Advertisement
Published: July 30th 2011
Adelaide River War Cemetery
A tranquil and fitting memorialWednesday 27th – I wasn’t at all certain that Graham was fit enough to cope with moving on but he assured me he was. He had pottered about during the previous evening and managed to do all of the usual “advanced” arrangements so we were ready to leave shortly after 9am. We left Batchelor and the Litchfield National Park area with mixed emotions – happy that we had made it back but sad that we (especially Graham) had not felt well enough to enjoy it to its full potential. The en-suite site at the Big 4 Caravan Park in Batchelor had made life a little easier so we were pleased we had made the switch.
Within a few minutes we were back on the Stuart Highway, the main road between Darwin and Katherine and seemingly in no time at all we arrived in a little township called Adelaide River. Normally it would be too soon to stop but I particularly wanted to stop here, and there was an extra incentive as we saw a sign instructing us that today was ‘Market Day’. We would visit the markets later but first I wanted to visit a very special place – a
cemetery. It was a little way away from the main road but fortunately there was a suitable spot to park the car and caravan.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission constructed and still maintain the grounds and memorials of The Adelaide River War Cemetery. The Darwin area with its naval base and surrounding group of airfields was the largest operational base in the south west pacific during World War II and the memorials in this cemetery were built to commemorate all those Australians who had lost their lives on Australian soil or in Australian waters during the Japanese invasions and whose graves were unknown. It was a very special experience to wander around and read moving epitaphs for row upon row of mainly very young men who died for their country. For some reason we didn’t expect to find such a well cared for and immaculate memorial in a little place like Adelaide River – how wrong can you be!
We drove back to where the market was taking place and there were a few very interesting stalls – the usual sort of thing: jams, pickles, knitted things etc but one stall in particular took my attention. A
Katherine Hot Springs
quiet and peaceful in the early morning lady called June was painting typical Aussie scenes on pieces of wood of varying shapes and sizes. They were very simple for her to produce but I thought they were brilliant for the price and had we been going home soon I would have bought a lot more than the two I did purchase! She also painted on emu eggs but I thought that would be tempting fate so I resisted buying one for Sarah and Darryl to go with their Boab Nut I bought in Wyndham!
We’d been in Adelaide River far longer than we had intended but we eventually managed to drag ourselves away and get back on the road. The overall journey was about 250 kilometers and we still had nearly 200 kilometers to go so another stop was inevitable. We passed through an area where a serious fire was burning out of control - there was no threat to traffic as we passed by but it wouldn’t take much for it to spread to both sides of the road. We passed by Hayes Creek, a delightful roadhouse and caravan park we had called at on the journey up, and some way further on we turned
off the main road towards Pine Creek for a timely break. Pine Creek is another place with a considerable war-time history and also a lot of railway memorabilia. It was quite a bustling small township and seemed to be a very popular stop for caravanners – there were dozens of us. For the first time in a long while I hadn’t made sandwiches so we bought some from one of the busy cafes and retreated to the park where we found a bit of shade to enjoy our lunch - the temperature was well over 30 degrees so we needed all the shade we could find! We try not to use the air-conditioning in the car as it’s a big user of fuel – we tend to open windows - but with the extreme temperatures of late we have not been averse to cooling ourselves down occasionally.
Back on the road we passed by a sign for Edith Falls and we’d heard a lot about them so we have it in mind to spend a day there out of Katherine. Soon we were on the edge of Katherine and heading for the Riverview Caravan Park. It’s a very poplar
park because it has direct access to the Hot Springs which we hope to take advantage of during our stay. We checked in for three nights and settled into our plot which was not huge but adequate. With Graham feeling better than he had for a while, we went off on foot to the Hot Springs to have a soak in the warm waters. They were quite busy but we found enough room for a bit of a “drift” in the current and a lounge in one of the quieter areas. It was so easy – we just strolled the short distance back in our wet togs, drying in the hot sun as we walked, and relaxed back at the caravan for the remainder of the evening.
Thursday morning was spent catching up with shopping for the usual groceries and fuel. During our stay in Batchelor we had used up much of our stock so it was a huge shopping expedition today but we accomplished that fairly easily and we were soon back at the caravan. It’s a bit like a jigsaw puzzle fitting supplies in cupboards but I’m pretty expert at that now so it didn’t take too
long to get everything put away. We meandered the afternoon away at the hot springs and had a lazy, casual evening.
We had often wondered if SWEETIE was a “one-off” caravan as, in all our time travelling round Aus, we had never seen another one like her. We’d seen similar styles and some of a similar colour and age but not one that resembled Sweetie – until today. Just three caravans along from us was another remarkably similar caravan, although she was in immaculate condition (sorry for the neglect Sweetie) and was clearly being well looked after. On closer inspection she was, in fact, marginally shorter than Sweetie as she lacked the larger seating area that Sweetie has. We chatted to the owner for a while but, strangely, he and another near neighbour were more interested in PIE as they’d never seen a Terrano before. They were fascinated and asked loads of questions most of which Graham didn’t have a clue about! Most of our neighbours proved to be friendly, chatty people so the rest of the day passed by effortlessly and we began to plan for tomorrow’s trip to Edith Falls.
