Even though we are travelling all over the country, we have to keep tabs on life back home as we still have bills to pay and commitments to the houses we are renting out. I contacted all the bill sectors in Adelaide before we left to organize email billing because that would save time and paper. Only Telstra would email us our bill. Council rates, water and insurances all have to be sent by snail mail.....how archaic is that! I have had to buy a shredder to deal with the paper that is sent to us. In this age of technology, one would think that it was a relatively straight forward request......but no. For all their annoyances, Telstra's email system is fantastic. An email arrives with our full bill available to view and I note the date and pay the bill by that date. If anything is incorrect, we can see it and contact Telstra to be frustrated via the phone instead.
The decision was made before we left to keep our home address as our main address and redirect our mail as we settled in different places. This saved a great deal of confusion which would have been the result if we'd changed addresses on all our correspondence every time we moved. Thankfully Steve's mum has allowed us to use her address as our redirection address and she holds our mail when we move and resends it to us when we settle elsewhere. She communicates with us what mail has arrived and we determine whether it is urgent and needs to be sent on to us immediately or whether it can wait and be sent about once a month or as needed. We had been told about using a post office box system whenever we resettled but many companies and ,in particular Ebay, won't send items to post office boxes. Locals in Kununurra have told me how annoying that can be as the whole town is PO box heaven.
We did use the mailing address of the house we were living at in Ingham because we had intended to stay there for a couple of years. We have decided since then that redirecting through a stable address (Steve's mum) is more consistent because the procedure to change redirection can be a headache and obviously our movements are not set in stone either. When it was time to change our redirection paperwork from Ingham, having all the original paperwork and details was key to a smooth transition. I made at least two extra trips to the post office in Ingham because the paperwork I had shown was not quite right. I had kept the forms that I originally filled out to change address details but the post office wanted the confirmation paperwork which was sent to me some weeks after that time. They needed the exact 'end' date on that paperwork to find our details in the computer system. I didn't want to cancel my redirection but change details because it still had some months left on it. In the end I had to cancel one redirection and get a refund before starting a new redirection because the paperwork wouldn't let me change the address. All frustrating when it seems like a relatively simple task.
When deciding on a new start date for our mail to, again, be sent to Steve's mum, I had to take into account the time it would take for mail to arrive in Ingham before we left. Confused.......well I wanted mail to continue to get to us for as long as possible but didn't want any arriving after we had left. Once Steve's mum started getting our mail, she wouldn't be able to send it until we had a new place to live. If mail had left Adelaide for Ingham the day before the start date, I needed at least 6 days for it to arrive in Ingham for us to collect it. There was also the 3 business days for my request to be processed before anything would happen. So not only was I working back at least 6 days before we left but also 3 business days too. It is important to recognize quarterly bill cycles too. March, June, September and December are the four months where quarterly bills need to be paid. As we left Ingham in late May, I had to make sure any quarterly bills were known about so I could pay them while we were travelling otherwise overdue fines would be the result.
After we had started travelling west, Steve and I decided that it might be a good idea to get his mum to send a parcel of mail to us in Katherine where we would be staying for several days. We organized it with her early so that it would allow plenty of time to get there. Steve's mum said she would send it express post as that would guarantee it would get to Katherine in time. Little did we know of the nightmare that would result from what was considered a straight forward decision. Anyone considering long term travel read and take note. Express Post next day services offered by Australia Post are for the major capital cities on the east coast and a handful of large regional centres. DO NOT even think that if you send a parcel from Adelaide, for example, that it will get to anywhere in 24 hours unless it's on the eastern seaboard. Steve and I knew that the parcel wouldn't get to us within 2 days let alone 24 hours but thought it would at least get to Katherine within about 4 days. It didn't happen. When one is travelling too, one loses track of the days of the week and the date of the month. As we were 'cruising', it wasn't important for us to keep track of such things especially as most places are open continually during the dry season.
We arrived in Katherine on the Saturday of the Queen's Birthday long weekend........first hurdle. Steve's mum had sent the parcel on the 4th of June so it had plenty of time to get to Katherine. On the Tuesday morning, I dropped by the parcel window at the Katherine PO to enquire about the parcel. We were due to leave the next day and when I was told that it wasn't there, I was a little concerned. They also told me at the mail centre that there was a huge backlog in Darwin due to the long weekend and it may still be up there waiting to be sent down. When I went in the next day while Steve finished packing the van, I was told it still wasn't there so then had to make enquiries about how it was going to be transferred to Kununurra when it did arrive. I was told to go into the post shop and arrange a transfer but after lining up in there was told that nothing could be organized from there and I would have to organize it through Kununurra PO.
After settling in Kununurra, I visited the PO post shop - lined up - to be told that it could only be organized through the Australia Post call centre phone number. I called the call centre to arrange what they called and 'inter store transfer'. The person I spoke to said she would have to check their computers because some PO's won't do inter store transfers which would mean we would have to cancel our current redirection and start a new one just to get that parcel to us. Actually one parcel became two parcels as Steve's mum decided to send another parcel several days after the other one so we had two lost in the system. Joy!! Thankfully Kununurra did inter store transfers......Yay!! Katherine PO was contacted and an email was supposedly being sent to Kununurra to organize the transfer. I was told that the parcel would not arrive for 4 business days!!!!!.....from only 5 hours away to the east. That's nuts!
Anyway after 3 business days I started going into Kununurra PO to find the parcel. Of course weekends stretched the timeframe out considerably and I could only check in the afternoon during the week as the parcels weren't distributed until after 3pm. By the 5th business day I was concerned but not peeved....yet. I was told the only way to know where the parcels were was to have the tracking numbers. Unfortunately Steve's mum had disposed of them because a recent change of procedure had seen the numbers printed on the receipts which she wasn't told. So no tracking numbers and no real idea of where these parcels were. A very helpful staff member at Kununurra PO decided to ring Katherine to double check and.....yes.....you guessed it.....the parcels were still sitting in Katherine because of a communication breakdown. That doesn't compare to the breakdown I was close to having over a couple of stupid parcels. The friendly staff member got the ball rolling and even rang me when she said she would to confirm everything was happening. Finally after 2 days......both parcels were in our hot little hands.....thank God!
Yes we know we are at the end of the earth compared to many people but please,......how long people have to wait for mail is phenomenal. We got used to it in Ingham and had a delivery time frame worked out but one has to understand the procedure for mail delivery around Australia. Ingham would most likely have put mail on a plane or in a truck in Townsville as it is only an hour away. The eastern seaboard has a fairly quick system of transport although we discovered that mail got to Ingham from Adelaide faster than the other way around. We have realized here in Kununurra that despite Darwin being closer, it is another state and so all mail goes through Perth first before being distributed up the west coast. Of course, Kununurra is the last frontier before the NT border so we are one of the last towns on the mail route, perhaps with the exception of Wyndham.
Steve recently ordered an aviation radio on the internet with his birthday money and we joked that even though we are closer to Hong Kong where the parcel is to be sent from, it will no doubt go to the farthest point from us being Melbourne and then be sent via Perth to get to us.......ooh lets say......Christmas! It's just one of the pure joys of travelling around Australia and gives us continual frustration and angst so that receiving a parcel from somewhere amounts to a 21 gun salute and a fireworks display. The staff at Kununurra were very helpful though and in a lot of cases their hands were tied. Why?....because Australia Post has everything set out to make it not only hard for the customers but hard for the staff too, especially in regional areas and especially when there is a problem. Now several weeks after that initial hiccup, we now get mail when we get it and there is no point jumping up and down to make it happen any faster. We are, after all, dealing with a government department.
