Mt Isa to Darwin

Mt Isa – Camooweal and onto Darwin 

An uneventful start to the day there was no need to rush so long as we were out of the caravan park by 10am (on the 2 July).

Made a brief stop at the shopping centre to get some cash not sure what the atm facilities will be like for the next little while.

On the way to Camooweal we past Lizzy still peddling and on her way to the Three Ways in the NT.

Decided to stay in Camooweal rather than camp out at the Camooweal Caves.  Before we set up we went for a drive out to the caves which are huge sinkholes we had hoped there would be some you could get a bit closer to rather than look down on but we had to settle for the looking down on.  All the photos I took out there are saved somewhere on this computer.......the question is where.

One night at Camooweal was enough between a party that went all night and someone in the camper trailer next door who snored all night.

Crossed the Queensland/Northern Territory border and turned our watches back 30 minutes and did the photo thing.

From here next stop was the Barkley Homestead where we lashed out and had a pie and ice coffee for lunch, it was too dusty to try and make lunch from the back of the camper.  After lunch we turned north towards Cape Crawford which is on the corner of the Tablelands and Carpentaria Hwy.

Even though Cape Crawford is 120 kilometres from the sea it got its name because it is at the northern extremity or ‘cape’ of the Abner Ranges which were first discovered by drover Lindsay Crawford in 1880.  Just a little bit of Australian history.

The highway was one lane all the way but the scenery was far better than expected.  At the start it was miles of flowering wattle lining the highway then it changed to an open plain of which there wasn’t a tree to be seen, plenty of cattle on the road.....dead and alive.

The last 90km or so we started going up and then in front of us was huge red sandstone escarpment, from there on we were in the Abner Ranges.  The Abner Range is home to a sandstone formation called the Lost City which apparently covers an area of about 8 square kilometres.

We got to the Heartbreak Hotel which was very green and lots of shady trees almost resort looking. So thought a couple of days here could be the way to go but in the end the bloody great generator they run to give all of us tourist some luxury proved to be too much so the next day we moved on. 

We were undecided where the next stop would be but figured we would work it out as we went. Once off the Carpentaria Hwy and onto the Stuart Hwy we headed for Daly Waters Hotel which is said to be a must see.

Before getting to Daly Waters we passed a few road trains parked up at the intersection of the Carpentaria and Stuart Hwy.

The pub itself well I guess each to their own but it wasn’t my cup of tea, bit over the top for my liking the bar was just awash of t-shirts, bank notes and bras of every shape, size and colour all with a tint of red dust .  There were lots of signs around the place some funny some not so funny and a group of Asian tourists who were playing 10pin bowling in the main street.  

The photo with the helicopter on the roof of a building over the road from the pub.

If you were planning on staying in the caravan park you would want to be sitting on their door step at the crack of dawn people were queuing up for a site in the caravan park.

We left with an ice cream and a mars bar and went out to look at the old airstrip which was first used by Qantas in the 1930’s as a refuelling stop for their flights between Sydney and Singapore, then during the second war was used as an airbase.  The old hanger houses a good collection of photos and information from both Qantas and the war era.

We went on to Mataranka and spent a few days at Elsely National Park which is on the Roper River and not far from the Mataranka Thermal Pools. 

 It was a great place to stay, plenty of swimming, fishing and excellent hot showers all for 6.60 per night per person.  John went fishing and found a croc trap all set up so that put paid to either of us going swimming.  The sunsets made up it they were stunning. 

At the end of the stay we went out to the Homestead Resort and had a swim in the thermal pool and had a look at the replica house which was built for the filming of We of the Never Never.

It was also our first stop where we could have an open fire so we got a fire going and had scones for afternoon tea and a roast cooked in the camp oven for dinner.

From here it was on to Coodardie Station which is about 30km south of Mataranka.  Coodardie Station Stay is owned by Mike and Clair O’Brien.  They are passionate about ecologically sustainable production and enjoy sharing this enthusiasm and knowledge with others.

Claire and Mike were very welcoming and showed us around and treated us to some very nice home cooked meals and a relaxed atmosphere.

They have powered sites and guest rooms available all with spectacular views of the surrounds and the night sky but bookings are essential.

After a couple of nights at Coodardie it was time to move on so a stop at Katherine for some supplies then we stopped in at Edith Falls for the night; plenty of walks and a waterfall which ends in a big swimming hole.  From the sounds everyone was making it was fresh which I took to mean cold.  The temperature of the thermal pools was more to my liking.

We didn’t do Katherine Gorge as we had to be in Darwin the car was booked in for a service.  There are so many places you can go but only so much time.  Next time.

The drive to Darwin was uneventful but arrived in time for the beer can regatta at Mindil Beach and the sunset markets.  I had heard a lot about the markets but was a disappointed as you could have been at the Eumundi or Bangalow markets.  On saying that the food area was something else......Thai, Sri Lankan, Indian, Brazilian, Portuguese and more.

In Darwin we have made the most of staying put as we get a few jobs done.  Car is serviced and John is busily getting materials that are needed to make a stone guard for behind the back tyres on the Toyota.  Hopefully this will minimise the stone chips that are building on the camper.  Seeing and hearing a lot of horror stories of the damage people are getting on the Gibb River Road.

Some guy at a camping shop said that the Gibb River was once a track, then road and now highway.  Apparently the amount of traffic out that way makes it like a highway.  Since leaving home we’ve seen every size and type of van on offer, some people are keen to tow some of them.

We leave Darwin tomorrow Wednesday 13 July and will head to Litchfield National Park for a couple of nights and from there it is the Gibb River Road to Derby then back to the Tanami Road which will bring us out just north of Alice Springs.

We don’t have any time frame on this next part could be a couple of weeks.....we’ll see.