of course the warm 32 degree water was nice (although we were pretty hot – the outside temp was about the same!).

At night we went to the bistro at the homestead and listened to their entertainment (a good singer)…nice and relaxing.

We also played scrabble. I am reluctant to report that Adam beat me- only by a few points, but still! We’ve been scoring a bit like tennis…that game meant Adam took out the first tournament!! Having won the first “set” 2-0 and then taking the second 2-1. I need to pick my act up! I used to be the reigning Scrabble champ… sigh….of course Adam is quite pleased with himself.

It’s hot and sunny again today- about 31 degrees. We are feeling the heat after the cooler days in the centre. Off to Katherine Gorge tomorrow- we have booked a canoe for a half day.

Love and hugs… Emma & Adam

Northern Territory Images...

Just a couple of pics for now...more soon.... me on top of Ayers Rock, with the Olgas in the background...and a pic of Ormiston Gorge in the Ranges out from Alice...

Red Centre experiences...great!!

Hi everyone- we’ve had a huge week! We are so pleased we decided to divert inland and check out the centre of the country. It’s been great to experience this area.
A couple of days ago (after posting my last update on here) we drove into Ayers Rock. We decided to tackle the strenuous climb to the top, considering the huge number of people already attempting the climb (and weighing up Aboriginal wishes that people don’t climb).
It is VERY steep to start with. There is a chain to help you climb up and its pretty relentless climbing. Over the years more than 30 people have actually died trying to climb the rock, through heart attacks etc or taking a fatal tumble. It definitely is risky and the granite is quite slippery. The chain ends halfway up the climb to the summit. Adam was two thirds the way up the first section when his fear of heights clicked in and he went back down. He was disappointed, and I was upset he couldn’t join me as I continued on, but I’ll post a picture soon which shows how steep it is. It was also pretty windy and quite a few people did turn back.
Anyway, I continued on …there are no chains after that first steep bit…so you need to follow painted white lines (like road markers)…up and down gulleys and things, heading across the top ridge of the rock to the summit.
It was worth it! The view from the top of so much nothingness and arid plains as far as the eye could see….and the Olgas jutting up in the distance….was just amazing!!! I took a moment and sat away from people by myself just to soak it all in, before climbing back down, which was just as hard as climbing up (and my own fear of heights kicked in more on the way down).
We joined the crowds of people and tour buses and watched the sunset at the rock that night…lighting it up and turning the rock rich red.

The next day we visited the Aboriginal Cultural centre to learn about the traditional ways and wildlife of the area etc, before taking a chopper flight over the rock and the olgas! A really worthwhile experience which gave a unique perspective of the rock formations….the only significant features on the landscape for miles.

After that we continued our action-packed pace, and went to the Olgas, were we did the Valley of the Winds walk…about 7 km circuit, through the Olgas- once again…really amazing to see them towering above us, with gorges etc, and red rock against the deep blue sky.
We ate biccies and dip and watched the sunset at the Olgas (once again the big crowds do detract from the experience a bit, but it was still beautiful).

Next morning up in the dark to see sunrise at the Rock…before doing some of the cultural walks at the base of the rock, before packing up and heading back to Alice!! Adam was going to tackle the climb to the top again, but the climb was actually closed due to strong winds. So next time!

Nice sunny weather is continuing. Cool nights, mild days. Lovely (but need to rug up when heading the toilets/showers at night!)

We had the car serviced in Cairns and since then it has been leaking oil- something wasn’t put back properly- we are now stopping in Alice to get the car serviced again and make sure all is right before continuing on towards Darwin.

Having lots fun and often reminding ourselves how lucky we are to be on this trip!! After the past week, we are also tired and looking forward to a break from the caravan soon, maybe even a hotel for a night so we can sleep in a proper size bed and I can have a bath!

Hope all is going well in your part of the world and please stay in touch.

Love and best wishes,
Emma & Adam xx

At The Rock

*Adam and I looking a little more weird than usual- at Wycliffe Well- the UFO Capital of Australia! (as discussed in my previous post)
(More piccies soon, when we get back to Alice Springs, where the internet seems a little quicker at certain times of the day)

Friday July 21st

We had a top day today exploring the West McDonnell Ranges out of Alice Springs. It was a partly cloudy day, partly sunny and when the sun lit up the arid mountains and dry plains the landscape looked fantastic- surreal, like a postcard. It was cool- been dropping to about 4 or so overnight and only reached about 15 during the day- good weather for walking, which is what we did. We drove out to Ormiston Gorge, which is about 130kms out of Alice and considered one of the best of many gorges which can be viewed on the road out there. We did a 7km walk, which was up and down over fairly rocky terrain. It was a great walk- one of the most impressive we’ve done. Just the stark nature of the arid mountain ranges around us, and the sheer red walls of the gorge itself. Basically we walked around the outside of the gorge and then back through its centre.

As for new bird life in interior Australia- obviously wildlife here is not as prolific as other places, but we did see a beautiful little spinifex pigeon- they are really pretty and exist in arid and semi-arid regions. We’ve also been seeing lots of bright ringneck parrots- they are green and blue with a stripe of yellow and black heads. Plus, cute little zebra finch.