Monday, 29 July 2013
Monday, 8 July 2013
Kununurra
Even though our original plan was to see Darwin, Kununurra was going to be our back up plan or end destination. After talking to my brother, a long time Darwinite, and other travellers, we realized that going to Darwin with pets was going to be a nightmare mainly in terms of accommodation. It looked like it was going to be the only place on our travels where pets were going to be a problem. My brother in particular said that there was only one caravan park in Darwin which allowed pets and it was pretty much booked out for the entire dry season. We hadn't booked anything for our entire trip which was nice as we never felt rushed to be somewhere so we had no intention of starting to book. It was probably too late anyway as the dry season was well underway. Our Mataranka friends were going towards Darwin with their dog but were settling in a caravan park at Berry Springs which is a fair distance from Darwin. By the time we got to Katherine and spent a few days there, we decided to move west to Kununurra rather than north. Steve and I had been there in 2002 for a holiday in between truck driving jobs and loved it. There are also several helicopter job options in Kununurra which Steve could pursue. It had become necessary to base ourselves somewhere so that when a job in the aviation industry did come up, we were already there and not miles away.
Before entering Western Australia (the NT/WA border is only 30kms from Kununurra) , we had to give up all our fruit and vegies at the border checkpoint. WA is fairly stringent with what comes across the border and most people are unprepared for the onslaught. Having had previous experience with border checkpoints both here and at the Eucla checkpoint down south, I made sure I only bought the bare minimum of fresh supplies in Katherine so it didn't end up in the bin at the border. I had a 'big chilli cookoff' the night before we crossed into WA to use up as much as I could. Even honey is confiscated which bugged me 11 years ago because the border officers took my Capillano honey so I had to buy the exact same Capillano honey in Kununurra. What's the difference apart from the fact that a truck brought it across the border instead of me!!
Cane toads seem to be the bane of Western Australians and there are signs up everywhere as one gets closer to the border about accidently smuggling these 'aliens' across into WA. To be honest I didn't think there was anywhere left in northern Australia where cane toads didn't exist. Once in Kununurra, there were signs up in the caravan park about cane toads and plenty of 'live toad disposal points'. There is one at the vet surgery and one at our caravan park but I don't know if they actually get used or if anyone really cares. There are such huge populations throughout Queensland and the Northern Territory that people have almost become desensitized to seeing them around.
Moving into another state also meant lifestyle changes once again, the most difficult one being the time difference. Since leaving Ingham we have gone from 1/2 hour ahead of Adelaide to the same time zone as Adelaide in the NT to 1 1/2 hours behind Adelaide in WA. In Kununurra, it is well and truly daylight by 5.30am and the sun sets at 5pm so its dark by 5.30. As a family, we went from having dinner at 6pm to eating at 7.30 so the girls were starving and badgering me for food for the first few days until we got into a new routine. The biggest change in our life due to the time difference is Erin's school times. In WA, kids start school at 8am and finish at 2.10pm. This allows kids to do extra-curricular activities after school before it gets dark. Getting up in the morning is a bit of a nightmare and I usually have just enough time to make lunch for Erin, have breakfast and get dressed before heading out the door to school at 7.40am. Bed making and dishes wait until I get home at 8.15 which in a way has been good because the day starts early but I really have to watch the time in the afternoons because 2pm really sneaks up on me.
Erin loves her new school and it is the biggest district school in WA with 900 students because it incorporates kindy, primary and high school. I've been told that 50% of the students are indigenous although getting them to turn up to school is an ongoing issue. Kids are wandering the streets well after school has started and some come to school with no shoes on. It is unfortunate that the parents don't seem to care enough about their kids education to encourage good attendance at school and people have said that I will have to get used to seeing these things in town. That isn't to say that all indigenous parents are so inclined and some send their kids properly dressed and show some interest in what their kids do at school. I brought all Erin's exercise books from Ingham for her to continue to use in Kununurra and they were unfortunately not suitable in WA because the ruled lines were not the same. It was a bit frustrating after spending lots of money at the beginning of the year but Erin's teacher supplied her with some spare books so we didn't have to fork out cash again. Of course the uniforms were another issue but thanks to good ol' navy blue, I have been able to at least use Erin's skort and skirt which is handy. Her shirts are royal blue with the school insignia and made from a 'u-beaut' cool weave fabric which will obviously come in handy when the wet season heat hits later.
The Kununurra school bell sounds like an air raid siren which I have never experienced at any other school. Mapleton's school bell was rung by hand and sounded just like the good old fashioned church bells only louder. Ingham's school bell was an automated ringing bell like most schools I know. The buildings at Kununurra school are solid bessa block built and have the largest air conditioning units to keep the classrooms cool. The community library is next to the school grounds and shares it's facilities with the school. It's a very impressive and architecturally designed building with all the modern bells and whistles. All the usual extra class subjects exist such as music and drama but Erin excitedly told me the other day that they have a cooking class every week. She said she had to cut up onions for a chicken curry last week. At least she tried the food and didn't just turn her nose up like she does if I cook anything like that. Maybe she'll learn some new skills and tastes while here at Kununurra.
One thing Steve and I have learned very quickly here in Kununurra is that there are few, if any, numbers on the houses and businesses in town. The entire postal service is via post office boxes so there is no need to guide posties to their premises. You should see the Australia Post carpark at about 4pm.....its bedlam! This makes it very difficult if you are trying to navigate your way around town looking for different businesses. On the upside, it hasn't taken us long to work out the shortcuts and roads which join other roads so we are learning to get around fairly well. Once we get to know all the businesses in town, it will be a lot easier. Another interesting quirk about Kununurra is there are no gutters on any roof in the entire town. Roofs don't even seem to have any fascias to finish off the appearance of the house. If it rains in the wet season as much as they say, I can imagine waterfalls cascading off these roofs which would gouge trenches in the ground or wet anyone who tried to pass through the flow of water. I haven't managed to find someone who knows the reason for this but eventually I will. Obviously having the largest man-made lake down the road with a capacity of 21 Sydney Harbours in it negates the need to collect water. Strangely enough Kununurra runs entirely on bore or artesian water and Lake Argyle is exclusively for the irrigation of farming land in the region. Despite this, water is not in short supply here and everything is reasonably green and water flows down the road gutters where-ever garden watering occurs.
Shopping in town seems no different to anywhere else although the tourists buy up lots of fruit and vegies because of the border raids. For the first time ever, I had to wait several days to get the humble spud because Coles had run out. Another surprise for us is the meat at Coles here in Kununurra. When I first looked at the prices, I nearly fell of my perch it was so expensive. However the cuts themselves are double the thickness of anything I have bought anywhere else so by weight it's not much different. Two loin lamb chops are a meal and rump steak is an inch thick slab. Although the prices are expensive, I had to realize I could get several meals out of each purchase because the cuts themselves are so big. Paying $20 for two rump steaks an inch thick, however, is a bit heartstopping for a family on a budget. People in Kununurra must feel ripped off unless they buy a descent piece of meat. For the first time since leaving Adelaide, I have been able to purchase pain tablets over the counter without having to wait while it is processed through the pharmacy's computer system. In Ingham and Mapleton, I would put in my order for panadeine and go and do the shopping because otherwise I would have to wait until it was processed. Not in WA which is a return to normal just like in SA.
Getting ones hair cut in town might be interesting. While walking through Kununurra's shopping 'mall' after we first arrived, a hair salon had a hand written sign on the door saying that they were fully booked until 26th June which made me laugh. Then, the other day while walking past the salon again, there was a new sign on the door saying that they were now fully booked until 2nd September. Thankfully it isn't the only hairdresser in town and I have found several tourists offering hairdressing services from their caravans in our van park so there must be a few travelling hairdressers around.
The vet in town doubles as a wildlife rescue service and a pet shop. Kununurra's vet surgery has the most interesting waiting room we have ever seen. There are tanks with aquarium fish and display cases with all manner of skulls, skins and skeletons of native wildlife. All the collars and leads for regular pets are supplied as well. There is a hospital out the back where they also stock live cockroaches (perfect for Matilda) and they also supply rats for Derek. Woohoo!....what a bonus. I have had to show my fauna permits though before being able to buy these items. The girl behind the counter doesn't like fishing live roaches out of the tub out the back so Steve has permission to go out the back to get our lizard food.
