Darwin to Karumba to NSW

How slack I have been bloggers - part of it has been time, the other one no service for optus internet. Well we are now in Armidale - via Karumba - before we get onto the excitment of the Gulf, I need to take you through the journey since Darwin. After we left Anya and Grace, we went to Litchfield National Park - the main Wangi falls were still closed to swimming because of Crocs, but the Jocelyn Falls were open and we swam here.

That night we stayed in Batchelor, and we settled back into the swing of a tent and swag. The next day we went to the Adelaide River War Cementry, a great place to learn more about the WWII and NT experience. From there we went to the Douglas Hot springs. These are different to the other springs we had been too, the main spring comes out at about 70 degrees, too hot to even walk through - the springs are not deep pools, but more like a creek of running water - you swim where the hot spring meets a cold water spring and brings it back to a pleasant mid 30s. We were here on the Friday - the next day we read in the paper that they closed the springs on Friday afternoon because they had trapped a 3m salty down stream - that made us take a quick breath!!
We spent the night in Katherine, and headed back to Mataranka the next day - we had another swim, then headed off for a day of driving, getting to the Heartbreak Hotel for the night.

You will get the picture by now that the summary for the NT is - if we could climb it, we climbed it, if we could swim it, we swam in it, and if we could eat it, well, we ate it!!

From Cape Crawford we went down to the Barkly Roadhouse, and then across to Camoweal for the night. We met a family here from Adelaide, that were also going to Lawn Hill, where we ended up seeing them every day for the three days there. They had boys the same age as Hunter and Oscar, so it was great for them to have some holiday friends. We went in to Lawn hill Gorge, and stayed at Adels Grove for three nights. The gorge is spectacular to say the least, and we did plenty of swimming here, as well as canoeing - we canoed the 6km, and then the next day did the Island walk, a couple of kms to get a view of it all.

We packed up and began our journey further north to Burketown via Gregorgy Downs. We booked into a cabin at Burketown because after three days of camping in dust and smoke we were looking for a nice night. We went fishing off the whalf at Burketown and had, for a change, a very successful afternoon. THey caught 5 legal sized bream which we ate for dinner, giving two away to other campers that we had met from our Lawn hill stay.
We packed up and headed to Karumba - not having any idea of the number of great adventures we would have here. We stayed with Bruce and Rosemary Tremain-Hill, with the special bonus of also having Lochie and Karen there, and Tori coming up from Isa with her gorgeous baby Tristain. We have been for helicopter flights and plane flights with Capt Lochie - which has very quickly elevated him to God in the eyes of the three Wards. Dek and I were spoilt with going on a sunset cruise. We have also spent a large amount of time eating and drinking - with the views and meals at the Tavern hard to describe how very non camping it has all been. We went mud crabbing, and had a great time - serving up 5 mud crabs for dinner.

So our summary for Karumba is - if it can be flown, we flew in it, and if it could be eaten, you guessed it, we ate it. (and the kids want to know why the Tremain-Hills cannot be their cousins)

We travelled fairly quickly south - going across the Georgetown and down to Hugenden, then to Winton, Longreach - Tambo, Warwick Armidale. Catching up with Alix and Goudgie and the boys, then heading for home by Friday night. Cannot believe that it is all over, seems to be so soon - this will be the last of the blogs - thanks for following - and look forward to seeing you all some day soon - cheers Team Ward.

Resort Darwin ends

Well 11days in Darwin have gone very quickly - since we last blogged, Grace started her school holidays so we spent the day at the V8s at Hidden Valley - we went out for the practice day which was good because they have lots of side actions that kept the kids interested. The next day we went to Berry Springs - the largest ones so far this trip, and swam there, a bit of excitment as a brown snake also swam there, causing everyone to get out of the water while he moved on. The kids swam with the Archer fish, and fed some, also seeing Longtoms .

We went to the wave park and got used to the washing machine effect, and Hunter worked out how to catch a few waves. We tried to teach Hannah how to catch a wave, but, we were unsuccessful. We also tried to teach Hannah to love prawns, oysters and fish, again, without success, but we did get her to eat Buffalo. That night after the wave park we went to the Mindil markets and did our bit of shopping, I bought a diggeridoo CD, which Os and I loved at the markets, but I am not allowed to play in the car.

