Before we left Banka Banka Station Trev decided we needed to sort out the caravan tyre again which was still wearing unevenly despite the alignment in Perth….so we planned to stop at Tennant Creek for fuel and get the Bridgestone guys to take a look. We were meeting Ruth, Andrew and Stephie at Karlu Karlu (the Devils Marbles) today to continue the adventure with them for the next 3 weeks.

We arrived in Tennant Creek and Branch had a great time at Bridgestone with the guys who rotated tyres etc to allow us to continue on without buying new ones yet.

While we were there Ruth, Andrew and Stephie arrived so we met them and had coffee at a local cafe..it was great to see them and exciting to  continue our journey together….

Branch was really pleased to see them as instantly he was into action with the skylight they had left up on their journey!

We drove to the Devil’s Marbles and set up camp – fortunately we got there early enough to get a good spot…..later on the campground was so full that many people had to go elsewhere as there was no room.

We had our first meal together and then went exploring.

The Devils Marbles were spectacular…round boulders of granite, mica and feldspar….amazing sights…

Trev tried out his strength..lots of interesting photos…

Stephie and Trev swapped hats….

and Trev found the biggest crack he had ever seen!

Trev went awol at happy hour…..he cycled out to look at the number of vans in the campsite….and didn’t return for ages….looking at the number of vans no wonder…so many opportunities for a chat 😆…if Gordie was here they would never have returned!!

Sunset was beautiful with all the colours of the rocks, sun and sky…..and the rangers came around and gave us all a campfire talk about the area…

Branch had really been missing the fun and games with the Wells and Hunters….things had been quiet on the western front…..however this morning we were on schedule to leave, all packed up and Trev went to start the Prado to hook the van on and…..dead battery!! Branch was out like a flash feeling useful and loved 😆

The guy next door to us came over promptly with his battery starter that he had never used before..after a quick look, then a read of the instructions (!!) our car started and we were on our way….

Our lunch stop was the famous Daly Waters Pub with its huge collection of personal memorabilia including caps, badges, thongs, bras, undies and anything else you might find in lost property or a junk shop!

We looked for Rosie’s bra she allegedly left above the bar but it could have been any number of ones on display 😆

There was some ome NSWFB memorabilia….and an army namebadge from a “Shelton” soldier….

We arrived at Banka Banka Station and set up for the night. The station had a large collection of farming memorabilia and the original mud brick homestead was still standing…tho now used as the kiosk and laundry.

The hot springs were just a 500m walk away from our campground at Bitter Springs so we walked down in the morning for a swim. Bitter Springs is a flowing creek of warm water (approx 33 degrees) and you can swim safely in a particular spot, floating down the creek for about 250m before exiting the water and walking back to the entry point to start again. The current was not particularly strong so you could swim back if you wished. A lot of people hired noodles to float around with.

The water was crystal clear and the banks were lined with reeds and waterlilies….gorgeous scenery. Even though crocodiles can inhabit the area it did not feel creepy swimming there….and there was a lot of people young and old going in for a dip.

We grabbed our snorkel and goggles and snorkelled the full length of the springs..amazing clarity in the water…lots of fish and different aquatic plants as well as beautiful waterlilies and palms lining the waters edge.

Trev tried some laps but swimming creating a splash spoilt the ambience somewhat 😄

After lunch we drove around to Mataranka Thermal Pool at the Mataranka Homestead. There was a lot of people swimming in the pool, which had a concreted rock edge so was not as “natural” looking as Bitter Springs but still great for a swim all the same

Mataranka is famous as the site of the Elsey Homestead from the book “We of the Never Never” and a replica of the old Homestead used in the film was on the grounds of Mataranka Homestead.

Tomorrow we are planning to visit Daly Waters Pub on our way to a free camp called Attack Creek but we may have time for one last swim in the spring before we leave!😉

As we had not seen Gunlom Infinity Pools we planned to leave Cooinda today and trek in to Gunlom on our way to our next destination at Mataranka.

We left the Kakadu Highway and turned off to Gunlom – 37 kms of dirt road to get in…the road was not too bad but it had a couple of small river crossings and was fairly corrugated most of the way. We met a couple in at Gunlom who had left their van at the info centre just south of the turnoff to make the journey in…if we had know we may have done that as the trip in would have been quicker…and less of the punish for the van 😆

Gunlom is a campground that caravans can go to so it was ok bringing the van in – we parked in the day use area, got changed into our cossies and started the 1 km vertical trek up to the top of the Gunlom Falls where the Infinity Pools are. The track was rocky and steep up the side of the cliff but once at the top the view was breathtaking down to the large pool at the base of the waterfall and across Kakadu….. the infinity pools at the top were amazing….better than any pools we have seen so far and it made the long journey in and strenuous climb seem definately worth it…we were so glad we had made the effort!

We swam and soaked for ages….and finally tore ourselves away as we had a long drive to Mataranka. We walked down to the bottom and checked out the large plunge pool at the base of the falls which was also beautiful.

After a quick lunch we headed back out along the dusty dirt road and rejoined the highway…..we made Mataranka just before the sun went down and set up at Bitter Springs Campground.

We were up before dawn to go on the Yellow Waters Sunrise Cruise which left the Cooinda jetty at 0630. Our guide was Reuben, a middle aged aboriginal (whose mum was a white English woman so he told us – in his words he had the best of both worlds!). Reuben was hilarious and very knowledgeable and so kept us entertained for the whole 2 hr cruise.

We watched the sun rise over the East Alligator River…

Saw lots of birdlife in the monsoonal waterways and swamp area…

Saw saltwater crocs in the water and on the banks….