Every Saturday during the dry season, Kununurra holds markets in the local Whitegum park in town. There is a fantastic selection of fresh fruit and veg from the local agricultural area, melons and handmade mango smoothies and icecream, absolutely amazing carvings made from local zebra stone and semiprecious stones, jewellery, clothes both new, second hand and handmade, aboriginal art, coffee and tourist displays for visitors. We've been once already and it would never get boring as there would always be new and interesting things to see and buy. I bought some cob corn from the local farms and I haven't tasted corn like it in ages. It was just like corn from your home vegie garden.
The weather here is stunning at the moment with cloudless clear days around 30 degrees and coolish nights for sleeping. The best time of day is just after sunset when the sky turns pinks and oranges and the atmosphere is quiet and calming. We are surrounded by Bungle Bungle like formations which glow the most magnificent orange both first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Boab trees are everywhere in the town from little examples to massive specimens. We have been taking Brindle for an afternoon walk at a park near the Kununurra Lake boatramp called Celebrity Tree Park. It is a lovely treed park which runs right down to the shores of the lake. Nearly every tree in the park has been planted by someone important or famous. The list of names is mind blowing and include Princess Anne, Peter Brock, Jack Absalom, Wendy Matthews, Andrew Daddo, Harry Butler, Gus Mercurio, Ernie Dingo, Richard Clapton, Elizabeth Durack whose family founded the Kimberley region in the 1800's and many more. Believe me, I have wandered around and looked at all the plaques under the trees and I just can't remember so many of the people who planted trees in that park but it was really interesting.
This week we have been going to the Kununurra Lake swim beach to run Brindle. The girls have been putting on their swimmers after school to take a dip and there is also a boat ramp and picnic area there as well. The grassy bank drops straight into the water which is shallow and clear but has some weed. There are regular crocodile checks for the salt water variety but evidently freshies are common although it would be too noisy around the park for them. Yesterday while we were there a seaplane landed on the lake which was amazing. It was one of the tour operators which flies out to Lake Argyle.
Kununurra has a regional airport which takes small cesnas right up to domestic jets and, of course, helicopters. The majority of jets are Air North and Skywest which are the Top Ends regional carriers, although we have seen Virgin jets up here. The airport services all the fly in fly out mine employees which are up here working from Perth. Steve was staggered to find that the airport has no control tower and so all pilots have to radio their intentions to other air traffic and follow a strict code of conduct to prevent accidents. All air traffic goes via Perth which we were surprised at because Darwin is much closer and more convenient to get to Adelaide for example. If we want to get home, we have to go via Perth with connecting flights and stop overs.
Kununurra is such an interesting place with all the goods and services one needs to live quite comfortably and an amazing history and culture which we are going to enjoy discovering once we get ourselves settled. The community is very transient so there are many people who come to and go from this area for work and tourism. The main groups at the moment are international backpackers living up here for work and the grey nomads who are escaping the cold south to enjoy warmer pastures. It has been, and will be, a continued journey of discovery at our new destination, at least for the foreseeable future.
Before entering Western Australia (the NT/WA border is only 30kms from Kununurra) , we had to give up all our fruit and vegies at the border checkpoint. WA is fairly stringent with what comes across the border and most people are unprepared for the onslaught. Having had previous experience with border checkpoints both here and at the Eucla checkpoint down south, I made sure I only bought the bare minimum of fresh supplies in Katherine so it didn't end up in the bin at the border. I had a 'big chilli cookoff' the night before we crossed into WA to use up as much as I could. Even honey is confiscated which bugged me 11 years ago because the border officers took my Capillano honey so I had to buy the exact same Capillano honey in Kununurra. What's the difference apart from the fact that a truck brought it across the border instead of me!!
Cane toads seem to be the bane of Western Australians and there are signs up everywhere as one gets closer to the border about accidently smuggling these 'aliens' across into WA. To be honest I didn't think there was anywhere left in northern Australia where cane toads didn't exist. Once in Kununurra, there were signs up in the caravan park about cane toads and plenty of 'live toad disposal points'. There is one at the vet surgery and one at our caravan park but I don't know if they actually get used or if anyone really cares. There are such huge populations throughout Queensland and the Northern Territory that people have almost become desensitized to seeing them around.
Moving into another state also meant lifestyle changes once again, the most difficult one being the time difference. Since leaving Ingham we have gone from 1/2 hour ahead of Adelaide to the same time zone as Adelaide in the NT to 1 1/2 hours behind Adelaide in WA. In Kununurra, it is well and truly daylight by 5.30am and the sun sets at 5pm so its dark by 5.30. As a family, we went from having dinner at 6pm to eating at 7.30 so the girls were starving and badgering me for food for the first few days until we got into a new routine. The biggest change in our life due to the time difference is Erin's school times. In WA, kids start school at 8am and finish at 2.10pm. This allows kids to do extra-curricular activities after school before it gets dark. Getting up in the morning is a bit of a nightmare and I usually have just enough time to make lunch for Erin, have breakfast and get dressed before heading out the door to school at 7.40am. Bed making and dishes wait until I get home at 8.15 which in a way has been good because the day starts early but I really have to watch the time in the afternoons because 2pm really sneaks up on me.
Erin loves her new school and it is the biggest district school in WA with 900 students because it incorporates kindy, primary and high school. I've been told that 50% of the students are indigenous although getting them to turn up to school is an ongoing issue. Kids are wandering the streets well after school has started and some come to school with no shoes on. It is unfortunate that the parents don't seem to care enough about their kids education to encourage good attendance at school and people have said that I will have to get used to seeing these things in town. That isn't to say that all indigenous parents are so inclined and some send their kids properly dressed and show some interest in what their kids do at school. I brought all Erin's exercise books from Ingham for her to continue to use in Kununurra and they were unfortunately not suitable in WA because the ruled lines were not the same. It was a bit frustrating after spending lots of money at the beginning of the year but Erin's teacher supplied her with some spare books so we didn't have to fork out cash again. Of course the uniforms were another issue but thanks to good ol' navy blue, I have been able to at least use Erin's skort and skirt which is handy. Her shirts are royal blue with the school insignia and made from a 'u-beaut' cool weave fabric which will obviously come in handy when the wet season heat hits later.
The Kununurra school bell sounds like an air raid siren which I have never experienced at any other school. Mapleton's school bell was rung by hand and sounded just like the good old fashioned church bells only louder. Ingham's school bell was an automated ringing bell like most schools I know. The buildings at Kununurra school are solid bessa block built and have the largest air conditioning units to keep the classrooms cool. The community library is next to the school grounds and shares it's facilities with the school. It's a very impressive and architecturally designed building with all the modern bells and whistles. All the usual extra class subjects exist such as music and drama but Erin excitedly told me the other day that they have a cooking class every week. She said she had to cut up onions for a chicken curry last week. At least she tried the food and didn't just turn her nose up like she does if I cook anything like that. Maybe she'll learn some new skills and tastes while here at Kununurra.
One thing Steve and I have learned very quickly here in Kununurra is that there are few, if any, numbers on the houses and businesses in town. The entire postal service is via post office boxes so there is no need to guide posties to their premises. You should see the Australia Post carpark at about 4pm.....its bedlam! This makes it very difficult if you are trying to navigate your way around town looking for different businesses. On the upside, it hasn't taken us long to work out the shortcuts and roads which join other roads so we are learning to get around fairly well. Once we get to know all the businesses in town, it will be a lot easier. Another interesting quirk about Kununurra is there are no gutters on any roof in the entire town. Roofs don't even seem to have any fascias to finish off the appearance of the house. If it rains in the wet season as much as they say, I can imagine waterfalls cascading off these roofs which would gouge trenches in the ground or wet anyone who tried to pass through the flow of water. I haven't managed to find someone who knows the reason for this but eventually I will. Obviously having the largest man-made lake down the road with a capacity of 21 Sydney Harbours in it negates the need to collect water. Strangely enough Kununurra runs entirely on bore or artesian water and Lake Argyle is exclusively for the irrigation of farming land in the region. Despite this, water is not in short supply here and everything is reasonably green and water flows down the road gutters where-ever garden watering occurs.
