25 March 2018 - Day 22 - Katherine to Darwin

The stay in Pine Tree Hotel in Katherine was comfortable and I was in a happy frame of mind as the backlog of blogs and all other documentation had been caught up on. I delayed the start for Darwin as it was just a four hour drive away. I had breakfast of muesli and milk after a cup of coffee. When I went to the reception to deposit the key I was told that buffet breakfast is free with the room. I skipped it because I was quite full. The Thai girl at the reception was surprised because she expected me to take advantage of the lovely spread.

The drive from Katherine to Darwin went off without any incident. The speed limit continued to be 130 kph and that has been the surprise package in the visit to Northern Territory. One of the sights in Northern Territory are the large number of termite mounds on either side of the road. I felt that the indigenes worshipped them, because some of them were ‘clothed’ and some others had markings on them.

I reached Darwin by noon and I found to my consternation that there was no parking near the YHA. With some difficulty I found a slot not very far away and, being Sunday, the slot was free too. The young lady at the reception confirmed the booking for a private en suite room; I changed to the private room from shared accommodation for privacy and room to empty the car when I give her for service. The lady, however, told me that the room would be ready only by 2 pm. I had almost two hours to kill in hot and humid conditions. I was pouring with sweat. She told me that the Crocosaurus Cove nearby would be a good place to spend some time getting familiar with the most famous inhabitant of the Northern Territory – the crocodile. I was keen to taste its meat too and the lady told me that The Tap next door offered options with crocodile meat. Fortunately, it was not difficult to find the free YHA parking after going through the directions given at the reception.

The Tap seemed to be a popular food and drink joint. The place was mightily busy at the time, possibly because it was a Sunday too. I ordered a Croc Snitzel and waited with some amount of unease for the order to mature. How would it taste? Would it be smelly? Would the meat be tough? The girl who took the order suggested garlic sauce with the Snitzel and I accepted the suggestion. The humungous portion, as is wont in Australia, arrived with a mound of fries, a lot of fresh leaves(!) and two large pieces of the crumb fried croc meat, which were arranged to look like the jaws of the crocodile. The meat was neither smelly nor tough; it tasted just like chicken, the same consistency. I was determined not to waste the food and I sat there for nearly an hour to finish the meal with many glasses of cold water. I normally avoid cold water, but the heat and the humidity was getting to me.

Once the Snitzel was polished off I walked to the Crocosaurus Cove and took a discounted ticket on offer for YHA residents and members. The ticket was unique in that it permits one to walk in and out of the facility till closing time at 6 pm. Besides going through the displays in the Cove I was keen on watching the crocodile feeding at 2.30 pm. The Cove has a large ‘collection’ of saltwater crocodiles and the manner in which some of them came to be in the Cove is very interestingly mentioned. Myths and facts about crocodiles and their interrelationship in the ecosystem are vividly described. It is possible to get up close and personal with the crocodiles in the Cage of Death. Most of the crocodiles seemed uninterested in the humans lowered in the acrylic cage while the humans thrashed around trying to get the crocs interested and give the humans close-ups. The Cove also boasts of one of the largest display of reptiles and turtles. Various sizes and shapes of goannas and snakes are displayed in their natural setting. The huge aquarium has large sized Barramundis, Whiprays and Archer Fish. The crocodile feeding session was most unprofessionally handled. The exit from the Cove is through a souvenir store from where one can pick up stuff made of crocodile skin or other keepsakes.

By the time I finished the Cove visit the room was ready for occupation. I was disappointed that Wi-Fi was not provided free of cost with the private room. I was told that the communal kitchen is on level 1 and laundry on level 2. The large sized room had a bunk bed with a double bed at the bottom and a single on top. Lockers were provided too. I put the bags in and took a snooze. The heat had exhausted me. In an hour I was up, refreshed and ready to explore the city on foot.

At the reception I got a general idea of what I could do in the next few hours. My destination was Stokes Hill Wharf and I set out in that direction. The YHA is in the heart of the city with the stately Hilton just a five minute walk from it. Further down the road was the majestic modern building that housed the Parliament of the Northern Territory. From the plaques on display I could make out that the building with most modern facilities was built between 1990 and 1994. There was not a security guard on display or anything else to show that the Legislative Assembly functioned here. A stone’s throw away from there is the Supreme Court building. The Supreme Court in a State or Territory in Australia is akin to the High Court of a State in India, with full powers in civil, criminal and appeal cases with the jurisdiction of the State. Here again, there was no security or trappings of that office on show.

