We had enjoyed Mataranka and Bitter Springs so much that it seemed only natural that we should pick Douglas Hot Springs to go to when heading north to Darwin. But first we needed some fuel for the bus. The rodeo trucks seemed to have taken much of Katherines supply of diesel but we eventually got filled and headed up the highway. It's not a direct route to Douglas Hot Springs and the last 7 or 8 kilometres are dirt but not too bad. We arrived at lunchtime and immediately went to check out the creek. It's only shallow (mostly) with very hot springs coming in from one branch and that mixes with water at a normal temperature from another branch. The idea is that you get in where the two branches meet and then see how ... read more

We left Zebra Rock Mine after saying goodbye to Ruth and Opal and headed east on the highway to Timber Creek. We arrived early afternoon and checked in with the cruise operators who confirmed that the cruise would be operating that evening. We selected a caravan park which backed on to the creek that gave the town its name and relaxed until it was time to walk to the Croc Shop (where the tour would depart from). We took the opportunity of talking to some of the transport drivers who were leaving the Bradshaw Field Training Area. A joint exercise between Australian and US troops involving 3,000 troops had just been completed and the troops were returning to their home base. After walking to the Croc Shop, Neville loaded us all on to this really old ... read more

For a number of reasons, we hadn't been able to find the time to visit Emma Gorge (part of the El Questro lease on the Gibb River Road), and because it was so highly regarded, we knew that we would have to fit it in before we left Kununurra. Luckily, Emma Gorge is at the end of the bitumen and only about 75 kilometres from Kununurra. We decided to take the bus out to see Emma on one of our final Kununurra days. Emma Gorge is huge and beautiful (a bit like the Kimberley really) so it was great to be able to see it before we left the Kimberley. The walk wasn't as long or as tough as some people would have us believe. The swimming hole at the end of the Gorge (and the ... read more

While we had been touring the Kimberley in the cruiser, our bus had been parked at Jakes (just out of town at Crossing Falls). We knew that it had a flat battery because Jake had been unable to start the bus and run it while we were away. It turned out that we hadn't got the isolator switch correctly set when we left and that's what had caused the problem. We drove out to Jakes and confirmed the bus would not start and then called the RACT (who then got in touch with the RAC in WA who then contacted the Kununurra agent to arrange for a jump start. Of course, it was a little more complicated because the Coaster has two batteries and runs 24 volt electrics. The guy finally turned up after more than ... read more

We woke at 5.30 and looked outside - Bunnings! We had free camped in Broome as it was school holidays and we knew that most places would be full. By the time we got dressed and were ready for breakfast, it was still pretty quiet in Broome. The Saturday Courthouse market sellers were just arriving as we cruised past...and headed to Maccas! Yes they have a healthy muesli breakfast (and reasonable coffee) but there were no photos to incriminate or embarass anyone. We left Broome and arrived in Fitzroy Crossing early in the afternoon. We stayed again at the Motel / Caravan park but the grass was noticably thinner this time. We had a sleep-in on Sunday and left Fitzroy Crossing just before 9am. We decided to turn left from the Motel and we knew that ... read more