Heading to the Top End......first stop Katherine !

Thurs 22 - Sun 25 June

Fabulous few days - so lovely leaving Mataranka to go ....oooh gee 115km and then set up again for 3 nights ! Our last day in Mataranka was relaxed and easy. 'Sir' set up school again ....for a little bit and then we headed off exploring for the rest of the day and yes there were Spaths involved again !

Kapok Tree

I remembered visiting here as a 12 year old the replica home of Aeneas and Jeannie Gunn - and was great to show the kids this. Extraordinary standard of living for the time and yet people did survive and we all humans continued to evolve. A time to absolutely endeavour to imagine what it may have been like and how each generation seems to leap off a different platform to the previous (and yes this concept is somewhat plagiarised from Abraham Hicks and it's an idea I can really appreciate - as a kid I had some things my parents may not have experienced at different ages and so on, as do our kids now).

At replica of Aeneas & Jeannie Gunns - We of the Never Never House, Mataranka

Yes, more of a visual feast of flora and landscapes....it's kinda like taking photos of Cathedrals in England (and yes Stu loved this....bahahahaha) and loving each one as they are all different and never the same, not to mention especially how these places feel....seriously heavenly for me ...always at the back of the Team Green walking tribe cruising along.

Stunning water lilies, Mataranka

The kids loved yet another hot bath Spath dip at Mataranka homestead before heading back for dinner. Huges had worked out during the arvo, we may not be at a place with TV for the final Origin...along the Savannah Way...so may have to work on the spreadsheet for that one ....

Thermal Spaths !! Happy Campers ;)

Whilst the kids were swimming, in the root base of a Pandanas palm a lady showed them this tiny green tree snake endeavouring to hoe down what she was certain was a cane toad! It sas incredible - Bronny you would have loved it (hope you all are sensing the sarcasm here...) !! Over the next 30 mins the kids watched this snake slowly swallow up the toad...he started off with his back right leg and the toad gave a bit of a fight...although not much...it was fascinating. I suspect the snake loved seeing the quietly cheering crowd egging him on although I'm not sure he has survived to tell the story?? 

Tree Snake devouring a Cane Toad - not sure he's alive to tell the story now ? 

Thermal Pool at Mataranka Homestead

Creative house building in the trees behind our site at Mataranka - this is Hugo's

This is Eva's.......

So after packing up on Friday, we'd heard about some Mataranka pies and given we have three pie connoisseurs in the veeehicle we went and picked some up for lunch - made on site at the Blue Servo in case you're passing through and different to the Yellow and Green servos to be sure! They along with the sausage rolls were enormous and off the charts flavour sensation - a guy at the tourist park had told us about them as they were buffalo pies...so the Merino Bakery has been ousted having held the title for Best Meat Pie for 2 years running and now the honours go to the Blue Servo Bakery at Mataranka, NT for 2017 !!

Our first morning in Katherine, 'Sir' was up and in action !! Kids were stoked !! ;) ;) However it came with it's rewards and late morning we drove 60km north of Katherine to Edith Falls.

School morning at Katherine with 'Sir' 

Purple Swag Princess at work ! 

Thermal Spaths.....again....at Katherine!!

Best coffee since Orange - that's a lot of weeks ago... THANK YOU Pop Rocket Cafe

Katherine River, NT 

Upper Gorge, Edith Falls 

Such a beautiful spot for families with a lovely 1.3km walk to arrive at the Upper Gorge ready for a swim. Passing some stunning flowers along the way with the first pic listed above, the Kapok Tree being in abundance! Just these spindly tall sticks up to 3 m with masses of beautiful yellow flowers that have an earthy-difficult-to-describe scent.

Red flowering Kurrajong

The red flowering Kurrajong was equally spectacular although I didn't know what it was called at the time - I found out today from a lovely Ranger at Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk). Bizarre seeing deciduous trees and so many types of them in the Gorges, and flowering - such a spring time thing for NSW ?? 

Grevillea Dryandra

Pondering........

Happy Campers !

We all loved this little dip, especially with the weather in the low thirties and then strolled the rest of the way back to the main entry area. Not too many people, and those we chatted with shared great stories and places to go.

Incredible roots on this Rock Fig

Red Dragon Fly ! 

?? Parakeelya

View from the Upper Gorge to the Lower Gorge, Edith Falls

Upper Gorge, Edith Falls

Lower Gorge, Edith Falls

Hilariously, Kylie Wood and her family have missed us (and we've missed them...) on our travels these last 2 years by days , if not hours at different places. Not this time..... We briefly messaged before this trip and they are doing what we would love to do next year and viceaversa. We had pencilled in lunch sometime in September to exchange itineraries and notes. However, September wasn't going to wait and we had a cracking time with the Wandering Woodies - Kylie, John, Larissa & Lawson at one for the pubs in Katherine. The Woodies are from the massive metropolis of Cowra, NSW and it was fabulous to frock up a bit, actually do my hair (!!)  and go out or dinner. The kids had a blast too! 

Dinner with the Wandering Woodies - all the way from Cowra, NSW  !! 

Huges & Lawson

Sash, Eva & Larissa - the pop Queens so senational darlings !! 

The Woodies were off to Kununurra today and then onto the west coast, south to Perth and home across the Nullabor - fantastic stuff Woodies , safe travels & have a blast !!!

Our last day in Katherine we spent out at Katherine Gorge. Our hottest day so far and as we headed off late morning on a couple of walks it was a bit roasty. The kids and I did the Baruwei Walk and Stu went on a bit further and did the Windorf Walk via Pat's Lookout.

View of Katherine Gorge, Baruwei Lookout

Woollybutt

It was a little warm this walk.....

It was a lovely walk and incredible how the landscape in particular the rocks are so different to Edith Falls. Edith Falls is very red in the colouring of the rocks, whereas Katherine Gorge is more boulders and greys...

Native Hibiscus

?? Juvenile Bowerbird

My Off The Track Training buddy !! She loves her cap!! 

Sunset on our last night in Katherine.....Nice!! 

So with groceries done and washing sorted, we pack up in the morning and head to Gunlom Falls, in Kakadu. The sunset this evening was divine, with the cool slowly kicking in. Katherine is very different to what I remember as a kid, especially the No Alcohol in the town centre areas, does create a different visual landscape and hopefully impacts positively on all Australians in these areas, that's the eternal optimist flowing through......