Just past these two seats of temporal power was the spiritual seat of power, the Christ Church Cathedral of the Anglican Church. The magnificent church was rebuilt, with donations gratefully acknowledged by the church, after the devastation it suffered from Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Almost opposite the cathedral church are three important sites. One is the bronze casting of a frogmouth owl which, according to Larrakiya legend, is a manifestation of the ancestral spirit that protects the Darwin waterfront area. The next is the site where the first overland telegraph (OT) pole was erected on 15 September 1870. The OT line was completed in 1872 linking Port Darwin to Port Augusta (3200 km) and thereafter by undersea cable to Java by August 1872. A stupendous achievement by any standards, particularly considering the hostile terrain and the rudimentary implements available. The third is the Administrator’s Office, which had in the past served as a court house and a police station. The Administrator of a Territory is like the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry or Delhi. While the State Assembly is headed by the Chief Minister, the Administrator is appointed by the Federal Government, which has a larger say in the functioning of a Territory. The Administrator is normally from the Defense forces and lives in the Government House, a magnificent building overlooking the Darwin waterfront.

The Darwin skywalk offers unimaginably magical views of the Darwin Waterfront Precinct that houses restaurants, bars, a wave pool, an artificial beach and the Convention Centre, which can accommodate up to 4000 delegates and comprises nearly 23,000 square meters of floor space. A short distance from it are the oil storage tunnels that were built during WWII to protect oil from attack of the Japanese forces. Two of them are now open for public viewing. Darwin suffered one of the worst bombings in WWII in January 1942 by the Japanese. Sacrifice and heroism during and after the attack are etched in stone and bronze all over the city, particularly in Stokes Hill Wharf. The Wharf has some of the best eating places in the city and was crowded, mostly by Asians at the time of my visit. Incredible India is one of the eateries here, but none of those inside the restaurant seemed to be from India!

There is a free Darwin waterfront service form the Wharf to the skywalk. I took one of them. On the way the driver warned one of the visitors from parking in a no-parking zone. He told me that he has powers to warn them and even issue them a ticket after two warnings! The walk back to the YHA through the Bi-centennial park was a gut-wrenching one. Massive trees lay uprooted everywhere; the entire city is full of scars it suffered from the cyclone that made landfall the previous weekend. Walkways were blocked and large areas of parks remained forded off. The wind speed could very well be imagined.

Back in the room after a three hour walk I was ready for a couple of bottles of beer. Being a licensed premise I had to buy liquor from the bar and I couldn’t drink in the privacy of the room. The bar and pool were far too noisy for my liking after the long walk. I quickly had a bath and settled or a Heat&Eat item – spaghetti with chicken mince curry. The AC in the room was not functioning well. When I spoke with Uzal, a Nepali boy manning the reception, he changed my room. That was it for the day; a long one.

24 March 2018 - Day 21 - Halls Creek to Katherine

I couldn’t sleep after 3 am and so I got ready, hoping to leave as early as I could, for the road ahead was long. I got to the reception of the hotel by 4 am and looked for internet connectivity. The connection was so slow that it took me quite some time to upload what I wanted to. In the meanwhile, the restaurant was busy with breakfast in full swing at that hour! The hotel seemed to have a large number of employees of some nearby mine staying there; they were in dirty overalls. Some ate there while most others packed large tiffin boxes.

The price for hotel accommodation in Halls Creek had been extremely steep – AUD 182 for single occupancy for one night. This is the highest I would be paying in Australia for private accommodation. The options in Halls Creek are limited too. The other Motel was even pricier. It was not the price per se that I was upset about, it is the commensurate facilities. Microwave, washing machine, Wi-Fi – zilch. And nothing to see in the town. I asked for receipt of the money paid for the accommodation yesterday. Every receipt is valuable to account for expenses of the trip. All these go itemized into my daily expense report. Thus far, the budget seemed to hold; but I am paying far more for fuel, per litre, than I had budgeted for. The saving grace has been the better mileage of the car.

