DEPARTING THE NORTHERN TERRITORY
WEDNESDAY 1 OCTOBER
Left Batchelor at 7:50am for Katherine. Highlight of the morning – Betty G OVERTOOK a roadtrain!!!! OK, OK, it was going rather slow but we still overtook it. We stopped briefly at Pine Creek for some pics of some old trains and mining equipment. Very hot already at 9:50.
Considering this is the end of the Dry Season and there has apparently been a drought as well, everything is very green and lush.
We did a bit of shopping and looking around in Katherine itself and then went out to the Nitmulik (Katherine) Gorge campsite. As usual, as soon as we arrived and got set up, I headed to the camp swimming pool for a cooling dip. When I got there I found it full of Aboriginal kids having a whale of a time. Apparently the campsite organisers allow them access to the pool and campsite for 2 days a week. Their ages ran from 3 or 4 to mid-teens and they were having a great time. That evening they had a rock band playing in their own part of the site and we strolled over to listen.
THURSDAY 2 OCTOBER
Sadly we found that the only way to see the Gorge was via tours which involved a fair amount of walking, and there’s no way I can walk any distance in this heat. Walking in normal temperatures – no probs, but even a stroll when it’s over 30 degrees C is kernackering. Jeff could probably manage it, but I think the heat is actually getting to him too.
We returned to Katherine to see if we could find anyone to do a service and oilchange on Betty G – but everyone was busy. As it was now rather late in the day to set off to WA, we decided to stop at the Riverview Tourist Village just outside Katherine at the beginning of the Great North Road(?) It advertised that it had WiFi, and a pool so we just had to stop there. We were sited next to Karen and Geoff from Sydney and also met Malcolm and Sheila from Bedford (of all places!!)