Pine Creek NT

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The turnoff for Kakadu National Park is at Pine Creek, and we had to decide whether to head into Kakadu or trek north to Darwin. We decided to head north into Darwin, as we were catching up there with friends that we had met in Queensland last year, and I was keen to get a new set of tyres fitted on the caravan before we move on too far. Pine Creek was founded when workers digging holes for the Overland Telegraph Line discovered gold, triggering another Australian gold rush. There have been a number of gold and iron ore mines operating in Pine Creek, with an open cut gold mine only closing in 1995 after having extracted 21,700 kg of gold over a ten year period. The open cut pit is now filled with a lake.

We had been recommended by several fellow travellers to stay at the old racecourse near Pine Creek, called Pussycat Flats Racecourse. We stayed at the racecourse, which has been converted into a caravan park for two nights, and enjoyed a friendly atmosphere with fellow grey nomads, sharing stories of our time on the road. We walked around the race track, and I was interested to see the starting barrier still in place (a little worse for wear) and the finishing post and judges box. No grandstand in place as the track mainly hosted picnic meetings. It brought back memories of a childhood spent on country racecourses. The termites have been to work since racing ceased, even building their tall mounds over the running rail.

As we were heading into Pine Creek, we had noticed a sign for Umbrawarra Gorge. We headed out the next day to explore Umbrawarra Gorge Nature Park, which features a beautiful isolated gorge with steep red cliffs and a creek that meanders through it in the early to mid dry season. A walking track winds alongside the creek to a large pool with a small sandy beach. The rest of the gorge can only be reached by wading, swimming and rock hopping, which is what we did, coming away with a few bruises for our troubles. The gorge was a haven for butterflies, and could have been named Butterfly Gorge. It was, however, a great day, and we were rewarded at the end of our hike with a refreshing swim in a deep clear pool surrounded by high red sandstone cliffs, with no one in sight. Pine Creek and Pussycat Flats Racecourse, despite the name, was a great place for a short stopover.

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