When I left for Katherine at 4.30 am, with 875 km to go, it was very dark and lonely on the roads. Not a single vehicle on the roads. It was a bit unnerving, I must admit. I was most worried about animals on the road. When you travel at 110 kph reaction time is limited. The small equipment I had fitted on the front grill of the car, which is said to emit a very high frequency whistle to ward off animals and rodents, was my only assistance. I hoped that it would work, as advertised. I had taken care to avoid travel between dusk and dawn till now. Today would be the true test of this AUD 6 whistle. Mercifully, I had to drive just an hour in the darkness. Fortunately, I did not have any encounters. I must thank Miller from Sydney, who suggested this, and George from Melbourne, who got me the whistle. Even though I did not encounter any animals crossing my path the sights on the road were heartrending indeed. Scores of young wallabies lay dead on the road, as if butchered. I suspected that Road Trains had done most of the damage. Many of the carcasses were still bleeding suggesting that the ‘assassination’ had happened just a while ago. As far as I was concerned the greater problem were birds that were already ‘feasting’ on the carcasses. They are so engrossed in their meal that they ‘take off’ at the last minute and thereby increase the risk of a bird hit. I suffered one, but fortunately was on the right side of the bumper.

The first stop was at Kununurra. When I drove through the city I realized that I should most definitely have cut Halls Creek off the night halt and substituted it with Kununurra. It looked a languid place with a large water body and more life in the town. Plenty of budget accommodation was advertised too. If I were to re-plan for the trip I would replace Frazer Range Station with Eyre Highway Motel and Halls Creek with Kununurra. I found a Shell fuel station and filled up. A short distance outside of the pretty town is the Ord River Diversion Dam. The project was meant to provide large tracts of land with water for irrigation. A board at the site talks about three families that relocated from Queensland to the Ord River area in 1883 with more than 7500 heads of cattle and 200 horses and reached there in September 1885! Talk about pioneering spirits.

Within about 50 km of leaving Kununurra I hit the Western Australia – Northern Territory border. This meant that the clock would immediately fast forward by 90 minutes. There were warnings about responsible driving and limits about drinking alcohol in public places. The interesting thing about Northern Territory is that a sign board at the border prominently displays 110 kph as the speed limit in the State, unless ‘signed otherwise’. It was signed otherwise for the entire 450 plus km from the border to Katherine. The speed was 130 kph! I could not believe my eyes, till I saw many cars overtake me when I was at 110 kph. The condition of the road was not any superior to the ones in WA or SA, but the speed permitted was nearly 20% more than in those States. In fact, the road warnings in NT were not up to the standards of the other two States either. Anyway, I held steady at around 115 kph to ensure stability of my car.

As soon as I crossed the border my mobile phone connectivity ceased. It just went on the blink. I was in the Keep River National Park and till I reached Timber Creek I was ‘in the dark’. I am totally dependent on Google Maps for navigation, which requires connectivity unless the Maps are downloaded. However, in these parts recourse to Maps is minimal as the roads are straight and signposted very well. The Maps come into play when you want to navigate inside towns. Immediately after Timber Creek the connectivity vanished once again till I got to Katherine. This has been the longest I have stayed without a connection during the entire trip. The connectivity in the Nullabor Plains is far superior. I guess the large National Parks is the reason why the connectivity is poor.

After Timber Creek the absolute joy was the drive through the Judbarra/Gregory National Park, which is the second largest National Park in NT. I guessed that there are entry hours to the park because I came across a couple of gates that may be closed at dusk. The area in and around the national park were home to many indigenous tribes and the place is still held sacred by them. That is why the park is being renamed Judbarra. What strikes you most as you drive through the Victoria Highway (National Highway 1) are the stunning red escarpments. These rocks and caves contain a huge lot of aboriginal art from the years gone by. The park is lush with green trees, tall grass and shrubs. The park offers an escarpment walk for stunning views of the Victoria River. I did nothing of the sort as my eyes were fixed on the constant warnings to be ‘crocwise’; the water bodies of the National Park is home to the largest saltwater crocodiles in the region! I prayed that I should not have a sudden urge to yield to any biological requirement.

In about nine and half hours I reached the Pine Tree Motel in Katherine. A visit to the Katherine Gorge was suggested, but I gave that a miss because I would have to trudge a 5 km slope to the cliff to watch that beauty. With nearly 900 km tucked under my belt for the day I was not game for any strenuous activity. I went around town and came across the old railway bridge that spanned the Katherine River. It is this river that provides the spectacle at the Katherine Gorge. The river is prone to flood during monsoonal seasons. The town had been devastated by two major floods – in 1897 and 1998; the latter led to complete inundation of the town and evacuation of the entire population. The present bridge was built after that event and the old one was abandoned.