We took advantage of being in a built up town for the first time in a while and went to the movies tonight- saw Pirates of the Caribbean- 2. Thought it was OK, but was a bit letdown really. Good to go to the movies though.

Saturday July 22nd

Once again up in the dark to start packing up and get on the road early- a big drive (450kms, which takes w hile when you are towing a van and driving into the wind) to Kings Canyon. The day started out cloudy but became sunnier…until it was clear blue sky by lunchtime.
Arrived about 1.30 pm and quickly unhooked and set up the van and had some lunch and then set out to Kings Canyon to do the rim walk- about a 6km loop with a really steep climb at the start to the top of the huge canyon…you then basically walk around the edge of the dramatic canyon walls- sheer rock faces of different colours which light up in the afternoon sun. It was a stunning walk- with panoramic views over the surrounding desert plains. Not good for those scared of heights, as the cliffs were not roped off and the drops where sheer!

In the middle of one section of the canyon is a narrow gorge with a section of permanent water which creates a mini oasis that has been named The Garden of Eden and has long been used by Aborigines in the area, especially in times of drought. I walked down into the gorge along the “garden” and it was such a peaceful spot- it seemed to have a special feel to me…quiet and still. I saw a few birds flitting around, including one new sighting (to add to the bird log)..a Western Bowerbird.

On the way out the light kept changing as the sun dropped lower in the sky.

We drove back to our caravan park at Kings Canyon- our site is actually right on the edge of the park and looks out over national park to the canyon in the distance….the rock turned bright red just before the sunset and we sat and enjoyed our five star view, while eating some dip and crackers. Then we climbed back inside our not-so-five-star accommodation! :-)

Another big day coming up tomorrow- off to Ayers Rock- about 350kms away- we’ll stop there 2 nights so we can do the walks and also see the Olgas etc . Hopefully the weather will stay as clear as it turned out this afternoon so we can see some good sunsets and enjoy all the stars out here!

Sunday july 23- At The Rock!

After another 350km drive we have arrived at Ayers Rock campground…the rock looks magnificent standing in the distance…will head in to the rock itself soon to walk around the base. Might climb it tomorrow. The weather is perfectly clear and sunny and we plan doing a “night sky show” tomorrow night at the ayers rock observatory, where an astronomer describes the constellations etc and you can view through a telescope.

It’s coolish despite the sun…a top of about 17… the sun doesn’t rise until 7.30pm so mornings are pretty crisp too!

Marcus..the most we’ve paid for petrol is around $1.70…we mostly try and fill up in places where its cheaper and have bought a spare petrol container so we can travel a bit further before we need to refuel.
With all the kms we’ve done in the past week petrol has been a BIG expense lately!

More soon,
Love and hugs xx

A few images from the past couple of weeks...

The photos:
*Adam pushing up one of the Devils Marbles- huge granite boulders, south of Tennant Creek, on the road to Alice
*our poor dusty caravan on the long dirt road heading to Camoweal from Lawn Hill National Park-Adam staring into the distance at the way forward.... :-)
* me during our canoe trip along Lawn Hill Creek (not the actual gorge) from Adels Grove, just outside the NP
* Adam and I at the top of a bushwalk in Lawn Hill NP- we watched the sunset from there and had a picnic dinner
*Adam and his many mackerel- Karumba!

In the Red Centre! Now at Alice Springs...

(sorry no photos- it's just too slow- not enough wireless internet reception here, so they don't upload properly- have a stack we are waiting to upload and share!)

Wednesday July 19th…in the northern territory now!

We covered a lot of distance today- heading west from Camoweal towards the T-junction with the Stuart Highway, which runs north-south and is the road into Alice Springs. Once there we turned to the south and continued on past Tennant Creek about 100 kilometres (having covered about 600kms in total by then) where we stopped to check out “Devils Marbles” huge granite boulders covering a large area. It’s a sacred spot to Aborigines and was quite a powerful place, with a strong sort of energy to it which we noticed as we wandered through the huge boulders (the granite was pushed up through the eath’s crust by volcanic activity many many years ago and the softer rock around it has gradually weathered away, leaving these strange formations).

We continued on about 20 more kms until we came to Wycliffe Well Holiday Park. It’s basically a roadhouse with caravan, camping and motel accommodation. But it has a rather strange claim to fame which we discovered when we saw a road sign advertising it- it boasts being the UFO Capital of Australia!

Heading in on the side road leading into the park we saw another sign, this one advising “Caution” as we were entering a “UFO Landing Site”. When we pulled up we were greeted by life-size alien statues, the little-green-man-with-a-pointy-head variety. Murals painted over the building walls depicted spaceships flying through the air or coming into land. There is even a painted wooden board outside the main office, featuring a male and female alien on the front, their face sections cut out so you can stick your head in for one of those chintzy photos you can usually get at amusement parks!
There is some substance to all the UFO publicity. The area has the most recorded UFO sightings of in Australia and has even been listed in National Geographic as a UFO hotspot and has been the subject of various reports and articles in the local NT press. The restaurant area has a wall with copies of all the articles as well as a variety of information on UFO sightings (it also sells UFO T-shirts). There is even a guestbook at the front desk where visitors can record any extraterrestrial sightings they may have had during their stay. The owner of the place is a firm believer in UFOs and had some pretty weird/interesting stories to tell us! It's hard to be skeptical in the face of the overwhelming number of strange sightings and reports from the region.

