Julia Creek.

Monday 28th July.

Time to move on after our three night stay at Corella Lake (also known as Clem Walton Park).

We are in no particular hurry so we took our time packing everything away. We also pumped some fresh water from the lake into our water tank. This was accomplished by holding our 12volt bilge pump in knee deep clear water with the hose connected and powered by our battery booster pack.

This water will be used mainly for showering, clothes washing and toilet flushing. Although it is clear enough for drinking after filtering and boiling.

We moved on to Cloncurry where we spent an hour or so. Some shopping at a Woolies supermarket, lunch at a beaut bakery, and topped up our 10 litre jerrycan with unleaded for the Honda generator.

It was then on to Julia Creek about another 130 km's east from Cloncurry.

On arrival at Julia Creek we were amazed to find a camp host was there to greet all new arrivals at the free camping area beside the river. He explained that he was a volunteer and went on to point out suitable camp sites that were still available. We were also informed that the nearby caravan park hosted a dinner every Monday night for $10 per person with a courtesy bus to pick us up from the camp area and take us back to the caravan park. It appears that the local council controls both the caravan park and the RV Friendly free camp area. They have taken the initiative to do this each week with profits going back into one of the non profit organisations within the town who take it in turns to provide the meal. We even had entertainment provided.

It was a case of take your own chairs, plates, cutlery and drinks. The night was so popular that the mini bus had to make four trips each way from the camp area to the dinner at the caravan park.

Red Claw, Roos and Crocs.

Sunday 27th July.

Success this time with three decent sized red claw in the net which were dropped into boiling water for a minute or so then de tailed, shelled and placed in the fridge ready for a nice crayfish sandwich for lunch. Another great morning with the sun quite hot so any outdoor activity was best confined to the shade of the awning or sheltered against the shady side of the motorhome.

One of our immediate neighbours moved on this morning but their vacated spot was taken up by a new arrival within an hour. This couple had a boat on the roof of their vehicle which I gave them a hand to unload. I was in turn invited to go out on the lake late afternoon to set some crab nets for red claw crayfish. We motored around the edge of the lake away from any sign of humans only to come across fresh water crocodiles basking on the waters edge. We were quite surprised at the size of these freshies. The smallest one was about two metres but of the eight were saw in total at least half of them were over 2 1/2 metres with one big one at about 3 metres. Fortunately I had my camera with me and was able to get some great photos. We set three nets in this area and then motored to the dam wall where I dropped my one and only net in only to see it sink and drag the float below the surface. Heavens knows how deep the water was but suffice to say it disappeared like the Titanic. Oh well, I won't need to check it in the morning.

We had another great fire tonight sitting under the stars.

Swans denied 13 consecutive wins.

Saturday 26th July.

First thing this morning I checked our crab net only to find that nothing had ventured in.

We went for a walk around the area and talked to a lot of people en route. We also had a visit from a lady who was camped with her husband about 200 metres away. She enquired if our satellite TV was working ok as they were having problems getting their's operating. I paid them a visit and together we were able to resolve their problem. 

Set our crab net again to leave overnight in the lake.

Watched the Swans play Hawthorn but unfortunately the Hawks stopped the Swans run of 12 consecutive wins.

Beautiful Corella Lake

Friday 25th July.

We were only about 10 km's from where we were heading for last night so the trip to Corella Lake only took a few minutes. This location has been recommended by a number of people and we were not disappointed. The lake is quite large with a winding track of about 1 km following the waterline to the camping areas. There are a number of inlets around the northern shore, a number of them only accessible to 4WD's. We located a nice level spot right at the waters edge with a couple of other campers nearby and proceeded to set up our own camp. I took the opportunity to bait up our crab net and drop it into the lake beside us.

Around 4:00pm we lit a nice fire which we later used to cook our dinner of sausages and mushroom sauce. The remoteness of this location makes it an ideal location to view the night sky so we spent an hour or so after dark star gazing.

Farewell Stephen R.

Thursday 24th July.

We checked out of the caravan park this morning, drove into town and parked the motorhome at our favourite parking lot while we went to Bunnings and Jaycar. Filled an empty gas cylinder at the caravan park prior to departure at the best price so far - only $13.10

Around 2:00pm we drove out to the Sunset Lawn Cemetery and parked under a huge shady tree, then got changed into respectable clothes to attend Stephen' funeral.