I spent a quiet evening in the room catching up on all the backlog and, with internet connectivity being excellent, I was able to upload most of the blogs. A couple of Highland scotch with cola and Arrabbiata chicken with rice and baked beans was my company.

23 March 2018 - Day 20 - Broome to Halls Creek

The Lodge has pretty strict rules regarding alcohol use. Alcohol from the outside cannot be brought past the main door. In bold letters it is written on the floor and at eye level at the entrance. However, one can buy alcohol from the store of the Lodge and consume. But, if a guest of the occupant has to consume in the room he has to be signed in. Mark told me that these rules were brought in to stop untoward incidents. The Lodge was indeed a cozy place, but the shared toilets could be better maintained, I thought.

By 5 am I was ready leave. When I was checking in the previous day I was told that I would have to deposit AUD 10 for the key. The amount was waived when I told the lady that I would be checking out very early the next day. Mark had acquiesced with a firm statement that I should not forget to drop the key in the box when I checked out, as they were short of keys. Therefore, I made doubly sure that the key was safely deposited in the box before I left the Lodge.

I had never before, in this journey, left before daybreak. I wanted to test it out as I would have to repeat it the next day on the trip to Katherine from Halls Creek. Besides the 875 km to Katherine from Halls Creek, there would also be time zone change upon entering Northern Territory, where it is +9.30 GMT. All went well for the first 35 km from the Lodge, then there was water on the road and speed restrictions. There was only one side of the road available in some sections and, therefore, single lane traffic. Suddenly, in the midst of navigating such stretches the windshield became foggy and I could see nothing despite the use of wipers and blower. It was a tough one hour till it became a bit sunny. 

A few km before Derby the road turned right for Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek. Almost immediately thereafter the landscape changed and it became greener. There were many warnings against forest fires and the need to be vigilant about the use of fire in these places. One of the signages said, “We Like Our Lizards Frilled And Not Grilled”. As I was reading I noticed a biggish lizard sitting at the edge of the road and it was not bothered when I stopped and reversed to take a closer look at the Pilbana Goana. A few more crossed my path during the trip. Fortunately, none of them came under my wheel. They seemed most fearless and strutted around as if they own the place. The Boab tree is the Australian Outback equivalent of the coconut tree – is used as food, for art and even as accommodation. That is the versatility of the tree, which takes over 50 years to mature and some survive over hundreds of years!  They shed their leaves in the dry season, yet I was lucky enough to see many with bright green leaves on them.

Fitzroy Crossing was the midpoint, almost, of the day’s schedule. When I dropped by at the Ngiyali Roadhouse I came across a lot more people of aboriginal origin. And they didn’t sound very friendly either. I did not want to hang around the place much even though I had the intention of taking a short nap before proceeding to Halls Creek.

Halls Creek itself is a nondescript town with little modern day significance attached to it. The town took the name of the person who led the gold rush, Charlie Hall who discovered a huge nugget of gold. Large number of Europeans were drawn to the town in search of gold. The inhospitable terrain and weather claimed many lives. The prospectors very soon turned their attention to the areas closer to Perth and the Old Halls Creek town was virtually abandoned and is now no more than a few pitiable ruins. Halls Creek serves as the hub for local indigenous people.

The hotel where I stayed, Kimberley Hotel, is highly overpriced with hardly any facility to command that kind of price. It doesn’t even have Wi-Fi connectivity in the rooms. It is available just in the reception and Bar area and even that signal is weak. Mark was right when he told me that the town has nothing to offer. Yes, it has absolutely nothing. A town and hotel better skipped. If I had the saner advice of Mark at the time of planning I may have driven another 300 km to Kununurra. Maybe next time!

22 March 2018 - Day 19 - Port Hedland to Broome

I was loathe to get up in the morning; wanting to enjoy another walk on the beach and a leisurely breakfast. But, the army-like drill put paid to such idle ambitions. I was up at 5.30 am and got busy with posting blog for an hour, by which time it had become nice and sunny. It was just over 600 km to Broome. If the average speeds of the previous days were to be considered the destination for the day was just seven hours away. After a cup of coffee and washing the used plates and spoons I luxuriated in a shower for nearly a quarter of an hour and felt absolutely fresh.

