Month: June 2015

Today to soak up some time we all went for another half hour drive north east out to Katherine Gorge which is situated in the Nitmiluk National Park. There are many nature trails to walk along that are well signposted in the area. I took the Baruwei walk which was a 5km looped walk that started and ended at the visitor centre. The visitor centre has various displays and a nice café connected to it.

I went for the walk by myself with my day pack filled with a bottle of water, some snacks, two GPS trackers, a handheld UHF, stills camera and even a first aid kit! I have to keep testing out the setup I have with this bag as I will be using it for the Mitchell Falls walk later on in the trip. Mum and dad stayed out on the veranda at the visitor centre and had a coffee and some cake; they’d been on a similar walk before last time they were here.

I started out on my walk and passed about half a dozen people on the flat section. Once I came across the stairs part there was nobody in sight so I took some pictures of pretty much anything that caught my eye including the stairs themselves. I then came across a nice lookout overlooking the river at the bottom of the gorge. As it so happens I hit the lookout at the same time the river tour boat floated up the river past me.

I gave it a big wave and quite a few of them waved back so I took some pictures and took in the scenery. After all of this I packed the camera back into my bag and took off further up the mountain. About 5 minutes later a big sulphur crested cockatoo swooped past me and landed on a tree not 5 meters away from me. I tried to get the camera out in time to take a good picture but the bird moved on before I could get a good shot. It continued to hop from tree to tree peeling bark off of them, sort of odd I thought but that’s just what they do I suppose.

A few more minutes of walking led me up to the local water supply and purification plant, right on top of the hill. There was a water bubbler there for tourists to take a drink from so I took a mouthful and continued on again. For the remaining half an hour of the walk I continued to take pictures of whatever caught my eye including different coloured mountain sides, sunlit winding tracks and lots of different plants.

I got back to the visitor centre at around 9:45 am (local time) and was just in time for the breakfast menu at the café there. The food was pretty good and the people were very friendly, I would definitely recommend spending some time here.

Here’s some of the pictures I took, enjoy!

 

Thanks for reading,

Trav.

 

During the afternoon of day 7 we (my mum, dad and I) decided that we would go and have a short walk to see some rather picturesque waterfalls and flowing water. This is about a half hour drive north of Katherine and it is known as Edith Falls.

Once we arrived at the car park for the walking track I pulled out the day packs that we are going to use for the Mitchell Falls walk. I figured that we might as well trial them to see if they were comfortable enough for a lengthy walk. We all carried our own packs with our own water and snacks including torches, handheld CB radios and two GPS trackers to track our journey with. The GPS trackers are mostly for my own interest to see what the track looked like on a map.

I took pictures most of the way up the mountain following the track and walking ahead of mum and dad. The scenery was that of natural beauty; the rock formations in the afternoon light set a red glow alight through the valley.

Once over the ridge of the mountain the track headed down the side toward the waterfalls. I took a few pictures wherever I found an interesting view. Once we reached the splitting point of the track that went either down further to the falls or to the lookout viewing the valley, I chose the falls and they chose the lookout.

What I found at the base of the track was unique in the way that you will see it a lot but never get tired of it. The natural formations of the rocks, the flow of the water and the combination creating the miniature rapids were glistening into my ears and eyes. It was wonderful to behold and hence I took quite a few pictures of everything and anything I could see.

I then took a short climb up to the top of the other side of the ridge which encompassed the flowing water. When I reached the top I peered over the edge to see what must have been at least a 30 meter drop to refreshingly icy water. I took yet more pictures and a short video while I was there, focusing on the radiant red of the rocks around me.

After all of this I made my way back to the lookout and we all walked back to the start of the track. While we were there we noticed that the pool at the bottom of the falls could be accessed so we took a short walk. The water there was quite still so I attempted some more interesting photos using the reflection of the water against the high walls of the mountain.

Here’s some pretty pictures, enjoy! Also, I’m sorry I didn’t individually label any of them, there’s just too many.