About 1/2 an hour later dozens of vehicles started to arrive, most 4WD Utes driven by Stephen's workmates from the Xtrata mines. Barbara's brother Rodney has arrived in Mount Isa this morning having flown up from Melbourne for the funeral. There were also a large number of people from the Mount Isa Bowls club where Stephen had been a very active member for the six years he had been in Mount Isa. Our best guess is that there were approximately 100 in attendance for the service which was held under an avenue of shady trees leading into the lawn cemetery.

The coffin was placed on a trolley in the centre of the roadway with a lectern to the side and 30 or so chairs in rows facing the coffin.

Stephen was an avid supporter of the Richmond Tigers so a Tigers AFL jumper was draped over the end of the coffin. Several people including his boss, the president of the Bowls Club and Caroline gave a short talk on his involvement with the local community and his dedication to his job as a superintendent in charge of the lead/zinc plant here at Mount Isa.

It was a lovely service and as the hearse containing the coffin moved off slowly into the sunset the Tigers theme song filled the air.

We then adjourned to the bowls Club for drinks and eats. The room was decorated in yellow and black (Richmonds colours for the uninitiated) with helium filled balloons of the same colours filling the ceiling space.

There is a section of the bar bearing a large sign "Steve Rooney's Sportsmen's Bar", with the Tigers logo and the words "Go the mighty Richmond Tigers".

Gail and I were invited to assemble in the centre of the bowls rinks with family and close friends to release dozens of these balloons while all the others circled the entire playing area. This ceremony was accompanied by the Tigers theme song played over the arena PA system.

It was truly a beautiful send off to a young man who had definitely left his mark in Mount Isa.

We departed Mount Isa direct from the wake heading east toward Cloncurry.

Darkness overtook us before we reached our planned overnight stop so we decided to pull into the Fountain Springs rest area. Wow - where odd all these vans and Motorhomes come from ?.

The large area adjacent to the highway was clock a block however we managed to weezle our way in to a spot for overnight.

Lucky Gift Day

Wednesday 23rd July.

Did some washing, tidied up a few cupboards, the went for a walk around the local neighbourhood.

We met a lovely lady who is a permanent resident in the caravan park who gave us a perfectly good electric hand mixer and carving knife which she said she had no further use for. It was only a few days ago that Gail was doing some cooking and said she wished she had an electric mixer..

Lunch with the Family

Tuesday 22nd July.

We left our "Site Occupied" sign plus our chairs and outside table smack in the middle of our site then drove the motorhome into town to do a few chores. Then out to Stephen's house where we were also met up with Gavin's daughter Stacey and Stephen's best mate Mark who had only just arrived on a flight from Melbourne. We all had lunch and a drink to celebrate Stephen's life.

Gail and I departed late afternoon as Barb and Frank had more appointments in town.

Unplanned stop over Mount Isa

Monday 21st July.

On the road by 8:30am. With only 60 km's to Mount Isa we firstly caught up with our shopping etc then made contact with Barb & Frank only to find that they were just leaving the solicitor's office in town and were only a block away from where we had parked. They came to us and we all had a cup of tea in the motorhome while catching up on all the details.

We also caught up with Caroline and Gavin, Stephen's sister and brother.

Having established where they were staying in Stephen's house we arranged to go there tomorrow for lunch. Next step was to find a suitable caravan park and book in.

We chose the Sunset C.P. as we have stayed there on previous visits, however on arrival a big sign out front said "No Vacancies". Not to be tharwted by this I went in and gave them the sad story that we had always stayed there and we were only here at short notice because of the events of the last few days. Somehow the owner miraculously found a couple of sites, one of which suited us fine.

Absolute Rest Day

Sunday 20th July.

Very little activity today other than to rethink and plan the next couple of weeks travel etc.

Sad News Day

Saturday 19th July.

A day we would rather forget..

Our latest travel plan was to stop at Mount Isa only long enough to stock up with food etc then move on a further 65 km's to a highly recommended camp spot beside Coorella Lake.

We were aware that our close friends Barbara & Frank have their son Stephen working in the mines in Mount Isa. Stephen had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer late last year and had been in and out of hospital on a few occasions since then. Despite his illness he had managed to tick off a number of items on his bucket list both within Australia and overseas with his mate Mark from Melbourne.

We thought it only right that as we were passing through Mount Isa to make contact with Stephen and see how things were going. We firstly had to phone his parents in Melbourne to get Stephen's phone number or address. Gail made the call to Frank only to find that they both are currently in Mount Isa, as Stephen had passed away last Thursday, the 17th July.

This was an enormous shock to us as we have been neighbours and friends for 49 years and Stephen is roughly Colin's age, having turned fifty last February.

