Lake Argyle & Bungle Bungles WA

Lake Argyle & Bungle Bungles WA

After an amazing time in the Top End we cross the border from NT into WA. Quarantine is strict and after eating about 6 apples on the road as to not have them wasted I was all appled out!

Lake Argyle WA

3 nights at Lake Argyle was just about right. Walking, sight-seeing from lookouts and of course fishing! But once again, I was out-fished by Naomi... One minute shes sitting reading her book, she then sees me catch a fish and shes straight over poaching my spot with the good... She caught about 10 to my 1.... Bloody poacher.

Naomi with dinner.. A Sooty Grunter.

Best views from the lookout and the awesome infinity pool!

Bungle Bungles (Purnululu NP) WA

One of the sites on our wishlist to visit and it lived up to expectation. Giant honeycomb mountain ranges. But they don’t make it easy to get to... 52km over 2.5 hrs and 20 creek/river crossings. Naomi loved it!....But was worth it.

Amazing views of the Bungle Bungle Ranges.

Cathedral Gorge. Spectacular cutaway gorge, photos do no do it justice.

Echidna Chasm. Another major feature of the Bungle Bungles. A long walk through narrow towering rocks – makes you feel like you’re in an Indiana Jones film.

Kakadu & Katherine NT

Kakadu & Katherine NT

After Jonny and Renee department back to chilly Melbourne Ruch and Nic ventured on with nai and I to Kakadu and Katherine.

Our houses! Ruch and Nics Britz van... set-up time 1/10^th of the camp trailer.

Ranger V’s Road Train...............

Kakadu NT

Unfortunately a lot of Kakadu was still closed due the previous wet season. However plenty of rock art, fishing and hiking kept us busy for our 3 nights.

Fishing at Cahill’s Crossing in the East Alligator river was more successful than our overnight trip in Darwin. Ruch managed 2 small Barramundi – but at least he could say he caught one.

Yellow Water Billabong was also not yielding the Barramundi for us! My first Barra....tiny but still a barra.

Naomi gave us a bum steer via a 3km treck which was meant to be the Gilbadi rock pools. We were chasing a swim but all that was left was a puddle full of fish! Oh well...no swim!

Katherine NT

Centrelink capital of Australia.. At least we were out of town a little in an awesome self contained park. We had two days planned involving Edith Falls and Katherine Gorge both in Nitmulik National Park. 

The long 5km trek through snake country to Edith Falls & Sweetwater pools... worth every bit (see below).

Katherine Gorge was closed to canoeing (Thanks again crocs, have I mentioned how much I hate crocs.... they ruin everyones fun, look better as handbags I reckon. Now I’m on David Attenboroughs side when it comes to animals but. I HATE CROCS). 

As an alternative we went to the Northern rockhole. Short boat trip + 4km hike = amazing waterfall and swimming hole all to ourselves. 

Darwin NT

Darwin NT

After the long 3 thousand or so clicks up the Stuart hwy Nai and I were glad to see the end of that road as we arrived in Darwin. Staying with Anita and the kids for the first few nights and then the gang (up from Melb) for the next few. Was sure to be a big week!

Western bulldogs V’s Gold Coast at TIO stadium Darwin. The game was reminiscent of Nyah West V Koondrook Ressies but cool to be able to stand on grass in a singlet and shorts with beer in hand at an AFL game. Not possible anywhere else I reckon.

Fridge stocked ready for the arrival of the gang to the penthouse apartment.

Great sunset view over Darwin Harbour from our 19^th floor apartment.

One of the highlights of the Darwin leg (although Jonny might claim the Darwin museum) was the day trip to Litchfield National Park. Crystal clear waterfalls and swimming holes. Amazing place.

Leave some water in there for the kids Ruch....

With great ambition Jonny, Ruch and myself were lucky enough to be taken with Coota (an ex Balranald-ite come Darwin local) for a fish. We were unlucky however, and after trying 3 different spots on an overnight trip we were Barr-less. Highlight was the stay on Goat Island 22k down the Adelaide River with the crazy Kai. The Dutchman left with a lingering hangover the day after.

 

Us boys at Kai’s Bar on Goat Island.

Jumping crocodiles on the Adelaide river. Scary to think we were fishing on a boat in the middle of the night in that same river only a few days earlier....

Alice Springs, Tennant Creek & Mataranka

Alice Springs, Tennant Creek & Mataranka

Hi all from the ‘Top end’!

Alice Springs NT

The town itself is a cess-pool, but the surrounding country is fantastic. Nai and I had a little spare cash from previous weeks so thought we’d get involved with a hot-air balloon. Thought we’d be guided by the local Alice Springs Ernie Dingo  – instead it was Kim from South Korea! Great experience none the less.

 

We ventured out the West MacDonnell ranges for a day trip visiting a few of the major attractions.

Simpson gap above was amazing and well worth a look.

Good track in boys.

Serpentine Gorge.

Tennant Creek NT

Hmmmmmm.... 150 police for a town of 7,000. You do math and make the judgement. Luckily for Nai and I it was only a 1 night stop-over before our 500 clicks up the last leg of the Stuart Hwy.

Jimmy the bush tucker man put on a show for us that night. Best (and maybe the only) good thing to come out of Tennant Creek.

Mataranka NT

A lovely small town on the Roper River near the ‘Top End’. Famous for their thermal springs. Great place to visit.

The thermal springs (conveniently 400m down the road) were a 2-3 times daily event. Constant 34 degree water and also constantly flowing from deep underground... So that cheeky little wee didn’t matter at all!

In our spare time had our first dab at catching the elusive Barramundi. Went to the effort to catch some live bait and got the shock of my life when I pulled in the biggest shrimp i’d ever seen. They call them Cherobin up here and eat them if their big enough. But I wanted to catch a Barra so I used him as bait! Needless to say I should have eaten the Cherobin myself...no barra....yet!