It’s late evening now. There is no moon and Adam and I were sitting outside earlier (actually listening to a free country music performance by a local singer here at the caravan park!!) and noticing how many stars there are out here. It was then I noticed something moving across the sky. At first we thought it was a satellite or a bit of space junk. But it then changed course and seemed to move quickly into the distance, before turning red and disappearing completely. I’m not kidding. We didn't know what to think.

There may be a scientific explanation behind our strange sighting. But we prefer to believe it was our very own Wycliffe Well UFO experience. :-)

By the way, we saw petrol near Tennant Creek today for $1.82 a litre!!!

Thursday July 20th

After another long drive through empty bush we finally arrived in Alice Springs! Cloudy today and cool..about 14 degrees most of the day. We did a big grocery shop and walked around the town centre. It’s a nice sort of place here in the middle of the country! Not especially safe to walk around alone at night though. Tomorrow we plan exploring the West McDonnal Ranges…some great gorges and waterholes and bushwalks etc.
Then it’s back in the car for the trip out to Kings Canyon the next day- about 350kms away.
I’m feeling really tired, as is Adam…be good to have a day outdoors tomorrow!
Petrol here is back to a more reasonable $1.48

Love E & A xx

A remote oasis- Lawn Hill National Park

Hi all- first thanks to those who recently left comments- love receiving them! Adam and I are at tiny Camoweal, near Mt Isa after a terrific four days at beautiful Lawn Hill National Park- which is north of here, basically in the middle of nowhere, a gorgeous oasis and palm-lined gorge, accessed only by rough dirt road. There is no phone service out there, or internet etc. therefore this update is kinda long, as I have still been keeping a diary of our daily adventures on the computer, which I am now uploading here, as we have some internet reception again (although very slow, so no piccies for now)…so I hope you enjoy our latest news! (I’m now back to clean up duties- our van is full of red dust after the trip out of lawn hill!) :



Friday July 14th

Left Karumba this morning…still a few rain clouds and showers, but the weather starting to clear thankfully. Set out on the Matilda Highway, south down through Normanton and on to Burke and Wills Roadhouse- a funny sort of place in the middle of nowhere really, which advertised being the only food, drink and fuel for the next 200kms. We refueled ourselves and the car and then took the turnoff to Gregory Downs, on our way to Lawn Hill National Park, reported by many to be a stunning gorge, and an oasis of greenery and water in the middle of arid bushland.

It was a long day of driving, especially as once again it was mainly all sealed SINGLE lane…we had to repeatedly pull off onto the gravel shoulder, which was a bit scary today as after all the rain the sides of the road were very soft. Once we pulled off and stopped to let a truck pass and actually found we were bogged! Fortunately it wasn’t too bad…we were able to back up a bit and then got out of it, luckily, with the caravan on!

We stopped at Gregory Downs, a tiny little place on a river and had a drink at the pub. It was getting later in the day (after 4) and we decided to press on to Lawn Hill NP (if it had been too late we were going to stop at Gregory Downs)…the last 90kms in to Lawn Hill from there is dirt road. Not too bad…but heavily corrugated and bumpy on the last half. A rough old ride for poor Molly (our caravan)! At one point there was a dip in the road which wasn’t marked and we didn’t see it until we were going over it- it gave the car and the van a mightly jolt! We were chatting with another fellow who said the same thing happened to him- he was driving a motorhome and said he got it airborne going over that unexpected dip! Not good.

Anyway- Lawn Hill is a beautiful place, and so is Adels Grove, the caravan park/camp site we are staying at which is just outside the national park itself. We are right on the banks of lovely Lawn Hill creek…lovely lilies and little freshwater crocs on the banks. The water is very clear and you can swim (the freshies are more scared of us than we are of them!). There is nothing much else around here for many many miles. There is a dirt road linking here with Mt Isa, and then also the road we came in on. There is absolutely no phone service for any network and no internet. There is no power on the sites either, so it’s out with the camp laterns and on with the gas stove etc.

When we arrived I was a bit upset when I discovered the state of the inside of the van. After the rough trip (and THAT dip) things were all over the place. One side of the back window was open and red dirt was all over our newly washed bedsheets….and the back curtains etc. Inside the fridge a yoghurt had hit something and busted and the entire contents of the fridge were covered with it- meanwhile, the salt had fallen over in the cupboard and emptied all over the plates etc, and the lid of the pepper grinder had broken and peppercorns were everywhere. It was getting dark and we had little light to see things by- Adam was busy with the outdoor “boy” jobs and we’d been on the road all day. Plus, due to the recent rain the ground was wet and a bit muddy. So I wasn’t happy Jan. But we got through it and got things cleaned up!

