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.
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.
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
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.