Overland Australia

This morning we chilled out in camp while Anna and I did some washing and some general chores and planning/getting ready for the next few weeks. After lunch we drove out to the Mataranka Homestead and had a look around the replica of the old Elsey Homestead that was used in the movie "We of the Never Never". We then walked down to the spring at Mataranka and had a swim, the pool here was nice but felt very commercialised after being at the natural surroundings of Bitter Springs. There were lots of people here too and we had to work hard to get a spot away from some of the crowds. We then drove further into the Elsey National Park and had a look at the Jalmurak camping area which was huge and had flushing toilets and showers with reasonable fees of $20 per night for our family. If we are ever back in these parts this is where we will stay. It was then back to camp where we picked up our pool noodles and walked down to Bitter Springs where we floated downstream and then wal...

Today was a restocking day and we made our way to Katherine, first stop was the butcher to place an order and have them cryovac it for us. We then made our way to Woolworths  and bought a heap of supplies and then spent the next 30 minutes playing tetris trying to cram all of the groceries into the fridge and pantry. At 2pm the grog shops opened and we bought the necessary supplies and picked up our meat from the butcher and then made our way to Bitter Springs. We checked into Bitter Springs Cabins and Camping which is about a 500m walk from the springs and we had been told these springs were much better than the springs in Mataranka. After setting up we walked down to Bitter Springs and had a great time floating down the creek in the warm water and soaking up the beautiful surroundings. It wasn't long before it started getting dark so we returned to camp for dinner and showers. Distance Traveled = 194 km Total distance traveled with camper = 34,041 km   Total numbe...

We needed to be in Katherine on a weekday so we could find a butcher and have 3 weeks worth of meat cryovaced for the next remote leg of our trip and being a Sunday we had to find somewhere to camp. After a quick check of Wiki camps and not wanting to back track or stay at a place that we have stayed at already we decided on Pussy Cat Flats just out of Pine Creek. The campground is at the old race course and the is a favourite with the grey nomads or "common grey's" which is what the kids call them, we were all the youngest by a country mile. The facilities are very new and fantastic and being a Sunday they had Roast Pork dinners on offer at $15 per plate which we couldn't resist. We enjoyed our time at Pussy Cat Flats and it gave us a good opportunity to get ready for the next leg of the journey. Distance Traveled = 28 km Total distance traveled with camper = 33,847 km   Total number of nights in the camper = 238

Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife. This morning the kids woke up fairly early and sung Anna Happy Birthday and gave her all of her pressies, after lots of snuggles we got up and we made Anna some breakfast before packing up and heading out of Kakadu and onto Umbawarra Gorge which we hoped would be much quieter than Gunlom Falls. On the way we stopped in at Pine Creek and took Anna to the Lazy Lizard Resort where we had woodfired pizza's and a few beers to celebrate her Birthday. After filling up with diesel and grabbing a few supplies we made the short run from Pine Creek down to Umbawarra Gorge. Once we arrived at the campground we found it almost full and managed to squeeze into one of the last sites, our hopes of a quiet camp were dashed... After setting up we walked down to the gorge and checked it out, the swimming holes here were pretty small but still deep enough for us to all cool off. We did plan to stay 2 nights here but decided that a packed campground and avera...

More campers rolled in this morning and the campground was pretty packed, we decided to escape the crowds and the heat by jumping in the car and taking a drive out to Gimbat. At one of the creek crossing we spotted a mob of water buffalo which Anna was really excited about, unfortunately we spooked them and they bolted and we only got a few decent photo's as they tried to hide from us in some trees. At Gimbat we checked out the old South Alligator river crossing and collected a heap of fire wood as we needed some decent coals on the fire tonight so we can cook Anna a birthday cake. Once the afternoon started to cool off we grabbed our hiking gear and took off up the walking track to the top of Gunlom Falls, the track is pretty much straight up and we all worked up a decent sweat once we got to the top. If I'm honest I'm a little disappointed with Gunlom, after having such a great time at Makguk the pools were pretty ordinary. Maybe we are gorged and waterfalled out and if...

We almost talked ourselves into staying at Maguk for another night as we had such a great time yesterday, but we have limited supplies and everyone raves about Gunlom Falls which was our destination today. It wasn't a very long run down the highway and were were turning left onto the road into Gunlom Falls, oldmate the "4wd enthsiaust" should have come in to Gunlom as this road was in far worse condition with some pretty bad corrugations for most of the way in. Once at the campground we found a site and setup, we arrived mid morning but tomorrow is a Darwin Public Holiday and the campground was filling quickly with locals making the most of the long weekend. Later in the afternoon we walked down to the plunge pool below the falls and had a nice swim, the days have become quite hot again so the cool water was very enjoyable. There isn't much water coming down the waterfall at the moment and so far Gunlom has failed to impress us, hopefully the top pools that everyo...

I was up early again this morning (its my favourite time of day) and enjoyed the sunrise over the billabong that is at the rear of the campground. Once my coffee was finished I returned to camp and the girls were just getting up. Today was only a short drive to our next destination so we took our time packing up and left the campground just after 10.30. We topped up our fuel and drinking water at Cooinda and then continued onto Maguk. We had heard reports that the track into the campground and falls was very rough, Wiki Camps even had comments from a bloke who referred to himself as a "4wd enthusiast" that this was the worst road in Australia and that comment was from 2 weeks ago... We were sadly disappointed when we found a very average gravel road, there were corrugations in parts but not nearly as bad as some of the roads we have been on. We soon arrived at the campground and had to drive around a bit to find a suitable site as most of the sites suit walk in campers wi...

We were on the road just before 8.30 making our way towards Jim Jim Falls, the access road was in very good condition and looked like it had just been graded. It wasn't long before we arrived at the Garnamarr Campground which is another "managed"site with showers and toilets, we didn't have a look around but it looked nice from the road. This is where you find the start of the 4WD track that takes you to Jim Jim and Twin falls, the track was not difficult with most of it completed in 2WD just slow going due to the narrow, lumpy and corrugated track. Its single lane all the way in and we had to drive off the track fairly often to allow vehicles travelling in the opposite direction to pass. Once at the Jim Jim Falls car park we grabbed our gear and took off on the 900m track down to the plunge pool stopping at the viewing area to have a look at the falls. Unfortunately the water is only just trickling over the edge at the moment and was no where near as spectacular ...

I got up just as the sun was rising made a coffee and walked down to the billabong to enjoy the serenity, it was great to take in the activity as all of the animals went about their daily routines. After packing up we drove the short distance to the Mardugal campground which is the national park campground just a few km's down the road from Cooinda. The campground here is very open and dusty with a lot less shade than Merl but still very nice and we found a nice spot that had some shade but had plenty of sun for our solar panels. The campground manager Rex is a very knowledgeable and friendly guy and the amenities are well kept and clean. Later in the afternoon we drove to  Jim Jim Billabong and then to Cooinda to have a look at the Yellow Waters Billabong and then made the most of the facilities at the resort, the kids really enjoyed having a swim and the cold beers from the bar were very nice too. It was then back to camp for an early night as we have a lot planned for tomorr...