Saturday July 15th

Sunny- yay!
Started the day with a visit to the World Heritage Listed Riversleigh Fossil Fields, which are in one section of Lawn Hill National park. One of the best fossil sites on the world, with the animals preserved in the limestone rock dating back about 25 million years. Fascinating, with evidence of carnivorous kangaroos…huge 2.5 metre tall birds etc

We had lunch at Adels Grove, sitting by the creek. The sun came totally out and it was a really lovely day.

After lunch we headed into Lawn Hill Gorge section of the park to do a few walks. Saw some more freshwater crocs and some lovely birds. We packed some dinner with us (our usual hiking fare of crackers and tuna, with a thermos of coffee, some choccie and muesli bars!) and did a walk recommended as a good sunset walk. It was really enjoyable…we climbed up onto a ridge and had a great view of the surrounding plains and hills and also the line of the gorge…a band of lush greenery in the midst of the very dry rugged land surrounding it. We ate our dinner and watched the sunset- a pretty one with lots of clouds to catch the colour.

Tomorrow we are planning to do some more walks and also canoe up the gorge and perhaps take lunch with us….looking forward to seeing the gorge from the water- it’s surrounding by towering red rock walls, and lined with palms and greenery.

We took a torch with us to walk back from this evenings walk (after the sun had set) and on the way driving back to our caravan, saw two owls. ..one right after the other, on the road.

Also- the days here are so much longer than they are at home in Port Macquarie right now! For example, we left our sunset viewing at 6.50pm! The sun actually set around 6.30pm and it’s the middle of winter! It would be pitch black at home by then and probably pretty cold. It’s quite mild here at the moment. When we got in tonight it was still about 21 degrees…although it was cool last night.

There are lots of kangaroos and wallabies around, cockatiels and other parrots we hadn’t seen before, wild pigs, lots of unusual little birds also, like different finches and flycatchers. My bird log is getting longer and longer!

Sunday July 16th

Another sunny day- a very cool morning. We drove back into lawn hill national park (only about 8ks from the caravan park) and did a couple of works, each about 3k return…saw some fabulous views over Lawn Hills Gorge…it really is an amazing place…the dry landscape giving way to a band of greenery rich in palms etc, lining the edges of the impressive looking gorge.
After lunch (yep tuna again) we were planning on renting a canoe to paddle down the various sections of the gorge. Lots of others had the same idea however, and all the canoes were out- so we came back to our campsite and instead decided to hire a canoe here and paddle along Lawn Hills Creek (which borders the caravan park and is just across from our van). It was a lovely afternoon- better than we expected. Lillies lined sections of the creek, while others had palms, and others had gumtrees. We saw a few freshwater crocs laying in the sun, some pretty-faced wallabies and a couple of wild pigs. Plus lots of birds, including the rare purple-crowned wren, which only lives in a few parts of Australia, plus some crimson finches, which were chirping throughout the leaves of the pandanus palms. We jumped in for a swim upstream- the water was warm. It’s also heavy in minerals and limestone. So a top day!

We gathered some wood from the bush around here and started up a fire as it got dark- it cooled off quickly so the fire was lovely to warm up next to- Adam made up a damper and we pulled out our camp oven for the first time this trip and put it on the hot coals and cooked our damper, which we ate with some soup…and later with some jam while we had coffee- it was steaming hot and tasted great!

Monday july 17th

Right now I am sitting in my fold up chair next to Lawn Hill Creek- right in front of me on a log is a tiny freshwater croc…he actually looks cute laying on his log, with his legs hanging off other side. He’s aware I’m here, and I keep waiting for him to plop into the water and swim away. It’s sunny again- not super hot considering how far north we are, about 22 degrees I guess, with quite a cool wind blowing.

It’s about 5pm and there is still plenty of daylight left- something we are still getting used to.

We had a great day today- did another bushwalk in the national park this morning and saw more good views- then we had our picnic lunch and went down to rent a canoe to paddle up the gorge. It was fantastic in the gorge- high red rock walls, and palms of various types lining the waters edge. Little birds darting about and a real sense of peace and tranquility. Knowing we are basically in the middle of nowhere right now adds to the sense of adventure and peace I think. We had a swim near some waterfalls on a section of the gorge which required us to lift the canoe out and carry it a bit further upstream. The water was quite warm- apparently it gets up to about 25 degrees.

While I type this Adam is busy preparing food for another campfire meal- tonight we are having some of the mackerel he caught in Karumba- wrapped in foil with spices like ginger and lemongrass etc- and we will put it in the hot coals once our fire has been going a while. I think Adam wants to make another damper too. We love having a fire going- sitting out under the stars- it’s great.

Tomorrow a big day of driving- we head off and plan going to a little town just west of mt Isa… we are a bit nervous as the road hading out that direction is quite rough dirt for about 150kms, before we get back onto the single laned sealed! We will pack the van down a bit tighter this time!