Friday morning dawned nice and clear
although with a pleasantly cool start. We knew this would change as the day wore on so we made a determined effort to get away as early as we could which, actually, wasn’t very early. Edith Falls are the best part of 50 kilometers back along the road towards Darwin and another 20 kilometers off the main road. It is part of the Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park but gets less attention because of its more remote location. On arrival we decided to do one of the difficult walks straightaway as we expected the heat at midday would be uncomfortable to walk in. Off we went with our swimming gear and immediately began to climb dramatically. Unlike some of the walks lately, there was a distinct path and definite steps had been created to make walking more manageable. After about half an hour we reached a lookout which gave us a chance to peer down onto where we were headed. I know we’ve talked about waterfalls and swimming holes and very little else of late, but we never tire of visiting them and these looked absolutely wonderful. The climb down was a bit more of what we had expected –
steep, difficult and tiring, although some well constructed metal steps at the most crucial point made life a bit easier. What a stunning location! As with many water holes, getting in and out wasn’t easy but I was determined to have a go while Graham took some photos. The water was surprisingly pleasant – not as cold as I had anticipated given that its source was a river coming from the Katherine Gorges.
After drying off and refreshing ourselves with some water and fruit bars, we began the even more difficult onward climb. We were determined to complete the full loop walk rather than go back the way we came which would have been shorter. Having crossed the river on well positioned metal platforms, Graham made light work of the difficult climb up out of the gorge where, apart from the occasional directional arrow, we just had to make up our own path over the rocks. Eventually we reached another lookout but one which gave a completely different aspect to the first one and it was just stunning. In time we reached a point where the walking became more comfortable and we began a long descent back down towards
the car park which we could see in the far distance. Once at the bottom of the steep slope we had to negotiate two creek crossings, the first over a well constructed footbridge but the second was a series of stepping stones – a couple of which were under water. So with one wet foot each, we made our way to the main picnic area which happened to be adjacent to the main Edith Falls and swimming hole. Although many people were picnicking, there was no-one actually in the water – we couldn’t believe it. So with undue haste, we both made our way into the beautifully clear and comfortable water and swam around with the fishes for what seemed like ages. Access to the water was easy and apart from the occasional underwater boulder, swimming was a delight. Strangely, no sooner had we got out than other people began to arrive – we were so lucky to have such a wonderful spot to ourselves for so long. We went back to the car and collected our picnic and enjoyed it sitting in some shade, but the car had become uncomfortably hot in what was now a very strong sun.
Next to the picnic area was a very handy kiosk so we finished off with a couple of very nice cold ice-creams.
Our journey back to Katherine was easy – helped by the air-conditioning. We drove straight to the Hot Springs and indulged ourselves once more at a time (about 2:45pm) when we knew it wouldn’t be too busy. As usual, they were delightful and it was easy to while away another half-hour in the lovely warm waters before driving back to the caravan in the car still dripping – sorry PIE. It was a fabulous day and we are so glad we made the effort to visit Edith Falls. We caught up with the family next door to us who had returned from a day canoeing in the gorges, much the same as Sarah and Darryl had done. The three of them came back exhausted and soggy but they’d had a day to remember.
Saturday 30th was supposed to be a “rest” day and I suppose, in many ways, it was. We were both up and about bright and early though – I went for a walk to the hot springs and Graham caught up with the
news on the internet. We needed to top up with groceries and to fill the two empty diesel cans – we have some long, arduous journeys ahead of us and fuel prices will no doubt be sky high in the very remote areas we will be passing through. On the edge of town we spotted the site for the Saturday Markets but Graham was anxious to check the fuel station. At the wrong time of day you could easily sit in a queue of cars and caravans for half an hour or more so we went straight to the garage to check it out - what a result. On the “normal” side of the pump there was a queue of about four vehicles but Graham has worked out how to maneouver PIE from the “wrong” side and stretch the fuel hose to reach. That side was empty so we just drove straight in, filled the cans, topped up PIE and we were away. Not only that, but, with a Woollies voucher and a couple of additional purchases from the garage, we got 12 cents per litre knocked off – fantastic!!
Feeling pleased with ourselves we drove back to the
markets and enjoyed a pleasant hour or so mooching about. There was a great community atmosphere there and although all I bought was a jar of mango chutney it was a nice way to pass some time. Back in town I did the grocery shop at Woolies and we made our way back to the caravan for an early lunch. We didn’t know how busy the Hot Springs might be, it being a Saturday, but at about 1:30pm we strolled the short distance ready for a dip. It was very quiet so we indulged ourselves for another hour and “dripped” our way back to the caravan park. We just sat and drip dried in the hot sun and spent some time reading and blogging. We had decided to eat out tonight but our intended destination, a nearby restaurant, was under refurbishment. So we drove into town and got a Chinese take-away which we ate in virtual darkness outside in the cool rather than inside in the heat of Sweetie. We couldn’t see what we were eating but it tasted lovely and finished the day of nicely. Tomorrow we will be heading for Mataranka which will be a relatively short journey
of about 100 kms but today we could look back on another pleasant stay in Katherine. In fact what a bevy of beauties we had come across!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.083s; Tpl: 0.018s; cc: 9; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0552s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Darryl and Sarah
Wallaby Wanderers
What?! No Emu egg?!!
Ha ha! Yes, that would have been a challenge to purchase an emu egg and not break it for the rest of your journey!!! Glad you're feeling better Dad. Love the photos of the view from the falls - gorgeous. Mum - there seems to be a photo missing from the blog ... you know ... the one you sent me of Dad! I think you should put it on!!! x x x x