Monday we went to the Fannie Bay Goal, surprised to learn that it only closed in 1980.

We went back to the water slides for another afternoon, too good when it is free. This time the big bucket was working, so we had our last go at the slides, and Hunter loved getting hit by the water from the big bucket. Os and Trix then went for a scoot around the skate park.

Hunter and Dek got up early yesterday for their day of deep sea fishing - after much build up, they came home with fish for dinner - just none that they had caught - fortunately for them some of the people on the boat that did catch something could not take them back to their motel!!! They caught about 13 fish / sharks between them , but as shark do not have scales they are not allowed on the boat, and the fish were all too small. Much talk about 'next time' - but we will see. I can see the need to fish while we are in the Gulf increasing!!

When you are next travelling through the NT listen to the radio for the road safety ads, Oscar, Trixie and I did some voice recordings for the radio ads - "Hey dad, check your speedo, slow down!"

Today Hunter and I did the tour of parliament house because hunter is studying government at school this term - interesting that the current building was only opened in 1994 - so government is all very new up here, with self government starting in the 1970's. We have a few thousand km's in the car to make sure he understands it all.

We are heading off from here to go across the Gulf - not sure when we will next get service. We have loved the stay in Darwin, and it has been great spending time with Anya and Grace, and we loved that they have put up with us for so long - but looking forward to getting back into the tents and travelling again - we are now taking more interest in the temperatures back home, because we are really only weeks away now from them - as we still swim several times in a day here, not sure how we are going to cope!!!

Darwin - update

Well, an update from Resort Ross Smith - since we have arrived the kids have had about 57 swims a day - this in itself has been pleasant, but, to stay true to holiday form, we have been busy seeing the sights.

Our first night here saw us down at the Mindil markets to have a great dinner and listen to the buskers. The next day we did a bit of cruising around to get our bearings, and found the fish market, where we picked up afternoon tea - 2 doz oysters and 1.5 kgs of prawns, and a couple of barra fillets. That night we ventured down to the sailing club for dessert, as we had too much afternoon tea, we watched the sun set and had a nice evening. The next day Grace had the day off school to become a member of Team Ward. It began with an early start to the fish feeding in the harbour - there were mullet, bat fish, milk fish and some shovel nosed sting rays - the kids really loved this.

We then went to the next tourist highlight, the croc show - this is in the middle of the city, but it is well set out - the kids got to hold a croc, and also fish for a croc, as well as see some croc feeding. A highlight for Trixie was holding the croc, she didn't want to hand it back.

That night I cooked a large barra up for Nan's farewell meal. It was 5kg gutted, and sad to say, between 4 adults and 2 kids there was nothing left.

Wednesday we went to the Museum and then out to East Point - ended up in a police barricade, as they thought they had found the guy who lit the fire that killed an 8 year old this week. The kids thought they were part of a CSI Miami scene with all of the cops, lights, and plain clothed detectives driving fast cars. We got Delsia to the plane for her flight, and headed back home. We enjoyed having our additional team member for the 3 weeks, and I think Delsia also had a great time - we all have a lot of stories to share, and some that will remain true to the tour rule - "what goes on tour stays on tour".

Today we went and watched Grace at her school athletics carnival - she came second in her race. We finally got the boys to sit down and have a good solid go at some school work, Oscar has now finished his maths, and Hunter only has 5 pages of work to go. And for a surprising moment, their journals are also up to date!!! This afternoon we went out to the water park - great fun - and free (worth bonus points for that alone).

A final little video for a laugh - well it was funny here anyway - Trix swimming like a mermaid. If I can get this to work, next blog will have a few more short videos.

Cheers for now - Team Ward.

Kakadu - we loved it

Well, here we are, sitting in Darwin, not a tent in sight, but a pool, great house and some time to 'down tools'. The photos are a snap shot of what we have been doing and seeing prior to getting to Darwin. We have swum at Edith falls and Gunlom Falls, climbed escarpments to swim in the top pools. The bush camps went well, but after two nights we had to pull back into a powered site, so set up for three nights at Jabiru - again, place selected because it had a pool. We kept ourselves busy and went out to Merl campsite and did some painting lessons with Tomo and Deano from Arnhem Land. Tomo made the brushes that we used out of reed for us, and he was great teaching the kids the different techniques. After that we climbed the escarpment at Ubirr and saw the rock art paintings. From there we went on a boat trip with Robbo and Ted - two fellas from Arnhem Land up the east Alligator river - croc spotting, but also learning at lot about traditional hunting and cultural practices. We stopped a fair way upstream and went into Arnhem Land where Robbo showed the boys how to throw a spear. That ended a very long day.