Tuesday July 18th

Finally have arrived at Camoweal…both tired. The van covered in red dust, inside and out! Another big clean up now taking place after 150kms of rough dirt road on the way here before we hit sealed road again…averaging 40-50kms an hour on the dirt, so it was a long day- on the road about 6 hours.. It was an adventure though! So much empty bush once again.. We are regrouping…cleaning out the van and the sheets again, and tidying up anything which has taken a spill during the trip- plus finally doing some washing (there was no laundry at the last place, and we decided to wait until we had a washing machine again). We also are pleased to have power again- we can recharge camera and computer batteries, and the running water here, to the van, is also a luxury after not having it for a little while.
Think we’ll have a drink at the pub once we are done- it’s a tiny town- should be interesting characters!

Tomorrow we’ll cross into the Northern Territory! We’ve also decided to make a big diversion off our planned route, and head into the red centre- to see The Rock, Kings Canyon, Alice Springs etc. We figured that when we hit the Three Ways Roadhouse tomorrow, near Tennant Creek, we are only about 500ks north of Alice….so we have actually cut a few days from other places, to make time to see those Aussie icons.

Love and hugs to everyone! Miss our friends and family and hope you are all well and happy. The travellers … Emma and Adam xoxo

Adam's fishing tales....he brought home the proof!

Adam went out hunting and gathering this morning on a fishing charter. I stayed home like the good little woman I am (well i did actually go for a long walk in the rain-yep still raining, none of the locals can believe it, when it's supposed to be Dry!)... ;-) ...Adam came home with enough fish for lunch and dinner....for many days to come!

Here's his story: Well I woke up at the crack of dawn....fast fwd......we (myself and two old kiwis +captain robert) travelled many miles out to sea as the gulf of carpentaria is very shallow..........anyway, 1/2 an hour of fast boating got us to some deeper water (still only 6-7ft deep). From first cast it was on.........small sharks, wolf herring (a nasty looking fish with a gob full of big teeth) and the spotty mackerals...........between the three of us we caught 24 mackerals above legal limit and threw back 6 which were just under limit (50cm). most fish were about 2ft long with a couple 2.5ft.........was great fun.......we (myself and the two disgraced kiwis (they caught the least)) finished the day, walking away with 8 fish each, which for emma and I will be quite a few fish meals, with the little freezer being full. Was not the right weather for barra (currently cloudy, windy and raining) so I will try again in around Darwin rivers and north WA.......over and out!

Adam's fishing tales....he brought home the proof!

Adam went out hunting and gathering this morning on a fishing charter. I stayed home like the good little woman I am (well i did actually go for a long walk in the rain-yep still raining, none of the locals can believe it, when it's supposed to be Dry!)... ;-) ...Adam came home with enough fish for lunch and dinner....for many days to come!

Here's his story: Well I woke up at the crack of dawn....fast fwd......we (myself and two old kiwis +captain robert) travelled many miles out to sea as the gulf of carpentaria is very shallow..........anyway, 1/2 an hour of fast boating got us to some deeper water (still only 6-7ft deep). From first cast it was on.........small sharks, wolf herring (a nasty looking fish with a gob full of big teeth) and the spotty mackerals...........between the three of us we caught 24 mackerals above legal limit and threw back 6 which were just under limit (50cm). most fish were about 2ft long with a couple 2.5ft.........was great fun.......we (myself and the two disgraced kiwis (they caught the least)) finished the day, walking away with 8 fish each, which for emma and I will be quite a few fish meals, with the little freezer being full. Was not the right weather for barra (currently cloudy, windy and raining) so I will try again in around Darwin rivers and north WA.......over and out!

Karumba- in the Gulf

Tuesday, July 11th

Another sunny and very hot day! Humid also and we’ve felt the heat, after having cooler weather and no humidity for a while. Drove up to Karumba this morning. Karumba supercedes even Normanton as a fishing haven and in the winter months its permanent population of 700 swells to several thousand as people travel north seeking warmth and the chance to “bag a barra”.

When we arrived it was sweltering day and all we really wanted to do upon seeing the ocean for the first time in over a week was dive in for a swim. No chance of that of course, unless we fancied being crocodile bait. So we bought some lunch and then settled in to Karumba Point Caravan Park and booked in for an early morning birdwatching and wildlife cruise for tomorrow, as well as a half-day fishing charter for adam the day after (fishing just aint my thing).

The caravan park is full of keen anglers who come to the region every winter- some have already been in Karumba for a couple of months. There are even “street signs” in the caravan park, marking the rows of caravans – the road which includes the fish cleaning facilities, aptly named “Bull Shit Bvde”.

