I’ll Catch us all up a bit. Darwin - QLD

   

As we wait patiently for our silver plane to appear midair, glide down and touch the tarmac then roar to a slow amble we find a lovely expat to chat to named Louise, we have hours so we're like family now. We also find a phone sitting on the bar between my seat and the next - it's easy to imagine the previous occupant resting their phone there then simply hopping up and boarding a flight to some far flung nation. We hand it in and hope it makes it home too. We don’t stop our finding spree there, no, we soon find a passport sitting on a windowsill and also find its owner at the nearby gate lounge. We board, then depart and are soon spilling out into the baggage hall in Darwin when I notice someone’s English drivers licence lying on the ground, I’m serious, it’s the third thing we’ve found today. 

Darwin is hot and there’s small fires igniting themselves everywhere so the air is a smudgy version of itself, often there are billowing smoke clouds and occasionally ash falling. Ben arrives home after three days on the GC and we’re all but ready to go half an hour later, our journey south begins - 2,700kms to go. 

Our lengthy land missions would usually have us up early and driving for several hours before taking a quick pit stop, only to race off again, but we are all fatigued. So we start late, stop frequently and spend hours willing away the kms. We do enjoy a few stops along the way though. First we retrace our steps to Adelaide River, the smallest most tropically green campground where we found the big slow sneaky flies, this time we enjoy the sunset next door - mozzies buzzing, kids running round with their new friends on the huge lawn at the bistro (2,606 kms to go).  We also revisit the Katherine Natural Hot Springs and while away an hour outside the Pop Up Cafe with its cool orange containers wafting their amazing scents of great coffee and great food (2,404kms to go).

Ben has booked us a boat trip up the Katherine gorge, because of the unusually low water level you hop on one boat, then walk over a rocky section to a second boat, head upstream and back, then return to the first boat. The gorge floods during the wet season and joins the sea periodically allowing the big salties to swim on in, but later in the season the water level drops again and some don’t make it back to the sea in time. So every year people have to catch the big Salt Water Crocs, then the first kayakers of the season test that they’ve got them all. Fresh water crocodiles, which do live here happily, are hard to spot but the guide points one out on the waters edge. 

Back on the road we're heading to Mataranka Hot Springs. This is a natural hot spring and everyone is rocking up with their towels and an armload of noodles. The water is tepid and accessed by metal ladders dotted along the bank. People are floating off downstream so Ben floats off too. He’s soon back and quite tired, as being noodleless, he’s had to do a lot of treading water (2,302kms to go).

However the most memorable stop of all was Daly Waters, NT. As we leave the highway we’re soon surrounded by memorabilia overload - have I teleported to America? We park up past the camp across from the historic pub and outside the one fuel pump which make up the whole of town. Ben heads over to pay for a night and while he's gone I happen to look up and spot a very large man hoon out of the pub on a mobility scooter, this is no ordinary mob scooter, no, this has longhorn horns on the front and a large sign on the back saying wide load. But this isn’t the strangest thing, there is a horse following him out of he pub. I’m up out of my seat, then out comes a foal. What is going on here?  Even better,  he apparently rolled into the pub, motored past the line of people waiting and demanded 4 beers just like he owned the place, which apparently he does. 

We can’t hide away in the van when there’s so much to see, so over to the pub we go. This place seems to be held up by road signs and number plates but weighed down by bras and other odds and ends left by previous pub patrons. There’s live music and lots going on and every now and then Wide Load zooms by on his scooter chatting to people as he goes. He flies by us and spots April's pasta, ’Hows ya Spaghetti Bog’ he cries. What a character.

There’s a lot of history here with its original bath tub trough and hitching post, required under the original liquor license which is the oldest standing license around. The nearby airfield used to be busy and Daly Waters was a refuelling stop for planes. There's a croc living near town you can stop by and see him but instead we head to Tim's Museum by the fuel pump for a look at the memorabilia. (2,136km to go).

 

 See you in the Northern Territories

In Mount Isa we stop the night and find nothing much but the worlds coldest pool, we’re all dressed for the occasion so dare to have a swim, albeit a short one. After Alila's weekly zoom call with her tutor we hit the road (1,117km to go). Then we find ourselves at Julia Creek for a quick lunch which instantly turned into a 2 hr stop when the girls find an art and craft session laid out at the local playground. They’ve bejewelled some crowns, decorated boxes and seem to have collected various other items like highlighters and stickers (861kms to go). We manage to drag them away and drive on till we can’t fathom any more kms, finding a gravel lot in Richmond to park for the night for a mere $5, good luck trying to find who to give the 5 bucks to though. One couple camping there declare 'it's the most beautiful spot, where else would you rather be!', Ben glances around the sloping asphalt with overgrown edges, he doesn't look convinced. The Thirsty Camel on the Main Street seems to be the only place with lights on so we head there for a beer and on the walk home in the dark we reminisce about the time I nearly stepped on a snake.  (713kms to go). 

Across through Hughenden to Charters Towers we find the first stock exchange in Australia and when we park outside I hear tap shoes echoing in the memorial hall next door, we walk down the path beside the hall and the girls hang over the railing to watch the dancers practising through the open window - April loves tap dancers. We also find a rodeo, so we double back and around and back again, we have a bit of trouble finding the entrance but we find a park and Ben takes the girls off for a look at the rodeo, which turns into slushies and hot chips - Ben loves hot chips. From my vantage point in the van I just see helmeted heads above a grassy bund bobbing past, it looks very odd.

We find a camp nearby for the night and I’m tired so Ben offers to sort dinner, I’m none too surprised when he and Alila head off on their E-scooters to the nearest Indian Takeaways. Unfortunately it’s much further than he anticipated, also the sunset and there’s not a footpath in sight. They’re back over an hour later and I’m surprised the food is still warm, but they are full of stories of their adventure together - Alila loves adventures with her Dad. 

Only350kms till Airlie Beach.

 Beware of car eating cows !!