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Published: August 12th 2014
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Spent our last evening in the UK with good friends,reminiscing and making plans for the future thanks guys.
Manchester airport at 7am is a busy place,baggage handed in we spent the next hour in a queue waiting to file through security,makes you feel safe. Uneventful flight home to Australia via Munich and Singapore.Our caravan had been stored in small caravan park that also offers storage so on return we were able to hook up to power and water.This allowed us a couple of days to restock the fridge and prepare for the next part of our journey.
Our thoughts at this stage are to make our way to Queensland and meet up with friends who have a short holiday booked and a hankering to visit the famous Birdsville pub but that's not until September.We plot our route and head first to Adelaide River a small but historically important township.We stay in a campground behind the Adelaide River Hotel which the head of the of the famous buffalo Charlie from the film Crocodile Dundee is proudly mounted behind the bar. During the Second World War Adelaide River was the headquarters of a large base and together with a large base
at Alice Springs orchestrated the many Squadrons of both fighter planes and bombers based in the Northern Territory. Driving around this area from Darwin to Adelaide River there are many WW11 airfield sites to visit all clearly marked by road side signs.
Today Adelaide River is home to the Northern Territory War Cemetery, after the war the army graves service moved graves from civil cemetery's,isolated graves and temporary military burial grounds.The site was taken over by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in 1947 and there are 434 burials,comprising 14 airman of the Royal Air force,12 unidentified men of the British Merchant Navy,one soldier of the Canadian Army,18 sailors,181 soldiers and 201 airmen belonging to the Australian forces and seven men of the Australian Merchant Navy. Adjoining the War Cemetery is a small civil cemetery in which are buried 63 civilians,including 9 post office workers killed on the 19 February 1942 as a result of a direct hit on the post office by the Japanese bombs..The cemetery is home also to The Northern Territory Memorial to the Missing on which are 290 names carved,this is one of many Memorials around the world in memory of the missing in war. Alice
Springs also has a plot here in memory of their war time dead. The cemetery is meticulously maintained by the staff of the Australian War Graves and is a credit to them. A walk around this cemetery is both thought provoking and peaceful at the same time. Least we never forget.
Leaving Adelaide River we make for Katherine a town we have visited many times staying at the same caravan park as previously.We decide to stay for several days and chill out. What a surprise when over the next few days three couples we had encountered on our travels and now considered friends also turned up.These several days were spent catching up with travel stories and happy hours. Having visited Katherine several times we did not feel the need to explore or visit local attractions so we did what we set out to do and chilled out.
Mataranka and it's famous hot springs are our next destination choosing to stay at a camp ground at Bitter Springs a little way out of town and within the boundary of Elsey National park.A short walk and the thermal pools are there for all to enjoy, with a temperature of 32
degrees Celsius the spring water is incredibly clear and said to be therapeutic.The main hot springs are accessed through a holiday complex 7ks out of town at which is the replica of the homestead used in the film We of the Never Never.These springs have a commercial feel and look about them with man formed rock walls and seating area's but still very attractive. This particular swimming hole was widened during the war to accommodate service personnel, mainly officers billeted near by. Feeling very relaxed and rejuvenated from our time in the pools we again pull up stakes and head off.
This time we head for the historic Daly Waters Pub established 1930.However long before the pub was established Daly Waters was a watering hole along the perilous Murranj Stock route having been discovered by John McDouall in 1862 on his journey across the continent from South to North.When the Durack Brothers drove their entire herd from QLD to the WA coast Daly Waters was a landmark stop. The Pony Express also has it's origins here to carry messages quickly to Tennant Creek.An airfield was established here and was a major Air force base during WW11 and was Australia's
first international airport when it opened it's hangers for the Australia to England air race .A sealed runway and heli pad still are operational. But we are not here for the history we are here for the famous hospitality,the food and entertainment.Along with maybe a hundred caravans that arrive during the day we are shepherded into coral style lines one behind the other,few people stay more than one night.An extensive menu is available along with a good wine list,however most of us are here for the wild barra and beef.Bar B Q Steak and Wild caught NT barramundi with a salad bar and a bottle of wine together with live music what else can you want.Joined by fellow travelers and friends we had a great time.and this is our second time here.The pub itself is a character full of memorabilia that deck the walls,ceilings and bar a place not to be missed while traveling around Australia.
Up early the next morning we join the rest of the camp in heading off our separate ways, we are heading for Three Ways a road house were we will stay the night before heading toward QLD. We are joined by friends and
fellow travelers who will tomorrow head off in a different direction to us.Like most road houses the camping area is dusty and soon fills up with weary travelers.We decide to eat at the roadhouse with our friends and forget that most road houses also feed hungry truckers and the meals are enormous and very tasty, well we manage to eat our way through although we did feel greedy after.Tomorrow we start our journey across North Queensland toward the coast and a date with a caravan repairer in Townsville to fix a few problems with the van nothing major but stuff that needs doing before the warranty runs out.
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