Thanks for reading,

Trav.

Day 7, its morning; the birds are singing, the people are walking and talking and I’m still in my bed all cosy and warm. I continue this wondrous splendour until the ripe time of 10:15 am (local time) where I slide gracefully onto the floor exactly the way a bowling ball slips out of an amateur bowler’s hands; quickly, and with a single small bounce upon impact.

Breakfast time struck me like a hand in hot water; not painful but I know it will become uncomfortable if left too long. So I walked over to the kitchen and pulled out a pancake shaker put in the allotted amount of water and shook it like a bee hive; excitedly, but always wary of the insides coming out. Fired up the gas stove and put on a frying pan getting ready for the consumption of this most delicious breakfast treat.

After ravenously devouring the edible mess that was once considered a pancake stack I joined the rest of the present company and listened in on what the new plan would be. Since the second car would not be fixed for another 2 weeks at least, they had a few options.

1. Call it quits and send everything home and fix it there.
2. Attempt a repair up in Darwin and try to continue on their second trip, leaving us to do the rest of the current trip alone.
3. Repair the car in time for the second trip, but hire a rental 4×4 to continue the current trip with us.

We all went for option number 3 and went about changing dates and finding a rental car. After a while we found a Britz vehicle rental place in Darwin and found a camper based 4×4 available for pickup this Saturday (the 27^th – tomorrow). How to get to Darwin?

The first idea was to get my uncle, my dad and I to drive up to the rental place which was about 3 and a half hours drive away. I would drive up then dad would drive his car back and my uncle his new rental. This plan would work but it would cost a small fortune in fuel which we do not have.

The next idea is the winner and it went as such. My uncle and auntie would catch the very next Greyhound Bus ride to Darwin from right here in Katherine. They would find accommodation close to either the rental place or the bus depot and drive back here as early as they can on Saturday.

As I type this my uncle and auntie are most likely settling into their accommodation choice for the night (10:00 pm local time). While we are attempting to do the same back here at the camp site.

I’m sure you’ve all seen what a small caravan park looks like, but just in case you haven’t here is a short description:

There’s a perimeter fence, one entry/exit and sectioned off rectangles of grass that you pay absurd amounts of money to drive your car to and set up your tent. The bonus is that you get hot showers and a washing machine!

Thanks for reading,

Trav.

Day 6 is afoot, a step and a few hundred kilometres at 80 km/h as we creep along behind a big tow truck with my Uncle’s broken car and trailer attached to it.

For five hours we drove west bound back toward the city of Katherine with my auntie in the back seat of mum and dad’s car with me. We made three stops in total, all filled with the relieved sighs of passengers in want of a break from the ongoing repeated scenery – now in reverse!

The final stop was at the Toyota dealership just outside of Katherine where we off loaded the broken car to the maintenance department. We sorted out the belongings to go with us back to the camp site which would later be booked at a very comfortable 5 minute walk from the natural hot springs!

We transported the campers to the site which was about a 2 minute drive down the road into town and set up camp in spaces right next to one another. After all of this took place we all sat down and had an hour or so to relax and think clearly about what to do next.

The night didn’t draw on for long as we all grew tired rather quickly from the intense and rather expensive day that trailed us. Tomorrow will be a better day with clear minds and a fresh perspective. Everything will be sorted by afternoon tea time, the new plans will be in place and the trip will continue!

No pictures today!

Thanks for reading,

Trav.

So today is Wednesday the 24^th June. We were driving westward on the Victoria Highway, approximately 150 km west of Timber Creek. When all of a sudden at about 3:45pm (local time) disaster truck: My Uncle and Auntie’s car developed a rather serious problem.

A little back story first though.