Naturally we revised our travel plans to stay in Mount Isa so that we can attend the funeral which is next Thursday. At this point in time there is little we can do to lend assistance to Barb and Frank as they are in the midst of making all the necessary arrangements in relation to the funeral, his house, car and two large dogs. We will move on in to Mount Isa on Monday morning, catch up with them, then book into a caravan park until after the funeral.

The rest of today is quite frankly a blur. This should not happen to any parent.

WW11 Airstrip

Friday 18th July.

There was no hurry for us to get away this morning so we had ample time to pack the

Sat remaining things up. A short stop in the town of Camooweal to fill up with water etc then it was on the road heading towards our next planned stopover at the WWII Airstrip free camping area which is only about 140 km's East.

On arrival at this spot we found a very extensive network of dirt tracks leading away from the highway to a very large number of great camping spots in the small scrub. The remnants of an airstrip could be quite easily picked out as the absence of most shrubs made it quite obvious.

We counted about 15 other caravans and Motorhomes already settled in to their chosen spots.

Beside the highway there are chemical toilets, covered picnic tables and a number of open fireplaces with plenty of nice dry wood available. As we mostly carry a limited supply of our own firewood we decided to light our own fire at our campsite and cook dinner tonight over the fire.

Strange creatures aren't we ! The indigenous people would love to have some of the creature comforts that we the "whities" travel all around the country with, but frequently choose to revert back to the basics and cook on an open fire.

Mass Exodus - are we on the nose?

Thursday 17th July.

Awoke again this morning just prior to daybreak by our little feathered friends outside the window at roughly 7:00 am. It would appear our bodies are still adjusting to the half hour time adjustment between Queensland and the Northern Territory. As we crossed from NT into Qld on Tuesday which is only 13 km's west of here, we had to advance our clocks the half hour difference.

Unfortunately it is quite windy this morning, ideal though to do the washing we need to do.

On stepping outside the motorhome around 7:30 am it was as though there was something about to happen that we were not aware of as almost the entire area was devoid of caravans etc.

Theoretically there is a 48 hour limit camping here but when we arrived on Tuesday we noticed that quite a few were set up as though they were here for a month with fireplaces built, outside shower tents, clothes lines and all the extras to make the "camping" experience special.

Maybe they just all arrived on the same day and therefore had departed after a couple of days.

We on the other hand are spending three nights here and will move on tomorrow towards Mount Isa. We had a lovely campfire of our own last night while the weather was still quite warm - why not, we have the fireplace and sufficient wood that we have been carting half way around the country.

We have not been on power nor had the generator running since we departed Mataranka last Sunday which has been a good test of our auxiliary batteries and our management of the water we carry. When camping such as we have been over the last 5 days we only shower every second morning in order to minimize our water consumption. On alternate days we simply "top and tail" as Gail calls it. Our 100 litre main fresh water tank only reached empty mid afternoon today so we consider that to be pretty good. In addition to the main water tank we carry another 40 litres for emergency use only. As we leave here tomorrow morning we can fill our tank up "in "town" and also visit the dump point to empty our toilet. The fresh water and dump point are provided as an incentive for travellers to stop here and spend a dollar or two which no doubt keeps small settlements such as Camooweal alive.

Unlimited Bird Life.

Wednesday 16th July.

We had intended to catch up on some housekeeping and hand washing today but our new found neighbours had so many stories of their travels to tell that before we knew it was time for a walk into Camooweal which turned out to be about 10 minutes beside the river and lagoon then another 10 minutes beside the highway. The four of us all went on this walk, stopping at the pub for a cool drink and a quick look around the very small settlement they call a town.

Our campsite is absolutely magnificent as we have parked parallel to the lagoon, right beside it with the dining area table facing the water. The variety of bird life on the lagoon is amazing. So far we have seen; Egrets, Spoonbills, Pelicans, Brolgas, ducks of various varieties, Cockateils, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, Budgies the odd eagle and of course the ever present Whistling Kites. There are also tiny Zebra Finch's which flutter in and out of the branches of an overhanging tree right beside our bedroom window. In fact we were awoken this morning just prior to sunrise by the combined twittering of several dozen of them right beside our head. They departed once it was daylight so we were wide awake in time to witness a most spectacular sunrise over the lagoon. Honestly it was as good as Yellow Waters in Kakadu National Park out of Darwin.

We counted 41 other campers here, mostly in caravans but about a dozen other Motorhomes.

The sunset to the west was just as spectacular as the sunrise, followed by the most brilliant array of stars in all directions we have seen to date. The remoteness combined with the absence of lights seemed to make the sky twice as bright so it was easy to pick out the various constellations and stars. The Milky Way was even quite bright. It is just such a shame that it is not possible to capture this on our simple cameras.

