Australian Walkabout

'Down the Track' Darwin to Alice Springs (02-06 Oct 2000)
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Last modified January 5th 2001


Mon 02 Oct : Driving South; Darwin to Katherine Gorge
We drive 'down the track' as it is called, along the Stuart Highway as far as the town of Katherine, which is famed for its gorge, where we plan to canoe tomorrow. We camp beside the gorge and are rudely awakened by the banging of rubbish bins in the middle of the night. The dawn light reveals that wallabies (like kangaroos) have attacked the camp site bins during the night and left the site strewn with rubbish.

Tue 03 Oct : Canoeing Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge. Driving south to Mataranka
Rory and I hire a two-man canoe and paddle upstream in beautiful Katherine Gorge. There are actually a sequence of 12 gorges upstream, with portages (carrying the canoe over rocks) of differing difficulty between them. We decide to take a leisurely approach and settle for three gorges. The portaging proves difficult and I manage to fall into and out of the canoe in quick succession, ending up comprehensively soaked. It is a pleasant and relaxing days activity.

Canoeing in Katherine Gorge

We depart Katherine in the late afternoon and head south to Mataranka, where we again fall for the charms of the thermal pools.

Wed 04 Oct : Driving south; Mataranka to Tennant Creek

Clever parrot takes a drink in Mataranka campground.

Lots of driving south on roads that look just as monotonous and barren as they did going north. Rory stumbles on an interesting recipe at Tennant Creek campground this evening. While cooking a fine beef stew, he adds water from his fancy metal water canister, oblivious to the fact that I have filled it with tropical fruit punch cordial. We briefly consider dumping the resulting mix with it's melange of flavours, but we persevere and conclude that this recipe might catch on worldwide eventually.

Thu 05 Oct : Driving south; Tennant Creek to Alice Springs
We continue towards the heart of the continent today. South of Tennant Creek there is an interesting collection of huge rounded boulders known as the Devils Marbles. It is a very popular stop for everybody travelling on the Stuart Highway, as there isn't much else for 500km in either direction.

Superhuman feat of strength at The Devils Marbles

We had been expecting the landscape to get more and more barren as we get further from the ocean, but are mildly surprised that the roadside start looking greener, with more flowers as we near Alice Springs. We later realise that the rain and floods which swept Central Australia last April, brought with them a bounty of life.

Just as we enter the town of Alice Springs, there is major celebration as the Patmobile passes 300,000km on the clock. Since it fell into the hands of backpackers, it has passed this road a few times before, and will probably do so again.

A milestone for the Patmobile as it turns 300,000km (187,000 miles) at the entrance to Alice Springs

Fri 06 Oct : Lazing in Alice Springs, Car Repairs
I decide to be nice to the car, given that it has just had its birthday and all, and buy it a replacement radiator fan, rather essential in these parts as it is getting slightly unpleasant having to turn on the cabin heater to keep the engine cool, when the sun beats down and the air temperature exceeds 30C regularly.

Sat 07 Oct : Alice Springs; Henley-on-Todd Dry river regatta.
Today is a big day in the Alice springs social calendar, seeing the hosting of the Henley-on-Todd regatta. Yesterday's weather forecast had said there was a chance of rain, which would be disastrous seeing as the regatta is run, literally, on the dry bed of the Todd River.

Rory and I go to see the frolics along with fellow Kakadu veterans Claire and Mike. It is good fun seeing the various boat-like contraptions, but under the searing heat of the sun, the joke starts to run a little thin after a while. On balance it was a fun day though.

The sand rowers battle it out at Henley-on-Todd

Next event; 'QANTAS' ahead by a whisker in The Admirals Cup

And Finally; Viking Longship battles Navy Frigate 1500km from the sea.


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