NT - You'll never never know if you never never go!

Before we could get excited about crossing the border to NT we had to figure out which way to take. If we went down to Mt Isa and came back towards Darwin we will be driving about 1127 km more through an area we have already been OR go through Savanna way, north of Lawn Hill from Doomadgee to Borroloola to Stuart HWY and that is definitely uncharted territory on a gravel road.  Savanna way is the road that takes you from Cairns to Broome.

Before we left we had a chat with a few people and they all felt confident that we could do Savanna Way with our caravan no problem, so off we went.  We left Lawn Hill at 8 am and came across a short cut which although it looked rough on the map it was actually beautiful, through river crossings and cattle country, we really enjoyed it.

We hit Doomadgee and after a bit of shopping we had lunch in the car and felt we were on fire, doing great time and sure of getting to our destination, Borroloola. We got going and the gravel road was not great but bearable, some corrugations, some wash outs and dips but with Carlos’s driving I was confident.  The last station before Borroloola, actually the last “anything” before Borroloola is called “Hell’s Gate”.

Peculiar name I thought, why couldn’t it be, paradise in the outback, or the mirage? at that point I did not understand why they called it Hell’s Gate, anyway it even had a coffin but it was a nice place, had a really funky cafe and green grass sites.

I did question whether we should spend a night there but Carlos was determined to get Borroloola and it was around 1 o’clock with about 400 km to go, doable.  Well well, the reason behind the name quickly became evident, it was the gate to HELL, the road changed from bad to impossible and if things could not get any worse we were loosing light so at dusk we not only had the road to deal with but also animals, we had every single obstacle on our path that you can think off and no places for us to stay in between so we had no choice but to keep going.  Just before hitting 40 kms to town we heard chains, we stopped and we had lost a d-shackle, everything was coming loose because of the corrugations.  The last 40 km were the worse we have ever seen, Cape York was a dream compared to this, there was no good side to drive on, corrugations galore, bull dust and now the sun in our eyes so we could not really see where we were going, we struggled but made it to Borroloola just before 6 pm, our 10 hour drive marathon over, we were beyond exhausted.  We unpacked, opened the van and of course dust had got in and it was everywhere!

We survived yes, but to this day, the worse road we have driven on, and yes, we did cross the border to NT…yay. 

Next morning we were off, no rest for the weary, especially when we found out that our next stop was first in first served and a popular place as well, I am talking about the Daly Water Pub and campground.  Last time we only drove by and had a meal, this time we planned to stay.  As we got there, it was hard not to get excited, the “ambiance” was great, the pub full of character and the entertainment, just spectacular, starting with a circus act early evening to music and local artists later in the night.  Although the camping was actually cheap, the money spent through drinks and meals was phenomenal, so as much as we would have liked to stay longer, for our own sanity and benefit, we decided to leave.

As we left Daly Waters and started our journey north towards Darwin, it was going back memory lane. Three years ago we came up through the middle, same route but back then, with our new found friends Lyn and Mark it was exciting to recall those times again.  A lot has changed though, the road is now full of caravans, probably 80 percent, then 10 percent road trains and the rest cars.  Free camps along the road are now packed by midday however and most importantly, the country remains the same, still, quiet, hot and beautiful.  

We arrived at Mataranka, this is what Carlos has been looking forward to the most, the hot springs.  We got there around 1 o’clock and it was packed, I was devastated and realised then that it was unrealistic to expect everything to stay the same.  As I went in I felt that no matter where I went I was always in someone’s way or space.  The kids unfortunately could not be kids because the majority of the people there were older and did not appreciate any splashing, so after a few minutes we left.  Not far, we decided to stay at Bitter Springs, still at Mataranka but this hot springs is through a river which means you jump in and the gentle current takes you to the end then you get out, walk back to the beginning, grab your noodle and go over again. 

What is nice about this hot spring is that, unlike the main Mataranka one which has become a public pool, is running water and it is still within its natural setting.  As you float you can see turtles beneath, iguanas (scared the life out of me as it looked like a snake) and lots of spiders, I really do pray that this does not change and who did we meet again? the Irish family, my kids loved it as they really got along with their kids.  They had an awesome time.

We ended up staying three days at Bitter, we enjoyed our daily trips to the springs and in the mornings Carlos and I went for walks and it was during one of the walks that we met Elspeth.   Where to start, Elspeth was, to me, a woman that I had to meet during my life time.  With a sense of spirituality and life experience, it was so refreshing and in some way enlightening to speak to her, I loved it, and Carlos did too.  We actually stopped her to ask her for directions and half an hour later we were still talking.  But let me tell you a little bit about her.  Originally from NSW, she is a nurse and works in remote indigenous communities as a contractor, some are so remote that she has to be flown there.  That in itself was exciting, Elspeth is a story teller and we were in awe about all the things she has done and how she is now accepted in the indigenous culture.  The use of bush medicine was also very interesting but what was more interesting is just her view of life.  At mid 60s she has really lived a full life and thinking back I do hope, when I am older, to be able to look back at my life and be able to say that I have lived a full life as well.  We caught up with Elspeth once more for a cuppa and do really hope, as with some many people we have met during this trip that I see her again.

After three days it was time to move on, we weren’t really in a hurry, we only needed to be in Darwin before the 1st of July as it is on that day that they celebrate Territory Day and we really didn’t want to miss that. Next, we stopped at Katherine.  Katherine is always changing and for the better, it is becoming a bigger town which is great for the community.  We stocked up with supplies and stopped at the hot springs.   What a beauty! Although they have upgraded the hot springs they still maintained the natural setting.  The water was not too hot or cold, just refreshing and it had an area where it was not too deep and a small area where you could bomb, we were all really impressed and enjoyed our time there.

As we still had some time to get up to Darwin, we decided to free camp just outside a National Park that hosts Edith Falls.  The free camp was actually really good, plenty of space, could have fires but also we met up with a young German couple Michelle and Fred, who we had met at Bitter Springs.

We spent the night talking and sharing stories and it was inspiring to hear how much they have travelled.  After six months in Asia they went back to Germany and just had to keep travelling, now they are doing a year in Australia before flying to South America, the options available for travel and working now days are endless.  In the morning we had to go to the falls, well, we were already there, so off we went.  Because it was early there were not many people and definitely no one had jumped in.  It was quite a swim to the actual waterfall and it was freezing, I tried not to panic and just like Dory, kept swimming “just kept swimming, just kept swimming“.  I tried to get close to the waterfall but the water was pushing me away, anyway I looked around and it was another one of those moments when you are just taken by the experience, we were in this amazing place by ourselves, I looked around me and I felt humble by the beauty and grandiosity of the place.  Loving it!

We left, free camped by a dam 70 kms from Darwin where we met a man named Gary who has been coming to that site for the last few years during Melbourne’s winter.  Sadly he is terminally ill but enjoying every single day with his dogs.  In the morning we took the boys for a walk to the dam (it is now closed and abandoned but you can still walk to the barrier) and as we were walking Josh screamed SNAKE, we just managed to see it, black headed something sliding to the side, quick as anything. This is our second snake so far, hopefully the last.