Meet Hugo 1.

Tuesday 15th July.

It was very pleasant sitting around our campfire after dinner and in the dark last night.

Unfortunately there was still a fair amount of cloud cover so the 360 degrees sky panorama was somewhat void of stars, however for brief moments there was a break and we had a partial view of this magnificent spectacle.

On the road by 8:30 heading east into the sun towards Barkly Homestead some 160 km's away.

We stopped at the Homestead just long enough to buy a couple of souvenirs and check the diesel price out of curiosity, our decision to fill up at Tennant Creek with sufficient diesel to get us across the 475 km stretch of the Barkly Highway to Camooweal was justified when we saw the $2.10 per litre cost at the Homestead, there is a very large sign at the entrance to the shop there explaining that their prices for everything are higher as due to their isolation they have to generate their own power 24/7 in order to keep the facility open 24 hours for the benefit of their customers. The fuel consumed to keep these generators going is 500 litres per day, each and every day of the year.

We stopped mid morning at a roadside rest area to boil the kettle for a coffee then Gail took a turn at the wheel for the next 160 km's, we changed over again at our lunch break at the Avon Downs rest area which left only about 75 km's for me to drive to our destination for today, beside the Geogina River at Camooweal. This rest area was recommended to us by Wendy and Keith who stop here regularly on their annual migration to Darwin from Victoria.

We arrived around 2:45 to be greeted by dozens of caravans etc, parked parallel to the river stretching for about a kilometre. We found a very pleasant vacant spot with more than enough room for us to also park parallel to the river giving us a great view from the dining area in the motorhome. We have phone coverage at this spot, the first on our stops since we departed Mataranka. The couple next to us are travelling in a Mitsubishi Canter 4WD truck (nicknamed Hugo 1) which has been fitted up to their specifications for travel through all kinds of terrain from deep sandy to black soil tracks. They have travelled on some really remote tracks around the country over the last 5 years.

Although their vehicle has extremely high ground clearance with lots of external storage lockers, the interior is quite cramped in an effort to keep the overall length as small as possible with virtually no overhang front or rear.

We spent a pleasant afternoon and evening chatting to Charles and Robyn who are from Sydney.

41 Mile Bore.

Monday 14th July.

Mainly due to our next door neighbours in a rented "wiz bang" who were intent on waking the whole area we were awake and up by seven o'clock. With nothing to pack up we were on the road ourselves by 7:30am. We travelled for a couple of hundred kilometres before pulling into a great roadside rest area called Attack Creek or Stuart Memorial on some maps, for another cuppa and a short driving break. This rest area is one that we had passed on the way north without taking a great deal of notice of. However after stopping there this morning and checking the very large site out it is an area to keep in mind for the future should we venture up this way again.

As we need to replenish fresh fruit and vegetables we continued on past Three Ways a further 25 km's to Tennant Creek where there is a large supermarket. Actually we did stop briefly at Three Ways roadhouse to check their diesel prices. $1.90 per litre so we only bought a bucket of hot chips. Our records indicated that diesel was around 10 cents per litre cheaper in Tennant Creek and as we needed to ensure we had plenty to bypass the Barkly Homestead midway across the Barkly Highway it made sense to buy at Tennant Creek as we were there for essential food items.

We also visited the T.C. dump point to empty the toilet cartridge and to fill an empty LPG gas bottle at the hardware shop. 

Tennant Creek is an interesting place, the vast majority of the residents are of the indigenous type,

In fact the people you see on the streets are ninety nine percent indigenous. The only white folk appear to own or work in the shops and service stations.

We then backtracked to Three Ways, making a right turn onto the Barkly Highway and now heading east towards Queensland, some 420 km's away.

Overnight stop for tonight is "41 Mile Bore", about 70 km's from Three Ways.

This is another very large area carved out of the bush with little tracks leading to dozens of nice secluded camping spots, but all within 200 metres of the highway. Arrived here around 2:00pm.

Hopefully the sky will be cloudless tonight giving us a magnificent view of the stars. It has been rather cloudy throughout the day and not as warm as we have become accustomed to consequently we plan to have a fire. Today's travel was 373 km's.

Destination Newcastle Waters.

Sunday 13th July.

Up earlier than normal this morning, quick breakfast, disconnected and packed the power cord and hose then made our way across to an area set aside for washing vehicles. The motorhome had a good layer of dust all over from the traffic passing our campsite of the last seven days so a quick hose down of the awning, windows and bodywork was done prior to our departure about 8:30am.