Last year around the same time, in around the same place my mum and dad were attempting to have a nice top end holiday (in 2014). They were having a great 6 weeks of holidays right up until the end of the second week where the car developed a rather serious problem…

The problem, place and approximate time of day are eerily similar from that previous holiday to this one. The problem we know to be is that the 1KD-FTV diesel engine from Toyota has developed a hole in a piston. We know this is the fault because the exact (EXACT!!!) same problem happened to mum and dad’s car last year. It shows the same symptoms and signs as the previous encounter; lots of white/blue smoke (oil) out the rear, and exhaust gasses come out through the oil fill spout when open and the engine started.

This is of course a detrimental blow to both of our holiday plans and we have called it the “Mills Curse” corresponding to our family name. My sympathy is with them both right now.

Fortunately we are able to help them out here, since we passed a free camp spot 1.2km back from where they broke down; we towed them back to the camp site where we can all wait in a somewhat relaxed state. Dad and my uncle have gone back to Timber Creek (about one and a half hour’s drive back) in mum and dad’s car which is now unhitched from the trailer. Timber Creek has full mobile reception, so they will go there to organise a tilt tray to come here and pick up their car and trailer.

I must give credit to my uncle and auntie’s patience and resilience. Their calmness of mind allowed them to stay cool and collected throughout this entire ordeal. Not once did I sense them overly distressed, scared or otherwise out of sorts.

My mum, auntie and I are sitting at the rest area now as I’m writing this, having a cup of tea, talking about holidays passed. Talking about our adventures of this particular dilemma; some rather comical. We will wait here with them until they are able to get to a town with their other transportation.

However, not all is lost!

Where we (mum, dad and I) only have one particular goal for this journey (top end of Australia), my uncle and auntie actually have two major goals in mind for these holidays! Other than the top end with us, they aim to travel with other family to the very tip of Queensland. They are to do this in approximately three weeks; ample time to get the car and trailer to somewhere where it can be fixed. There will also be enough time for them to recoup and travel up to complete their second goal; Yes!

Pictures now.

Thanks for reading,

Trav.

Woot woot! 5 days and I’m still not eaten by a croc!

Yesterday we were headed for Katherine, but we found a somewhat nice free camp ground about 50km south of Katherine. We found an alright spot with some flat ground and set up camp, that’s when dad and I heard a strange sound coming from the engine bay… A little inconsistent clicking scraping sound, something on the fan belt. Dad had a suspicion that it was the alternator’s sprag clutch; before we left he replaced the standard 90 Amp Hour alternator with an aftermarket Denso (same brand as original) alternator, putting out 130 Amp Hours. He noticed that the bearing for the new one was beginning to show signs of seizing, but thought that it wouldn’t be detrimental for another couple of thousand kilometres. Nothing to worry about for this trip, but brought the original alternator anyway.

We’re lucky that he did bring that original alternator; we removed the fan belt and checked the new alternator. Its sprag clutch was almost completely seized but it would be alright if we left it alone. He says that if we packed it with grease it would probably have been fine, but we will replace it with the original anyway. We did this then started up the engine and the sound was gone! Success; the problem has been solved and everything would continue as normal.

After all of that we all had a nice drink and sat down next to the fire. Tonight’s dinner menu consisted of roast lamb with roasted potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, onion, squash and gravy. It was absolutely delicious, most of the credit going to my uncle for supplying the meat and tending to the cooking process. All five of us cramped around a table that was much too small (designed for 2 people at most) and enjoyed a good meal.

The morning consisted of a quick clean up and pack up as we had a goal to achieve: swim in the natural hot springs at Katherine! We set off at about 8:30 am (AEST) from the camp site plainly called “King”. About half an hour later we arrived in Katherine and grabbed some groceries, a pie and fuel. Then we drove down to the hot springs and walked down to find a crystal clear river of slowly moving body temperature water. It was absolutely beautiful! Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of the springs, so I can’t share them with you here (oops!). I swam all the way to the spring itself; the water was flowing slowly and calmly up from the ground, quite amazing to behold.