There isn’t really much else to do in Karumba besides fish, and the park is therefore geared to provide other activities- particularly for women. It seems traditional gender roles are alive and well up here, with “ladies craft afternoons” arranged, while presumably, the men folk are out hunting and gathering. Adopting an attitude of “if you can’t beat ‘em join em” I even took part in one of the regular aqua aerobics classes in the caravan pool this afternoon!, where I met a friendly bunch of older ladies, who come to Karumba each season (some have already been here for a couple of months). It was a funny experience which I am sure I’ll remember, doing my water aerobics to some old 30s music, up here in the Gulf of Carpentaria! One lady even came over to our van later and kindly offered us a plate of fresh fish fillets, which she described as their “leftover ” Spanish mackerel. So that’s tonights dinner! We’ll probably buy “barra and chips” tomorrow night, and hopefully the night after we’ll have some fresh fish of our own to cook!


Tonight we plan heading to the local tavern to watch the sunset over the ocean (Karumba faces west) and then we are going to the club to take part in some local entertainment- the weekly bingo night! Should be a laugh! J

Wednesday, july 12th

Howdy- well we did go to Bingo last night and had a laugh! The hall was crowded with some serious bingo players, with their special marker pens at the ready- we played a lot of games but didn’t win any sadly. It was funny hearing all the bingo terms as they called out the numbers (and Adam’s first ever game of bingo!)… “eleven- legs eleven, number 90- top of the board, number 45-halfway, number 21- key to the door, number 89 nearly there….in the same street, number 87”)..it was a fun night and we shared a table with a retired couple from tassie who are traveling around.

We also saw a nice sunset yesterday (before setting off to bingo) from the “Sunset Tavern” and ate a lovely barra meal (we are cooking up that mackerel for lunch right now as I type!).
This morning, surprisingly, it was cloudy and very humid and during the morning the rain began to fall. It rained during at least half of our birdwatching cruise on the river, so many of the birds were tucked away. But on the way back the sky started to clear and the birds came out- we actually saw a heap of different species, plus a flock of large white spoonbills in the mangroves. There are so many whistling kites up here too- they are honestly nearly as common as seagulls- sitting in all the trees, on the wires, on fence posts etc. Saw some big sea eagles too, plus lots of little mangrove birds, such as fantails etc.
This afternoon we’ll read a bit more (plus I am currently working on an article about this region- planning to send it to some travel editors in the hope it might get published somewhere).. We also plan going to the Barramundi Discovery Centre, where they do a tour and breed the fish, plus are working on conservation measures etc, so the area doesn’t become over-fished.

Adam is off on his fishing trip tomorrow. Fingers crossed. It is simply amazing to see the number of 4wds and boat trailers at the boat ramp here- so many people out fishing! In fact, just now the same lady who gave us the mackerel yesterday came over to offer us more…fish diet for us for a little while! Yum.. And a fellow just came back in from fishing with a 20kg mackerel!

More soon… love Emma and Adam xx

Images of Cobbold George and Brolgas by a full moon...

the gorge near Georgetown, and the Brolgas, flying near wetlands close to Normanton....their flight perfectly in line with the full moon...that shot reminds me of the image of ET riding his bike through the air, and across a full moon (as in ET, the alien in the old movie...:-) )

A few more pics...

1) Adam and the back of our group, touring through the huge Undarra Lava Tubes...

2)Atherton Tablelands, Milla Milla falls, where we had a swim...

In barra and croc country!

At normanton now...very hot today, about 32 degrees, and our caravan site is pretty warm right now! Going to head out shortly and look for birds at a big wetlands area near here...apart from that using this afternoon (we got here quicker than expected) to catch up on washing etc.
Heading to Karumba in the morning- lots of fresh prawns, crabs and barra up there...so should be yummy seafood for a few days. Also huge crocs for us to watch out for!

It's very very country/outback feeling in these places...laid back and tiny populations, with limited shops and friendly people. It's often been impossible to even get a loaf of fresh bread! (normanton has a bakery and we were quite excited to get fresh white bread!). It's a real experience of a different part of Australia and we are enjoying it. So much empty bush!! Today we drove for hours and saw only a couple of other cars, birds of prey, including some huge wedge-tailed eagles and a few roos.

Yesterday we had fun- we travelled around 90kms on dirt road through an old mining town, Forsyth and onwards to Cobbold Gorge, where we took a boat trip in the afternoon. It was a magic little place- tourism here still very low key really, which is refreshing as it means no gloss and smaller crowds. The gorge was a narrow sandstone gorge and had a really peaceful feel to it. So narrow in places you could easily reach out and touch the sides. We saw about 10 freshwater crocs laying on the banks too.

I went for a walk yesterday morning too, along a creek bed (they flood during the wet, but already are bone dry) and saw so many birds! I saw some parrots I haven't seen before, including the brilliantly coloured red-winged parrot...it's bright green, with, you guessed it, a red wing! Also saw many pale-headed rosellas. Saw all is continuing well on the bird-watching front, and my "bird-log" keeps getting bigger and bigger. :-)

Anyway, that's about if from us....Dad, Adam is outside at the moment and I can hear Windy and Warm playing again!! So he's doing OK with the guitar but he sure misses Gabbie! Lucky you are being a good caretaker ;-)

Mum- hope you and grandma and the cats and dogs are doing well- miss you all!

More soon. I'm just too hot to keep sitting inside the caravan any longer!

Much love,
Emma & Adam xx

Images of our adventures...

