Day 28 Barkly Homestead to Mt Isa

Day 28 Barkly Homestead to Mt Isa

Aaaargh! We are fair weather campers .... we don't like rain!

We awoke this morning to gusting winds and a very bleak and threatening sky. Oops .... better get a move on before it rains. While we were in the showers inside it began to shower outside as well. Oh No! The red dust quickly turned to red mud and our rain ponchos were buried deep in the car.

Sunrise at Barkly Homestead

That sky looks ominous!!

We had to pack up our wet tent and bundle up the muddy tarps in short order. Not an easy task with the wind making the tarps flap around. Our fellow camper trailer friends had fared a little better having woken up slightly earlier than us. They watched us from under cover with big grins. We all met up at the restaurant for breakfast looking like drowned rats. Grrrr! The holiday had been going so well until now. Ah, but we bonded so well in adversity. We didn't shout at each other, not even slightly!

Wet campers

Not happy Jan

We got on our way and noticed that the temperature was still only 12 degrees. The heating was on in the car for the first time in a while until we properly dried off. It was a relief that as the day wore on the temperature started to climb, the wind died down, the sky began to clear and the fuel consumption dropped back to a more normal range. Happier now.

John at Camooweal

Blue skies reappear as we cross into Queensland

Well, only in part! Barb is still not totally happy. She has a re-occurrence of a boil despite two courses of antibiotics over the past two months. Youch! It's not fun to sit for long periods in a car with a boil developing. Don't ask where this magnificence was located! It was a boil. OK?

When we finally reached Mt Isa our first order of business after setting up camp was to find a doctor for Barb. Not easy on a Friday afternoon. After calling two different  surgeries it became clear we couldn't get an appointment until Sunday. Ok. Off to the Mt Isa Hospital Emergency with the expectation of long wait to be seen. To be fair, it wasn't too long a wait. The doctor was very good. Lanced it. Took a swab. Wrote a script for antibiotics. Put on a dressing. We were on our way. Phew!

We're going to take things very easy tomorrow.

Day 27 Daly Waters to Barkly Homestead

Day 27 Daly Waters to Barkly Homestead

When we'd arrived at Daly Waters campsite we were placed next to three other camper trailers who were travelling together on their way to Birdsville. These were serious campers with big 4WD vehicles and off road campers. They'd been quite surprised to see how quickly John and I had gotten set up in the evening and we were smug the next morning too when we beat them dismantling our setup and got on the road before them!

We kept running into them at various roadhouses all the way along the Stuart Highway as we stopped for morning tea and lunch and to fill up with petrol. We ascertained that they also planned to stay at Barkly homestead overnight. They beat us there. Dammit.

Lazy cows

Second breakfast at Dunmarra

We stopped at Threeways Roadhouse for lunch. There were warnings there of a rogue buffalo - I wonder if it's the same one from Nourlangie at Kakadu wreaking havoc all over the Territory. All we saw were a couple of very mild and lazy cows.

On this leg John became quite concerned about our fuel consumption. The car's on board computer gives a rolling estimate, and although it's not particularly accurate it is consistent. After Daly Waters the consumption shot up by 25% for no apparent reason. After checking this, that and the other, and on seeing a warning sign at Barkly Homestead we concluded we'd been subjected to headwinds. Perhaps it's tribute to the car that we hadn't noticed buffeting or lack of power, but it was certainly quite worrying until we twigged.

John was keen to get to Happy Hour at the Barkly Homestead. Our stocks of alcohol were seriously depleted after so long in areas where the purchase of alcohol is restricted. We also dined in at the restaurant. Well we are on holiday! That night we turned in after watching TV on our computer. John was pleased to get it working after breaking the aerial. All it took was a piece of stiff wire! Shear  genius, though I say so myself!

The John Flynn memorial at Threeways

Desert flowers

John worried about fuel consumption....checking tyres

Sometime during the night the weather began to turn ugly. Luckily we hadn't left anything outside and John had lashed down the tent roof with extra rope. The temperature also dropped markedly, down to 12 degrees. The doona's back on the bed again.

Day 26 back to Daly Waters

Day 26 Back to Daly Waters

There's no doubt that Timber Creek exceeded our expectations, both the campsite and the cruise. In the morning we made a fairly rapid getaway because our drive through site allowed us to stay hitched and we hadn't put the annexe canopy up.

It's a really pleasant drive through to Katherine from Timber Creek. We called in once again to Victoria River Crossing roadhouse on the way. We were amused to have to make our own cup of tea at the roadhouse .... it reminded us of the Olary Hotel and the instruction "you know how you like it".

Arriving in Katherine around lunch time we knew it wouldn't be too difficult to make it to Daly Waters that night. We'd so enjoyed our previous stay there.

On our way through Mataranka we stopped briefly to have a look at the staues in the park of characters from the book "We of the Never Never". Must read it sometime. There's also a very large termite mound in the park but we were put off getting too near that by a crowd of local aboriginals lolling just near it. On on we go....

Add caption

Large termite mound

John was not keen to stop off at Fran's Devonshire Tea house again though for another of her famous homemade pies (too b****y right!). We did however stop in Larrimah at the Pink Panther Pub, which is virtually next door. It claims to be one of the top ten outback pubs ..... we don't know by whose reckoning. It is certainly characterful! The rather cachectic looking barman was surprisingly thoughtful offering a glass of ice and straw to go with my can of Coke Zero. Maybe I looked refined enough to need it. Everyone else was drinking their beer straight from the can. (Including me.)

