Geikie Gorge, WA (Fitzroy Crossing)

We took the one hour boat cruise up the Fitzroy River to view the Geikie Gorge, which despite being in the dry season, is a huge body of water, a bit like a giant billabong. The rocks lining both side are the same Devonian reef system that we saw at Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek, except here it is in the river itself. It's been raining for a few days and apparently the wildlife are straying in bed. We saw one or two crocs instead of 'hundreds' and one goanna instead of heaps. The Rock Martin birds are sitting in the trees instead of building their nests and basically the whole wildlife population is confused as to wether its the dry or the wet. They say it was a dry wet and that we now have a wet dry, if that makes and sense.

During the wet season, this whole place floods, every year, never misses. The biggest flood was last year when it was 2 metres above the gazebo (see photos). I had to laugh, you know how everything water wise is measured in multiples of Sydney Harbours? Well here they say that during the flood, the amount of water flowing down the Fitzroy would fill Sydney harbour every 10 hours. That is a lot of water.

The rock is basically limestone, having been a coral reef a gozillion years ago. The flood waters carry millions of tons of sand down the river (where from? Where to?), which erodes the limestone, but not in the nice rounded way you normally see, but into sharp edges and angular shapes, like its been carved with a knife. 

As in so many places in the outback, large tracks of land have been returned to the aboriginal owners, and Geikie Gorge is no exception. The place was named by some bureaucrat in Perth after an English geologist, Sir Archibald Geikie, who incidentally never came anywhere near Australia. This wrong will be righted in the near future when it will be renamed Darngku, which is the traditional name for the area.

Here is but one snap:

Geikie Gorge, WA

Kimberly Run, Fitzroy

We were pretty happy to leave Derby this morning, the humidity got to 99.9 and stayed there. You walk to the loo and back and are sweating like a pig. Just got to be too oppressive.

Took the Savannah way back down to Fitzroy Crossing, dodging roos and stray cattle. It rained most of the way. Every road leading off the highway looked like a quagmire.

Here's a snap of the river crossing, and that was just the driveway into the van park:

Whoosh!

Derby III

Rest day today. Wow but its hot, and humid. You sweat just moving around. We went and had a look at the tourist things: Boab prison tree, Myall's bore and cattle trough, Mowanjum aboriginal art gallery, pioneer cemetery and then had lunch at a funny place called the Windmill. You sit out the back in a 'beer garden' surrounded by demountable accommodation, like right next to you.

Judy retired to the van saying it was too hot. I went back on the sightseeing trail and picked up the old Derby goal, the wharfinger's house, and some old junk around the jetty including parts of the tram that once rolled down the main street and all the way out onto the jetty.

At least it's cooler now that the sun has gone down and a nice little breeze has sprung up. We're off tomorrow and I suspect that it will be a good thing to get away from the humidity.

Here's a snap from todays lot.

Start of the Gibb River Road. Derby, WA

Derby II

Well, yes I know I said never, never ever again, but there we were, waiting for the luxury 4x4 bus to take us out for the day. At least it's only 140km and a fair bit of that on sealed road.

Naturally, we assumed that the Derby Town Bus, a 20 seater Toyota pulling into to the van park, would be ours. It was. At least it was neat and clean, appeared to be roadworthy and potentially more comfortable than the last one.

Just out of town we turn onto the world famous (i'm not over using that am i?) Gibb River Road that runs for almost 900km from Derby to Whyndam and was originally conceived as a stock route in the 1860's.

It is feared by caravanners who unless they have the ruggedised off road van, universally take the highway back through Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek. The first 100km takes us out to the Windjana Gorge turnoff and doesn't seem so bad: it is a patchwork of proper sealed road, corrugated dirt road and 'developmental' road. Developmental means a single lane of tar, flattish areas of dirt either side. The rule is that you're both supposed to move over when approaching another vehicle, unless you're a road train or a truck or bus or a 4x4 a metre off the ground with huge bull bar and festooned with driving lights, or you are a daredevil or sick of living.

Anyhow, we got to Windjana Gorge in one piece and were treated to a walk up a gorge through a gap in the Devonian rock reef. They explain that the reef used to be 200m under the ocean floor 75 million years ago. You stumble through a rock arch and out into a wide sandy creek bed running between the cliff faces. The rock holds many fossils, one of which we see, a nautiloid, and bones from ancient crocodiles and turtles. Further into the gorge there are billabongs, and then we see them: freshwater crocodiles. They are lined up along the opposite bank basking in the sun, except for the odd one on our bank. They wont bite you unless you annoy them, they say. Check out those teeth though.

