Groundhog Day in Katherine

Well, it seems a little bit like Groundhog Day - our third visit to Katherine!  Unfortunately, there is really no way you can miss it but its not a bad place - just still has some very weird alcohol restrictions.

Once more, Team Turtle took the slow road from Kununurra to Katherine having left Kununurra last Wednesday and free-camped all the way here.

Our first night was at a lovely spot called Saddle Creek.  This place had an escarpment running across the back of it and a creek beside it.  The area was quite large and, by dark, there would have been at least thirty rigs parked there.  We had arrived by lunch time and were fortunate to get a really good spot.  Met a nice couple from near Gosford who were in a bit of a rush to get to Broome to meet up with some rellies - they had left home only a week beforehand and were planning to be back by the end of September.  What a whirlwind trip!

The Setting Sun Lighting up Saddle Creek Rest Area

Another big day on Thursday - we managed another two hundred klms to Victoria River Lookout - just near Timber Creek.  We had visited the area quite a few weeks and realised that the lookout was also a free camp and so we took advantage of it.  A bit windy, but a great view!  The Captain also made a great campfire so that we were able to cook some lamb shanks and baked potatoes in our camp oven.  They turned out pretty damn nice but we are not sure whether it was the campfire or The Deckie's supervision.

Tuf Cat and the Setting Sun at Victoria River Lookout

Another day - another free camp.  This time it was about 100 klms west of Katherine - Mathison Rest Area - (no point in pushing ourselves too far) and had our 'sundowners' with a lovely couple from Bunbury in WA.  It was their fault that we missed taking pics of the setting sun that night!

Then it was back into Katherine - booked into the caravan park and then hit the shops to stock up (again).

Today (Sunday) we went out to Nitmulak National Park for a cruise on Katherine Gorge.  We had originally intended to put Li'l Pussy in here but then found out that there were several large rockbars that we would have had to carry her over so we took a tour/cruise instead.  Really nice rocks and cliffs again and one just feels very insignificant at times.  There are fourteen gorges in this area and the tour only goes to a maximum of three and then we walked over the last rockbar to see the fourth one.  At each rockbar, we would get out of one boat and then walk past the rockbar to another boat, do that gorge and so on.  Took about four hours but it was worthwhile.

The Rockbar Between the First and Second Gorge

Awesome Cliffs

Looking Up The Gorge

The last rockbar is called 'The Vortex Holes' and they were amazing.  Over the years, the water has rushed down and eroded the rocks enough to leave these wonderful looking depressions.

Some of the Vortex Holes

Some more Vortex Holes (and The Captain's Feet)

At the Vortex Holes

And that's about all for now.  Tomorrow (Monday) Team Turtle is heading south to Mataranka for a few days.  There are some hot springs there that a lot of people have given glowing reports about so we will be checking them out for ourselves.

Someone has to do it!!!