A cure for stir crazy.

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We continue to find surprises on our journey through the outback. Before leaving Daly Waters this morning, we went to take the obligatory photo of the hotel. Across the road from the hotel is a shack of sorts, adorned with quirkiness. There are numerous signs, a helicopter on the roof, and grave markers. The more you look, the more you find. They boast the only traffic light in central Australia, which is permanently on red.
Further down the highway at Larrimah, is the Pink Panther Pub. We stopped for a coffee and did a short walk through their free zoo. Rather sad really. But we did see some live kangaroos. All the buildings are painted bright pink. We realize they are trying to catch the attention of passing motorists, but all in all it was tacky.
We stopped for lunch in Katherine and to take care of some errands. We dined on crumbed barramundi in the air-conditioned comfort of the Sport and Recreation Club. The temperature being thirty-two degrees Celsius, it was a very welcome respite.
Over a large portion of the landscape, the vegetation has been blackened as a result of controlled burn-offs. I imagine the risk of fire would be very high if this preventative action wasn’t performed. In some areas, the grass was knee-high. Great for the cattle.
Dotted all over the landscape are termite mounds. These kept me entertained for a while. On approach they take on many forms: people, aliens, castles. Nature’s sculptures. It is like when you look at the clouds and see different shapes in them. Perhaps I am just going a wee bit stir-crazy.
This evening has been a piece of heaven. We are camped at a roadhouse park on the banks of The Victoria River. There is water in the river!! There are kangaroos grazing and the birdlife is fantastic. Sitting outside eating dinner, I suggested that a recording of the bird calls just after sunset would be wonderful. Still outside, in the dark, with the bugs, we can hear frogs, and cicadas (and the hum of a generator). Tomorrow we will move further into the national park and stay a couple of days. We saw some fish in the river, so will have a go at fishing in the morning. What a lovely surprise this little oasis is.

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Photos

Daly Waters
This shack is over the road from the roadhouse. There are many surprises to find.

Larrimah Road House
All the buildings at this roadhouse are painted bright pink.

Victoria River
Victoria River near the camping ground.

Jabaru at Victoria River
Three jabaru flying over the river at sunset.