Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 057 - Cooinda

Day:  057

Date: Thursday, 27 August 2020

Start:  Cooinda (Kakadu National Park)

Finish:  Cooinda (Kakadu National Park)

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

Total Kilometres:  5826

Weather:  Hot, sunny and windy

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Peanut butter & Ryvita

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Chicken roll, lasagne, ice cream

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  Difficult to choose, but possibly seeing a 4+ metre crocodile resting on the bank with what looked like the remains of a young bullock in its mouth.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Last night, Julie was chatting with some ladies in the camp kitchen/laundry about our plans in Kakadu, and soon afterwards we were generously invited to join them - Fiona, Elaine and Kelly - on their 4WD trip to the remote Jim Jim Falls today.  They are on a week's vacation from their jobs in Darwin.  Our original plan had been to lounge around the campground until our booked Yellow Water sunset cruise at 4:30pm, so the chance to instead spend the day visiting one of Kakadu's big attractions was too good to pass up.  (I had tried, a week ago, to book a commercial 4WD tour that included Jim Jim Falls, but they have ceased operation during the pandemic.)

We met them at their cabin at 7am and set off on the 1.5 hour drive (during which we saw two dingos), much of it on rough unsealed road and track to the JIm Jim Falls carpark, from where we hiked/scrambled into the magnificent gorge through a boulder-filled rainforest.  Sheer cliffs towered high above the gorge catching the early sunlight but where we hiked remained in shadow.  It took nearly an hour to reach the plunge pool, about 100m across and bordered by sheer cliffs on three sides.  We were dwarfed and awed by our surroundings, thinking about how ancient this place must be and wondering what it must be like during the wet season when water would be thundering from high above down into the pool.  The water was clear, deep and inviting, and eventually we all took the plunge, despite it only being about 9:30am, and the sunlight still absent.  It was cold, but not freezing, and it was exhilarating to swim out and look up.

After our swim, we rock-scrambled back up the gorge to another pool bordered on one side by a sunlit and warm beach backed by cliffs which supplied a small amount of shade. We hung out there for another hour or so, sunbaking, chatting, swimming in the beautiful water, and trying not to burn our feet on what had become very hot sand.  It was idyllic.  Eventually, it was time to leave and after hiking back to the car, our new friends delivered us back to the campground soon after 2pm.

After buying some food for dinner and storing it in the camp kitchen fridge, we relaxed for an hour or so, then caught a shuttle bus a short distance to the dock for our sunset Yellow Water cruise which toured the wetlands around the confluence of Jim Jim Creek and the (misnamed) South Alligator River.  It's hard to describe how good the cruise was (or how many pictures we took!).  We saw plenty of crocodiles, buffalo, wallabies, wild boar, and a fantastic range of birdlife and vegetation, along with an incredible sunset.

We got back to the campground at 7pm, enjoyed a late microwaved dinner, and after a shower got to bed around 9pm after an excellent day.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 056 - Pine Creek to Cooinda

Day:  056

Date: Wednesday, 26 August 2020

Start:  Pine Creek

Finish:  Cooinda (Kakadu National Park)

Daily Kilometres:  167 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  5826

Weather:  Hot, sunny and windy

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Peanut butter on Ryvita

  Lunch:  Jelly beans/Peanut butter on Ryvita

  Dinner:  Chicken roll, lasagne, ice cream

Aches:  Nothing significant, but both exhausted

Highlight:  The first 60km, riding into rising sun through the waking bush along the very quiet Kakadu Highway (five vehicles in three hours) was very special.   When we finish this trip, our fondest memories will be of the early morning riding in the bush.

Lowlight:  It's tough to choose between the wind, the flies, and the closed roadhouse.

1.  After breakfast, it was one of those days where when the road veered left we cheered, and when it veered right we cursed.  The hot wind was strong and there were places where it felt like we were fighting for every inch.

2.  Whenever we took a break, or our cycling pace slowed, flies descended on us, getting in our faces, eyes and ears, despite the insect repellent we were using.  Julie resorted to her headnet on our breaks.

3.  Our plan for the day was to ride the 60km from Pine Creek to the Mary River Roadhouse, the only place to resupply during the day, have breakfast there, and buy lunch and drinks to take with us.  Alas, it was closed indefinitely, presumably a casualty of the pandemic downturn.  We did manage to get some water, though, and are carrying enough extra food to survive such disappointments.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

It was to be a long day's ride so we rose early and left Pine Creek in darkness at 5:45am, soon joining the Kakadu Highway and intent on riding the first 60km to the Mary River Roadhouse without a break.  The riding was beautiful along the winding and undulating road with an increasing number of rocky outcrops scattered through the forest bathed in the orange light of the rising sun, and the occasional buffalo grazing in the woodland (see above).