Our next day in Jabiru we went out to Nourlangie Rock art site and did yet another walk. An early afternoon spent in the pool. We packed up early and went to the Corroboree Billabong for a wetland tour, that is where the photos of the kids with the lily leaves is from, and also the birds. This was a great way to wrap-up the Kakadu leg of the trip. We got into Darwin late afternoon and headed down to the Mindil beach markets for some takeaway food - about meal three of take-away the whole trip (and only one eat in restuarant meal).

Getting to where the jumpers don't come out

Hello followers - before I start the update just a quick note to say we love that you read this, and that you log in comments - we love hearing all the news from home. Hunter also says a special hello to the kids from his class that are logging in - Annie and Erin - he loves to hear all the news from school.
Well, since we last logged on we have gone past the Tropic of Capricorn, and headed up to where we can swim. We left Alice, and spent the most of the day in the car and got to Wycliffe Wells - the UFO centre of Australia. We stayed here for the night - great location, and enjoyed a warmer evening, and no dew on the tent in the morning!! The next day we crawled around the devils marbles and got to Tennant Ck for what was a fabulous coffee - amazing what you can find. We called in to the Telegraph station, and then bundled back into the car for another long haul. We stayed the night at Dunmarra -a roadhouse on the highway - they had a fabulous improvised 'big screen' outside - a large white tarp strung between two poles, and we got to sit up and watch "Australia" for the evening. Then had the worst nights sleep for the tour - roadtrains all night, and then those that stayed, starting up from 3.30am to get their day underway. We made it to Mataranka Springs for a lunch time plunge in the thermal pools. However, before this we stopped in Larrimah for a Devonshire Tea at Frans - this is something you have to experience. It would not matter what you actually wanted to order, because some people tried - she gave you scones and coffee - because it was easier for her, and therefore easier for us!! She wore no shoes, and swore like a trooper - but the funniest cuppa on tour - the Lonely Planet guide to Australia has her coffee house as a most stop place in the NT - and we are pleased we did.
The thermal springs were blistful. We moved on then to setup in Katherine for a couple of days. Today we went to the Katherine Hot water springs - a pattern appearing here - and then spent the afternoon at Katherine Gorge. Delsia did the 4 hour boat tour, too expensive for us, and Dek and I had already done this before, so we took the kids on another walk - up to the escarpment and lookout and then back through a side gorge - just under 6kms in total. I note from some of the comments that you expect us all to return skinny and slim from all this walking - I will bust that myth now, because although we walk every chance we get, we also sit down to bikkies and dip and wine every night - so unfortunately it is all balancing out. After the walk we were very hot, so we ducked into the resort pool at the gorge for an hour before we went down and picked up Delsia - amazing how you can fit in anywhere if you have to when you haven't paid for the opportunity!! We came back into our caravan park and the kids all went for another swim. I am still sitting here at 8.30pm in shorts and t-shirt - loving it!!!
We expect to be out of service for the next week - rough plans are as follows - bush camps at Edith falls, and then a bush camp at the UDP in Kakadu, then up to Jabaru for a couple of nights, then onto Shady Camp - expect to be in darwin next sunday mid afternoon. Very much looking forward to the resort accomodation there with Anya - a bed is going to make a fabulous change - not sure how the kids will cope, actually, Oscar is the one who has declared he is not a 'camper' and everywhere we pull up he is checking out everyones vans for what he is going to upgrade to at the very next opportunity.
We are all well - coping with all being together 24/7 - meeting interesting people along the way, hope this blog finds you all well.