Shopping in town seems no different to anywhere else although the tourists buy up lots of fruit and vegies because of the border raids. For the first time ever, I had to wait several days to get the humble spud because Coles had run out. Another surprise for us is the meat at Coles here in Kununurra. When I first looked at the prices, I nearly fell of my perch it was so expensive. However the cuts themselves are double the thickness of anything I have bought anywhere else so by weight it's not much different. Two loin lamb chops are a meal and rump steak is an inch thick slab. Although the prices are expensive, I had to realize I could get several meals out of each purchase because the cuts themselves are so big. Paying $20 for two rump steaks an inch thick, however, is a bit heartstopping for a family on a budget. People in Kununurra must feel ripped off unless they buy a descent piece of meat. For the first time since leaving Adelaide, I have been able to purchase pain tablets over the counter without having to wait while it is processed through the pharmacy's computer system. In Ingham and Mapleton, I would put in my order for panadeine and go and do the shopping because otherwise I would have to wait until it was processed. Not in WA which is a return to normal just like in SA.
Getting ones hair cut in town might be interesting. While walking through Kununurra's shopping 'mall' after we first arrived, a hair salon had a hand written sign on the door saying that they were fully booked until 26th June which made me laugh. Then, the other day while walking past the salon again, there was a new sign on the door saying that they were now fully booked until 2nd September. Thankfully it isn't the only hairdresser in town and I have found several tourists offering hairdressing services from their caravans in our van park so there must be a few travelling hairdressers around.
The vet in town doubles as a wildlife rescue service and a pet shop. Kununurra's vet surgery has the most interesting waiting room we have ever seen. There are tanks with aquarium fish and display cases with all manner of skulls, skins and skeletons of native wildlife. All the collars and leads for regular pets are supplied as well. There is a hospital out the back where they also stock live cockroaches (perfect for Matilda) and they also supply rats for Derek. Woohoo!....what a bonus. I have had to show my fauna permits though before being able to buy these items. The girl behind the counter doesn't like fishing live roaches out of the tub out the back so Steve has permission to go out the back to get our lizard food.
Every Saturday during the dry season, Kununurra holds markets in the local Whitegum park in town. There is a fantastic selection of fresh fruit and veg from the local agricultural area, melons and handmade mango smoothies and icecream, absolutely amazing carvings made from local zebra stone and semiprecious stones, jewellery, clothes both new, second hand and handmade, aboriginal art, coffee and tourist displays for visitors. We've been once already and it would never get boring as there would always be new and interesting things to see and buy. I bought some cob corn from the local farms and I haven't tasted corn like it in ages. It was just like corn from your home vegie garden.
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| View of Mirima National Park formations from Celebrity Tree Park |
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| Rope swing at Kununurra swim beach |
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| Girls and Brindle enjoying swim beach |
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| Kununurra swim beach |
Kununurra has a regional airport which takes small cesnas right up to domestic jets and, of course, helicopters. The majority of jets are Air North and Skywest which are the Top Ends regional carriers, although we have seen Virgin jets up here. The airport services all the fly in fly out mine employees which are up here working from Perth. Steve was staggered to find that the airport has no control tower and so all pilots have to radio their intentions to other air traffic and follow a strict code of conduct to prevent accidents. All air traffic goes via Perth which we were surprised at because Darwin is much closer and more convenient to get to Adelaide for example. If we want to get home, we have to go via Perth with connecting flights and stop overs.
Kununurra is such an interesting place with all the goods and services one needs to live quite comfortably and an amazing history and culture which we are going to enjoy discovering once we get ourselves settled. The community is very transient so there are many people who come to and go from this area for work and tourism. The main groups at the moment are international backpackers living up here for work and the grey nomads who are escaping the cold south to enjoy warmer pastures. It has been, and will be, a continued journey of discovery at our new destination, at least for the foreseeable future.
Onwards to Kununurra
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| Victoria River |
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| Victoria Highway NT |
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| Mustering on Victoria highway NT |
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| WA/NT border |
Katherine to Timber Creek
Once we left Katherine, I realized that I had never driven this section of the Victoria Highway to Kununurra. Back in 2002 on our Kimberleys trip, Steve and I followed the Buchanan highway from Dunmarra inland to Top Springs and up to Timber Creek passing Victoria River Downs and Jaspar Gorge along the way. It took us a couple of days and it was a rough dirt road but the scenery through Gregory National Park was spectacular and we never regretted it. We have spoken to many people since then who had wanted to do the same trip but were deterred by locals who said the road was too rough. We were also warned against doing the trip in 2002 but just took it easy and never had a problem. Anyway the road west towards Kununurra was wide and well maintained even for a bitumen road. There were wide cleared sections along the edge of the highway which were ideal for pulling up for emergency loo stops. I didn't have to hold on for dear life as the car felt like it was going to drop off a cliff where the bitumen ended and the dirt began. Some roads we had been on recently were positively scary with the drop off being several inches high which when you are travelling at 90 to 100 kph could pull your car (and van) off the road.
As we drove along, the scenery was amazing and when we stopped at Victoria River roadhouse for lunch, the scenery continued to impress. The Victoria River does block the Victoria highway during the wet season and when one sees how deep and wide this river is, you just can't imagine how much water must be rushing down these valleys sometimes.
We parked under some nice shade and after extracting kids and animals from the vehicles, I started lunch with magnificent scenery as a backdrop. There were paddocks of rolled haybales which looked like a scene from country Victoria except for the towering red ranges behind it.
After lunch we drove down an access road to a boat ramp on the Victoria River. The water channel itself was reasonably wide but was bordered by an extensive dry bed of boulders which would no doubt be under water in the wet season. Once we got onto the highway again, it wasn't long before we passed the turnoff to Coolibah Station made famous in the channel ten series Keeping Up With The Jones'. As we continued on, we drove alongside Gregory National Park which is the origin of all these amazing rock formations that we'd been seeing as the park follows the highway for some distance. The scene looked so fantastic from my driver's seat that I did a bad thing and photographed the Landcruiser and van ahead of me with a backdrop of red ranges. The photographer in me just has to do some risky business sometimes to 'get that shot'.
Eventually we arrived at our halfway destination Timber Creek for a stay of several days. This was so we could drive out to VRD (Victoria River Downs) cattle station to meet the head person of Helimuster which is based on the station for mustering work. Timber Creek caravan park was out the back of the town roadhouse with plenty of shade and an uncrowded atmosphere. As I approached the roadhouse door, a sign informed me of the power blackout which we had arrived right in the middle of. Luckily I had cash because the area had no power due to some repairs being carried out. Always be prepared with some cash when out and about remotely because you never know when electronic means are useless. The lady behind the counter informed me of some great entertainment happening later in the afternoon. A creek at the back of the caravan park had some large fresh water crocodiles which are fed daily as well as a cheeky flock of kites . A lady who lives in the caravan park throws pieces of meat into the air and these seagulls of the outback swoop to catch them. Then she takes visitors down to the creek where a number of large freshies are hanging around waiting for their tasty morsels. Everyone stands on a bridge which crosses the creek and gets a great view of these floating logs. Steve and I were particularly careful as there were only 2 strands of wire stopping Becca or Erin from falling into the water. We had a pretty good grip on their dresses. The lady asked for any volunteers to feed the crocs and I was happy to have a go. I held a large wooden pole with some fine cable to attach some meat to. I was informed not to let the pole go or I would be going in to get it because it was the second pole she had to replace. Crocodiles, even the freshwater variety, have a fairly strong pull when trying to get the meat. The girls thought the whole experience was fantastic and raved about it for ages.
The next morning we drove about 15 kms back along the bitumen and a further 100kms on dirt to VRD, owned in the late 80's by millionaire Robert Holmes A Court and still owned by his son. The road was reasonable being the same main dirt highway that Steve and I had driven back in 2002. The Buchanan highway is a main thoroughfare for stations, indigenous communities, mining and roadtrain traffic so it gets a bit of use. A hundred kilometres of dirt driving required several wee stops for Becca and we have discovered that the rougher the road, the quicker she goes to sleep. We passed through Gregory National Park which stretches inland from the Victoria highway and is at it's most spectacular when driving through Jaspar Gorge. Steve and I camped there in 2002 and it was as lovely as ever.
