Monday. 14/4/2008

Our disappointment at not finding the work we had hoped at Kununurra was more than we expected, and it was with heavy heart that we filled up with fuel and water. One good thing was our fuel consumption for the last 990km which was 167 l, giving 5.9km/litre.

As we headed out of town, we ended up going back the way we came in, so got a chance to take some of the pictures we had missed on the way in, before we found the right way!.

The NT border was a bit disappointing too. Just one sign that had be graffitied. There were however, several very good rest areas close to the border. At the time we did not realise, but these were to be the last we would see.

The roads were nothing like the WA roads. Very bumpy and therefore made a slow trip for us. Most of the time the grass was growing right to the edge of the bitumen with no run off on the road at all. We bumped on through many floodways and badly aligned bridges, heading near Victoria River to stop. The closer we got, the less stopping places there were. In fact there were none, and signs indicating the caravan park ahead would be the only place. Saw stopping places that had been blocked and closed. Obviously the park was trying to get all the business, but they were not going to get ours, even if we had to drive all night!

Along the way, and quite out of nowhere, we came across this great bridge. Named the Bradshaw Bridge, and barricaded closed, saying it was a military bridge. Reminded me of the old WW2 Bradshaw defense line.

Closer to the town of Victoria River, we finally found a truck parking bay, and set up camp. No phone, TV or internet, so Lyn read the TV guide and imagined the shows she would be watching.

Tuesday. 15/4/2008

Peaceful nights rest. Just a few bellows from a nearby bull. We really like these side-of-the-road stays. Pity we could not do it all the time.

Victoria River town was not very big, but the scenery was very pretty. The roads had not improved, so it was still a slow and bumpy ride.

Katherine was the next major town. I was quite surprised to see that the country we were traveling through was not a desert as I had imagined, but rather a wooded grassland with great masses of grass from the end of the wet season.

Katherine itself was also a surprise. It looked a really nice place. Plenty of greenery and a nice layout. Spoilt a bit by the corroboree circles in the public places. We were pretty tired and had intended to stay on the roadside after the town, so we kept on driving to look for a good spot.

We drove and looked and found - nothing! There were no truck bays either, just a road with nothing on the sides. I did spot a couple of places where we could have stopped if it was dark, but not at three in the afternoon. Did spot a couple of parking bays, but they were made so small that we could not even get into them.

We were only 80k from Darwin. Tired, but with nowhere to stay, so we decided to just go right to Darwin today. Had looked up a couple of caravan parks on the net last night, so just headed toward the best of them. Our chosen one was the Oasis Park. We kept looking for the signs, and about five thirty we found it and pulled into their drive. The park looked quite good from the outside, but their driveways looked mighty small.

We had a talk to the owners, and they had a couple of sites that would fit us, and a side road to get in. $26 per night. We followed their lead and got our van into the suggested spot without too much trouble. We soon set up and had an early night.

Wednesday. 16/4/2008

After a good night's sleep we had a look around the park, and it was not too bad at all. The only problem is that they don't have sullage, so we will have a problem with our toilet tank.

Lyn did the washing, and then we started looking for work. This time, trying to get something that will be worth continuing with for a good while.

The trip continues in Darwin - click here to follow.