We finished up at the spring and ventured on our way out of town. The mobile phones were all out and text messages were flying everywhere! This was the last chance we all had to say goodbye for a few days; we are headed into Kununurra. More adventure is yet to be uncovered in the great outback of Australia as we drive further and further into this surprisingly colourful country.

Pictures!

Thanks for Reading,

Trav.

Day 4!

Yesterday we ended up at a place on the old Stuart Highway called Churchill Head. It was a small camp area that was surrounded by Spinifex (?); a seriously spiky tough long grass. It’s not tough enough to make you bleed, but it will prick you if you look at it the wrong way. Once we found the spot we set up camp and went about finding fire wood. This was a much easier task than I thought it was going to be.

The land out here has gone through a bush fire not all too long ago, and there are a lot of standing dead hardwood trees. Short trees mind you, only about 2 to 3 meters tall. However the bases of all of these trees sprouted new gum trees with nice green leaves. I walked up to a dead looking tree and grabbed it at about chest height. I pulled on it, and with a bit of force, it snapped like spaghetti right at the base; No splintering, no strands, just the one long stick that was once a tree.

I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to break spaghetti before but you should definitely try it. If you grab both ends, one end with each hand and bend it just until it breaks, you get not just two pieces but most of the time three or even four pieces! That’s what happened to some of these standing dead trees when I broke them down.

So we made a nice fire and it was hot, really hot because of the hardwood we used to fuel it with. So just as we started to relax and think about preparing dinner, I saw a white something sail past us slowly on the road. It squeaked a bit and sounded like a push bike, and it was. This man had been riding his bike since this morning from Renner Springs, approximately 70 km north of where we were. His name was Chris and he was from the South of France; he was travelling from Darwin down to Yulara. On a $70 bike with a $100 trailer attached to it, he told us all of this with a thick French accent and much joy in seeing a nice fire with welcoming people.

After dinner we all went to bed and there was hardly any wind, which was great for the night. I set my alarm for 5:30am local time (6:00am home time) and went to sleep. I got up at about 6am because after the 5:30 alarm went off, I was told that I was much too early. It didn’t matter; I’d rather be early and wait then be late and miss it. I got dressed in warm clothing, and grabbed the camera and video camera and made my way up the hill towards the communications repeater tower; the highest point around.

I got there and I waited… and waited… and waited… and there it was! At 7am the sun brimmed the mountains, and filled the valleys with an abundance of sunshine. I took many pictures and a video of the sun rising over this marvellously coloured land. After all of this I walked back down to the camp site where everybody was up, including Chris. We all said good morning and started to cook breakfast; bacon, eggs, tomato and baked beans. This time there was also toast, yummy!

We completed all of this and packed up camp yet again, setting off at a leisurely 9am headed for Katherine, a good 600km to the North.

More Pictures!

Thanks for reading,

Trav.

So, day 3:

Yesterday ended with celebrations including a beer that I have never had before, and will endeavour to find it again when I get home; “150 lashes pale ale”. We got to my cousin’s house where we were all welcomed with open arms, a warm fire, and a cold beer. This continued on to become one of the very best meals I have ever eaten. This man could send me into a food coma if he so desired, I haven’t eaten that well even in a restaurant.

We all spent the night there, having hot showers and warm, comfy beds to sleep in. However the morning approached fast and swiftly, we were all up and out by 7am. Joining us on our trip westward is my uncle and aunty, never a dull day is had with this company.

On the road we saw the sunrise on our right as we headed west north west toward Camooweal. Just a side note, when I heard everybody saying that we were headed to “Camel Wheel” last night I couldn’t help but picture a giant hamster wheel powered by camels. Imagination is a wonderful thing!

Once in Camooweal we stopped for morning tea, at this point it was about 9:50am. My uncle had a fuel filter warning light pop up on his dash, so we checked it out. In the end we just ended up replacing the filter, though there were no signs of anything untoward about the filter or what was inside it.