OK-- it was going to be images, plural, but sadly the internet is on the go-slow here in tiny Georgetown...so it's only one image for now!
More pics soon...

Me, at Granite Gorge, Mareeba, feeding a colony of tiny rock wallabies ....

Lava tubes, a train, lots of bush and tiny outback towns...

Howdy! I have decided to start typing (when I have the motivation and time) a daily log of our activities, saved on our computer…then when I go online I can simply copy and paste a very detailed and up to date entry onto our blog site!

So this is the start of that process!…

Thursday, July 6th

Had a relaxing morning at our caravan park at tiny Mt Surprise…a much needed rest to be honest! Then at midday we boarded the Savannahlander….an outback tourist train that runs from Cairns and heads west, traveling between some very small towns in this area, including of course, Mt Surprise. The rail line was originally built when the towns around here were big mining and gem fossicking areas.

It was a fun 2 hour train ride to a town called Einasleigh…about 80 k south of mount surprise. The land is hard- quite rocky from past volcanic activity…lots of bush and brown grass and huge termite mounds! When we reached the town we went to a quaint old pub for a cold drink- the only pub remaining in the area since the mining stopped. It was opposite Copperfield Gorge… a scenic spot with freshwater crocs. We saw on the way quite a few huge wedge-tailed eagles…such huge and impressive birds.

On the way back (a bus met us and drove us back to Mt Surprise) our guides stopped by a lovely part of the river so we could all have “smoko” they boiled the billy over a fire and we had tea and coffee and cookies, which was nice.

Tomorrow another big day awaits touring the lava tubes!

Friday July 7th

A fun, long day touring the Undara Lava Tubes, about 50 k from mt Surprise. Lots of fun and the lava tubes are really amazing. Undura means “long way” in Aboriginal language- one of the flows extends more than 160kms! Basically, there was a volcanic eruption around 190,000 years ago and molten lava burst from the crater and flowed across the land in different directions….rivers of lava. The air begun to cool the surface of the lava rivers, which eventually formed a solid crust…while molten lava continued to flow inside the tube. Eventually the lava flowed out to the far end of the tubes, leaving hollow tunnels.

It was part of those tunnels we walked through today- huge structures, which are now home to many species of bats- some of them quite rare and endangered, It was fascinating to see. We also walked around the rim of a volcanic crater. The entire area is covered with old craters and is pretty amazing to see. All this bush and volcanic formations. It was also another perferct day- a blue blue sky, with not a cloud, just a half moon hanging in the rich blue and the green gum trees stretching far and wide.

We saw a huge flock of red-tailed black cockatoos this afternoon too, plus lots of galas and apostle birds. So another good day! (even though I’d love a swim at the beach!!)

Saturday, July 8th

Sunny blue skies again! Drops to around 6 or so at night, then up to about 21 degrees at lunchtime…so lovely weather.
Packed up and left Mt Surprise today, with its population of 60 and headed west to Georgetown…slightly bigger, and actually has a few shops here!..probably about 250 people live here. This afternoon we drove to a nearby swamp, which is known for attracting lots of birds and wildlife during the dry season. It was terrific! Covered in lilies and full of birds! We spent over an hour just sitting and watching and saw some beautiful waterbirds we’ve never seen before…there were even wild pigs coming down to the shore to drink.

Tomorrow we are heading south of here to a tiny outback town called Forsayth, then further on to Cobbold Gorge…where we will take a boat trip into the very narrow gorge. Should be fun!
Then we are heading onwards to Normanton and Karumba, in the heart of Gulf country- lots of barra, prawns and mud crabs up there!

Love to all… Em & Ad xx

In the Queensland outback now...

Hello again!
Firstly, a few piccies from the past week:

(a photo taken to prove what a hip and happening 33 year old I am: avidly birdwatching at wetlands near Atherton. The birds on the water are part of a huge flock of plumed whistling ducks)

(a rare tree kangaroo- full story below!)

(Out to a lovely dinner at Coconut Beach Resort at Cape Tribulation for Adam's birthday!)

Now...our latest travel news:

Well, amazingly in one fairly short drive we have gone from the lush green tablelands to the outback. We are now at tiny Mt Surprise, and much of the road here was basically a single lane paved road- we had to pull off onto the dirt to let road trains pass...or even other cars. It's dry and today was again blue and sunny. It's now about 6.30 pm and a chill has quickly set in. Our country is just so full of diversity and it's such fun exploring it!

This morning I went for an early walk on the rainforest path behind our caravan park ...and I was thrilled and surprised to spot another elusive and rare tree kangaroo...in a fairly exposed spot right near the path! Adam and I have been doing that walk during our whole stay on the tablelands, getting aching necks from staring up at the trees so much in the hope of seeing one of the creatures in daylight hours, and to hopefully get a photo. So careful to try and not disturb the tree kangaroo (they are pretty timid), I backed away and then ran very fast back to the caravan park to get Adam- I was out of breath when I got there and yelled at him to get the camera and hurry up! He has been so hopeful of seeing a tree kangaroo- he dropped what he was doing and ran after me, hoping I might have spotted one. We did get some photos too (one is pictured above), before it (we think maybe a female) climbed down the tree and hopped away.... so, that was our excitement for the day!
In a creek next to the path we also spotted a platypus!

