Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 053 - Katherine to Katherine Gorge

Day:  053

Date: Sunday, 23 August 2020

Start:  Katherine

Finish:  Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk National Park)

Daily Kilometres:  30 (click for Julie's Strava and photos and here for our walk)

Total Kilometres:  5540

Weather:  Hot and sunny

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Fresh fruit salad, passionfruit danish/chocolate croissant

  Lunch:  Corned beef, cheese & pickle sandwich/Chicken & avocado sandwich

  Dinner:  Bangers & mash/Chilli con carne, vegetables & rice

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  A very pleasant and scenic hike around the 5km Baruwei Loop later in the afternoon when the heat had diminished a little.  After we had gone a kilometre, a sign that said the walk was closed for upgrading, but we decided to take our chances that it was still passable.  The trail wound its way up through a (relatively) cool and shady small canyon whose rock walls were lined with palms before emerging on an arid plateau scattered with scrub and boulder outcrops.  It passed by the edge of the plateau giving good views over the river valley and tourist area before descending a little to the Baruwei Lookout with a spectacular view up the Katherine Gorge with its rocky walls lining the dark green and inviting river.  Another, more formidable, fence and sign warned the trail back down to the tourist area was closed, but by this time we were not going to retrace our steps, and being late Sunday afternoon thought there was little chance of getting into trouble.  So it turned out, and we returned to camp unscathed and unprosecuted.

Lowlight:  Although we only rode a short distance today, a brisk headwind made it very hard, and occasionally unpleasant, work.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We only had 30km to ride today, from Katherine to Katherine Gorge, so we slept in then walked to the supermarket and bakery around 8am to get some breakfast and final supplies.  Back at the motel we ate breakfast while I got my fix of current affairs TV before packing and leaving at 10am on a very warm and sunny morning.

The road to the Gorge was to the east, directly into a strong headwind, so it was hard work and slow progress as we followed the out-of-sight Katherine River upstream to the Gorge.  Along the way, it was a mix of woodland, grazing land, hobby farms, a few orchards, and an eclectic mix of resorts, camping grounds, restaurants and curios.  Nearer the Gorge, the country became hilly with some brown rocky bluffs marking the start of the Gorge country.

We reached the National Park Visitor Centre at noon and booked a very expensive tent site for two nights.  There is a camp kitchen with fridge and microwave, along with a very nice swimming pool, and plenty of grassy potential tent sites, so I guess we are getting some value for money.  After putting our drinks and some other food in the fridge, we erected our tent, locked our bikes to a sturdy tree, and had lunch in the open air kitchen sheltering from the strong sun.  After lunch, Julie spent time in the pool while I did some email and listened to the football.

Around 4pm, as the day cooled a little, we set out on the 5km Baruwei Loop Walk from the campground which climbed up onto the dry escarpment overlooking the tourist area and and then visited the lookout offering views up the first part of the Gorge before we descended to the river and returned to the campground (see above).

After showers, we microwaved dinner and ate it in the camp kitchen watching the orange glow of the setting sun light up the escarpment in front of us.  A magic end to a pretty lazy and enjoyable day.  It is Sunday, after all!

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 052 - Mataranka to Katherine

Day:  052

Date: Saturday, 22 August 2020

Start:  Mataranka Homestead

Finish:  Katherine

Daily Kilometres:  115 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  5510

Weather:  Hot and sunny

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Ham, cheese, tomato & pickle sandwiches

  Lunch:  Ham, cheese, tomato & pickle sandwiches

  Dinner:  Chilli con carne, vegetables & rice/Grilled chicken & bacon pasta bake, ice cream

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  Well, not quite a highlight, but it appeals to my Presbyterian upbringing.  While shopping in Katherine this afternoon, I bought electric hair clippers and did some self-grooming later in the afternoon.  The price of the clippers, $20, certainly beat the $57 I paid for a haircut and beard trim in Townsville!  And I'm willing to carry the extra weight.

Lowlight:  I was riding about 5 metres behind Julie, when unbeknownst to me, she just missed a dead snake lying on the road edge.  In the second or two it took me to reach the same spot, it became apparent the snake was not dead, and a very annoyed writhing snake passed beneath my pedals before I had a chance to think or do anything about it.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Knowing another very hot day was forecast, we decided to get on the road early, even though we had a relatively short day in prospect, 115km to Katherine.  We sneaked out of the sleeping resort in darkness at 5:45am and cycled the 9km to Mataranka, and a just-opened service station, where we bought a couple of flavoured milks to consume as part of breakfast later on.  The first signs of dawn were showing in the eastern sky as we left town and headed for Katherine, the largest town on our route since Cairns on the east coast three or four weeks ago.  We were on the Stuart Highway, which we expected to get busier on this Saturday morning, and the service station clerk had warned us of heavy truck traffic.