We dropped back into the tiny town of Mataranka to top up with diesel where we received a 5 cent discount using a voucher given to us from the Homestead. I Presume they may also operate the service station in Mataranka and this is a means of luring additional business to their fuel outlet.

We stopped to boil the kettle for morning tea at the Highway Inn roadhouse, then on to Dunmarra where we once again topped up the tank. It was then only a short drive south to our preferred overnight rest area at Newcastle Waters. We arrived around 2:00pm in time to secure a good spot.

As previously mentioned in this blog, the caravans and Motorhomes started to roll in shortly after and before long it was literally standing room only. Distance travelled today was 298 km's.

Last Day @ Mataranka.

Saturday 12th July.

Early down to the thermal pool this morning to beat the expected Saturday crowd. We met a delightful young girl from the Netherlands called Denique. She has been travelling around Australia for about the last 6 months, initially with a girlfriend for the first 5 months until her girlfriend had to return home. She decided to continue her working holiday alone and had purchased a fitted out Mitsubishi van from "The Travellers Auto Barn". This organisation prepares second hand vehicles, sells them and then re-purchases them at the end of the buyers travels in Australia. They apparently have a number of locations throughout the country so limited warranties are available at most of the capital cities as well as the larger locations such as Cairns, Alice Springs and Townsville. We also talked to several others while soaking away time in the pool.

We are hearing lots of very good reports about a great riverside camping area at Camooweal, so as we are going in that direction towards Mount Isa we plan to check it out and maybe spend some time there.

As we are departing here tomorrow we packed as much as we could in the evening to enable a relatively early departure in the morning. It has been a wonderful break here again at Mataranka.

It's A Small World.

Friday 11th July.

I use the term "relax" in the pool loosely, as invariably we strike up a conversation with someone in the pool exchanging travel stories, recent travel and where everyone comes from. It is quite amazing how often we have chatted to people whose home is either in Victoria and the area where we lived at Wantirna or on the Central Coast of NSW. We have also met a number from the mid north coast of NSW such as Port Macquarie who at least know where Hallidays Point is.

Travellers.

Thursday 10th July.

Most travellers appear to only stay a day or two at the most. Each morning the area around us generally clears completely, but by mid morning new arrivals fill the vacated sites. It is so nice to spend additional time in a place such as this where we can have a swim and relax in the pool in the morning as well as the afternoon if the mood takes us. In addition to the new arrivals there are a number of day visitors who simply park their caravans etc in the large parking area outside the boundary of the Homestead and walk the hundred or so metres to the thermal pool. It can become quite crowded between about 1:00 and 3:00 pm, so we try and avoid this time preferring to simply relax in the warm sun outside the motorhome and catch up on some reading.

We Of The Never Never.

Wednesday 9th July.

A bit about Mataranka Homestead and the thermal pools.

Warm water “springs” flow into the pool at the rate of millions of litres per day, which is why the pools are so clean. The Homestead borders Elsey National Park and is situated between two rivers, the Waterhouse river and the Little Roper river which abound with Barramundi and other fish species. Freshwater crocodiles can be seen basking on the banks of the Waterhouse. Mataranka Homestead is also the home of Maddie and other orphan wallabies which have been hand raised at the homestead.

The movie "We of the Never Never" was filmed here, and the replica of the original homestead is still part of the attractions here.

The Homestead is open all year round and during the high season (Easter weekend -Late August) there is live entertainment six nights a week . Meals are available seven days a week for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. There is a large Reception area that provides essential items, plus a large range of souvenirs and fishing gear. The very large outdoor bar and bistro is a very pleasant place to sit down and enjoy a cold beer at Malukas Bar, and have a yarn with some of the locals.

Termite mounds are found all throughout the Top End, this one has been created straddling the fence wires at the Homestead.

Whip Cracking

Tuesday 8th July.

This mornings program was another trip to the pool where Gail is able to continue her hydrotherapy exercises. She finds that these sessions are doing her good and helping the repair process of her back pain. The afternoon was spent reading in the sun between dozing off. (For me anyway).

We took ourselves out for dinner to the outdoor bistro at the Homestead. Dinner was consumed while listening to the musical entertainment followed by a very impressive whip cracking demonstration by a young fellow called Nathan Griggs. (Look him up on You Tube).

We had early bumped into Nathan at his tent site. We were attracted to this site by his layout of whip making paraphernalia.

We learned that he is from Nymboida near Grafton. He travels Australia as a street performer and also makes whips for sale to support himself from second hand motor inner tubes. He is a most interesting and talented young man.

After his impressive performance he passed around his hat and almost without exception everyone present made some sort of donation.