Red Centre Way - Mereenie Loop

We spent a few days at Kings Canyon "resort" - two reasons, it was a great location with a great view, and secondly, our friends from Adelaide were also there, and it seemed like a great excuse. We did the creek walk up the canyon which was very good - the kids were hoping for a big waterhole, but no, just big views. That night we had a dingo circle our dinner table while we were eating, which had the obvious effect of getting Trixie and Oscar onto the table, and the dingo not leaving. He eventually left, but it did scare the kids. The next day we packed the backpack early and we all went on the Kings Canyon Rim walk. This is walk that was for experienced walkers, which by this stage, we all think we are. It is a 5.6km walk with some very close cliff views, lots of stairs and uneven tracks. We all made it - including Trix - and saw some amazing features.
We packed up the next day and said our goodbyes as our SA team members went south home, and we started on our trip north. We got a permit to enter aboriginal lands and took the Mereenie Loop road to the West MacDonnell ranges - well we got told this was a 4WD road, so expected it to be rough - but can I tell you - no-one from Byng had ever better complain about their roads again, and sorry Cath and Neil, we have found a worse road than yours! We rattled and shook for over 100kms - and going 20 or 60km /hr made no difference, and in fact, you would not have been able to go 80 if you tried!! The first 20kms was fun - the next 80+ was just crap as we bounced across constant corragations. Sharpie, we are pleased to say that the box held together, and in fact nothing smashed - which defies belief. We stopped at the Glen Helen Gorge where the Finke river goes through the gap - plenty of water, we then stopped at Ormiston gorge, by now the kids are nearly over the gorges, and Trix can identify most native grasses. We camped the night at a bush camp at the Ellery Creek Waterhole and shared a camp fire with a family from Kurrajong that are travelling for 6 months. We packed up this morning and landed back in Alice - we booked in early into a caravan park as they are all getting full - which surprised me. We spent today doing a few tourist activities - went to the Pioneer Womens exhibition, the Desert Park which was great, and the kids got some time at the skate park - which is Oscars new sport of choice.
The kids managed to get their journals up to date, and Oscar and Hunter have nearly finished all of their Maths work. Hunter got a blog from a class mate to say they are doing government and resources this term, so we will find some extra things on this over the next few weeks - you would not believe his excitment at that prospect. We are all well, and looking forward to venturing north.

Red Centre Way - Kings Canyon

Red Centre Way
So much action, not enough blogging - or mobile coverage
We have collected our additional camper - Delsia - who is travelling with us for the next 3 weeks. We met up with some other campers at the Alice Springs caravan park - Michelle and Ron, and their daughter Tayla - she and Trixie have become great friends. We spent the day travelling through the East MacDonnell Ranges together, with the kids playing in the water in the Trephina Gorge. We then decided to travel together to see the N'dhala Gorge, which has over 6000 rock carvings. This road had been closed due to the large creek and river crossings - but we decided to have some real adventure and went 4WD - which was not only fun, but a great feeling to leave the bitumen and do something a bit different, and see things that not many get to see. This section of the day took longer than we thought, and we ended up travelling home through Ross River Station in the dark.It was a great day, and we would not done it had we not teamed up with Michelle and Ron. That night were we awoken by the very close howling of a dingo - which pretty much finished all sleep for me for the rest of the night!!!
We then packed up and ventured off to Yulara. This was a day that was mainly travel - as it is close to 500kms from Alice. We went up to an observation dune and watched the sun set over Uluru, with Hunter taking a large number of photos of the changing colours. Again, there were dingos howling, but these were in the distance, so all good.
We got up and went out to Uluru - the climb was closed due to high winds, so it gave us a chance to walk around the base and do the various walks. They opened to climb after lunch, so Dek, Delsia and Hunter headed off. We were left nervous on the ground, so Oscar, Trix and I went to Talinguru Nyakunytjaku (find the spelling mistake now Patty!!) and did the dune walks, and learnt a lot about the traditional foods and ceremonies. We went back to collect the climbers, and they returned after 2.5 hours. They were very excited about their achievement, we were simply relieved!
Sunday saw us pack-up and head out to Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). We did the gorge walk and loved the complexity of the rocks that form this mountain feature. This was a place of mens business. We had a quick cuppa and started the trek to Kings Canyon, as we had arranged to meet up with team Adelaide again, Ron, Michelle and Tayla. We arrived at the Kings Canyon "resort" in time to set up and watch the sun set over the ranges - and to also see the Dingos appear in the camp before the sun had set. Someone lost their steak off the BBQ, and four shoes had gone missing before dark - so Hunter set himself up the top of the trailer as the "Dog Spotter".