Katherine

The Mount Price camping area was a great little campsite. We were the only ones there. Must remember this for next time.

We must have got bitten by midgies/sandflies on our last night at Limmen Bight Fishing Camp, and didn't notice them at the time, but hours later they started to itch. Theo counted 30 plus bites, and I had about a dozen. I am allergic to them, and the bite area swells to the size of a 50-cent piece. We both took Telfast which eased the irritation somewhat. Usually within a couple of days the itch has gone and only the red bite mark is left, which takes 7-10 days to completely disappear. We must remember to spray Bushman's so we don't get bitten.

We had a short drive today, stopping 3 times at roadworks, before arriving in Katherine. Katherine is 317kms south of Darwin and covers an area the size of Victoria. It is the 4th largest town in the Northern Territory.

We are camped at the Manbulloo Homestead, (where we camped in 2012), about 10 minutes drive from the main street of Katherine, on an unpowered site on the fencline under some large shady trees. Luckily our solar is fully charged because we are getting no sun on the roof. We will be okay for a couple of days.

We needed to re-stock on food and buy a new portable compressor, in preparation for more off-road travel in the next few weeks. Woollies was so busy with queues at all the checkouts. It was a madhouse, as was the carpark. It was a bit of a culture shock from the past few weeks where we have been in relative isolation. After shopping, we were glad to get back to quiet of the caravan.

Now we are back on the sealed bitumen and the main highway, the roads have lots of caravans and travellers on it, and people are travelling north to Darwin, south to Adelaide, west to Kununarra and east to Arnhem Land or Qld. Katherine is like the hub of the wheel.

It has a population of about 11,000 people and was a major supply and maintenance hub during World War 2. Interesting fact: In 1942, nine Japanese aircraft flew over Kathrine and dropped about 90 bombs. The majority fell on the Katherine airfield and one resident was killed. Following the attack most residents were evacuated south.

RAAF Base Tindal is a Royal Australian Air Force Military air base and civil aviation airfield located about 15kms outside Katherine. Every year it hosts major exercises featuring visiting aircraft and personnel from around the country and the world, including ‘Pitch Black’. When we were in Darwin in 2012, Theo was so excited to go to the open day at Darwin Airfield and look at all the military planes and equipment. While we have been here at Manbulloo Homestead, he has got a buzz every time he hears an airforce plane flying overhead.

Katherine also has Hot Springs, which consist of a number of crystal-clear pools winding through the trees and then out to the Katherine River. We spent a couple of hours relaxing and enjoying the 32-degree temperature of the water.
In the back of our mind was the news we heard a few days ago of a crocodile sighting at Bitter Springs, where the area was closed temporarily. Also in the news in the past few days was the crocodile attack at Wangi Falls in Litchfield National Park, which we visited in 2012.

The camping ground had live entertainment tonight, a musician, who plays the trumpet and sings, and we could hear the music from our site, then decided to walk over and sat for a while listening. After that, we spent some time chatting to Jenny and Paul (Goldstream) who we met at King Ash Bay. We exchanged details, and Theo now has a couple of new friends on Facebook! They are heading to Darwin and then to WA, so our paths may not cross again on this trip, but we will keep in touch, and it will be interesting to follow their journey.

Tomorrow, we pack up and start our journey on the East Arnhem Highway heading towards Gove. Czytaj więcej