Mataranka revisited.

Monday 7th July.

We have booked into the Homestead for seven nights which gives us a rate equivalent to six nights. Strangely enough we have set up on the same site we had on our previous stay here about six weeks ago when heading north. This is a nice level site with a shrub border between our site and the adjacent site for a degree of privacy.

After doing a full load of washing including sheets and towels in the facilities washing machine we ventured down to the thermal pool for a relaxing soak. An hour or so later it was time to retreat for lunch, then a read and repairs to the broken mudflap, finally another trip to the pool. Our washing was thoroughly dry in the warm "winter"sun.

Onwards to Mataranka Homestead.

Sunday 6th July.

We have decided to spend more time at Mataranka Homestead on our way back south on the Stuart Highway, which is only 60 km's away. Another leisurely breakfast then on to Mataranka where we booked into the Homestead again. The warm spring waters here are just what Gail finds very soothing for her back. Incidentally her back is improving all the time although if she stands for any length of time the pain can become quite severe. She uses her Tens machine for varying lengths of time every day.

On The Road.

Saturday 5th July.

There is no need for us to rush to get back on the road, so after a leisurely breakfast we pushed on to Katherine where we parked in the area set aside for RV's in transit adjacent to the information centre and next to the Woolworths shopping centre. Picked up a couple of items, topped up with diesel, had lunch in the motorhome then continued on for another 49 kilometres to our next overnight rest area at King River, arriving by 2:30pm. after tuning in the satellite we watched the Gold Coast Suns defeat Collingwood by 5 points.

This is another very popular area as evidenced by the numbers who rolled in before dark.

Independence Day.

Friday 4th July.

As we had packed most things up yesterday afternoon and evening there was little more to do than disconnect the water and electricity. I gave the little Toyota Yaris a quick wash before I put the hose away as it is due back to Thrifty in Darwin by 10:00am this morning.

We said our final goodbyes to Wendy and our new found friend Gail then departed the park at 9:00am. Gail drove the Yaris ahead of me to the Chemist Warehouse in Ludmilla where we parked the motorhome and locked everything up, behind the McDonalds store. We then drove the Yaris back to Thrifty topping up the fuel tank on the way.

In the 28 days we had this rental car we covered 1,140 kilometres and only put $120 of unleaded petrol @ around $1.72 per litre into it. It has been a great little car to get around in and one that we have thoroughly enjoyed driving.

After returning the car we caught a bus back to Ludmilla where we had a coffee at Macas then popped into the Chemist Warehouse to sort out our prescriptions which had been sent there from Dr Singh at Taree.

On the road south bound by 11:00am, refuelled the motorhome at Palmerston then on to Adelaide River where we stopped to visit the WW2 war cemetery. This is an extremely well kept and manicured cemetery with several lawn areas containing the headstone plaques for servicemen killed during the period 1941 - 1945.

After a bite to eat we continued on a further 25 or so kilometres to Bridge Creek rest area, arriving by 2:15pm. This is a very popular rest area consequently it is best to arrive before the crowds.

The caravans and Motorhomes started to roll in about mid afternoon and by 6:00 pm we counted a total of 18 stopped here.

Facts and Figures.

Thursday 3rd July.

Another restful day between tidying up inside the motorhome then a short trip to both the Hibiscus shopping centre and Casuarina to pick up a few food items.

Happy hour at 5:00pm where we said farewell to most of the people we have come to know since being here at Lee Point Resort. Packed up all the external items such as table, chairs, clothes line etc as well as rolling up the awning. This will leave very little to do in the morning prior to our departure.

Before we leave Darwin here are a few interesting facts and figures concerning the Northern Territory and Darwin.

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The population of the Northern Territory at the 2011 Australian census was 211,945. The Territory's population represents 1% of the total population of Australia.

The Northern Territory's population is the youngest in Australia and has the largest proportion (23.2%) under 15 years of age and the smallest proportion (5.7%) aged 65 and over. The median age of residents of the Northern Territory is 31 years, six years younger than the national median age.

More than 54% of Territorians live in Darwin.

Less than half of the territory's population live in the rural Northern Territory.

Darwin 124,760. Palmerston. 30,005.  Alice Springs. 27,877.

Katherine 10,309.   Nhulunbuy. 5,001.   Tennant Creek. 3,558.  

Wad eye 2,394.   Jabiru. 1,327

Indigenous Australians own some 49% of the land.

The Northern Territory has two distinctive climate zones.