Oh and last night's possum spotting expedition was a success! We saw ten, many of the very cute looking green ringtails, plus some coppery brushtails and also the unusual Herbert's Ringtail ,which lives in rainforest areas.

On our way here to Mt Surprise we stopped in at Innot Hot Springs, just west of the tablelands and had a soak in the mineral fed pools...very hot and very nice on our muscles...so relaxing. We had a quick picnic lunch there before heading onwards.

Tomorrow afternoon we are taking a trip on the Savannahlander...an outback train, which heads to a town about 2 hours south of here, where there is also a lovely gorge and old pub etc. The day after we are doing a full day tour of the Undarra Lava Tubes...formed by volcanic activity many many years ago- they look amazing. Then I think we'll continue west.

We are tired...and looking forward to a sleep in, because we've been doing so much lately, but it's all fun!

I have no mobile reception here whatsoever, but Adam has some on his phone which is on another network.

Dont forget to please leave some comments on here for us sometimes too if you get the chance! :-)

Love and hugs and thinking of our friends and family... Mum and Dad I miss you xx

A beautiful sunny stay at Atherton Tablelands after exploring Cape Tribulation...

Hello! We’ve been out of mobile and internet range for the past week, so now I can finally update our travel news. Internet very slow though, so no more photos just yet!

A sad goodbye was said to mum in Cairns and then Adam and I drove north to Cape Tribulation-a place where the rainforest really does meet the sea. It’s very beautiful and while we were there it was also very wet….I guess it is a rainforest after all! The rain came on and off though, with sunny breaks and sudden weather changes so we still got out and did a lot. Rainforest walks, birdwatching (yep we are into it now) and drives around the area. We took a trip up the 4WD Bloomfield track to see Bloomfield Falls and of course more beaches and rainforest- it was all really beautiful- there was a croc laying on a rock just near the falls too. We also did a tour of an exotic fruit farm which was really interesting…the farmers grow a huge range of tropical exotic fruits and we got to taste ten different kinds. On that particular day we headed out for a fancy dinner to celebrate Adam’s 34th birthday! We went to Coconut Beach Resort and lived it up away from the campground for a night….was lovely. J

The next day we left and drove up to the Atherton Tablelands, where we still are. This is our fourth and last night here, staying in a lovely quiet park right next to Malanda Falls. The weather finally cleared on the day we arrived here- to brilliant blue skies and sunshine! So lovely after all the rain, wind and clouds. As a result of the weather and also the beauty of the surrounding area we have really loved our stay here.

On our first day we explored the volcanic lakes of Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine…we walked around both of them, saw lots of birds as well as tiny musky rat kangaroos. We had a Devonshire tea in the 80 year old tea house on Lake Barrine. We also saw some huge curtain fig trees and lovely views, plus the heritage listed town of Yungaburra.

Our caravan park is also right near some rainforest walks and full of wildlife. At night Coppery Brushtail possums come around and we’ve fed them fruit scraps etc. They are so cute. We’ve had a fire going a couple of nights also, as it’s quite a bit colder than the coast and has been dropping down to about 8 degrees at night.

Yesterday we did the “waterfall circuit” and saw Milla Milla and other well known falls up here- we jumped in for a swim too…it was FREEZING, but refreshing J. We also went to Mt Hypipamee National Park, and walked in to see an amazing volcanic crater lake…the walls of the crater drop straight down to this eerie looking pool of water below…pretty cool. That park also has some nice waterfalls.

Last night we went on a wildlife spotting night walk which was fantastic. A local naturalist took us and another couple on a nearby walk….we saw rare green ringtail possums which only live on the Atherton Tablelands. And best of all we spotted a rare Tree Kangaroo, which also only lives on the tablelands here in north qld also. We’ve been looking up into the trees hoping to see one since we arrived and we were all excited to actually spot one. They have a face a bit like a possum I guess, but are really strong and good climbers, with a super long tail. They are also much smaller obviously than a regular kangaroo and can hop and also use their hind legs independently to climb etc.

Today was another full day and bright and sunny again and we continued to have a great time up here. We went to Granite Gorge near Mareeba which is home to a colony of rock wallabies, which you can hand feed. They are so tiny and one I was feeding had a little one in her pouch- so cute! We also went to a wetlands area which was full of birds! And in the afternoon went to one of the many coffee plantations at Mareeba for a nice coffee…they also make chocolates…so of course I was in heaven.

Right now I am sitting by the campfire typing this…we are going to have dinner and head out with our own torches tonight to another spot which houses about 6 different species of rare possums…hopefully we’ll see some!

Tomorrow we head further west, to Mt Surprise.

Hope everyone is well and happy. Do stay in touch…and Marcus thanks for the comment. We look forward to seeing you and Tarni too!

Love Emma and Adam xx