Tuesday, August 16, 2011

3 - FROM ALICE SPRINGS TO KATHERINE

Since leaving Alice Springs we’ve spent a lot of time visiting National Parks in the East & West Macdonald Ranges. We weren’t going to do that this trip, but once you get into the area the beauty of it all keeps you there longer than you intended.

Most places we did short walks together, Ken did some longer ones on his own and we just enjoyed being in the spectacular scenery that is all around.

Here’s a list of places we visited:

  • N’Dhalia Gorge via Bins Track
  • Trephina Gorge, (where we met a couple we hadn’t seen for about 25-30 years, were in a babysitting club together when our children were little)
  • Ormiston Gorge
  • Redbank Gorge
Then we went up to Tilmouth Well on the Tanamai Road via back roads, up some more back roads and out onto the highway again staying at Ti Tree.

Another trip took us down 75 kilometres of  dirt road hoping to get to Old Police Station Waterhole, only to find the rest of the road closed, so back to the highway to try the northern approach, but the road was very rough and by the time we got to Whistleduck Creek it was time to make camp.  Quite a nice waterhole and only one other family camped there. We gave up on the idea of getting to Old Police Station Waterhole as it was another 100 k’s of rough rocky road and no guarantee that the road wasn’t going to be closed before we got there.

Coming out of there wrecked our first tyre – must have hit a sharp rock and developed a slow leak because a little while after getting back on the bitumen highway, we had a blow-out and completely wrecked the tyre.  So next stop was Tennant Creek and $285 for a new one.  After having lunch just outside Tennant Creek we carried on to Banka Banka Station to stay the night.  It was a lovely camp ground, and the manager was very friendly.  They light a big communal camp fire at about 6pm, which is a great idea instead of everyone having their own little fires.  I would recommend it to anyone going past that way.

The following day took us to Daly Waters Pub – and who can drive straight past there?  So it was “Beef & Barra” for dinner with the new entertainer “Chillie” proving quite good fun, although not as funny as Frank “The Chook Man”.

After that we started on the “Hot Springs Country” with our first swim being at Bittar Springs, Mataranka, and camping the night at Elsey National Park, then up to Douglas Hot Springs for two nights, one night at Umbrawarra Gorge before stopping off in Kathrerine to get the truck serviced, catch up on washing, shopping etc, and finally get the computer out as we are at a powered site again (but spending the hot afternoon sitting down in the river in the shade).





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1 Comments:

At August 18, 2011 at 10:37 AM , Blogger Merilyn said...

Sounds as if you are having a wonderful time!
I remember travelling through the NT many years ago and loved Katherine and the Gorge there. Hope you get to see it!!!!

 

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