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Published: August 25th 2009
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20-8-09 We headed off for Katherine about 9am & got gas at Halls Creek $1.15 per litre, did we get ripped off, we had to get the attendant to turn the pump on & we did not see the price until it was too late. Called in at Edith Falls 42 k’s out of Katherine. We left the dogs in the van with the windows open & took off on the walk to he falls & pools. It was very steep & rocky but worth it in the end. The water fall & pool were just amazing & by this time we were hot & there were lots of people in the water, so I decided I was going in swimming with my cloths on & Den did too. The water was “refreshing” to say the least, but it sure cooled us down. We then walked back to the car park via rocks & tracks 2,7 k’s all up. We were hot even though our cloths were wet, it is about 37 deg today. At the camp ground at the falls there is a large water hole & small a waterfall which you can swim in, we had a look, it
was very nice. We got back to the van & cooled the dogs off & had lunch & pushed onto Katherine. We got gas at Katherine 77.9 cents a litre , much better , because of the heat the gas is not filling right up in the tank & is only taking 60 litres at most. We decided to stay at Manbulloo Homestead Caravan Park, which is a working Cattle Station as well. It is pet friendly & has nice big grassed , shady sites. it’s a bit old but ok. It is 9 km’ out of town & $24 a night , we booked in for 2 nights but will probably stay more . By the time we got settled it was tea time , The TV is not so good & the phone & net keep dropping out but we are managing. The people next door have a satellite dish & get heaps of channels, so we will go & have a look tomorrow to see about getting one. I posted he blog & caught up with emails & we rang a few people too. We have had trouble with the car today , it has been hard
to start so will get it checked tomorrow.
21-8-09 Off to Katherine for bread, bank, o ring for gas bottle , checked out satellite dish, I think we will get one tomorrow, posted some stuff off & went to get the car checked out. It was the starter motor so den dropped me back at the van & I had a rest & he went back to get it fixed. Den had 3 choices, a new one, fix the old one which needed parts, both these would be a weeks wait for the parts to get here or the guy could pull it apart & $118 so that’s what we decided to do. By the time Den got back we had a chat to our neighbours & thought we would let the girls off the lead as they had been pretty good & not wandering too far, big mistake they both spotted the cattle in the paddock & took off at 100 mph & we could not catch them. Eventually they came back when the cattle turned around, puffed & looking very pleased with themselves, they both got a smack & told to head for home which they did.
It was time for tea & Den tried to watch the footy but it was pretty snowy & the sound was no good. I went to bed & the girls followed me.
22-8-09 Den went up & booked into the park for another two days & then we went in to Katherine & picked up our Satellite Dish & just our luck the Optus card has to be activated to set up the dish, it’s a once only fee, as its not pay TV . Well they are not open on the weekend, so we had a dish that we will have to wait till Monday to set up. It was a real pity as the couple next door , Ron & Marion, had one & was going to show Den how to use it. Never mind we will figure it out. We then set out for Cutta Cutta Caves about 27km south of Katherine. It was really hot & we were looking forward to going down the caves to get a bit cooler. It was $15 each & the tour took about 1 hour. We had a 10 minute walk to the entrance where we met our guide
Russell, there was about 40 people in the tour. We all descended into the cave & it was immediately a lot cooler. We were told to look out for bats, frogs, spiders & snakes, great just what I needed. The limestone in the cave roof was just amazing and they glittered like stars, that’s how it got its name, “The Darwin People” saw the lights & thought they were stars & Cutta means star & Cutta Cutta means many stars. Anyway the limestone does not grow from the bottom of the cave floor as the yearly wet seasons wash the limestone deposits away. It was a very interesting tour & we went in about 200 mts as the rest of the caves beyond that are hard to get to & full of bats. We only saw a snake up high, & Russell said that the bats don’t come out till after dark, thank God. We emerged from the cave into the heat about 37 deg so we decided we might go & have lunch at the Golf Club, so we sat there & had a burger & a few drinks & thoroughly enjoyed the avo. Got back to the van
to two very happy girls, we opened the door & they hopped out & Annie saw the cattle again & she was off, racing down the road like a two year old with Jessie following. They never barked or tried to bite them they just love chasing them. They eventually came back to us & got their bum spanked & then Den & I had a rest , with two very subdued dogs ( they don’t get smacked ) & then got tea, what a life. Its funny the dogs have been so good off the lead & coming when they are called, but when they see cows its on for young & old.
23-8-09 Today was catch up day, washing & tidying up, Den had a look at the Satellite Dish & asked Ron a few more questions from next door, then we had lunch & I got a baked dinner ready to put on, we decided to go & take the girls for a walk down to the river, we were told to be careful as there were crocs sighted a while ago. We got down there & right or wrong Annie wanted to go in &
Jessie just wanted to follow, so Den went in cloths & all as we had to keep them on the lead as the current was really strong, there were about 8 people swimming & it was another hot day so in the end I went for a swim too in my clothes, I am getting good at that now, I don’t care anymore. After the swim we took the girls for a nice walk & they were covered in dust by this stage, so they went under the hose when we got back. Cooked a nice dinner & Marion came over after tea & gave us a few pointers on where to stay in WA. They have been on the road for about 23 years on & off & are a great couple. Well off to bed, I have not been sleeping well, I wake up about 12.30 then cant sleep so do silly things like my blog or email people. We are off to Victoria River tomorrow & on to the WA border when we get there, no date set, so I would say we might not have very good phone reception or internet, so will catch up with
everyone soon.
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