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:
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| Victoria River Roadhouse, NT |