Next stop a bit further down the track is the ruins of the Lillimooloora Police Station. You can't help but wonder at the quality of construction given that it was built in 1884 and the nearest settlement as such as 100 miles away. It's also the start of one of the saddest conflicts between Aboriginals and Europeans. The local Bundura people weren't too happy about having their lands taken from them and their traditional food and water supply being used up. Naturally they took a few sheep and cows to stay alive. Naturally the settlers just went out, tracked down a group of Bundura and shot a few of them in retaliation. Things got out of hand fairly quickly: they would round up the young men and ship them to Broome as slaves to work in the pearling industry. One young man, Jandamarra was a fine stockman and an excellent shot and joined the police force and then proceeded to help them hunt his own people down. It came to a head when one of the captives, possibly a blood uncle, talked some sense into him and he shot the policeman and set them all free. They chased him for 3 years as he helped his people to avoid them and also he and others attacked the settlers any time they could. Jandamarra was  attributed with magical powers for his ability to apparently disappear, and his favourite place to do that was Tunnel Creek.

Ah, Tunnel Creek. You can't imagine how anyone found the entrance to what is basically a cave, but as you drop down into it, it is breathtaking. It really is a proper stream, probably not as big as the one at Windjana Gorge, but it is 30 - 40 metres wide and runs the 750m length of the Tunnel.During the dry you walk along the sandy bed and wade across the stream. There is one place where the roof has caved in and another where there are stalactite and 'curtains' that you see in normal caves. There are tree roots hanging down from the fig trees some 60 metres above. The final treat is that once out the far end of the tunnel, there are some aboriginal rock art (first ones we've seen this trip) and these are unusual in just being there, the type of shapes drawn and the fact that carbon dating is putting them much earlier than the 5000 years that the local people reckon that they have lived there for. It is into this tunnel of perfect blackness that Jandamarra would escape - disappearing up into a cave or out a secret entrance.

Sadly though, the police brought in another aboriginal tracker from another district. There is no love lost between aboriginal people from different areas. This fellow tracked Jandamarra into the cave and then the police taunted him by bringing his family to the entrance and threatening to kill them. When he came out to help them, they shot him dead. Not happy with that, they cut off his head and sent it back to England, to the manufacturer of the guns they used, as a trophy. One assumes, just like they would display a lion or elephant head, they used it to tout for business. Not happy with that, they killed another aboriginal, cut his head off and sent that back to Broome to prove that they job was done and possibly claim a reward.

I've put up three lots of snaps, but here's one I like:

Derby, WA

Well, here we are, on the move again. Left Broome and headed up and over to Derby, some 210km north. It's a very small, very quiet looking town, first established in 1883. Derby features prominently in all WA and Kimberly history as being the starting point for expeditions and the port  to get goods in and cows and sheep out. The first of the famous jetties was built in 1885. Derby, like Broome, boasts a rise and fall in the sea level of 10 metres, every 6 1/2 hours. That, as they say, is a lot of water. The water comes rushing in and spreads out over these huge mud flats. You can literally stand there and watch the bay filling up.

Unbelievable but true, they drive road trains out onto the jetty. During the day you can drive out and park there and do some fishing. Doesn't leave a hell of a lot of room for that big old truck to come out!

Had to have a nap this arvo, then decided the best thing to do was go for a swim at the local pool, which apart from being 'fresh' was a very pleasant place indeed. When we came out the sun was just setting, so we zipped back to the jetty to take some obligatory sunset over water and jetty snaps. Sorry about the lens flare, will take the Canon next time.

Snap of the day:

Sunset over Derby jetty. Derby, WA
Lens flare, graininess, lack of focus care of Nikon Corp.

Broome VI

Our last day here. We picked up the tour of the pearl luggers, which was a quick walk around the two old crocks they have on display and then a fascinating talk and movie all about pearl diving that ran for an hour. After they gave us some 'pearl meat', the adductor muscle from a Pinctada Maxima, to try and stressed how exotic and expensive it was. All i could taste for the next 4 hours was the chilli that it had been marinaded in, but it has distinct possibilities.  Judy couldn't contain herself and bought yet more pearl bits, a hair clip thing this time. Mind you she was not right impressed when yesterdays purchase of an elasticised bracelet snapped and sent pearls everywhere. It's al god though as they replaced it right away

Last thing on the must do list was the Stairway to the Moon, a phenomena caused when the sun is just setting in the west, the moon is just rising in the east and the tide is right out exposing the mudflats. 