It was still forest on both sides of the road, with large sections recently burnt and looking starkly beautiful in the rising sun.  Around 8am, with 69km to go, we took a break for breakfast in the shade of a roadside tree, knowing we were going to comfortably reach Katherine around noon, so feeling no pressure and enjoying the moment.

Traffic did increase, as expected, and twice we had to head for the hills when road trains arrived from opposite directions at the same time.  In each case, the one coming from behind gave us some early warning toots, and we quickly steered off the road.  It also got warmer, and after one more break, we were happy to reach the outskirts of Katherine, but not so much to encounter our first traffic light for a very long time.

We were too early to check-in to our motel, so stopped in shade on a lawn adjacent to the busy town visitor centre and ate the sandwiches Julie had prepared last night for lunch.  The town shopping centre was nearby adding to the Saturday pedestrian and road traffic as we later walked the block to our motel.  They kindly let us check in early, so we had plenty of time to shower, do laundry, do some shopping (see above), and take care of some other chores.  We're going to places in the next week with few stores and where we will have to camp and cater for ourselves, so Katherine, with a large supermarket, is a good place to stock up on our camp food supplies.

Later, dinner was microwaved in the motel shared kitchen and was followed by the usual quiet night.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 051 - Mataranka

Day:  051

Date: Friday, 21 August 2020

Start:  Mataranka Homestead

Finish:  Mataranka Homestead

Daily Kilometres:  0 (click here for Julie's Strava of our walk and her photos)

Total Kilometres:  5395

Weather:  Hot and sunny (record temperatures for this time of the year in the Top End)

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Ham, cheese & pickles sandwiches

  Lunch:  Ham, cheese, tomato & cucumber sandwiches

  Dinner:  Chicken parmigiana, salad & chips

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  We spent a very pleasant 30 minutes or so, at 4 Mile, a quiet spot on the edge of the translucent and inviting Roper River, watching nature at work.  The river flowed silently by, bordered by tall palm trees and other tropical vegetation.  Dragonflies and small insects darted about just above, or on the surface, while small birds swooped low over the river, and occasionally into it, catching the insects.  High in a tree, a pair of brilliantly white cockatoos surveyed the scene, while other, unseen, birds called exotically.  And, across the river and tethered to the bank, floated an open, presumably baited, crocodile trap, hinting at the possible presence of other living creatures.

Lowlight:  None really

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

After sleeping in, relatively, we left our motel room a little before 8am and set out on the River Walk in Elsey National Park along the banks of the Roper River itowards Mataranka Falls.  The full distance to the falls and back was more than 16km, so we were unsure whether we would go the whole way on what was already quite a warm day.  The path began by passing the nearby exotic thermal pools where people were already swimming/floating beneath the stately palms, including the caravaners who had offered us water and a shower a couple of nights ago.

Most of the walk was through quite dry woodland, but it was easy to see where the river flowed during The Wet.  We passed Rainbow Spring where warm water bubbled up from the artesian basin below, and also the peaceful Stevie's Hole where we stopped and ate our sandwich breakfast.  Further along, we reached 4 Mile where a seemingly little-used boat ramp led to the river and we took a very pleasant break (see above).  Although we could have continued on, we decided to turn back to the resort.  We both had tired legs and it was starting to get hot.  10km was enough.

Back at the resort, we took it easy for the rest of the day.  Julie made a few visits to the thermal pools while I did some more trip planning.  This included working out when we would be likely to reach the Western Australian border (2.5 weeks).  Presently, the border is closed to all but essential workers, and it seems unlikely we will get permission to enter, which will put an end to our Australian circumnavigation plans.  Nevertheless, I will put in a permit application in the next week and we'll see what happens.

If we can't get into WA, we'll head south to Adelaide and then follow the south coast eastwards to Victoria.  However, even that plan may be scuppered unless New South Wales opens its borders to Victoria, otherwise we'll have to spend two weeks in quarantine to get home.

After I joined Julie for her last trip to the thermal pools for the day, we had dinner at the resort cafe, which tonight had a singer going through a long list of country and rock classics (think Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, etc.), and some grey nomads dancing.  Once again, it was a beautiful balmy tropical evening for eating outside and a nice way to finish our stay here.