By 7 am I was out of the cabin after loading all the luggage I had taken out last evening. The exit out of Port Hedland to NR1 was done in about 15 minutes. On the way are massive salt pans belonging to Rio Tinto with stackers and reclaimers doing their jobs in the stock yard. On the way was a railway yard where three massive trains were in readiness to leave. Australia is the pioneer in heavy haul trains that hauled over 25,000 tonnes in one train. The trains seemed to be loaded with iron ore and many Road Trains were seen plying ore, ostensibly to load the trains. I had to stop at a railway crossing to let a freight train pass. It seemed to go on and on. The railway crossings are, by themselves, a marvel when compared to what we have in India. There are no road humps or speed restrictions. The warning to the road user is 'prepare to stop when the red lights are flashing'. Even the barrier is a half barrier that covers only one’s side of the road.

Sandfire, I noticed, was about 290 km from Port Hedland, which would serve as the ideal point to break the journey and tank up. About a half out of Port Hedland a pilot vehicle instructed me to stay clear of the road on the left side to permit an oversized vehicle to pass. While I got off the road and stopped, the car ahead of me was not clear off the road. The vehicle carrying the oversized cargo was traveling at over 90 kph and almost ripped the car off the road. Just in time the driver acted to take his car off the road. It was a close shave. Once the clearance was given I got off briskly and overtook the car in front of me. While I had set cruise control for 110 kph, the section speed, the guy behind me was trying all he could to overtake me. His car just did not have the juice to take on the Outlander. And he was being reckless, driving on the wrong side of the road too. He seemed to trail me till we reached the Pardoo Roadhouse; it was a bit nervy as the roads were deserted and there was hardly any traffic at all on the road.

At Sandfire, after fueling and taking care of biological requirements, I set sights for Broome. I targeted to reach the Kimberley Travelers’ Lodge (KTL) by 1.30 pm. However, just out of the fuel station large sections of the road were covered in water and speed restrictions were in force. I wondered if the road would be closed if it rained. A feature of the drive from Perth had been the constant patrolling of roads by Rangers on the lookout for flooding points and forest fires. The devastating effect of forest fires, maybe recently, was there as evidence along the way.

My eyes felt very heavy and I stopped at one of the parking stations nearly 80 km short of Broome and took a power nap. With that I reached the KTL by 2 pm. the very friendly staff at the reception readily agreed to upgrade my booking to a private room with shared facilities. They recommended a visit to the Cable Beach and the Gantheaume Point. I skipped the Beach and made haste to the Gantheaume Point with the intention of viewing the sunset from there. The beautiful red stone formations in the backdrop of the pristine waters of the Indian Ocean was indeed a marvel to behold. It is said that at low tide footprints of dinosaurs that roamed these parts of the world 130 million years ago can be seen. Another interesting sight is the ruins of Anastasia’s Pool that was ravaged in a recent cyclone. The Pool was built by the lighthouse keeper for his wife who suffered from arthritis! The Bingle Bingles rock formations are truly amazing. The interplay of water at high velocity and the rocks is a marvel that only nature can create.

After coming back I requested Mark, the owner of the Lodge, to guide me on the route from Daly Waters to Cairns. He asked me to get back in half hour so that he could get his Atlas out from the cupboard. When I went back to him after a bath – it had been hot and sticky all through the day – he was ready with the information. He asked me to take the Three Ways to Camooweal road on the first day, as the Savannah Road was closed. The second day, he said, could be either Camooweal to Normanton or Camooweal to Mackay. I opted for the former as I would be coming down the Gold Coast en route to Brisbane later, anyway. Mark only wanted me to ensure that there is enough fuel at Cloncurry. With all that information I now have to only pray for good weather till I get out of Northern Territory.

When Mark was pouring over the Atlas another guest dropped by and asked where I am traveling to. To this Mark said, “Ask where he is not going to”. That was indeed high praise from an adventure tour operator. As discussions were winding up Mark asked if I had had dinner. When I said that I would be making it shortly he invited me to share the food he had made for some of his guests. He has a company that does adventure tours between Broome and Perth. The number of guests who arrived on the tour this day fell far short of expectations. There was leafy vegetables, salad, boiled potatoes, chicken roast and bread. The food was, indeed, very nourishing. After thanking Mark profusely for the unexpected bonanza I repaired to bed early with the intention of an early start.