We're off in the morning, heading up to Derby for a few days and then back across toward Darwin.

Snap d'jeur:

Stairway to the Moon. Town Beach. Broome, WA

Broome V

Hi, well, I'm out of sync with the days as they roll on by but hey, what can one do? I'm just a little annoyed at Google right now because they have arbitrarily forced me over from Picasa web albums to Google+. Now I don't like or need Google+, so I've spend some time finding out how to get back to Picasa.

Highlight of yesterday was a camel ride along Cable Beach at sunset. After the test drive in Alice, I was pretty happy not to repeat the event as it's just damn uncomfortable. But somehow here we were saddling up for the one hour trek. Most interesting part was the cameleer, who at 18 seemed to have a an opinion on everything that was wrong with the world and politics and didn't mind sharing. God bless the zealots of the world.

Today we went and ogled the Dawn Princess that came into town. I was on the beach this morning as it rounded the headland - you could still see half of the superstructure as it slid by on the other side!

Took advantage of the local high school fundraiser and had them wash the car, mostly because the only car was in town looked derelict.

Went and had a few quiet minutes at the Buddhist temple where they have a 3.5m high Crystal Buddha. It's a very tranquil sort of place where they have piped 'oms' and lots of yoga.

Sat at the bar and watched the sunset again while demolishing a pile of mussels and drinking cocktails - ah, what a life!

That's it i'm afraid, I'm so cross with google i can't think straight - but wait - i've sorted it for the moment and added a bunch more pictures to the Broome, WA listing

Me and my girl upon a camel build for two. Cable Beach, Broome, WA

How about another snap, just because I can?

Judy and her fav foods, Pina colada and mussels. Cable Beach, Broome, WA

Broome IV

What? Huh? Oh yeah, we're in Broome. We have had two very relaxing days recovering from the trip to the Cape. We had a massage each, treated ourselves to lunch and generally wandered about doing not very much for two days. The lunch speciality up here appears to big burgers, huge. And if they are Barramundi burgers then even the better.

Had a nice surprise in that a visit to the local museum was very pleasant and informative. One of the best 'little' museums I can think of. The highlight for me, and I'm still in shocked amazement, is that they have on display, in a pretty ordinary looking cabinet, a book. No ordinary book. This one was written by William Dampier (1651-1715), A new voyage around the world, 1697.   It has an inscription on the flyleaf 'Letitia Harbord, 1697'. You could spend a fascinating hour googling both of these names. Even more fascinating would be to find out how come the book, given to a nice English young lady, has ended up out here in Broome.

Judy managed to find a nice pearl necklace that we have added to her collection and is pretty happy about that. (I'm even happier now that I don't have to buy the diamonds back in Kununurra!)

The weather has been windy and cloudy for two days, but the cloud seems to be dispersing at the moment. We are contemplating a walk along the beach and a swim, maybe even go on one of the camel rides just for the hell of it.

I've added a few more snaps to the Broome, WA link, but here's one just for you.

Cape Leveque. WA

Imagine if you will: you're up at 6am all excited about the big trip planned for the day. You booked weeks ago so as to not miss out. You are waiting patiently out the front of the van park as the sun breaks the morning sky. A rusty, dirty, pile of Toyota nuts and bolts clunks to a halt across the road. Apart from the filthy, nondescript 4x4, there is an equally dirty and scruffy looking trailer attached.
No one in our party moves: we are expecting a luxury air-conditioned coach. This could not be ours. Eventually a man ambles across to us. he is dressed in nondescript khaki shirt and jeans. He fails to introduce himself and we are obliged to enquire of him if he has really come for us - in that.

Crestfallen, we approach the orange box used as a step up into the less than salubrious looking interior. Bent double I follow Judy to a pair of seats and drop into one of them. The driver, still speechless, assumes his place and coaxes the engine into life for what would become a heart stopping moment each time we set off. And we are off. Well, off to pick up more and more wide-eyed tourists until the Super Trooper has a complete compliment of 13 souls.