When we arrived at VRD, the highway runs straight past the front gate and helicopters were parked on the front lawn just as they were in 2002. Erin, Becca and I wandered around while Steve spoke to his contact and one of the young ladies working in the kitchen made me a cuppa and the girls had a homemade chocky bickie. The girl's partner was one of the mustering pilots so she was out there with him working in the kitchen and feeding the pilots. The kitchen was modern, big and open with such effective air conditioning that I nearly froze when we went inside. I asked lots of questions about station life and cooking and it was very interesting, especially the shopping side of things. A roadtrain comes out to the station once a fortnight to deliver the groceries and they place an online order through Woolies in Katherine just as someone in suburbia would. The girls and I wandered out to these huge sheds which housed the three generators which supply electricity to the station buildings. There was landline phone service which was ringing in the background while we were there and internet and satellite TV. All the employees had their own houses to live in while working on the station. There was a large covered verandah outside the kitchen for eating meals and the table and bench seats were made from old helicopter blades and skids. Helicopter parts are replaced after so many hours of service so they were put to good use on the station. Everywhere we looked, there were sprinklers running and keeping the gardens and surrounds green and grassy. It also kept the dust down when the wind whipped up or vehicles drove around. After about an hour and a half, Steve and I said our goodbyes and headed back along the Buchanan. Although there was never any real possibility of Steve getting flying work, it is always good to make personal contact with people in the industry to gain information and other contacts because you never know what might come up.
On the way back to Timber Creek, we stopped at Jaspar Gorge to give Brindle a run. The girls' were constantly asking the time because they both wanted to get back to the caravan park for the croc feeding at 5pm. We made it back with about an hour to spare and the croc lady's fan club was ready and waiting when the new batch of tourists turned up for the entertainment that evening. Erin and Becca caught her in the shower block later that night and we were all talking about how she came to get the job and some interesting facts about freshwater crocs. The girls were constantly chattering about the crocodiles and the next day before we left, the croc lady gave them a drink cooler each to remember Timber Creek which was nice.
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| Under shade at Victoria River roadhouse lunch stop |
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| Hay bales with spectacular backdrop at Victoria River roadhouse |
We parked under some nice shade and after extracting kids and animals from the vehicles, I started lunch with magnificent scenery as a backdrop. There were paddocks of rolled haybales which looked like a scene from country Victoria except for the towering red ranges behind it.
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| Gregory National Park rock formations along Victoria highway |
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| More beautiful scenery along Victoria highway |
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| Kite feeding at Timber Creek caravan park |
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| Andrea feeding freshwater crocs at Timber Creek campground |
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| Guarding the bridge in the sun at Timber Creek |
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| Steve, Erin and Becca on bridge during croc feeding at Timber Creek |
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| A freshwater croc going for meat |
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| Jaspar Gorge in Gregory National Park |
Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Katherine sights
It was only one hours drive to Katherine once we left Mataranka. Our neighbours from the campground had left only an hour before us and they were heading to Katherine as well. I had done some research from Ingham about available caravan parks which accept pets in Katherine (probably the only caravan park research I did before we left) and I had one in mind. The likelihood of the park being booked out at the height of the tourist season, however, was realistic so I had back up accommodation sussed at a homestead campground west of town. During our chats with our travelling family neighbours, they suggested we try Knots Crossing Resort as that was where they were going and they had a dog. While 'googling' caravan parks in Katherine, anything resembling a resort was off my radar because the word 'resort' generally means 'no pets'. When we arrived in town, Steve followed the signs to Knots Crossing Resort and as usual, I had my doubts as to whether we were going to get in or not.
When I enquired at the fancy reception, there was one spot left in the park and yes.....pets were welcome. It was suggested that I go and look at the site because the resort didn't occupy it until last because it is sloping and most people won't park their vans on it. Steve and I walked down to the site and yes, it was sloping but hardly a problem for us. We had our own ensuite and the van could be parked on concrete with a grassy area for the girls and Brindle. Who could ask for more. Believe me, we have seen plenty of woosy caravanners who won't park here or won't park there and in our opinion......no guts no glory, especially when there isn't much choice. Besides the site didn't come close to the slope of our Newcastle friends driveway which we parked on for a few days back in 2011 while travelling to Maroochydore.
Having been to Katherine several times in the past, both for holidays and during our driving days, we had to think about what we were going to do with the girls in tow. As we had arrived over the Queen's Birthday long weekend, Steve wasn't going to be able to do much 'meeting and greeting' with the aviation industry elite until Tuesday so we had some time to do things. We managed to do some activities which were fun for the girls and not similar to what we had done in the past. The local playground was one of our first stops. I know it's not touristy but when the girls had 3 different playgrounds to choose from, all with shade sails overhead, who could argue. After all, they hadn't seen a decent playground since Croydon which is before Normanton so they were well overdue for one. Destinations like Katherine Gorge were not on our list because it required an amount of walking and the girls wouldn't have enjoyed it at their age. Anyway Steve and I had been there previously so we didn't have an urge to revisit the Gorge again.
We had not, however, been to the Katherine Hot Springs so we decided to take the girls for a swim there. The carpark at the top of the hill was packed when we arrived but we managed to find a shady spot only a short walk away. At the bottom of a steep staircase, we were naturally greeted by a mass of people bobbing up and down throughout a series of streams and pools. We managed to find a spot where we could get ourselves into the water via stairs. The greatest challenge was keeping an eye on our gear because there were so many people and so many belongings laying around that it was a thief's paradise. Again, we 'pruned' ourselves for at least 2 hours and the water was slightly cooler and a lot easier to sit in for a long time than Mataranka. Erin dived under water again with her goggles and would come up with handfuls of sand from the bottom of the pool. She didn't see any fish though which probably wasn't surprising given the amount of people in the water. All the vegetation around the springs was covered in dry mud which shows that this entire area must be under water during the wet season when the Katherine River rises.
Eventually we dragged ourselves out of the pools and talked to our friends who had also popped down there for a swim with their kids.
We interspersed swims at the springs with swims at the resort pool. We could actually see the pool from our caravan site so it was convenient. Brindle, on the whole, was getting better at being left for a while and only barked when people approached to talk to us. Anyone who just walked past the van on the concrete paths generally didn't upset her.
One afternoon, we went to the Katherine museum. Steve and I had never been before and we took a punt that the girls might be interested. It was a bit of a balancing act though between Steve and I reading the information and giving the girls something to be interested in without being disruptive. The main building had a lifesize twin winged Vicars Vimey aircraft which was the competitor to the RFDS in the pioneering days. All along the walls were displays about everything from indigenous history, medical history, pastoral history and pioneering history. At one stage, Becca asked me if she could sit on the seat which I assumed she meant the seats positioned around the plane in the display hall. I said yes and read on only to watch her duck under the barrier and head for the seats in the plane. I made a hasty dash under the barrier to grab her before she climbed on the wings of the plane. A bit embarrassing! Both the girls then preceded to run around the outside of the barrier trying to catch one another. At this stage everyone else had left the building and there wasn't much for them to damage, however, after a short while I got them to lay down and watch a huge fan on the ceiling which looked like propellers. That kept them quiet for a while. We moved onto the next building with interesting facts about flooding in Katherine and other natural disasters. There were displays on the building of the road and rail bridges and the opening of the Darwin rail link as well as the first roadtrains to run in the NT. I sat myself and the girls down to watch the Katherine floods of 1998 via a Stateline episode from the ABC. The girls were probably the quietest they had been all day. Soon after the volunteers came in to inform us that the museum was closing and it was only 4.30pm. We didn't realize how late we must have arrived there to be still there at closing but we got to see most of the museum. Perhaps the only thing we missed was the machinery displays out the back but I'm sure we will get to see it again.