The resort buildings surround the original heritage-listed Mataranka Homestead, which was apparently used in the film based on the famous Australian book, We of the Never Never, which was written at nearby Elsey cattle station in the early 20th Century by Jeannie Gunn.  She was the first white woman to live in the area and I would love to have seen what life was like in those days around here.  Not easy, I'm sure.

Although the resort doesn't date back that far, it does feel a bit old and rundown, as does our motel room (Julie had a cockroach run up her leg while having a shower).  Regardless, the thermal pools and the Roper River are well worth a visit.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 050 - Daly Waters to Mataranka

Day:  050

Date: Thursday, 20 August 2020

Start:  Daly Waters

Finish:  Mataranka Homestead

Daily Kilometres:  177 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  5395

Weather:  Mild early then sunny and hot

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Ham, cheese & pickle sandwiches

  Lunch:  Corned beef & pickle sandwiches

  Dinner:  Chicken parmigiana, salad & chips

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  We began riding at 4:45am because we had many kilometres in front of us and a hot day was forecast.  It was exhilarating, cruising along in the dark beneath a brilliantly starry sky, the smells and sounds of the unseen bush beside us, and only two vehicles encountered in the first 40km.  This was despite now being on the Stuart Highway, the main route between Adelaide and Darwin.  As it gradually became light in the east, the savannah woodland turned from silhouette to dull orange, then muted greens and yellows before finally being fully illuminated by the sun.  A very special first few hours.

Lowlight:  In Mataranka in the early afternoon, many of the local indigenous population, predominantly youngish, were gathering and chatting in the park where we were having a break.  A number were heading for the nearby bush carrying cartons of beer.  I can't believe there are many employment opportunities locally, so it makes me sad to think about what the future holds for these people.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Our goal for today was the Mataranka Homestead resort, 177km away, where we will have a day off tomorrow to visit some local attractions.  The resort, so far as we knew, has no store and is 9km from the very small town of Mataranka on a side road.  To avoid having to buy all of our meals and drinks at the resort's cafe and bar, which would likely be expensive, we wanted to buy some food and drink at the small supermarket in town before riding out to the resort.  According to Google, the supermarket would close at 5pm, so we needed to make sure we got there in plenty of time on a day forecast to be very hot.  All this long preamble is to explain why we decided to get up at 4am and be on the road by 4:45am this morning.  It would allow us to cover a good distance before the heat set in, and give us some buffer time to get to Mataranka before supermarket closing time.

It proved to be a good decision.  The early riding was enjoyable (see above) and we made good time.  We didn't take a break until we had covered 53km, when we stopped in a roadside rest area and had breakfast around 7am.  It was already warming up.  We decided to capitalise on our good start by riding the next 41km without a break to the hamlet of Larrimah, where we might, or might not, be able to get some morning tea.  We were in luck, and found Fran's Tea House, now run by her grandson, open for business.  Scones with fresh cream and jam were ordered and eaten with relish, along with the obligatory cold Diet Coke, before we set off into the heat, hoping to cover the remaining 75km to Mataranka in two hops.

After 39km, we found another conveniently-located highway rest stop for lunch and then rode the last undulating 36km to Mataranka under a withering sun, arriving around 1:30pm.  We celebrated our achievement by buying an ice-cream, along with a cold drink, in the supermarket and ate it on the grassy lawn in the park opposite near a giant termite mound.  

After our celebratory ice-cream, we bought food and drink to help keep our costs down while at the resort, loaded up our bikes and rode the 9km to the resort, arriving around 2:45pm.  We checked in, and Julie went for a swim in the nearby thermal pools, while I showered and did some chores.  Like most of the out-of-the-way places we have visited - roadhouses, resorts, stores, campgrounds - this resort seems to be staffed largely by efficient and friendly young foreign backpackers who must have decided to wait out the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.

Later, we went to the cafe and bought dinner, eating it in their large covered al fresco area, fans whirring above, on a beautiful balmy tropical evening, well-satisfied with our day's work and looking forward to tomorrow's activities and a day off cycling.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 049 - Bulwaddy to Daly Waters

Day:  049

Date: Wednesday, 19 August 2020

Start:  Bulwaddy Picnic/Camping Area

Finish:  Daly Waters

Daily Kilometres:  91 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  5218

Weather:  Cool early, then hot and sunny

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Muesli

  Lunch:  Corned beef & pickles sandwiches

  Dinner:  Rissoles, salad & chips, ice creams

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  None really.