By the time we reach the highway, my back is aching and I use a towel as a lumber support. All too soon we hit the dirt, and I really mean hit. The bangs and crashes and shuddering rise to a new all time high for discomfort - and stays that way for the next two hours. The 'road' is atrocious, not helped in the least by the big rains they had here  a week or so ago and the helpful way it was 'graded' by someone who knew not what they were doing. I cannot see a damn thing except the head of the bloke in front. God it's awful, please let it end soon. It ends at Beagle Bay. The driver, who has remained silent the entire time breaks that silence to tell us where the loos are and to offer a communal roll of toilet paper, as they just don't have such things out here. We reluctantly clamber back aboard for a short drive to the world famous missionary church with the alter made of pearl shell. It's nice enough, but again, there was nothing. No little chat, no friendly local to show us around. We had morning tea in the car park: tea and stale packet anzacs. I wondered at the time if there was indeed a bay to go with the Beagle Bay tag, or perhaps even a beagle. The beagle was a possibility, in these communities one find lots of really odd looking, mostly mangy, criss-crossed dogs.

Did I mention the fact that the roof mounted air conditioner leaked water down the drivers side pillar and onto his seat belt, so that he drove with a drenched seat belt across him the entire time?

Back on the road, oddly bitumen now that were are out on the cape, and another hour and a half later we rocked up to Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm. Finally, a guide took us in hand and gave us a good talking to about the farm and about pearls and stuff. This was more like it. Then we were seated at a table and the young lady launched into our 'Pearl appreciation' lecture. Ladies drooling all around as she handed out pearls of all shapes and sizes from rubbish to the top notch $5000 job. Then she started handing out big fat strings of pearls for the ladies to hold up to their necks and gaze longingly at their husbands / boyfriends / department of finances.  With all our new knowledge we are then allowed into the gallery itself and they were happy to show and tell any and all of their goodies. Judy decided that they were all to big and gaudy and we wandered of to get our promised 'scrumptious' meal.

(Close your ears and cover your eyes my children) The smell of the lunch arrived first and had a few of us edging toward the loos. Surely not. Surely they wouldn't assume everyone would want to spend 6 hours being shaken around like farts in a bottle and then settle down to a lovely meal of curried chicken and cold rice. Yum - not. I toughed it out, I was so hungry I even ate a bowl of salad and three pieces of gritty carrot cake as an antidote. Not to mention 2 litres of water. Oh, and how would we all like to clamber back into the tin-can again please. Not that we could find it, he had parked some way up the track from where we had been disgorged and he hadn't mentioned it.

Two hundred metres later we were bogged as the thing failed to take the slight sandy hill on the way out. Having the trailer meant backing up to get a run at it was dodgy. We got help from the pearl farm, and eventually their mechanic just jumped in and drove the thing up and over, no worries. Helps if its in 1st gear not 5th. Oh, and did I mention that the 'thing' didn't have a hand brake? He had to jump out, grab a rock and jamb it under a wheel before it rolled back out of his reach.

We went to a Trochus Hatchery. Someone decided it'd be clever to breed Trochus shell, staple diet of locals, and restock the reef after the Indonesians wiped them out a few years ago. It was really just a way to get a donation from everyone and possibly sell us a bit of junk jewellery or some other useless artefact made out of polished Trochus shell. We had all but drifted out of the shed when a German? guide turned up and insisted on giving us the chat. They have all kinds of fish in the ponds that they try and breed and do research on. Except for one tank that had had 12 Barramundi in it until last week. Now it had 12 holes in it, no water and no fish after the local teenagers came in and speared the lot. It's all theirs so, hey, who cares?

We then headed down another even more ruined dirt road  to the Cape Leveque camp ground and made it after stopping to help some idiot in a Magna that had buried itself in the sift sand. We couldn't help (we had nothing: no shovel, no recovery straps, no portable tracks, no winch), he was sitting on his sump with his wheels off the ground. We left with a promise to send help, only grateful that we had made it through ourselves. We dropped the trailer off in the camp area, and then went down onto the beach for our promised dip. The dip, I'm pleased to say was very refreshing and very welcome. But wait, there's more.  We were driven back up to the camp ground and down the other side to the Western Cliffs, to view the sunset in all its glory. I don't think anyone was that fussed, we were all wondering how we were going to make it back home and what could possibly go wrong in the pitch black of night.