Our other main visit was to Cutta Cutta Caves. I had been driving past the turnoff to the caves for years and never been to see them. Our friends had been out there the day before and we asked about the caves to see if it was suitable for the girls. Some caves we have been to have not allowed small children because they panic and it is too far to take them out of a cave. After some advice, we decided to take them out there for a look. It was their first cave visit. The cave itself was about 600 metres by foot from the visitors centre which was no problem for the girls and we walked through some interesting country. Once at the entrance, the cave was only 250 metres deep for visitors. The cave actually goes back another 500 metres but there was a colony of endangered bats further in the cave which were not to be disturbed. The climate of the cave also made it uncomfortable if visitors went any further due to the humidity. When it was first discovered, the cave was used as a picnic spot on hot days and during the second world war, army personnel used the cave stalactites for target practice. Cutta Cutta means many stars in the indigenous language of the area. When aboriginal people want to describe something as 'many', they repeat the word which I found interesting. When you walk through the cave, the lights show all the sparkly surfaces of the formations which are the reason for the name. These caves are also dry caves which I have never experienced before. Many of the caves we have visited are wet caves especially in the South-East of SA around Mt Gambier.
The most fascinating phenomenon about these caves is that every wet season they flood. The flooding is not a damaging rush of water but rather a slow filling of the cave to its roof as the groundwater level rises. Then when the water drops at the start of the dry season, it empties the cave leaving only silt on the metal pathways. All the lighting in the cave is 12V which can be immersed in water for a period of time and still function again afterwards. As Erin walked through the caves, she was filled with oohs and aahs at all the beautiful formations. Becca was less interested but was still well behaved and walked along happily during the tour. At the end of the cave, our tour guide turned off all the lights to show us true darkness and Steve picked Becca up so she wouldn't get upset. Amazingly enough, she got through it although the guide didn't have them off for long. From the time we left the cave, Erin thanked Steve and I for taking her to see the caves and raved about them for ages afterwards. From Steve's and my point of view, it was great that Erin enjoyed it so much because one never knows how kids will react. Even though Steve and I have been to Katherine in the past, we managed to still see different attractions from any previous visits. Our entire travelling experience is different to most because we have the girls with us and if we decide to travel again in retirement, we will again experience differences if Steve and I are on our own. It just shows that there are many attractions to see and experience in one place despite visiting several times. As ones family dynamic changes, so does the dynamic of your holiday which means you should never think that because you have visited a place that you have seen it all.
When I enquired at the fancy reception, there was one spot left in the park and yes.....pets were welcome. It was suggested that I go and look at the site because the resort didn't occupy it until last because it is sloping and most people won't park their vans on it. Steve and I walked down to the site and yes, it was sloping but hardly a problem for us. We had our own ensuite and the van could be parked on concrete with a grassy area for the girls and Brindle. Who could ask for more. Believe me, we have seen plenty of woosy caravanners who won't park here or won't park there and in our opinion......no guts no glory, especially when there isn't much choice. Besides the site didn't come close to the slope of our Newcastle friends driveway which we parked on for a few days back in 2011 while travelling to Maroochydore.
Having been to Katherine several times in the past, both for holidays and during our driving days, we had to think about what we were going to do with the girls in tow. As we had arrived over the Queen's Birthday long weekend, Steve wasn't going to be able to do much 'meeting and greeting' with the aviation industry elite until Tuesday so we had some time to do things. We managed to do some activities which were fun for the girls and not similar to what we had done in the past. The local playground was one of our first stops. I know it's not touristy but when the girls had 3 different playgrounds to choose from, all with shade sails overhead, who could argue. After all, they hadn't seen a decent playground since Croydon which is before Normanton so they were well overdue for one. Destinations like Katherine Gorge were not on our list because it required an amount of walking and the girls wouldn't have enjoyed it at their age. Anyway Steve and I had been there previously so we didn't have an urge to revisit the Gorge again.
We had not, however, been to the Katherine Hot Springs so we decided to take the girls for a swim there. The carpark at the top of the hill was packed when we arrived but we managed to find a shady spot only a short walk away. At the bottom of a steep staircase, we were naturally greeted by a mass of people bobbing up and down throughout a series of streams and pools. We managed to find a spot where we could get ourselves into the water via stairs. The greatest challenge was keeping an eye on our gear because there were so many people and so many belongings laying around that it was a thief's paradise. Again, we 'pruned' ourselves for at least 2 hours and the water was slightly cooler and a lot easier to sit in for a long time than Mataranka. Erin dived under water again with her goggles and would come up with handfuls of sand from the bottom of the pool. She didn't see any fish though which probably wasn't surprising given the amount of people in the water. All the vegetation around the springs was covered in dry mud which shows that this entire area must be under water during the wet season when the Katherine River rises. 
We interspersed swims at the springs with swims at the resort pool. We could actually see the pool from our caravan site so it was convenient. Brindle, on the whole, was getting better at being left for a while and only barked when people approached to talk to us. Anyone who just walked past the van on the concrete paths generally didn't upset her.
One afternoon, we went to the Katherine museum. Steve and I had never been before and we took a punt that the girls might be interested. It was a bit of a balancing act though between Steve and I reading the information and giving the girls something to be interested in without being disruptive. The main building had a lifesize twin winged Vicars Vimey aircraft which was the competitor to the RFDS in the pioneering days. All along the walls were displays about everything from indigenous history, medical history, pastoral history and pioneering history. At one stage, Becca asked me if she could sit on the seat which I assumed she meant the seats positioned around the plane in the display hall. I said yes and read on only to watch her duck under the barrier and head for the seats in the plane. I made a hasty dash under the barrier to grab her before she climbed on the wings of the plane. A bit embarrassing! Both the girls then preceded to run around the outside of the barrier trying to catch one another. At this stage everyone else had left the building and there wasn't much for them to damage, however, after a short while I got them to lay down and watch a huge fan on the ceiling which looked like propellers. That kept them quiet for a while. We moved onto the next building with interesting facts about flooding in Katherine and other natural disasters. There were displays on the building of the road and rail bridges and the opening of the Darwin rail link as well as the first roadtrains to run in the NT. I sat myself and the girls down to watch the Katherine floods of 1998 via a Stateline episode from the ABC. The girls were probably the quietest they had been all day. Soon after the volunteers came in to inform us that the museum was closing and it was only 4.30pm. We didn't realize how late we must have arrived there to be still there at closing but we got to see most of the museum. Perhaps the only thing we missed was the machinery displays out the back but I'm sure we will get to see it again.
Our other main visit was to Cutta Cutta Caves. I had been driving past the turnoff to the caves for years and never been to see them. Our friends had been out there the day before and we asked about the caves to see if it was suitable for the girls. Some caves we have been to have not allowed small children because they panic and it is too far to take them out of a cave. After some advice, we decided to take them out there for a look. It was their first cave visit. The cave itself was about 600 metres by foot from the visitors centre which was no problem for the girls and we walked through some interesting country. Once at the entrance, the cave was only 250 metres deep for visitors. The cave actually goes back another 500 metres but there was a colony of endangered bats further in the cave which were not to be disturbed. The climate of the cave also made it uncomfortable if visitors went any further due to the humidity. When it was first discovered, the cave was used as a picnic spot on hot days and during the second world war, army personnel used the cave stalactites for target practice. Cutta Cutta means many stars in the indigenous language of the area. When aboriginal people want to describe something as 'many', they repeat the word which I found interesting. When you walk through the cave, the lights show all the sparkly surfaces of the formations which are the reason for the name. These caves are also dry caves which I have never experienced before. Many of the caves we have visited are wet caves especially in the South-East of SA around Mt Gambier.