The northern end, including Darwin, has a tropical climate with high humidity and two seasons, the wet (October to April) and dry season (May to September). During the dry season nearly every day is warm and sunny, and afternoon humidity averages around 30%. There is very little rainfall between May and September. In the coolest months of June and July, the daily minimum temperature may dip as low as 14 °C (57 °F), but very rarely lower, and frost has never been recorded.

The wet season is associated with tropical cyclones and monsoon rains. The majority of rainfall occurs between December and March (the southern hemisphere summer), when thunderstorms are common and afternoon relative humidity averages over 70% during the wettest months. On average more than 1,570 mm (62 in) of rain falls in the north. Rainfall is highest in north-west coastal areas, where rainfall averages from 1,800–2,100mm (72–84 in).

The central region is the desert centre of the country, which includes Alice Springs and Ayers Rock, and is semi-arid with little rain usually falling during the hottest months from October to March. Central Australia receives less than 250 mm (9.8 in) of rain per year.

The Bombing of Darwin, also known as the Battle of Darwin on 19 February 1942 was both the first and the largest single attack ever mounted by a foreign power on Australia. On this day, 242 Japanese aircraft attacked ships in Darwin's harbour and the town's two airfields in an attempt to prevent the Allies from using them as bases to contest the invasions of Timor and Java. The town was only lightly defended and the Japanese inflicted heavy losses upon the Allied forces at little cost to themselves. The urban areas of Darwin also suffered some damage from the raids and there were a number of civilian casualties.

After the massive 19 February 1942 Japanese raid, the Northern Territory and parts of Western Australia's north were bombed 62 more times between 4 March 1942 and 12 November 1943. One of the heaviest attacks took place on 16 June 1942 when a large Japanese force set fire to the oil fuel tanks around the harbour and inflicted severe damage to the vacant barracks, stores and railway yards. The Allied navies largely abandoned the naval base at Darwin after the initial 19 February attack, dispersing most of their forces to Brisbane, Fremantle, and other smaller seaports. Conversely, Allied air commanders launched a major build-up in the Darwin area, building more airfields and deploying many squadrons.

The four Imperial Japanese Aircraft carriers (Akagi, Kaga, Hiryū, and Sōryū) that participated in the Bombing of Darwin were later sunk during the Battle of Midway in June 1942.

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Day Out - with Julienne Jones.

Wednesday 2nd July.

Today we picked up Julienne Jones from her accomodation and took her out for the day. First stop was the shopping centre as she needed a new battery fitted to her watch. We then drove to Lee Point beach to show her as she was unaware there was a beach so close to where she had been staying. The council workers must have been on the job quite early on the beach this morning as any remnants of last nights festivities had all been cleared up.

We then drove around Nightcliffe along that beach and stopped at a lovely little cafe where we had lunch and chatted for about 2 hours.

Watched TV in the evening.

Territory Day Celebrations.

Tuesday 1st July.

I spent this morning geocaching in the Lee Point area. There are a number of caches concealed along the many almost hidden foot tracks through the dense jungle undergrowth within the Casuarina Coastal Reserve. The beauty of this is that I uncovered some very interesting WW2 sites in my search for the caches. However it would be very easy to become disoriented and lost in this maze of tracks if you did not pay particular attention to the many off shoot path options throughout the area. At one stage I must confess I had to refer to the "backtrack" feature on my hand held GPS to make sure I was on the right track.

After about three hours I had found eleven caches so I figured this was more than enough for the day as it was now becoming very hot with temperature approaching 33 degrees C.

A restful afternoon, then at 4:30pm a group of us from the caravan park headed off to Lee Point beach to secure our spot for the fireworks display to celebrate Territory Day. This annual event is to commemorate the Northern Territory becoming an independent territory.

We all took along drinks and food to share and set up several picnic tables and our camp chairs on the beach. Fireworks are only sold in the Northern Territory at this time of the year and the locals spend hundreds of dollars each to make sure the day goes off with a bang.

Boy, do they do exactly that. The fireworks on Lee Point beach are only one of literally hundreds of sites around Darwin where they congregate to do likewise.

They started at 6:00pm in full earnest with the most impressive display either of us has ever seen. The fireworks are what I would describe as professional fireworks and most would leave the Sydney Harbour New Year's Eve event literally in the dark. They continued on non stop until midnight, a total of six hours with only the occasional very short pause. The noise and pure spectacle is hard to describe but fortunately I was able to capture some great video of the amazing spectacle.

There must have been several thousand people along the foreshore with many groups having a bonfire also on the beach. As we were leaving around 9:00pm we saw channel nine arriving to film the event, having previously been to several other sites for footage for the news the next day.