Finally after our obligatory warm cup of tea and now fresh biscuit, we headed out on our return journey, it was 7:15pm. Here's how it goes, we made it back to the main bitumen road and ground along at top speed for an hour and a quarter. We hit the dirt road and bashed and crashed and careened along at 50kph for the next 2 hours. Finally we emerged onto the highway and to the high-pitched metallic grinding sound of a gearbox tearing itself apart, headed for our various homes. We pulled in to our van park at 21:45, 14 hours and 15 minutes of torture later. Never again.

Never.

The driver added a tree to the roof for luck, we needed all the help we could get.

Broome III

Happy 40th Anniversary to US!

Spent the day out on the water aboard Intombi, a 1903 Pearly lugger. (Its a lot like grandad's axe though, not an awful lot of the original in her these days) which was a perfectly delightful way to spend some time together. We had champers, jumped in and enjoyed boom netting, ate food, more food, drank more wine, more food and then watched the fabulous sunset. A truly great day out.

Sunset aboard Intombi.Broome, WA

Our plans of dinner fell apart when we got back, neither of us could be bothered and as we have a 7am start for the Cape Levique tour tomorrow, elected to dine in.

Broome II

We had a lovely relaxing day today, with no travel except to get a new lightbulb for the chariot and to sightsee at a few spots around town.

Ended up at the top of Cable Beach where we had a big long walk, watched the camels,wondered at the bods with their $80k Toyomotors on the beach and then strolled back to Zeebar to sip champagne (or a pina colada in Judy's case,) chomped away at some lovely string fries and watched the sun set not so slowly into the Indian Ocean.

Trouble is, it's now dark and it's only 5:30pm, yet feels like 8.

Me. He man!

Broome, WA

OMG! We made it! Who’d have thought, just took 17 days and 5250 kilometres, but we is here, in Broome in Western Australia.

Found our van park, the Palm Grove Holiday Resort, right up near the world famous Cable Beach.  Pretty nice actually, even if it looks like more than a few are here for the Perth winter. Funny thing though, we’ve come all this way and seen 2 BMWs on the way, an X3 and a 1 series. Right here in this park there are now 3 BMW X5’s within 5 vans of each other. (Good, I thinks to myself, maybe I can borrow some bits to get my headlights working again!) 

Drove into ‘town’, and bought a few supplies and had a poke about. You have to laugh at this, there are signs all over the place that pedestrians must give way to cars, yet they still have pedestrian crossings. Why bother? Who knows or cares. We’ve booked a cruise for our anniversary, out and up the coast on an old pearling lugger to drink wine and eat canapés while watching the sunset over the Indian Ocean

On our way back, busting for a swim in the pool, I couldn’t resist it, had Judy drive the car down and onto the actual beach for the obligatory snap. 

Beemer on the Beach - Cable beach, WA - which is a little way up the road from Canberra

Fitzroy Crossing, WA

Got away early for our big run of 480k, and ran right into roadworks for the first 100 – rats. Took 1:30 instead of 1 hour, made it a longer than necessary day. Stopped for fuel at Halls Creeks and slid right on out of a rather seedy looking town. Just kept going and going, the road from HC to FC is actually rather good, they probably got sick of rebuilding it after every flood and built it up and proper instead. We keep checking out the free camps along the way, some are no more than a dirt carpark, others are a bit more elaborate with a single long drop toilet even! We heard that one of them, Mary’s Pool, had 100 vans in it last night – don’t even think about how that long drop coped. The smell! The flies! The filth! Ergh.. Only for the desperate I’d reckon. 

Anyhow, we did finally get to stop and take some snaps at a place called Ngumban Cliffs, although I’m sorry to have missed a few along the way.

Couldn’t even find our park at Fitzroy Crossing. We rang them and they were less than helpful, almost as if they didn’t know where they were either! Went to the i-place, they were closed for lunch between 1 and 4. Oh, well they had a large map outside which explained everything and we soon got into the park, picked a spot and hit the pool. Haven’t even unhitched, we can check out FC next time on the way back up to Darwin.

Snap d-jour:

Hey, that's our rig! Ngumban Cliffs, WA

Bungle Bungle, WA

Crossed over into WA this morning, but this time we were ready for the strict quarantine, having eaten and disposed of all plant matter and or bottle of honey. We stopped in Kununurra to replenish the car and the caravan; and ourselves of course with coffee and rock-cakes. Judy checked out Nina, and decided that if we fail to get pearls in Broome, then another champagne diamond, perhaps necklace, will do.

