Savannah Way - Heaven and Hell

It’s been more than two months since our last state border crossing, so entering the Northern Territory this week was always going to be a memorable milestone.  However, the intense and frightening situations other travellers have faced really brought it home for us just how far “Up S*&!@ Creek" we’d be if we encountered similar issues.

Thanks, Ludwig!

After dodging near fisty cuffs between locals in the pub and experiencing a sleepless night peppered with random screams and howls close in our campsite that weren't from dingos, we were very keen to leave Normanton in search of safety and tranquility.  We hit the jackpot when we stumbled across Leichhardt Falls, a stunning plunge waterfall on the Leichardt River. The area is named after the eccentric German explorer who made a spectacular disappearance without trace while crossing the Top End in 1848.  We hope our exploration won't end as his did. Due to the resident crocodiles, we set up camp on the rocky ground beside the falls, soaking in the beauty and serenity of the view.

The Road to Hell

Intrigued by its dramatic name, we decided to make Hell’s Gate Roadhouse our next stope for the night.  This cattle station is situated just 50 kms from the Northern Territory Border.  The roadhouse derives its name from a small gap in the escarpment about 1km south where the road passes through that gap called Hell's Gate.  In the early days the police would escort settlers and travellers there and called it Hell's Gate because once passed the gap, the travellers were on their own until they reached the safety of police protection at Katherine in the Northern Territory. In those days Hell's Gate was largely unexplored and considered to be dangerous, the name was quite appropriate.

Grateful for the warm welcome, steaming showers, and a scrumptious meal, we concluded that Hell's Gate was less of an inferno and more of a celestial retreat.

Teaching them young!  Family members doing their chores.  Love the OH&S!

Hell's Gate Roadhouse has its own airstrip out the front

New Territory – Northern Territory

With limited safe camping options beyond Hell's Gate and Meatloaf's 'Bat out of Hell' setting the mood on Spotify, we hit the accelerator along the red, dusty road, aiming to cover as much ground as possible before reaching Limmen National Park - a vast 10,000 square kilometre sanctuary at the base of Arnhem Land. What could possibly go wrong, right?

 

One of many water crossings.  All in a day's work for the Defender

Bush Breakdown

Roughly an hour from our destination, we encountered a young Dutch family in distress. Their Prado's radiator fan had broken after a hasty water crossing, leaving their engine emitting smoke and steam – not a good sign for a quick repair. The only help we could offer was the use of our Starlink (internet/phone). As dusk approached and help seemed unlikely, we decided to stick together and head for the Southern Lost City Campground, 4 km away, despite it being closed from a bushfire the previous year. The road conditions and our remote location meant that neither roadside nor towing services would come to their aid. Following an anxious nigh the family managed to contact the ranger the next morning, who offered refuge at the Nathan River Ranger Station, giving them a chance to plan their next steps – a likely slow and costly resolution for this lovely family.

Ruben, Viki, the twins and the Ranger relieved to be rescued.  Here we were: 4 Dutch, 2 Poms and 1 South African in the wild Australian Outback!

Our unplanned detour to the Lost City had a silver lining. As we waited for the ranger, we seized the chance to wander among the spectacular sandstone spires which were formed around 1.5 billion years ago. It was a mind-blowing surprise in the midst of a crisis.

Impromptu Camp at the Southern Lost City

Critter of the Week – The Crow Butterfly

Having bid farewell to our Dutch buddies, confident they were safe with the ranger, we drove further into the Park and set up camp at Butterfly Falls. To our amazement, right beside the falls, we stumbled upon an enormous colony of Crow Butterflies near the cascading water.

Crazy Butterfly video clip

Mauled by Mongrels

The ordeal of the Dutch family pales in comparison to a woman's story we heard at Butterfly Falls. Just the day before, her husband had gone to the toilet behind a fuel stop, and despite assurances from the owner about the friendliness of his dogs, he was brutally attacked and had to be airlifted to a Darwin hospital. His wife, unable to accompany him, faced the daunting task of driving their camper trailer 2,500 km back to Airlie Beach alone.  Maybe this really was the road to Hell after all.

Hot Springs, Hot Cakes and a rather Hot “Mr Whippy”

Feeling relieved to leave the bush behind, we made our way to the Little Roper Stock Camp in Mataranka for a few days. This true-blue Aussie bush camp offered us a genuine slice of the Territory life. Conveniently situated a short distance from the thermal Bitter Springs and Mataranka Springs, these are two of the Territory's finest waterholes, both maintaining a steady temperature of 30 degrees Celsius.

Floating down around Bitter Springs (trying not to think about the wildlife lurking beneath)

We set up camp next to a friendly Buffalo called "Mad Mullet" and enjoyed the communal breakfast of Billy tea and delectable “Johnny Cakes” which seem to be a delightful hybrid of donuts and scones.  