Lowlight:  The last 50km for the day was mostly flat and directly into a moderate headwind that, though it may have taken the edge off the temperature, made cycling very hard work.  We were very happy to reach Daly Waters.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Fortunately, our loud drunken fellow camper began losing steam around 9pm and we had a quiet restful night until our alarm went off at 5:30am.  We packed in the dark and began riding at 6:30am when it was just light enough to see without lights.  Having completed 181km of the 272km from Cape Crawford to Daly Waters yesterday, we only had 91km to ride today until we reached our booked motel room, so were looking forward to an easy day and an early stop.

For the first few hours, the riding was easy and the temperatures ideal, as we continued on through the savannah woodland, taking a break for breakfast 8am.  Around 9am, as the sun developed some heat, a westerly wind sprang up and the riding became much harder.  This was exacerbated by the very long straight stretches of road that allowed us to see many kilometres ahead.  As we crested each low ridge, more kilometres of straight road revealed themselves ahead leading up to the next low ridge, yet we never seemed to benefit from any downhill.

The kilometres dragged, but we still made reasonable time, and were very happy to reach the Hi-Way Inn at Daly Waters at noon.  Our room wasn't ready, but we were happy to buy drinks and sandwiches and have lunch on the roadhouse verandah watching the world go by and anticipating a recovery afternoon.

By the time we had finished lunch our room was ready and we spent a quiet afternoon enjoying the air-conditioning, and both feeling very tired after a long day yesterday and a hard morning today.  We had an excellent early dinner (the Grey Nomad's Special) in the roadhouse and went to bed early, planning a very early start tomorrow for a long hot day on the road north.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 048 - Cape Crawford to Bulwaddy

Day:  048

Date: Tuesday, 18 August 2020

Start:  Cape Crawford

Finish:  Bulwaddy Picnic/Camping Area

Daily Kilometres:  181 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  5127

Weather:  Cool early, then hot and sunny

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Ham, cheese & tomato sandwiches

  Lunch:  Ham, cheese & tomato sandwiches

  Dinner:  Soup, Macaroni cheese

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  At the end of a long hot day's ride, and finding the water tanks dry (not unexpectedly) at the picnic area where we were free camping along with a couple of other travellers, we were working out how much of the precious water we had carried all day we could afford to use for a wash.  Water was still needed for dinner and tomorrow as well.  As we were setting up our tent, a lady from a caravan parked some distance away, walked over and asked whether we needed any water and whether we would like to have a shower in their caravan.  We politely declined the shower, but accepted the offer of water and were given a bucketful which allowed us to have a much-needed refreshing wash.

Lowlight:  After our wash (see above), as we were preparing dinner, a 4WD with two young guys and a dog arrived where we were camping.  One got out, having a loud profane argument with the driver, and obviously inebriated, and then came over to have a slurred conversation with us while his mate set up camp nearby.  An hour later, as I write this we can still clearly hear him having a loud conversation with his mate.  Hope it's not going to be a noisy night.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke at 5:30am and stealthily packed, hoping not to disturb the motorcyclist camped close by.  Most of the time he was snoring, which was a good sign.  The sun was just rising as we left the roadhouse at 6:45am.  We had purchased drinks and sandwiches last night for today's ride as the roadhouse doesn't open until 8am and we didn't want to hang around until then.  Firstly, we had 181km to ride so wanted to get going as soon as possible, and secondly, it was going to be hot and it's best to make good use of the cooler early hours for riding.

We weren't sure of getting any food or water for the next 272km, so we were carrying enough food for two days plus 17 litres of water and soft drink, adding considerably to the weight of our bikes.  But the road was going to be sealed the whole way, and the hills looked to be gradual, so the weight was less of an issue than for other days.

It was very cool riding for the first hour, but we savoured it, knowing that the forecast high for the day was in the mid-thirties, Centigrade.  Apart from the better temperatures, the early morning riding is always the best.  There are more animals about, and the orange dawn light illuminates the trees and lanscape around and ahead of us.  Not to mention that we are fresh.

Today's ride emphasised yet again what a vast outback Australia has.  Apart from a couple of side roads leading to cattle stations, and a few roaming cattle early on, we were surrounded by savannah woodland all day.  It wasn't all the same.  Different trees predominated in different places, and occasionally, there were stretches of grassland.  From the top of a couple of rises, we could see the savannah woodland stretching as far as the eye could see.  Not only did we ride 181km today with almost unbroken outback bush on both sides of the road, but it was clear that we could venture many kilometres into the bush on either side of the road and it would be the same.  The vastness is awesome.

