A Trip to Beyound: Camooweal to Katherine Gorge 1999

<body background="bkgrd2.jpg" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#800080"> <p align="center"><font size="4">Frames must be enabled in your browser to properly view this page. </font></p> <p><font color="#FF0000" size="5" face="Arial"><strong>Camooweal</strong></font></p> <p><font color="#000000" face="Arial"><strong>Camooweal is right near the Queensland and Northern Territory border. We stopped there for petrol and to have a aussie pie. A nice</strong></font><font face="Arial"><strong> </strong></font><a href="http://www.homeboys-adventures-in-australia.com/vol3/nt/nt02.jpg" target="left"><font face="Arial"><b>mural</b></font></a><font face="Arial"><strong> is painted on one of the buildings. As we were having our pie and chocolate milk, traffic stopped while a huge mining machine was transported through town.</strong></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>The Aussie pies were so hot that Allan had an idea to hold his outside the Jeep window so the wind would cool it off. A huge bird was in waiting and almost took Allans pie out of his hand. Allan then just let it cool naturally.</strong></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>My first up close view of a </strong></font><a href="http://www.homeboys-adventures-in-australia.com/vol3/nt/nt01.jpg" target="left"><font face="Arial"><b>road train</b></font></a><font face="Arial"><strong> occurred across the road from where we parked.</strong></font></p> <p> </p> <p><font color="#FF0000" size="5" face="Arial"><strong>Northern Territory</strong></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>Points west of Camooweal in </strong><b>Northern Territory</b><strong> with fuel are Barkly's Roadhouse and the Stuart Highway, which is the main north-south road from Adelaide and Darwin. We stopped at Barkly's Roadhouse because we want to go north to Cape Crawford, which is known for having the 'Heartbreak Hotel'. We were going to see if Elvis has been seen there. </strong></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>Barkly's have a nice facility, with rooms and camping with and without power. It is nice and shady and clean. The bar is a nice place to meet the staff off-hours and perhaps a 'character' or two. The feel after you cross over the </strong></font><a href="http://www.homeboys-adventures-in-australia.com/vol3/nt/border.jpg" target="left"><font face="Arial"><b>border west of Camooweal</b></font></a><font face="Arial"><strong> is that you are really in the Outback. In winter, </strong></font><a href="http://www.homeboys-adventures-in-australia.com/vol3/nt/nt05.jpg" target="left"><font face="Arial"><b>dry grassland</b></font></a><font face="Arial"><strong> as far as you can see lines both sides of the road to Barkly's. We met several cars with the hoods (bonnets) bent in from hitting kangaroos. Roadkill is all along the roadway at creek and dry river crossings. </strong></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>If you travel at night....you are out with the roos...and a good bullbar is very necessary. Accidents on the roads around Barkly are attended to by the staff and take the injured to a small airfield west of the camp for airlifting to Alice Springs if necessary. Specialists from Adelaide come up to Alice Springs as necessary. </strong></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>Allan and I assisted a bloke who traveled the Camooweal-Barkly road after dark and had hit a 7 foot roo...of course his bumper was smithereens and he needed a screwdriver to get his license plate off the broken plastic bumper so we could hang it on the shell of the nose of the car that was left. He was one of the carnival workers that were at the Mt. Isa stock show. </strong></font></p> <h2><font color="#FF0000" face="Arial">Cape Crawford</font><font face="Arial"> </font></h2> <p><font color="#000000" face="Arial"><strong>Cape Crawford is at the end of the Tablelands highway. On the southeast corner is the Heartbreak Hotel. There is caravan parking and a pub and roadhouse. Fuel is no more expensive than at Barkly Roadhouse or at Daly Creek. Borroloola is an aboriginal town northeast of Cape Crawford, which has fishing available in the McArthur River and also is near a fishing club on the Gulf of Carpenteria. A market is available in Borroloola with meat and vegetables. </strong></font></p> <p><a href="nt/nt03.jpg" target="left"><font face="Arial"><strong>Heartbreak Hotel</strong></font></a><font face="Arial"><strong> according to some staff got its name from the original pub, which was called the Triangle Pub. A newly wed with his bride stopped in on their honeymoon. 