Mad Mullet

Johnny Cakes - the best thing since sliced bread

Embracing our inner mad Englishmen, we embarked on a bushwalk under the scorching 35-degree midday sun, heading towards Stevie's Hole (who could resist!)

"A Place to Enjoy" - apparently!

Mataranka has heaps of history.  I plan to watch the movie called We of the Never Never to learn more

The Termite Mounds in the NT seem to have more attitude than the QLD ones

One of the highlights in Mataranka was witnessing Nathan “Whippy” Griggs, a five-time whip cracking Guinness World Record holder with 697 cracks in a minute. A local talent, Mr Whippy has perfected his whip crackin' skills over the years.  Watching his rapid-fire performance and enjoying his humorous Aussie wit was a treat. Rather than charging an entry fee, he cleverly passes around his hat at the end of the show allowing you to contribute what you feel his performance deserves. A genius, tax-saving crack, if every I saw.  

His rendition of ACDC's TNT is worth a watch:

Goofing Around on the Gulf of Carpenteria

Chillagoe – A Wheely Great Place

Acting on a tip from some farmers we met at the Tip (Cape York), we veered off our planned path along  Wheelbarrow Way to a quaint mining town called Chillagoe.  Named after the gold miners who trudged 150 km from Mareeba to Chillagoe with their belongings in wheelbarrows, Wheelbarrow Way is now the stage for an annual 3-day event where teams push wheelbarrows in homage to these pioneers. Although many small towns vanished after the gold rush of the forties, Chillagoe remains, famed for its extraordinary ancient caves once used by indigenous peoples for shelter and ceremonies. It was a detour well worth taking!

Steve looking chill in Chillagoe (32 degrees)

Wheelbarrow Statue in Chillagoe

Inside one of the many caves we explored

Steve's been framed 

Some Aboriginal rock art we saw outside one of the caves

Pinnarendi Station

We love mixing up our accommodation venues, so had a great overnight stopover on a cattle station at Forty Mile Scrub.  Nadine, the farmer's wife, makes incredible sour dough and awesome iced coffees, which were very welcome treats in the scoring heat.

Love their sense of humour.  The toilet block is called the "Wee Station" 

Cobbold Gorge

Just 30 years ago, a landowner accidently discovered a magnificent gorge on his property. His son, Simon, found it while playing with a friend. To make some pocket money, Simon began offering tours. The first year attracted 2,000 visitors, and last season, the number soared to 20,000.  As well as taking a boat ride through the Gorge spotting crocodiles and kingfishers, we learned about bush tucker and bush medicine.  The day ended perfectly by cracking open some cold ones by a fire next to the dam, watch the sun go down on another fabulous day.

Imagine finding this in your back yard!

The only glass bridge in Australia.  Note Steve's sexy slippers to avoid scratching the glass

Our bushtucker guide telling us about the tiny little berry that could kill you within hours.  

Pop … Again!  

Whilst it is great to be driving through a geological wonderland, the flip side is the rocky tracks you have to travel along.  Leaving Cobbold Gorge we drove over some quartz on the road and popped a tyre again.  Fortunately, it was repairable this time.

We're getting tyred of this!

Outback Town by the Sea

Today we had a lot of fun in Karumba also known as the Outback Town by the Sea and is famous for Barramundi fishing.  We visited the fascinating Barra Discovery Centre and Steve reeled in a big one before we ate the best fish n chips of our life at the local café.

What a Whopper!

There are two places to eat in Karumba. We couldn't decide between the cafe or the pub, so we went to both.  Rude not to!

Big Things – The Big Crocodile

During our visit to the Gulf of Carpentaria, we've been staying in Normanton, known for Krys, the Big Crocodile. Krys is a life-size replica of the largest crocodile ever captured, measuring a monstrous 8.63 meters. It was shot by a Polish immigrant named Krystina with a single bullet. She later regretted her action as the crocodile was too old to yield quality meat or skin. Not long after, crocodile hunting became illegal. Once a rare sight, crocodiles are now common here, as are the warning signs!

Me, peeking out above his eye

Normanton's other famous thing is the Purple Pub.  Alas, the color is the only remarkable thing about it.

Critter of the Week – The Brolga

We were lucky to see these beautiful birds as they are in decline.   Part of the Crane family, they are famous for their courting dance (better than Steve’s dance moves) and are the official bird emblem of Queensland.

Word of the Week – “Fkarwe”

Okay, so not actually a real word – but as we travel hundreds of kilometres through the Outback, I’ve found myself prefixing this with “Where the”, so it’s now an official word on the Holway ‘Round.

We are here 👇

 

Orange is the New Black

We Made It!

Today marked a major milestone on the Holway 'Round journey, by reaching Cape York, the northernmost point of Australia.

Note the bullet holes in the sign that only appeared last week.  Kind of annoyed about the mindless vandalism, but in a weird way, makes it even more Ozzie.

