Berry Springs - Northern Territory

Dear blogger - if you have just had a chilly day at work SHUT DOWN NOW!!

But as we are camping at Berry Springs we thought it about time we went for a swim in them - just great. They are fresh water springs which flow over a small waterfall (good place to get a back massage) into a pool and then down a small creek into 2 more pools. The bottom is light gravel and as you can see the water incredibly clear. Just wonderful to float on your back and look up at an intensely blue sky framed by a canopy of green leaves. Heaven!

Territory Wildlife Park

The mornings are cool so yesterday we got up early and before 9am were at the Territory Wild Life Park - it’s a cross between Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo and Desert Park in Alice Springs - and features the flora and fauna of the Top End. There are displays where you can feed whip rays, walk through the aquarium and get up close and personal with a salty, a huge aviary with raised paths and platforms and a display with free flying native birds including the jabiru, raptor, owls and buzzards plus heaps of natural bushland.

You can walk bush trails or take a shuttle train - we did both and spent nearly 8 hours at the park!

We did a “behind the scenes” tour and got to see where the vet works, food prep areas for various animals and an insight into a quoll (a small native animal a bit like a miniature possum) breeding program. The introduction of the poisonous cane toad which are eaten by native animals has been a huge problem. A woman has a project to discourage quolls from eating cane toads - she takes baby non poisonous cane toads and coats them with a product which has no taste or smell but which when eaten by the quoll makes them sick but does not kill them. After a meal of the treated toad the quoll refuses to eat them again. Quolls which take part in this program have a very successful survival rate. An interesting approach to a very serious problem!

Camp at Berry Springs

We left Darwin on Saturday morning with 2 new tyres on the car and on the van - car has been serviced and new the new idler pulley installed so we are ready to hit the road again - but we are only 50 km or so down the highway - at Berry Springs. We once met some people on the road who said what a lovely place Berry Springs is so we thought we should check it out. It is promoted as a “tropical paradise” - you can fish, bush walk, swim in the springs and there is supposed to be an abundance of wild life, whatever that means.

We set up camp today amongst the palm trees and the electric fan we bought in Darwin has been very useful, it is pretty hot and humid. We are here for at least 4 days so let’s hope we can catch some fish!

Darwin - Parap Market

A few kms down the road from the caravan park is the Parap Village Saturday Market which is an institution and ritual among locals who can’t survive a weekend without their Saturday morning laksa, satay prawns or a tropical smoothie. The locals were certainly out and about when we visited the market this morning. Lots of fresh produce to choose from and food stalls with Asian flavours. We came home with a brunch of green mango and spicy beef salads, fresh pineapple and cakes flavoured with coconut, pandan and palm sugar - yum!

Darwin

We have been in Darwin for nearly a week now, we needed to get the car serviced which was a good thing as Suzuki found that the idler pulley is worn and replacement is recommended - of course the part has to come from somewhere on the other side of Australia - so we are here for an extra week, which is not a problem because it’s very warm, usually about 32 and humid, but we are in a pleasant caravan park which has 3 pools and there is a lot to do and see in in this laid back town.

The extra time here has meant we have been able to spend time browsing through art galleries and craft shops, it’s difficult to resist a purchase or two and we spent most of yesterday strolling through the Botanic Gardens which, as you would expect, is full of wonderful tropical plants, with ponds, a waterfall and an abundance of palms, orchids and tropical flowers. It’s good to be able to look around in a leisurely fashion

And then there are the markets for which Darwin is renowned, last night it was Mindil Beach Sunset Market, you may recognize the photographer trying to catch the tropical sunset - there is the vast variety of Asian food, live music, art and jewellery stalls - the only problem is that it is very very crowded.

We will have to wait and see what next week brings, hopefully a new idler pulley.

Farmers Market - Katherine

Saturday morning farmers market in Katherine - we said “we don’t need anything, we’ll just have a look”.

Oranges, melon, beans, radishes, fresh dates, chillis, cold rolls, Thai pumpkin with coconut custard and mango jam found their way into the shopping bag, all irresistible local produce. There is no picture of pad thai noodles or the pancakes with fresh fruit and ice cream - they didn’t last long enough.

Bitter Springs

It’s quite a journey from Mount Isa to Mataranka - it took us about 3 days of driving with overnight road house stops. We are staying at Bitter Springs, just north of Mataranka.

This is an area where underground water surfaces at an amazing rate of 30 million litres a day at a temperature of 34c and is said to have its origin thousands of kilometers away in northern Queensland, emerges here and flows down to join the Roper River.

We have swum in the hot springs, the water is incredibly clear and on the sides of the creek grow paperbarks, palms and pandanus. A wonderful natural swimming pool!

If you have read the book, or seen the film, We of the Never Never, (I haven’t) the original homestead is nearby.

We leave here tomorrow for 3 days in Katherine and then a week in Darwin.

Up the creek

Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) is in a remote part of Queensland’s north west highlands, it is about 210 km from the nearest road house and the last 70 km of road rough dirt and stone with 2 creek crossings. But the journey is worth it - Lawn Hill Creek is fed by freshwater springs, so there is lush foliage and swimming and canoeing are popular past times The water so clear you can see the fish and crocs (if they are around).

We hired a canoe and paddled our way up river until we reached an outcrop where the water flows over the rocks producing small falls, the more energetic carry their canoes over the falls and paddle up further.

It was our first time this trip off road bush camping and our little van was very comfortable with power from our solar panel and the fridge and stove running on gas. It took a bit of getting used to not having mobile phone and internet.

Our next stop was Cloncurry, we are now in Mount Isa where we plan to hit the Woolies for fresh fruit and veg etc., then to head west and north with several days travelling before we reach Mataranka Homestead where we hope to stop and enjoy the hot thermal springs.