Big Stubby and Pink Panther

Larrimah's Pink Panther Pub

Unusual decor

Larrimah is one of those strange little places that was thriving as a railway siding during World War Two,  There were a number of WW2 airfields and bases nearby, which are today marked with memorials and plaques. There's even a Larrimah museum with a number of radial aero engines littering the precincts, all in a distinct state of decay.

Barb enjoys a cold coke

Larrimah museum

Quaint

When we finally got to Daly Waters we were shown to our campsite once again by the man on the bicycle. He must work very long hours. He'd been up before dawn cleaning the toilets and showers, and he was there until well after dark organising the cars and caravans into position. It was very busy too. It looked like nearly every available spot was taken.

4WD and caravans packed in tightly at Daly Waters

John and I booked in to have the "Beef and Barra" dinner on offer at the beer garden, where Stevie was once again singing his Karaoke songs. Because there was such a crowd it was a great atmosphere with lots of people including small children, and an 80 year old couple celebrating her birthday were up dancing and singing along. It was infectious .... you couldn't help tapping your feet, clapping your hands and joining in. We bought Stevie's home made CDs too and played them all the way to the Barkly Homestead the next day.

Crowd enjoying the music

John enjoying his beef steak

Stevie in action

A very enjoyable night

Day 25 Timber Creek

Day 25 Timber Creek

As we've previously mentioned, we were a bit disappointed to miss out on the Victoria River Cruise that runs from Timber Creek on our way in to Kununurra several days ago. It doesn't run on Mondays and in fact is closing for the season at the end of August.

Phew! We just made it on the return journey. Nearly missed out altogether and that would've been a great shame. The couple who run the cruise and Croc-Stock shop at Timber Creek, Meredith and Neville are in the process of trying to sell the business after running it successfully for many years. They are reaching retirement age themselves and Meredith wants to go back to Adelaide to be near her ailing mother.

John looking un-enthused about Timber Creek

But wait! The caravan park is actually very nice

Even a boab in our caravan park

I imagine it must be a really good business during the dry season, but would be inaccessible in the wet. John and I booked into the caravan park after arriving and first ascertaining whether the cruise would indeed go ahead. Otherwise we weren't too keen to stay at Timber Creek. Appearances can be  deceiving though....the caravan park turned out to be a real gem! It had lovely shady powered sites as well as a nice pool and spa and kids playground. So many birds in the trees too. Not to mention right beside the river. The amenities were a bit tired and elderly but at least kept clean.

We were picked up in an elderly bus by Neville outside the Croc-Stock shop at 4pm. The bus reminded me of the one I used to catch to school in my youth. Turns out it was indeed a 70s bus....still going strong!
We went to the creek where the boats are moored via the Augustus Gregory (Explorer) boab tree and the old historic police station. The police station in Timber Creek covers the largest area for a precinct in Australia.

The Gregory boab with grave of John Lawler

Looks like the old school bus

Neville carries the supplies in a home built back pack

Once we were herded onto the boat, Neville took off down the river with his very powerful outboard engine roaring. He pointed out the Bradshaw bridge, newly built to service the Bradshaw military base located on the other side of the Victoria River. Out of bounds to us mere mortals.
Neville had a wealth of local knowledge to share about the local history, flora and fauna. He would zoom in to the bank of the river to disturb a basking crocodile, some up to five metres long, so we could take photos. I was more concerned that they didn't take offence at this rude intrusion and decide to fight back.

John boards the boat

The Bradshaw bridge over the Victoria River

This large saltie was not amused to be disturbed

Agile wallabies come down to drink

Brahman cows also drink at the river

There was lots of wildlife feeding beside the river and coming down to drink. The water is fairly salty but they have adapted to it. Including the Brahman cattle which also come down to graze and drink.
Neville stopped at one point to feed some birds of prey. He whistled and threw out some food and down they swooped. Even a sea eagle joined in the scuffle for this treat.

Birds of prey circle the boat

Sea eagle

It's windy on the boat as we fly along

Jabiru

After going some way (about 20 km) up the river we pulled in beside a floating barge. He we stopped to partake of drinks and nibbles while Neville caught some catfish on a rod he keeps on the barge to feed  to the birds of prey again. This time off a specially built metal arm, so you got an up-close view of them. Barb and another lady waited with cameras at the ready for ten minutes. Nothing happened. They'd no sooner turned their backs to take sunset shots when down came the birds to take the fish behind them.

Windblown from the trip

Neville catches catfish

And here comes the bird to take the catfish prize

Chatting on the barge

Barb and John

The sunset over the distant Yambarrin Ranges was just gorgeous. After oohing and aahing we then transferred back to the speedboat for a fast ride back down the river before it got too dark. Luckily the weather was still warm or it would've been very chilly with the wind blowing through our hair.
All in all it was well worth the money for this cruise and we were glad we did it. Not on the same scale of spectacular as the Ord River cruise, but it was very different (and half the price!)

The sun is going down

Further down

What a gorgeous sunset!

Well that was worth it