The last few weeks have been epic, so here’s the lowdown since our last blog.

Nang … Bang!

En route to Port Douglas on regular bitumen road (not even some wild 4WD track), we heard a loud pop and were deflated to discover that we had a puncture.  Steve quickly changed the tyre and we were off on our merry way.  But in Port Douglas, the mechanic extracted the weapon of mass destruction – a used nang - and informed us that the tyre was beyond repair.  After many calls, we eventually sourced a supplier back in Sydney who could freight one up to us.  Thanks to some loser’s ‘high’ we were lighter to the tune of $600.

Party Time with our Special Fly In

The best part of our week in Port Douglas was the VIP visit from Kirstie, who flew in for the weekend just to hang out with us.  By sheer fluke, Kirstie’s visit coincided with 30th anniversary of Port Douglas's "Carnivale."  We joined in the festivities and enjoyed walks along 4 Mile Beach and Flagstaff Hill.  On Kirstie’s last day we clocked up 30,000 steps exploring Palm Cove and Cairns before another teary farewell.

It’s A Long Way to the Top

With Kirstie safely despatched back to Sydney, and our new tyre on board, we were all set for the next leg of our adventure – venturing into Australia’s most unspoilt wilderness.  Comparable in size to the UK, Cape York has a reputation of being a bit of a car killer with its corrugations, washouts and bridge collapses.  Armed with my Wikicamps App and donning my heavy-duty sports bra, we were geared up to tackle the lengthy, rugged, bumpy terrain ahead.

Tragic Tale of Stumpy, Laura’s Legendary Landlord

We celebrated the beginning of our Cape Chapter, with a visit to the pub at Laura.  It had only just reopened following a lengthy closure due to the previous landlord, Stumpy, being fatally taken by a crocodile whilst fishing for barramundi in the nearby river.  A newspaper clipping on the pub wall commemorated him with the words, "At least he died doing his favourite thing."  What a way to go!!

Steve toasting "Stumpy"

Not long after leaving Laura, the earth turned orange – and so did the car, the van and everything else.  Apparently, we will be finding this dust for the next 8 years, so we are just embracing it as our new favourite colour. Our first overnight stop was at Fairview, a road train repair station.  Whilst it doesn’t sound very exotic, the birdlife was sensational.

Critter of the Week – Freshwater Crocodile

At our next camp, Musgrave Roadhouse, we were reassured by the barbed wire separating our camp from the “Freshies”.  Whilst freshwater crocs will give you a nasty bite, they are not as aggressive as their “Salty” cousins.  Phew!  We felt so much more relaxed knowing that.

Snakes and a Close Shave at Archer River

Our next stop was the Archer River Roadhouse.  My relief that our lives were not in imminent danger from the crocodiles was short lived when I read the sign outside the shower block.  Seriously, everything up here wants to kill you.

With the mercury hitting the thirties, Steve decided it was the perfect time to whip out the clippers and give himself a DIY haircut. Truly a man of many talents!

Bush Tucker Delights at Chilli Beach

Being the intrepid explorers that we are, we veered off the beaten track and headed east for a few hours to the secluded and deserted Chili Beach in the Iron Range Rainforest.    After setting up camp we walked along the beach taking in the remote beauty of the place until we hit our “Oh Shit" moment.  Near a mangrove cluster, Steve glanced down and spotted a large, claw-like footprint right beside his own. It goes without saying, we retraced our steps rather sharpish.

Steve's footprint next to the salty croc print

Relieved to avoid becoming part of the food chain at Chilli Beach, we channeled our inner Robinson Crusoe and scoured the area for bush tucker.  Wielding an axe and sporting his Aussie safety boots (aka thongs/flip flops) Steve managed to crack open a coconut.  We complemented it with wild passionfruit for a scrummy afternoon tea.

Spa Time – Cape Style

Roadhouse “facilities” can be a bit hit and miss.  Its potluck whether you will find any hot water, a shower curtain or an insect rave party in full swing.  Nature’s perfect solution to this is to take a dip in the Cape’s breathtaking waterholes.  We loved Eliot Falls, Twin Falls and Fruit Bat Falls.

Eliot Falls

Mhairi getting a water massage at Twin Falls

Steve taking a natural spa at Fruit Bat Falls

Beautiful Fruit Bat Falls

Mhairi’s Top Tips for a Trip to the Tip

• Orange is the new black – you cannot escape the red dust – just go with it
• When you get ‘Wolf Creek’ vibes in a remote camp spot – it’s not the best time to tune in to a true crime podcast
• Always check the toilet for frogs and other wildlife
• Water is a rare, precious liquid – use it sparingly. Fuel is an expensive liquid ($2.89 a litre) – you have to buy it, so don’t think about it. Alcohol is a restricted liquid in many parts – a good time to cleanse that liver
• If you get the chance to do this trip – DO IT