Katherine Gorge and moving on

  15/09/2011
  A bit more of the same today as we drove out to Katherine Gorge to do some more bushwalking. As with Edith falls we have been to Katherine Gorge before, but last time we did the River Gorge Cruise,  …… that’s for wimps. This time we thought we would view the Gorge from above and as the only alternative to a helicopter ride is to hoof it. That’s what we did. Helicopter rides are the slightly more expensive option. The sign at the start of the track said 2K return, what it didn’t say was that it was vertical. 1K of up is painful specially in these temperatures, but the view from the outlook at the top was very special.
  We have finally lost patience with the antinastybug screen as it is now in a constant state of droop, but we have another cunning plan. It involved a visit to a steel stockholder and some Manchester. Manchester is Aussie terminology for linen, cotton goods and general haberdashery. We will start cobbling together our antinasybug screen Mk2 when we get time. We are on the move tomorrow.

  16/09/2011
  Heading southeast from Katherine now, which is probably the most northerly town we will visit for some time, tho we do plan to come back this way later next year.
  Travelling around outback N T is quite an experience, with each town/community having it’s own peculiarities or quirkiness. For a start there is no hurry in life, you don’t rush about in this heat, but waiting in line for diesel for 15 minutes is beyond a joke. All because the bloke in front wants to chat about nothing while the diesel flows slower than you can pee.
  We stopped for a leg stretch in the town of Mataranka, who’s claim to fame is a hot spring ( just what you want when the air temperature is 35C ) ,and a giant fig tree that can cast a shade over 100 Aborigines. The town claims to be known for it’s home made pies, but so does every other town. Best of all, it has a talking termite mound, which wasn’t saying much as it appears someone superglued the talk  button. Next came Larrimah, home of the Big Stubbie and the Pink Panther. The pink painted pub has a concrete pink panther sat next to the Big Pink Stubbie outside the front door. Behind the pub is a “free zoo” with snakes in glass cases, a murky aquarium and various parrotts. We gave the croc, wallabies and emu a miss. The whole place was dying on it’s feet.
  Just down the road is Fran’s Devonshire Tea shop where you can buy all manner of pies ( made on the premises) except we were there when a refrigerated lorry was making a delivery of goods in plain brown cartons. We declined the buffalo pies and settled for 2 of Fran’s ordinaries and she threw the veggies in for free!!
  So here we are at Daly Waters Pub 275K’s down the road from Katherine where the amenities are individual corrugated iron sheds, not unlike WW11 air raid shelters, and a general smell of drains at the moment! The pub is staffed by Irishmen, but more of Daly Waters later. We are having fish and chips there tonight.