Anyway, now we are on the road again, headed further and further west, and slightly north. We passed the Northern Territory border at 10:25am (AEST), and jumped back a whole half hour in time! Amazing what time zones can do to your GPS clock.

Not one minute after we crossed the border, the speed limit on the Barkley Highway opened up to 130 km/h. My first impression of the Northern Territory is getting better and better! The road signs are informational: “WARNING: Headwinds increase fuel consumption.”. There is also a depiction of a three trailer road train, with a caption below it stating that the train is 35.5 meters long. I thought that was a bit too descriptive for what it is, but I’m not one to judge too much.

Well it’s now 11:00 am (AEST) and it’s still only up to 18 degrees; I think we’ve got some cold nights ahead of us. Especially with this major lack of cloud cover lately, it’s been going on now for two days straight.

Picture time!

Thanks for reading,

Trav.

Hello! So, day 2 is at hand!

Last night was pretty good, very cold and unexpectedly comfortable. After we stopped for lunch just North of Augathella I said that I would drive for a bit. So at 12:30 I hopped into the driver’s seat and drove to the next stop, which was the Darr River rest area (pictures at the end). We stopped at 4:35pm, so I drove at total of approximately 7 hours yesterday (including the 2:30-5:30am shift), awesome!

We got to the Darr River rest area and the first thing that stuck out to me was this old windmill on the other side of the river. It was big, it was still working fine, but it had an ominous squeak every rotation. It reminded me of something out of the Hunger Games movies, I don’t recall exactly what it is out of the movies, but yeah.

We had homemade hamburgers for dinner, with an attempt made at sweet potato fries, which didn’t turn out exactly as expected, but they were nice never the less. We also had some barbecued corn so all in all it was quite nice. After cleaning up we got to bed just before 8pm which was kind of strange, coming from going to sleep anywhere from 10pm to 2am on a regular basis.

The sleep was well appreciated as I got out of bed at around 8am, a solid 10 hours at least. When I did get up I found that the lowest temperature last night was 6.5 degrees, and it was only 9 degrees when we were walking around getting breakfast ready. Speaking of breakfast, we had bacon, eggs, croissants, baked beans and barbecued tomato. All of this was absolutely delectable, however I don’t eat eggs, so that bit was left up to mum and dad.

We eventually got packed up and out of there by 9am, and we are currently on the road headed to some relatives in Mount Isa, we hope to be there by about 4pm this afternoon.

Thanks for reading,

Trav.

Day 1

Saturday, 1:20am. It’s cold, I’m tired, but there’s an excitement in the air that propels me forward to the sweet warm water of the shower. It’s time to go on that four week holiday I’ve been waiting for, trudging through my final examinations to get to.

I was first up for driving, so we all piled into the car at approximately 2am and I set off down the driveway as we all said a quick goodbye to the house; we will return in about a month.

Straight onto the highway we went, headed southbound onto the gateway motorway through the city and over the toll bridge. The majority of the drive was general chit chat between the three, then the two of us; Mum fell asleep after about an hour and a half.

The temperature was interesting to keep track of; it started at 9 degrees and then slowly rose as we went more towards the city, up to 12 degrees. Once we passed the outskirts of western Brisbane the temperature dropped again back off to 9 degrees. The lowest it got down to was 6 degrees, out near Toowoomba.

As I write this, the sun is peeking out from behind the blanket of cloud cover that has hung over us all morning, and now it’s gone again. It is nice to see and feel the sun’s warming rays of goodness! Though it is still only 10 degrees…

Another news flash: The town we are in is called “Muckadilla”, complete with Muckadilla creek. We just passed through it and in the time it has taken for me to type those words we are completely through that town and back to the 110km/h zone of the Landsborough Highway headed towards Longreach.

Lots of great flat scenery, numerous shades of green and a long, straight, unending stretch of black rocks. All in all; the trip so far is going very well.

I’ll post again soon,

Trav.