By coincidence, the day broke up nicely into sections defined by the 10-kilometre signs along the road giving the distance to the Stuart Highway, about 270km from Cape Crawford.  It was 40km to the first picnic area where we had breakfast admiring an impressive view over the savannah, and then it was almost 60km, with a break half-way, to the next picnic area where we stopped for lunch.  From there, we had almost exactly 80km to the Bulwaddy Picnic Area where we are now, which we broke into sections of 30km, 30km, 20km.  Thirty kilometres, or 90 minutes, continues to be our optimal riding distance, with breaks of 30 minutes in between.  Averaging 20kph, as we did when riding today, worked out very neatly.

Traffic was light, but there were a lot of road trains, particularly cattle trucks. The cattle trucks were mostly empty, so some station must have been moving a lot of cattle around.  The road was very narrow for much of the day, so we always got onto the rough gravel edge for road trains, and usually for other vehicles as well.  Even then, I almost got blown off my bike by one road train as it passed.

We arrived at the Bulwaddy Picnic Area at 5:45pm, tired but satisfied with a good day's effort in warm conditions, often with a headwind.  "Picnic Area", sounds a bit grand for where we are.  There are two concrete picnic tables and two water tanks, neither with any water.  Otherwise it is dry, dusty and scrubby with hard stony red earth.  Although maybe used for picnics, most of these double as unofficial free camping areas for travellers, which is great.  The downside is that you may end up sharing with people who cause you concern (see above).  The alternative is to find somewhere quiet off the road where nobody knows you are there.  Tonight, we were hoping, though not expecting, there might be water available (see above), so we took a chance.

Before going to bed, we spent some time admiring the awe-inspiring outback night sky.  The Milky Way was brilliantly visible, as were myriads of other stars.  Very special. 

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 047 - Borroloola to Cape Crawford

Day:  047

Date: Monday, 17 August 2020

Start:  Borroloola

Finish:  Cape Crawford

Daily Kilometres:  112 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  4946

Weather:  Mild to hot and sunny all day

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Ham salad sandwiches

  Lunch:  Silverside salad sandwiches 

  Dinner:  Fish, chips & salad/Chicken schnitzel, chips & salad

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  We stopped by the side of the road in the shade of a tree for our mid-morning break and compared it to our mid-morning break three days ago on the road from Hells Gate to Borroloola.  Then, we were hot, exhausted, caked in dust, drinking warm water and trying to eat glutinous trail mix (Smarties are not as robust as M&Ms), with many kilometres of rough dusty road in front of us.  Today, we were warm, fresh, clean, struggling to get the last of the not-quite-thawed flavoured milk out of the carton, snacking on still-cold chocolate, and more than half-way to our objective with a following wind and flattish road ahead.  It almost felt like we were cheating!

Lowlight:  None really

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

One chore I forgot on our day off yesterday, was to clean and reposition the cleats in our shoes, so we left Borroloola a little later than intended at 6:45am.  After the gravel, clay and dirt of last week, gunk had accumulated around the cleats, making them difficult to clip in and out, so it was worth spending the time, with the gunk now behind us, for a while at least.

It was magic riding on a sealed road again.  We could maintain a good speed and look around more, rather than struggling along focused on choosing the best line to ride on the rough surface.  The sun was rising behind us and there was very little traffic as we rode through the flat savannah woodland dotted with the ubiquitous termite mounds amidst the ubiquitous burnt undergrowth, the result of low-intensity fires common in the arid tropics of Australia.

After an hour or so, we crossed out of aboriginal land onto McArthur River Station land, a vast cattle station (7,000 square kilometres), through which we cycled for the next 100km, apart from some kilometres claimed by the massive McArthur River Mine (lead-zinc-silver).  We stopped for breakfast around 9am, having made good time on a beautiful morning and looking forward to an early finish to the day.

After breakfast, rocky outcrops, escarpments and low hills began to break up the flat savannah scenery, providing more interest and a few gradual climbs.  However, to our benefit, as our road direction swung more to the west, what had been a mild crosswind became a following wind.  Our average speed was about 23kph and we decided that we would only need one more break before our destination, Cape Crawford.  We had that break at 11am (see above), then had an easy run to the Heartbreak Hotel roadhouse at Cape Crawford which we reached at 1pm.

Although we only rode 112km today, it's 272km to the next roadhouse, so we will camp here (no cabins available) where we can get showers and food, and then camp by the road tomorrow night.  There's nothing here but the roadhouse and an airstrip, but it is pleasantly grassed and shady.  We ate our lunch on the broad roadhouse verandah before setting up our tent.  Julie then had a swim in the small pool while socialising with some other travellers while I returned to the verandah for a lazy afternoon.

The roadhouse kitchen reopened at 6pm, and we ate there as well as buying supplies for tomorrow's ride, and had an early night.  Camping by the road tomorrow night, so likely no internet access.