The most fascinating phenomenon about these caves is that every wet season they flood. The flooding is not a damaging rush of water but rather a slow filling of the cave to its roof as the groundwater level rises. Then when the water drops at the start of the dry season, it empties the cave leaving only silt on the metal pathways. All the lighting in the cave is 12V which can be immersed in water for a period of time and still function again afterwards. As Erin walked through the caves, she was filled with oohs and aahs at all the beautiful formations. Becca was less interested but was still well behaved and walked along happily during the tour. At the end of the cave, our tour guide turned off all the lights to show us true darkness and Steve picked Becca up so she wouldn't get upset. Amazingly enough, she got through it although the guide didn't have them off for long. From the time we left the cave, Erin thanked Steve and I for taking her to see the caves and raved about them for ages afterwards. From Steve's and my point of view, it was great that Erin enjoyed it so much because one never knows how kids will react. Even though Steve and I have been to Katherine in the past, we managed to still see different attractions from any previous visits. Our entire travelling experience is different to most because we have the girls with us and if we decide to travel again in retirement, we will again experience differences if Steve and I are on our own. It just shows that there are many attractions to see and experience in one place despite visiting several times. As ones family dynamic changes, so does the dynamic of your holiday which means you should never think that because you have visited a place that you have seen it all.
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
Mataranka Springs
Even though Katherine was within our driving capabilities after our last free camp on the Carpentaria Highway, I wanted the girls to see and experience Mataranka Springs. Our only real concern was whether the campground at the springs would take pets. If not then plan B was to stay in Mataranka itself and commute out to the springs which was 17 kilometres off the main highway. We took a chance and drove straight out to the Mataranka Springs Resort which is where the campground was located. Steve parked with the van out in the carpark while I walked into the resort to enquire about an overnight stay with pets. As I walked into the reception area, I was already convincing myself that we were going to have to go back to town and stay there. My ongoing dialect with campground managers since leaving Ingham had been to be minimal with the pleasantries and ask straight out whether pets were OK. It wasn't me being rude but trying to prepare myself for disappointment by asking the crucial question first. Thankfully, as I said in an earlier blog, everyone had been very accommodating with pets and Mataranka Resort was no different, which surprised me.
I was almost speechless when the young backpacker lass behind the counter said 'yep, no problems' to the point where I had to think what to ask next........like how much?
After paying, the young lady directed me via a printed map to where we could make ourselves at home. We drove the van around the dusty campground looking for a powered site because we wanted to recharge our batteries after free camping on the previous night. There seemed to be two large power poles with multiple outlets but they were surrounded by an impenetrable wall of caravans hanging off them with umbilical chords of cables. There didn't seem to be any space for our 'not so small' mobile home and besides, everyone was packed in like sardines which wouldn't have worked with Brindle the hyper sensitive dog. We decided to park away from the rabble and work off our own power supply again and I would go back to reception for a refund to non powered site status. While I was gone, Steve got talking with a family parked at the edge of the group who offered to piggy back our power leads to their van if ours weren't long enough. Steve, being always prepared like a good boy scout, had two lengthy extension leads which he threaded through this family's site to plug into a power socket without needing to take up their generous offer.
Our new neighbours were also travelling with four children and had been on the road for about a month. Even though they had a dog, the mum of the family was particularly taken with our cats as she had to leave hers with her mum as I mentioned in my travelling with pets blog. Our cats seem to be a type of therapy for people who leave their felines at home thinking that cats are difficult to travel with. After setting ourselves up, the girls and I headed to the springs which were only a short walk from the campground. Steve followed along later because he had to prepare the dog for abandonment again which was not proving successful on this day. As she watched us walk away, she started barking and yelping which wasn't condusive to the quiet pets policy of the resort. As Steve tried to walk away to Brindle's cries, another woman caravanning with her husband (and no pets) made a pointed comment about our noisy dog. Steve said if the husband had been around, he would have commented about his noisy wife. Perhaps they should have camped in the non pet side of the campground if they didn't want pet disruption.
We enjoyed the Mataranka Springs which were naturally crowded when we got down there in the late afternoon. We found ourselves a little seat shelf in the deep part of the pool so Erin could swim and dive while I held Becca with her floaties on. The pool was fringed by an underwater seat so people could sit in the water without having to constantly tread water as it was quite deep. Wallabies grazed around the edges of the pool very close to we tourists so they have become accustomed to people. Once we had sufficiently 'pruned' ourselves, we walked out to the main river channel into which the springs feed. Then we continued walking along a track through all the pandanus forests to another part of the spring fed water course called Stevie's Hole....chuckle...snigger. The water was fast flowing into what looked like any billabong one might find in the bush. The temperature of the water was a lot cooler and it felt a bit creepy as if a crocodile could be lurking anywhere and you couldn't see the bottom even though the water was clear. After a dabble, we walked back along the track and ended up at the source of Mataranka 's spring called the Rainbow Pool. The water was an iridescent blue colour and bubbling nicely up to the surface. There was no swimming allowed to prevent destroying the source spring and it wasn't a big enough pool for swimming anyway.
As we walked back towards the van, all we could hear was Brindle barking her head off. We had been gone for a good hour and a half so was dreading the reaction from other campers when we got back. Our site was adjacent to a fenced area with bush behind it and Brindle had seen a wallaby and was going nuts at it while it fed just the other side of the fence. Her excitement at seeing us was shortlived as Steve gave her a dousing with a bucket of water to calm her down. We had gotten back quite late and so decided to have dinner at the resort bar. Steve had been up there to check beer prices and noticed the menu board with specials on it so he suggested we eat out. Being a Saturday night, there was a 'one man' country band playing and lots of people with the same idea. It was a great atmosphere and we had a great time. After eating we walked past the stage area and watched and listened for a while and the girls danced which was fun to watch. There was also a very drunk indigenous man dancing in front of the stage further down the front and he was enjoying the music too.
The next morning, the girls and I went back down to the springs for one last dip while Steve packed up the van. I think he was a bit anxious about leaving the dog again in case she created more noise pollution. The springs were very quiet (people wise) and we swam in a section of the pool further down from the previous afternoon. I was able to touch the rocky bottom in this section so it was easier to swim with Becca. In the morning air, steam was rising off the water and dozens of orb spider webs hung over the pools to catch their dinner. At the end of this pool was a waterfall which cascaded over the edge and flowed down to the river. I shouldn't have pointed out the spider webs because Erin, in particular, was freaking out about it and naturally upsetting Becca. After a while though, they either forgot about them or became brave. I eventually coaxed them both out of the water so we could continue on our journey to Katherine.
I was almost speechless when the young backpacker lass behind the counter said 'yep, no problems' to the point where I had to think what to ask next........like how much?
After paying, the young lady directed me via a printed map to where we could make ourselves at home. We drove the van around the dusty campground looking for a powered site because we wanted to recharge our batteries after free camping on the previous night. There seemed to be two large power poles with multiple outlets but they were surrounded by an impenetrable wall of caravans hanging off them with umbilical chords of cables. There didn't seem to be any space for our 'not so small' mobile home and besides, everyone was packed in like sardines which wouldn't have worked with Brindle the hyper sensitive dog. We decided to park away from the rabble and work off our own power supply again and I would go back to reception for a refund to non powered site status. While I was gone, Steve got talking with a family parked at the edge of the group who offered to piggy back our power leads to their van if ours weren't long enough. Steve, being always prepared like a good boy scout, had two lengthy extension leads which he threaded through this family's site to plug into a power socket without needing to take up their generous offer.
Our new neighbours were also travelling with four children and had been on the road for about a month. Even though they had a dog, the mum of the family was particularly taken with our cats as she had to leave hers with her mum as I mentioned in my travelling with pets blog. Our cats seem to be a type of therapy for people who leave their felines at home thinking that cats are difficult to travel with. After setting ourselves up, the girls and I headed to the springs which were only a short walk from the campground. Steve followed along later because he had to prepare the dog for abandonment again which was not proving successful on this day. As she watched us walk away, she started barking and yelping which wasn't condusive to the quiet pets policy of the resort. As Steve tried to walk away to Brindle's cries, another woman caravanning with her husband (and no pets) made a pointed comment about our noisy dog. Steve said if the husband had been around, he would have commented about his noisy wife. Perhaps they should have camped in the non pet side of the campground if they didn't want pet disruption.We enjoyed the Mataranka Springs which were naturally crowded when we got down there in the late afternoon. We found ourselves a little seat shelf in the deep part of the pool so Erin could swim and dive while I held Becca with her floaties on. The pool was fringed by an underwater seat so people could sit in the water without having to constantly tread water as it was quite deep. Wallabies grazed around the edges of the pool very close to we tourists so they have become accustomed to people. Once we had sufficiently 'pruned' ourselves, we walked out to the main river channel into which the springs feed. Then we continued walking along a track through all the pandanus forests to another part of the spring fed water course called Stevie's Hole....chuckle...snigger. The water was fast flowing into what looked like any billabong one might find in the bush. The temperature of the water was a lot cooler and it felt a bit creepy as if a crocodile could be lurking anywhere and you couldn't see the bottom even though the water was clear. After a dabble, we walked back along the track and ended up at the source of Mataranka 's spring called the Rainbow Pool. The water was an iridescent blue colour and bubbling nicely up to the surface. There was no swimming allowed to prevent destroying the source spring and it wasn't a big enough pool for swimming anyway.