At one point a commercial aircraft approached from out at sea, presumably an overseas flight arrival into Darwin. The plane was seen to divert away from the landing flight path and circle along the huge expanse of the beach to afford the passengers a better and longer view from the air of the action which must have resembled a scene similar to Bagdad or some other war zone under attack.

To reiterate, Gail and I agreed that in all our years we have never ever witnessed such a display in any location you may care to name. All we can suggest is that if ever you get the opportunity to visit Darwin make sure you are here for July 1st. You will not be disappointed.

Darwin observations.

Monday 30th June.

About time for a day of relaxation with only a few minor jobs to attend to. Repairs to our rotary clothes line with a few cable ties to give it another lease of life.

We have noticed in driving through the suburbs that something is different about the structure of the average house but we could not put our finger what was different. It eventually occurred to us that there are no gutters or down pipes from the roof. It seems that the very heavy and frequent rain storms in the wet season are too much for the gutters to safely handle so they prefer for this excessive water to simply flow directly onto the ground. The soil is such that it drains away reasonably quickly.

Cullen Bay.

Sunday 29th June.

Church at casuarina Uniting this morning. The congregation is quite mixed with islanders, indigenous, Chinese and Aussies. A high percentage of kids none of who wear shoes.

After church we drove to Cullen Bay, parked the car and had a look at all the yachts and big power boats in the marina. They have a lock here between the protected waters of the marina and the ocean. Because the tides in this part of the world are so huge, up to 8 metres the lock is filled purely by gravity. Provided the tide is above 5.6 metres the incoming gates can be opened to allow vessels to enter from the ocean side. Once inside the lock these gates are then closed and the water level within the lock is drained into the marina until the two levels are identical. This serves to alternatively keep the water level within the marina topped up. The marina side gates are then opened to allow the vessel to exit into the marina. Entry and or exit from the ocean side is therefore dependant on the tide level on the outside or ocean side. The big advantage gained is that no pumps are required to move the water into the lock, it is all done by gravity.

Darwin Speedway.

Saturday 28th June.

Gail and I went for a nice walk along the walking track to the Lee Point picnic area at the end of Lee Point road. En route we looked for a cache that I had earlier tried unsuccessfully to locate. Our efforts were in vain again so it was recorded as a DNF ( did not find). A local informed us the site had very recently been fully renovated by council workers so we suspect that the cache had been removed or "muggled". Never mind, tomorrow is another day.

After a leisurely afternoon including a swim in the pool it was off to the Speedway for me with Keith and Wendy. Gail preferred to give it a miss and catch up on some quiet time by herself.

The speedway is located at Hidden Valley within the motor sport complex adjacent to the where we had been to the V8 Supercar racing.

The first event was at 6:00pm with a total of 25 events in all. There were five different vehicle categories with 4 heats for each class followed by the feature event.

The vehicles categories included : Go carts, Speedcars, Juniors Street, Wingless Speedcars and one other category whose name escapes me.

To me the most impressive and entertaining were the Junior Street cars, driving by drivers under 16 years of age. The ultimate winner of this category who dominated all night was only thirteen years old. He certainly knew how to control a drifting car on the short oval dirt circuit.

Leanya Recreation Complex.

Friday 27th June.

Another visit to the Leanya Recreation park and the massive lagoon pool was the main item on our agenda for today. This park is phenomenal with all of its water activities, lovely spacious green lawns, electric BBQ's and sheltered tables. And it's all free. In a phone conversation with Rodney, Gail learned that her friend Julienne Jones was to be in Darwin for a week, arriving next Monday night. Gail in turn made contact with Julienne and arranged a get together in Darwin for next week.

AFL footy on TV was the feature for tonight after happy hour.

Wash Day

Thursday 26th June.

Time to catch up with washing of sheets, towels and pillow slips today, all done by hand and hung out to dry which only took about 2 hours in the warm sunshine with a quite strong breeze.

The weather to date has been exceptional, but with slightly lower temperatures over the last couple of days. It is now down to 30 degrees - time to drag out the winter woolies according to the locals.

As we have been partaking of other peoples hospitality in our small group around cell block 9 with all sorts of food treats ranging from fresh crabs to beautiful fresh caught fish etc we thought it about time that Gail and I repaid their hospitality.

So this morning we went and brought all the ingredients to make a huge batch of Gail's specialty - sausage rolls. We also provided a BBQ chicken and some salad. As anticipated the sausage rolls were a huge hit. We also provided apple pie and impossible pie with whipped cream.

Wednesday

Wednesday 25th June.

After our very big day yesterday today was a day for simply lazing about combined with a swim in the pool at the caravan park.