Mt Isa to Katherine

We have finally reached warm temperatures.  Katherine, NT.  We are 350 ks south of Darwin. The nights are sometimes colder than Tumbi Umbi.  The night before we left Mt Isa, there was a great, noisy brawl in the van park from the back packers accommodation.  In the end the Police brought in a little "dog box" as a trailer and carried off the noisiest one of the group.  They had previously asked him to leave, but he came back and carried on. So they gave him fair chance and were nice and patient with him, according to the neighbours who watched everything from their vantage spot.  We eventually all got some sleep after 1.00 am.

 

We put our foot down for the next few days as we traversed into Queensland and up the centre toward Katherine.  The country is sometimes just brown grass, but often we have flowering trees and green grass.  The termite mounds get larger as we go further north.  How fascinating are the shapes these mounds.   Some end up looking like human figures.  Some of the termites are vegetarians.  We stayed at road-side places as we came through (various homesteads and other places which were not so good).  When we reached the Big 4 Caravan Park at Katherine, at last we were able to have a decent shower and I stayed in there for ages.  Its a lovely spot, they call this area, the "Low Level", as the beautiful Katherine River is low down and we go across a low bridge to cross the river.  The Katherine River has given the town many very large and frightening floods and the river can rise to the top of the cliffs which make up Katherine Gorge".  Anything like that would totally block off our entrance to this area. This van park leaves nothing to be desired, it is well loved and impeccably kept.  Nearby is the Springvale Homestead where we stayed last year and I could hardly bear to leave it.  The pink waterlilies and the hundreds of turtles kept me very happy.  They also have their own hot spring which turns into a giant waterway which seems to run parallel to the Katherine River.

 

The property where Springvale Homestead is, became the property of Giles, who had done so much on the Overland Telegraph.  The Homestead was built 132 years ago by his grandson.  It was part of the Overland Telegraph system.   Like similar properties in the NT it had its ups and downs.  Giles drove thousands of sheep up from SA. The time it took to drove the sheep was between 12 and 22 months.  You would not find a sheep anywhere near here these days, only big cattle.   The hot spring on Springvale seems to run parallel to the Katherine River.  The date is posted for the last crocodile sighting - 13/5/12.  We did not go for a swim, we just took photos which is the thing we most like doing. We hope you like the pictures of the old homestead, still in use today.

 

Along the way we stayed at Mataranka Springs, another favourite spot, and took a dip in the hot springs there.  We also stayed at The Manor Cara Park, where they not only feed the Barramundi by hand, but also can put their hands down the big fish's gullet and pull him right out of the water for a photograph! 

 

Katherine has a lot of Aboriginal folk living here.  It is one of the few shopping centres Outback.  Darwin is 350 ks, Kununurra WA is 500 ks, Mt Isa Qld, is 1200 ks and Townsville Qld is 2400 ks.  These are the places where you can buy fresh food or groceries!    Many of the Aboriginees appear to be in a bad state.  Your heart goes out to them, trying to live in this totally foreign culture, which we understand.  Some present their children with shoes on their feet and their hair brushed nicely, others have work in the local area, many others spend a lot of time out in the parks or on the street.  Every one of them is worthy of a photograph and I'm sure everyone of them has their own story to tell. When you meet them at church, they are beautifully presented and have a great passion to help their people.

Blue-faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotis

Katherine River

Katherine stars at night 30 minute exposure

Knott's Crossing, Katherine

Mataranka Night Shot of Dam 15min exposure

Newcastle Waters

Northern Brush-tail Possum

Rock Formations

Treasures of Springvale Station

 Wild flowers at Mataranka