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| Rainbow Pool |
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| Stevie's Hole |
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| Oelsner girls at Stevie's Hole |
As we walked back towards the van, all we could hear was Brindle barking her head off. We had been gone for a good hour and a half so was dreading the reaction from other campers when we got back. Our site was adjacent to a fenced area with bush behind it and Brindle had seen a wallaby and was going nuts at it while it fed just the other side of the fence. Her excitement at seeing us was shortlived as Steve gave her a dousing with a bucket of water to calm her down. We had gotten back quite late and so decided to have dinner at the resort bar. Steve had been up there to check beer prices and noticed the menu board with specials on it so he suggested we eat out. Being a Saturday night, there was a 'one man' country band playing and lots of people with the same idea. It was a great atmosphere and we had a great time. After eating we walked past the stage area and watched and listened for a while and the girls danced which was fun to watch. There was also a very drunk indigenous man dancing in front of the stage further down the front and he was enjoying the music too.
The next morning, the girls and I went back down to the springs for one last dip while Steve packed up the van. I think he was a bit anxious about leaving the dog again in case she created more noise pollution. The springs were very quiet (people wise) and we swam in a section of the pool further down from the previous afternoon. I was able to touch the rocky bottom in this section so it was easier to swim with Becca. In the morning air, steam was rising off the water and dozens of orb spider webs hung over the pools to catch their dinner. At the end of this pool was a waterfall which cascaded over the edge and flowed down to the river. I shouldn't have pointed out the spider webs because Erin, in particular, was freaking out about it and naturally upsetting Becca. After a while though, they either forgot about them or became brave. I eventually coaxed them both out of the water so we could continue on our journey to Katherine.
Monday, 1 July 2013
The Lost City
Our Borroloola information source at the caravan park, whose name was Pam, had told us about a magnificent stop on the road out of town if we were heading west. She had said it was a conservation reserve, the name of which she couldn't recall but said it had lots of 'i's in it. Pam convinced us that it was a 'must see' as she had been out there in her bus one day after arriving at Borroloola. We were planning on going out there before we left but ran out of time but it wasn't a concern as we were going past it anyway once we left Borroloola.
We said goodbye to town and drove along the wonderful bitumen road now called the Carpentaria highway. These roads can be very confusing and sometimes it is called the Savannah Way but this road is transected by other roads and so our maps on occasion called this section of road the Carpentaria highway. Anyway it was a pleasant morning drive and this conservation reserve was only 40 kilometres down the road so it wasn't long before we came across it. As we followed along the highway before getting to the turnoff, the magnificent rock formations lined the roadside like a great wall. The park was called Carabirini conservation reserve or 'the Lost City'. Once in the carpark, we prepared the dog for abandonment and walked off to the information shelter at the beginning of several marked tracks.
The shortest track took us to the most beautiful lilly filled lagoon with a bird hide built on the bank. We walked into the wooden bird hide and quietly admired the lilypond lagoon. Quiet is arguably not the most achievable outcome with two small girls. Erin's constant babble about all that is going on around her tends to break the silence one wants to achieve. I'm sure sometimes that she will be a tour guide because she is always talking. As for Becca, she just likes asking questions which can sometimes be answered by just sitting quietly and observing. Something neither of the girls are good at. Pam had told me that when she had been to the lagoon about a month previously, that the scene mimicked a painting by Monet with a footbridge over a lily filled lake. There were lots of purple lilies open on the lagoon but perhaps not as many as when Pam was there. It was still a beautiful sight nonetheless.
The second part of our walk was a shorter version of the full loop around the Lost City. We decided to do the loop walk which took us directly to the rock formations. The walk itself was great and the girls both really enjoyed it which doesn't always happen. I think perhaps the morning atmosphere helped their enthusiasm and the path itself wasn't too taxing for little legs. After a short time we were walking right next to these amazing red rock formations like towering skyscrapers. The track took us around the back of the formations and into an ampitheatre. The rock formations towered over us and the shadows created a cool, dark atmosphere as we walked through the Lost City. We weaved through small alley ways and down staircases of rock. There was an echo as we walked through some areas and our voices were muffled in other areas. It was quite eery but at the same time incredibly interesting. The track eventually brought us back out onto the original track which we walked back to the carpark, after another look at the lagoon. Insider information is very helpful when travelling as Steve and I usually have to make a judgement as to whether the girls will manage a bushwalk or not and if it is worth it or not. In general, a 4 to 5 kilometre walk won't be ideal for us or the girls unless the end result is spectacular. There was a larger version of the 'Lost City' further down the road at a place called Cape Crawford but it required several hours of bush driving or a helicopter flight to see it. We only saw this tourist attraction in photos but were fairly convinced that the smaller scale version was just as good and easier on us and the girls.
We said goodbye to town and drove along the wonderful bitumen road now called the Carpentaria highway. These roads can be very confusing and sometimes it is called the Savannah Way but this road is transected by other roads and so our maps on occasion called this section of road the Carpentaria highway. Anyway it was a pleasant morning drive and this conservation reserve was only 40 kilometres down the road so it wasn't long before we came across it. As we followed along the highway before getting to the turnoff, the magnificent rock formations lined the roadside like a great wall. The park was called Carabirini conservation reserve or 'the Lost City'. Once in the carpark, we prepared the dog for abandonment and walked off to the information shelter at the beginning of several marked tracks. 
The shortest track took us to the most beautiful lilly filled lagoon with a bird hide built on the bank. We walked into the wooden bird hide and quietly admired the lilypond lagoon. Quiet is arguably not the most achievable outcome with two small girls. Erin's constant babble about all that is going on around her tends to break the silence one wants to achieve. I'm sure sometimes that she will be a tour guide because she is always talking. As for Becca, she just likes asking questions which can sometimes be answered by just sitting quietly and observing. Something neither of the girls are good at. Pam had told me that when she had been to the lagoon about a month previously, that the scene mimicked a painting by Monet with a footbridge over a lily filled lake. There were lots of purple lilies open on the lagoon but perhaps not as many as when Pam was there. It was still a beautiful sight nonetheless.
The second part of our walk was a shorter version of the full loop around the Lost City. We decided to do the loop walk which took us directly to the rock formations. The walk itself was great and the girls both really enjoyed it which doesn't always happen. I think perhaps the morning atmosphere helped their enthusiasm and the path itself wasn't too taxing for little legs. After a short time we were walking right next to these amazing red rock formations like towering skyscrapers. The track took us around the back of the formations and into an ampitheatre. The rock formations towered over us and the shadows created a cool, dark atmosphere as we walked through the Lost City. We weaved through small alley ways and down staircases of rock. There was an echo as we walked through some areas and our voices were muffled in other areas. It was quite eery but at the same time incredibly interesting. The track eventually brought us back out onto the original track which we walked back to the carpark, after another look at the lagoon. Insider information is very helpful when travelling as Steve and I usually have to make a judgement as to whether the girls will manage a bushwalk or not and if it is worth it or not. In general, a 4 to 5 kilometre walk won't be ideal for us or the girls unless the end result is spectacular. There was a larger version of the 'Lost City' further down the road at a place called Cape Crawford but it required several hours of bush driving or a helicopter flight to see it. We only saw this tourist attraction in photos but were fairly convinced that the smaller scale version was just as good and easier on us and the girls.
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