26) Northern Territory: Darwin to Sydney and return. October to July 2015.

It was great to be back in our temporary home, being temporary Territorians that is and seeing our friends again. It was also nice to be able to drive anywhere and get whatever you needed or desired. Being able to get fresh produce from the vegetable and fish markets at a whim was much better than eating canned food, as our fresh vegetable supplies had run out near then end of our Kimberley trip. Not so nice was returning to work two to three days a week but it really helped the bank account improve a lot.

One we didn't need to go to the markets for.

Not long after our return we were sitting at anchor in Darwin harbour when a large fish came in through our hatch and landed on the kitchen bench. How bizarre? We went up on deck and a large pod of dolphins were swimming around the boat. We assumed they had been chasing the fish below. The fish jumped to avoid being caught but unluckily hit its head on one of the stays and then came in dead through the hatch. 

Darwin Harbour - low tide.

Peter went to the doctors upon our return and was told he would need to see a surgeon about his knee. So we put in the referral at Royal Darwin Hospital early October and did some house-sitting for Mat and Seija in their lovely unit for two weeks. ’Reverie’ spent October and November sitting at anchor off Stokes Hill Wharf, as Darwin Harbour can really dry out during Spring tides.  

Late November - a wet season storm approaching.

Then because of the cyclone season commencing on the 1^st December we moved back into our old haunt – Tipperary Waters Marina. We decided that staying in Darwin for another wet season may prove difficult for us and not to mention that we would save $1000/month on berth rental fees if we didn’t live on board the boat. 

So it was a no brainer to travel south for the summer and see family and friends before heading overseas in July 2015. We could then return to Darwin by mid to late April when the south was cooling down, and we could once again leave the marina and anchor at Stokes Hill Wharf.Decision made. We decided to drive down to Sydney as I was still yet to see parts of Northern Territory and western Queensland. We filled the backseat with the necessities of life and headed south out of Darwin. 

Within the hour the car air-conditioning system died so it was open all windows and suffer the heat. And we mean heat. The desert was endless and so was the heat. It was almost intolerable, with 40 to 50 degree days and the hot air pouring in through the open window. It would be close to how it would feel to be a chicken in an oven. Your skin constantly felt that it was being charred. The nights were no respite either. Yes thankfully the sun went down, but the heat then just radiated out of the earth and back into the atmosphere. Sleeping in a tent on 50 degree earth was like being lying on a frypan. Finally exhaustion would overtake us and we would pass out at about midnight and awake to blaring sunshine by 5am, when we would start the same process all over again. With all our travelling by boat or by car around Australia and other various countries around the globe this proved to be the hardest most arduous journey we had ever undertaken. 

The upper pool at Edith Falls. All to ourselves.

On the plus side – a plus side you ask? Yes, there was a definite plus side, even though you did have to look hard to find it at times. It was the fact that there were not many tourists around (I wonder why???) and the tourist sites that were open, we had all to ourselves.

Our first stop was Edith Falls, part of the Nitmuluk National Park, which starts just north of Katherine. The lower plunge pool was closed due to the threat of crocodiles and water contamination, but the upper pool was open. We each downed a litre of water and set off in togs and thongs for a 45 minute leisurely paved walk. By the time we arrived at the upper pool we were so thirsty that we were almost delirious. We stayed in the water for several hours recuperating before we had to do it all again. My thongs broke at the pool but I rigged them up with some Pandanus leaf which got me three quarters of the trip back. Then we took it in turns to share three thongs. It took four days for our blistered burnt feet to heal. Lesson learned – never go anywhere in the Outback without being fully clothed, with proper walking shoes and most importantly plenty of water.

We drove to Katherine for the night and I was finally able to get my deposit back for a room cancelled in 2013 that was never sent to me. Amazing what happens when you front in person. However, my lost luggage I was unable to recover. The next morning we had a nice cool down in the hot spring that feeds the Katherine River. 

About 100 km further south we stopped at the little town of Mataranka but it has some big and very nice attractions. A couple of kilometres south of the town is the Mataranka Thermal Pools. Just left off the car park is a reproduction of the house that starred in the book “We of the Never Never”. This book is the fantastic story of the trials and tribulations of a family living in this region – the outback in the 1800’s.

Mataranka Thermal Pools.

After our exploration it was a mad dash to get into the water at the hot springs. Many people have queried whether a dip in the hot springs would be cooling. Yes, the hot spring water is warm but definitely cooler than the outside temperature, so it is refreshing to some degree. 

We learnt very quickly to hop in the water in full clothes then by the time you got back to the car you were not dripping wet and the wind coming through the car window provided some cooling effect. 

Mataranka Thermal Pools.

 

Bitter Springs.

Later the same day we drove north of Mataranka to Bitter Springs. There was only one person there and she left early so we had the whole place to ourselves. In the tourist season you cannot get a park at the car park and there numerous people at Bitter Springs. So we were very fortunate.

In contrast to the thermal pools, which are paved and privately owned, Bitter Springs is part of the National Park and is in a completely natural setting. Both are good but Bitter Springs being natural is just that little better, in our view anyway. Also at Bitter Springs you can get in at one end and float with the current to the other end. Then get out and repeat the process as many times as you like.

Bitter Springs.

The next day we went to Tennant Creek. Unable to tolerate another night in the heat we managed to get a quiet small cabin with air conditioning. What a luxury - TV, cooking facilities and a cool night's sleep. Heaven. 

Edge of the Eromanga Sea basin.

Onward we crossed over the border into western Queensland and drove to the small town of Winton. Both of us had always wanted to see the fossilised remains of dinosours that roamed around Winton when it was the edge of the Eromanga Sea. Australia did not 'officially' have dinosaurs until they were discovered here in a paddock some years ago.  




Luckily for Winton and this area of western Queensland as they are now attracting tourists to see the Age of Dinosaurs and Lark Quarry. Small towns are dying at a rate of knots. The land here hardly viable to earn a living as this area has been in drought for so many years and more to come, no doubt. It was heartbreaking to drive through this region, to see the livestock with no shade, no feed and barely any hope. The wildlife faired much worse though, evidenced by the carnage on the side of the road, particularly between Winton and Longreach. There was a dead kangaroo every metre at least and sometimes up to four every metre along the 180 km stretch of road. We came to call it the 'avenue of bones' or the 'carnage highway'. The stench, heat and carnage made this area the worst part of the trip for us. We decided to see Lark Quarry and the Longreach Qantas museum on the way back.

The Torenius clan.

So it was onward to the much cooler Brisbane or Brisvegas as it is now known. We stayed a few days and celebrated Christmas Eve with our favourite Tasmanians - David, Karen and Frannie, who were enjoying the sunshine in Queensland. 






Day three and we took a short drive over to catch up with Peter's Mum just before Christmas. It was nice to finally rest in Brisbane and we felt almost normal four days later. 

Peter, Don and great grandson.

Then we travelled up to Caboolture where we finally celebrated Christmas with Peter's father, which we had not done for 30 years or more. It was a very busy day with four generations of the Moore and Doolan clans, all togehter for Christmas lunch. Hectic but fun.








Then finally we drove south to Sydney just in time to celebrate New Year's Eve with our favourite friends - Nico and Michelle. Here we would stay for four months with my mum and Des, housesit for friends and basically catch up with everyone. 

Reunion: Wendy, Maureen, Denise, Michelle and Jane.