Go West

After nearly two weeks ‘bush’ in Kakadu, we enjoyed our pit stop back in the city (Katherine). Katherine is most famous for her gorges, of which there are 13 in total. The only way to really see the gorges is via a boat, so we booked ourselves on a 4 hour tour. It really was most enjoyable cruising the river, watching the changing faces of the gorges and spotting the odd freshwater crocodile. We cruised through 3 of her gorges, the second by far the most impressive. With the gorge rim standing tall and mighty either side of us, it allowed us a respite from the sun. A safe swimming spot gave us the opportunity to cool off on the way back down the mighty Katherine River. After our swim, back on board we once again enjoyed the scenery and the sun now glistening across the water.

Katherine Gorge

But it was time to leave Katherine and our stay at Springvale Homestead. Goodbye to the hundreds of long neck turtles that stuck their heads out of the nearby creek, the pink lotus lilies lining the banks and the wallabies who came over for a pat on dusk.

Coming over to our door for a pat

The Flora River Nature Park is probably one of the smallest parks in the NT. The gravel road to get there was in very good condition, so it is probably not that frequented either. Along the drive we stumbled across a couple of drovers herding some good looking Brahman cattle, so it was only fitting that we put on some Glen Campbell and sung country songs till we reached our campsite. The woodland countryside was dry and dusty with no real green to break up the brown palette of colour. You can therefore imagine our amazement upon reaching the Flora River. This Nature Park is famous for limestone tufa (pronounced too-fa) formations. The river is rich in minerals and the calcium carbonate within precipitates onto rocks and plants to form bars across the river. Acting as a series of dams these ‘spongy rock’ formations create pretty cascades, running with the glowing blue/ green water. Bright green Pandanus Palms line the bank, dipping their leaves into the water, setting a very tropical scene. But, once again, no swimming for us (you guessed it- crocs).

Flora River

It was funny to stand with your back to the river and look at brown, dry scrub and then face the river and see pretty cascades set off by bright green and blue hues.
It was goodbye to Flora and hello to Gregory. As we approached the WA border the scenery is once again changing. While still made up of rocky escarpment and flooding rivers, Gregory National Park is greener and the escarpment a rich red colour. The red of this landscape reflects the sun, creating a brilliant blue sky above. If this is a taste of what is to come in WA, we are certainly looking forward to exploring her.
Our first walk in this National Park started at the base of tall escarpment walls. It was akin to standing in an ancient stadium, the walls towering above us on all sides. Likening ourselves to ancient gladiators preparing for battle we stopped to look and listen. The sun cast flickering shadows, dancing across the rockface. The only sound was a breeze rustling the many palms fringing the walls, creating a wind chime effect. No need for gladiators here. Our exploration led us to discover aboriginal rock art, nearly 40,000 years old.

Rock Art, Gregory NP

The art here is weathered and hard to distinguish, however been left to discover for yourself, gave it a certain appeal.
Gregory National Park, was once part of Bullita Station, until a devastating flood in 1977. A year later the national park was born, sometimes it is just too much to pick up the pieces. The original homestead and stockyards are maintained, stories and displays inside giving an insight into the harshness of station life.

Bullita Homestead

Since entering the Northern Territory, we have been very keen to see a Boab Tree. We have now certainly had our fill of these bizarre bulbous trees. Some many, many years old are metres wide- big enough to house a couple of people for a night! Gregory’s Tree, an ancient boab, is where the explorer set up camp in 1855- 6, the dates clearly etched into the boab trunk.

Gregory Boab Tree

The Keep River National Park, 3km from the Western Australian border is officially the Northern Territories smallest national park (at only 32km long!). However, it is one of the most impressive. Looking east you are looking at the Top End, look west and the Kimberleys enchant your eyes, the Keep River, literally the dividing line between the two landscapes. As a consequence there is a mix of plants and animals from each diverse habitat. This park even has the beehive formations of the Bungle Bungles. With $500 thousand recently spent on upgrading the road, this park is the NT’s best kept secret!



Bungle Bungle formations - Keep River National Park

Alas a few days later, it was time to cross over in WA- the only state we have not yet been to on our journey (although we have still to explore some states more thoroughly). The quarantine laws are quite strict entering WA, and all vehicles are searched. We had eaten all our contraband fruit and vegetables, but alas we would have to say goodbye to our faithful herb pot.

Campfire, Keep River

(Kel & Dean- your mint and parsley is now happily growing in the Rangers yard of the Keep River National Park!)
Kununurra- the gateway to the Kimberley region and our first stop in WA. With not much else for miles in any direction, it is a hub for many in this tourist season. Still we managed to negotiate a spot and have some very nice neighbours who invited us over for drinkies and many laughs- they are enjoying the ‘younger’ company.