Learnt about the amazing plant and animal life in the area and saw so many beautiful sights…..

We returned to Cooinda Lodge and after a great all you can eat buffet breakfast which was included as part of the cruise, we spent the rest of the day exploring more of Kakadu. Starting out at the Warradjan Cultural Centre we learnt more about the culture of the various aboriginal clans that inhabit Kakadu. It was interesting to see how they defined the seasons as depicted on a rock painting at the centre.

We did the lookout and art gallery walk at Nourlangie and saw some really interesting examples of primitive rock art.

The rock formations were huge boulders that were ideal for sheltering in during the wet season and you could imagine the aboriginal clan living in the area quite easily.

The view from the lookout extended across Kakadu over to Arnhem Land and consisted of large rocky outcrops, mountain ranges with huge cliff faces, and expansive areas of bushland.

From Nourlangie we went to Anbangbang Billabong which was alive with bird life and carpeted in waterlilies…beautiful but definately a crocs paradise!

After lunch back at camp, we drove south to Maguk and walked in over the monsoonal swampland and up the creek to a plunge pool at the base of a waterfall. Again another gorgeous natural pool though we did swim cautiously as crocs have been found there – there had been other people swimming there before we arrived so we figured that if a saltie was there it would have chomped someone earlier!

From Darwin we drove to Kakadu intending to stay at Cooinda campground as it is fairly central. The road into Kakadu became increasingly swampy – it really felt like croc country but no sightings along the way!

After stopping to buy our park passes, and a quick look at the info centre to get some maps etc, we arrived at Cooinda and set up…..Trev discovered it was State of Origin night tonight…and they had it on the big screen at the bistro so our evening was planned 😉

We spent the afternoon driving out to Jabiru and then Ubirr to look at the rock art. The road along the way alternated between swampy areas and unusual rocky outcrops.

The rock art was interesting to see…

and see the sunset from Ubirr rock. The view was awesome from the top of the rock…everything was so lush and green…..and despite the number of people there it was serene and peaceful as the sun went down.

We then hightailed it back to camp and arrived at the bistro in time to order dinner before the game started…..and much to Trev’s delight NSW won!

We continued on to Litchfield and discovered that quite a few sections of the park were still closed due to the big wet…and you could not swim at Wangi Falls due to the strong current and potential salties still present.

We started out at the Magnetic Termite  mounds – these amazing type of termite build their mounds north/south using the earth’s magnetic field as a guide as they are blind. This building strategy helps keep the mounds cool – these termites are not found anywhere else in the world. We also looked at the huge Cathedral termite mounds.

On to Buley Rockholes… a great place for a swim….

Florence falls….down a flight  of 143 stairs to the huge pool at the base of the falls for a swim…..spectacular….then did the Shady Creek walk back to the car. We ate lunch at Buley Rockholes and had another swim..

Next stop Tolmer Falls Lookout….

Then on to Wangi Falls…very beautiful and full but closed for swimming…a croc trap was evident but no crocs were on show that day.

We left Litchfield and returned to Darwin the other way along an unsealed road..we must have had withdrawals from red dust!! It was strange not having the convoy behind us and the CB banter along the way. We travelled over a really narrow bridge over the Finness River which had only just recently been reopened after the wet….looked like croc country for sure! Rosie would have wanted to stop and take a look for crocs in the wild!!

A grocery and diesel (got it right Gordie) stop and then back to the camp to get organised to leave tomorrow for Kakadu!

We farewelled Gordon and Kerry as we were leaving to spend the day in Litchfield National Park, and they were driving to Mataranka on the start of their journey home. Branch thought momentarily about hitching a ride with them as a bonnet decoration for the Ram….but bailed at the last minute as he was keen to continue on to Uluru.

It was hard farewelling the Hunters after spending the last 8 weeks together…so many fun memories with them and the Wellzys 😃

Gordie had on the t-shirt he had bought at Mindil Markets the day before…..not sure what he was thinking when he got it as it was not at all descriptive of the wearer (NOT!!!)

We drove off and had not got very far when we had a call from Rosie who was at the threeways…..they had had a great stopoff at Mataranka and Daly Waters Pub before spending the night at Banka Banka. Trev pulled over to speak to her and lo and behold in front of us was a ute with a number plate meant for Gordie….his favourite phrase when describing who he had been chatting to…..😃

We continued on to Litchfield and discovered that quite a few sections of the park were still closed due to the big wet…and you could not swim at Wangi Falls due to the strong current and potential salties still present.

We started out at the Magnetic Termite  mounds – these amazing type of termite build their mounds north/south using the earth’s magnetic field as a guide as they are blind. This building strategy helps keep the mounds cool – these termites are not found anywhere else in the world. We also looked at the huge Cathedral termite mounds.

On to Buley Rockholes… a great place for a swim….

Florence falls….down a flight  of 143 stairs to the huge pool at the base of the falls for a swim…..spectacular….then did the Shady Creek walk back to the car. We ate lunch at Buley Rockholes and had another swim..

Next stop Tolmer Falls Lookout….

Then on to Wangi Falls…very beautiful and full but closed for swimming…a croc trap was evident but no crocs were on show that day.

We left Litchfield and returned to Darwin the other way along an unsealed road..we must have had withdrawals from red dust!! It was strange not having the convoy behind us and the CB banter along the way. We travelled over a really narrow bridge over the Finness River which had only just recently been reopened after the wet….looked like croc country for sure! Rosie would have wanted to stop and take a look for crocs in the wild!!

A grocery and diesel (got it right Gordie) stop and then back to the camp to get organised to leave tomorrow for Kakadu!