'ringers (cowboys) visited the pub from the cattle stations regularly. According to the tale, the new bride took a shine to one of the ringers and disappeared with him. As each day passed...the bridegroom..became more and more heartbroken....so the Heartbreak Hotel got its name. </strong></font></p> <p><font color="#000000" face="Arial"><strong>Helicopter rides are available to see the unusual sandstone formations in an area over the mountain called the 'Lost City'. </strong></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>I met </strong></font><a href="http://www.homeboys-adventures-in-australia.com/vol3/nt/nt04.jpg" target="left"><font face="Arial"><b>Janice</b></font></a><font face="Arial"><strong>, the barmaid. She was 22 and had been all over before coming to the Heartbreak Hotel pub. Jobs in the outback are available but as she described it, it is just being at the right place at the right time. She said that she was "available".</strong></font><font face="Wingdings"><strong>J</strong></font><font face="Arial"><strong> .</strong></font></p> <p> </p> <h2><font color="#FF0000" face="Arial">Mataranka </font></h2> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>Mataranka Resort is a first class facility which has a full range of accommodations. A thermal pool is available and bush walks down the Roper River. We spent Tuesday night there. The Roadies, a husband and wife team entertained with audience participation singing and dancing. The safari tour buses stop over there as well as the other transportation buses. The Elsey National Park is in the same area as well as Territory House. </strong></font></p> <h2><font color="#FF0000" face="Arial">Katherine </font></h2> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>The town of Katherine has a nice shopping district. Internet access is available at the art gallery on the main street. Also available on the main street is a nice shopping center with a Woolworth's grocery store. If you are travelling, stock up on meat and veggies there...and don't forget the cordial. </strong></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>We stayed in </strong></font><a href="http://www.homeboys-adventures-in-australia.com/vol3/kat/kat01.jpg" target="left"><font face="Arial"><b>Katherine Gorge</b></font></a><font face="Arial"><strong> at Nitmiluk National Park, Wednesday night. We took the boat ride up the Katherine River through the Katherine Gorge. The cost of the boatride up the Katherine Gorge was $29 per person for the two-hour trip. During the dry season, the two-hour trip requires a </strong></font><a href="http://www.homeboys-adventures-in-australia.com/vol3/kat/kat06.jpg" target="left"><font face="Arial"><b>700-metre walk</b></font></a><font face="Arial"><strong> over rocks to the second pool and boat with </strong></font><a href="http://www.homeboys-adventures-in-australia.com/vol3/kat/kat05.jpg" target="left"><font face="Arial"><b>gorge wall paintings</b></font></a><font face="Arial"><strong> viewable along the way. </strong></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>Salt-water crocodiles are dangerous. One was found on the Katherine River in the park. The rangers trapped it and reopened the river for swimming a few days before we arrived. The fresh water (estuary) crocodiles, which are plentiful in the river, use the </strong></font><a href="http://www.homeboys-adventures-in-australia.com/vol3/kat/kat02.jpg" target="left"><font face="Arial"><b>sandy banks</b></font></a><font face="Arial"><strong> on the river for laying eggs. </strong></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>There are seven pools in the gorge. </strong></font><a href="http://www.homeboys-adventures-in-australia.com/vol3/kat/kat04.jpg" target="left"><font face="Arial"><b>Canoes</b></font></a><font face="Arial"><strong> can be rented which are easy to move through the rocks and rapids to the next pool. The Katherine Gorge is very </strong></font><a href="http://www.homeboys-adventures-in-australia.com/vol3/kat/kat03.jpg" target="left"><font face="Arial"><b>scenic</b></font></a><font face="Arial"><strong>.</strong></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>On the boat trip, Zane was our boat driver and guide. He also writes travel stories and has had four published, one of which was in the Malaysian Airlines inflight magazine. </strong></font></p> <p><a href="http://www.homeboys-adventures-in-australia.com/vol3/indexc.html" target="_top"><font color="#0000FF" size="4"><strong><u>Next Page of Diary</u></strong></font></a></p> </p> </body>