Suitably refuelled, we ventured out where we had not been before, taking the road out toward Wyndham but turning south at the only junction, toward Halls Creek.

The scenery continued to be spectacular with escarpments on either side and that glowing red rock and dirt contrasting with the vivid lime green foliage of the trees. You drive the entire way through a series of mountain ranges, collectively called: the Kimberly.

We finally made it into our park, about 100 km north of Halls Creek, and which resembles a MASH set with its array of red-dust coloured canvas tents; they even have choppers buzzing about. We had pulled up in a line of about 4 vans waiting to get in, and they just keep rolling in after us. It’s gone quiet now though as it approaches sunset, nobody wants to be on the road after dusk.

My first item on the agenda was a shower, as Timber Creek forgot to tell us that they didn’t have hot water (but it’ll be fixed next week – as if that’s some solace). This place has a pair of demountable toilet/shower blocks – 4 cubicles in each with a toilet, shower and basin. No curtains or anything, just like in a boat, everything gets wet! The sign on the wall says, ‘turn on hot only, if it doesn’t get hot, try again’. I tried and tried. I gave up and just used the cold, it was almost warm enough anyhow,even refreshing after a long day!

Snap of the day:

Crocs! Bungle Bungle, WA

 

Timber Creek, NT

Couldn’t resist an early morning dip in the spring, so our 730am start was a bit later. We had planned to get to Katherine about 830, grab one of the big van spots at the information centre carpark and then hit the shops for a few things we were out of. By the time we go there, the place was packed with vans and rigs and trucks of every size. Luck was with us though and as one drove out, we drove in. With stocks replenished, I thought I’d be clever and get fuel as well. Pulled into the Shell, only to realize too late that they were petrol-only pumps and that getting out was going to be a problem. Fabulous how everyone stops to watch the fun! No harm done, we did without the fuel and headed out for Victoria River some 200km to the west. 

All the way up from Blackall, though the Isa, The Barkly tablelands and up through the middle to Katherine had a slight air of familiarity to us, and except for the rocky outcrops near the Isa is pretty boring monotonous. But, driving west from Katherine the land is generally flat and scrubby with plenty of signs of the Brahman cattle for which the area is known. You keep driving toward what look like high ridge lines in the distance, and then you notice you are climbing and that the road has become winding rather than straight. Before you realise it, those ridge lines are boxing you into a valley and they themselves have become quite pronounced: very steep grassed sides and a sharp ridge along the top. This is exactly the path that Pat Durack described as he drove that first head of cattle in 150 years ago. The ridges change abruptly as they become sheer cliff faces of the darkest red chocolate brown you can imagine. The foliage is thick with grasses and trees covered in dense bright green leaves. It truly is an amazing sight. And still the valley continues right up to the actual crossing of the Victoria River, where there is a road house and van park and a decent feed for weary travelers.

The 80km or so from Victoria River to Timber Creek see the land opening up a bit, it’s almost as if you are driving along an ancient river bed lined on both sides by those same ridge lines, this time they are distinguished by having a single strata of some rock running the whole length of them, about two thirds of the way up. Even when there is a gap, you can plainly see how that strata would have once jumped that gap. The light was right and everything, but sadly there are precious few places to stop for snapping, especially east of the Victoria River.

We didn’t really know what to expect at Timber Creek, we only stopped here for fuel last year, and the first thing that greeted us were the signs demanding payment up-front for fuel, and the ATM thing being secured behind bars and mesh that Pentridge would be proud of. The pumps themselves were just a single old rusty pair stuck out in the dusty dirt access road. One of the van parks, which was behind these pumps and the office, looked a bit of a wreck. So we were a bit nervous about what we might find now that we wanted to stay overnight (Kununurra is still 200+km away). As we pulled in, the first thing we see is that the pumps have been demolished and there were workmen building an awning and they had most of the access road blocked. We took a chance and turned in anyway. 

Much to our surprise and relief, the Timber Creek Caravan Park is alive and well. It’s obviously had a heap of work done on it, all freshly painted, clean and tidy grounds with lush grass and big shady trees, including a magnificent Boab. As it was early, we could take our pick of spots to get the afternoon shade (did I mention that it was 32.5deg), settle in and then go for a swim in the pool, which apart from being cloudy due to the artesian water, was lovely and refreshing (read ‘not frigid’).

Here's a snap:

Victoria River Roadhouse, NT