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We were travelling some pretty remote country.
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Judging by the photo dump that my last post turned out to be, you'd be safe to assume that Sam and I really enjoyed our time at Lawn Hill National Park. Still with the wet season inching it's way closer we decided that we'd better had off west again before the rain came and closed the Gulf Track off for a few months. We were originally going to head up some back roads and come out on the Gulf Track at Doomadgee (or Doom Town as the locals call it) however Ollies 45 series needed a little welding work so we ended up heading back out to Gregory Downs and then heading north to the bright lights of Burketown. Heading up to Burketown we got a taste of what would happen if we left it too late to head south as a local storm dropped some precipitation on the black soil plain, which meant that forward progress was mostly made by looking out the passenger window as we slid our way sideways along the road for awhile.
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We had a quick pit stop in Burketown.
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Burketown
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The locals out and about in Burketown.
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After our pit stop in Burketown we retraced our route for 15 minutes before veering right and heading along the Gulf Track towards the Northern Territory Border. This was desolate country along here and with the track running parallel with the coast we found ourselves crossing numerous rivers and creeks as we headed west, thankfully though all the water crossings were still pretty low however once again it was reminder of why we didn't want to get caught up here when the rains arrived in earnest. After passing through Doom Town we continued rattling our way west into the stinking hot afternoon sun. Arriving in the late afternoon at Hells Gate Roadhouse the green grass looked positively lush after the parched brown and desiccated country we'd been travelling through. Hells Gate was our camp for the night, having the virtually deserted campground to ourselves we were lucky enough to enjoy a home cooked meal at the roadhouse.
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Time to head for Hells Gate... sounds promising!
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The black splotches are Black Cockatoos.
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Hells Gate
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Working on the vehicles again.
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At least I'd got my compressor fixed when I was back in Cairns.
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Fuck it was hot!
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Leaving Hells Gate the next day we continued west, crossing over into the Northern Territory less than an hour later. A little bit later, after passing through Wollogorang Roadhouse (which isn't open anymore), we finally left the flat plains and savannah country behind for awhile and started driving through some hills. The showers were coming and going now as we passed the turn off for the lonely Calvert Road before making our way onto the bitumen at Borroloola in the late afternoon. After a quick tour of Borroloola and a pit stop at the super market we decided that camping at Borroloola wasn't going to be a desirable option, heading west along the Carpentaria Highway to camp for the night at Cape Crawford. Like our previous night at Hells Gate we were pretty well on our own in the camping area at Cape Crawford tonight.
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We've just entered the Northern Territory.
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Typical Gulf Country
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It pays to keep a fair way away from the waters edge up here.
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To be honest I can't tell you exactly which river this is - there are a lot of them.
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Hey, hey were back on the bitumen for awhile.
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Next day we headed along what was arguably the roughest section of the Gulf Track as we made our way from Cape Crawford up to Roper Bar where we picked up the more substantial Roper Highway. After another hour or so of dirt we enjoyed a comfortable last hour or so into Mataranka along the bitumen. We camped that night out at Mataranka Springs in the Elsey National Park and once again we almost had the place to ourselves. Over the years we've been here numerous times and while most people head straight for the concrete lined hot springs I generally find somewhere a little more natural to swim, the Waterhouse River being a good spot although it always looks a bit croccy to me.
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There was some mustering going on.
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Another river crossing.
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Still heading along the Gulf Track, we were now somewhere near the Roper River.
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After spending the night at Mataranka we headed north along the Stuart Highway to set up camp in Katherine for a few days. Katherine not only provided all the facilities that we needed to regroup, revitalise and resupply but also allowed easy access to the stunning Nitmiluk National Park. I've passed through Katherine many many times over the years however I rarely miss the opportunity to take the time to visit Nitmiluk National Park, the bushwalking, swimming and scenery here is pretty special. If anyone stumbles upon this waffle and thinks that they wouldn't mind visiting Nitmiluk then put aside at least enough time to do a two hour river cruise up into Katherine Gorge, it's even better if you can allow more time for a longer cruise though.
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The camping area at Mataranka Springs was almost deserted, although there was a few locals around.
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Mataranka
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The Waterhouse River at Mataranka, it always makes me a little nervous when I swim here, however the water is cool and deep so it's a nice spot on what are always baking hot days.
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The Dirt.
Back in '97 the majority of this route was rough dirt roads and I'm guessing that things probably haven't changed a great deal. There is plenty of camping along the Gulf Track particularly where the track crosses rivers and creeks, although it pays to be pretty careful along here as it's definitely Saltwater Crocodile country. There are many more tourist spots and things to check out along this route now so this is another area that I hope to return too again in the future to explore a bit more, Lorella Spring looks particularly intriguing. Back I these days we were using mostly Hema paper maps.
Relevant Posts.
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We stayed at what is now the Ibis Hotel in Katherine..back then I think it was called the Mercure?
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No visit to Katherine should be complete without a visit to Nitmiluk National Park.
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I never get sick of this cruise.
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