Sadly, when we got to the Roadhouse, it was closed (see above).  We stopped on a picnic table out the front and I walked into the caravan park, which was still open, though sparsely used, to get four litres of water to add to the four we were already carrying.  I was stopped by the caretaker on the way out, but he was happy for us to take the water.  We only had about 105km to go, which we thought we could accomplish with two breaks, so this seemed like plenty of fluids, but as it turned out, Julie used all of hers and I only had 600mls left by the time we reached Cooinda at the end of the day.

Soon after leaving the Roadhouse, we entered the famed Kakadu National Park, and encountered our first granny-gear climb for some time.  It didn't go on for too long, but the wind had become quite nasty by the time we reached the top, and stayed that way for the rest of the day.   We made a short gravel road detour from the road to the Bukbukluk Lookout which gave views over the tree-carpeted park to the west, north and east, with low hills and rocky escarpments in the distance.  The forest has a tropical feel to it with tall palm-like trees mingled among the more usual forest trees and small tree-ferns on the forest floor (I apologise for my extremely poor botanical knowledge).

After the lookout, though the forest and road remained very interesting, we were in survival mode, battling the wind, heat and hills, barely able to get off our bikes when we stopped for our two breaks.  We were going through our fluids fast, and our conversations were monosyllabic. We were both done.

Nevertheless, we persevered and eventually reached Cooinda, a main tourist centre in Kakadu just after 4pm.  We checked in, buying some cold drinks and ice-creams at the same time, which we inhaled at a picnic bench to help our recuperation before we went to find a tent site and set up camp.  After showers, we found some microwaveable food in the store and ate at another picnic table in the campground.  Then it was off to bed and more recuperation.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 055 - Katherine Gorge to Pine Creek

Day:  055

Date: Tuesday, 25 August 2020

Start:  Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk National Park)

Finish:  Pine Creek

Daily Kilometres:  119 (click for Julie's Strava and photos and for our walk here)

Total Kilometres:  5659

Weather:  Hot and sunny

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Fresh fruit salad, peach-passionfruit danish/chocolate croissant

  Lunch:  Chicken, avocado & bacon sandwiches

  Dinner:  Chicken schnitzel, salad & chips/Rump steak, salad & chips, ice cream

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  Very nice following wind for most of the day that made riding the hills in the heat much easier.

Lowlight:  The Stuart Highway between Katherine and Pine Creek was quite busy with trucks, road trains, caravans and other traffic, yet despite being a major highway, had a very narrow road edge (25cm/1ft wide, or less) for us to ride on to get out of the traffic lane.  We had to constantly watch our rearview mirrors for overtaking traffic, especially when there was oncoming traffic, and assess whether we needed to get off (drop off) the road edge onto the soft/rough gravel for safety. 

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We packed up in the dark and left the Katherine Gorge campground before the sun rose to retrace our steps (tracks) back to the town of Katherine, 29 kilometres away.  It was pleasant riding, despite a few hills, with the sun rising behind us and lighting up the hills and escarpments ahead and to the sides.

Katherine was busy (relatively) with weekday morning traffic when we arrived at 8am and rode to the supermarket and bakery to get breakfast and other supplies.  We ate breakfast sitting on the grass at a nearby park before buying some sandwiches for lunch at a service station on our way north out of town on the Stuart Highway around 9am.

With only 90km to go, and a following wind, we made good time along the busy road (see above) which passed through dry, and sometimes burnt, savannah woodland dotted with some very big termite mounds.  To the right, out of sight, a couple of times we heard the sound of heavy locomotives on the Adelaide-Darwin rail line (home of the famous Ghan train).

We took our usual 30-minute breaks every 90 minutes, sheltering from the fierce sun in the shade of trees, and attracting the usual toots and waves from passing traffic.  Around 2pm we pedalled into the sun-baked old gold mining town of Pine Creek and found our way to the hotel-motel and checked in.  We always enjoy an early finish for the day.  It gives us time to loaf around for a few hours, and no doubt for tired muscles to recuperate.

In the late afternoon we went for a short walk around the historic town and up to a lookout overlooking the town and one of the old open cut mining pits now filled with water.  Gold was first found here in 1870 and was still being mined late last century, though the town seems very sleepy now.  We stopped in at the pub for dinner on our way back from the lookout.  Whie the meal was OK, the nearly hour wait for it to arrive was not.  Then it was back to our room for another early night.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 054 - Katherine Gorge

Day:  054

Date: Monday, 24 August 2020

Start:  Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk National Park)

Finish:  Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk National Park)

Daily Kilometres:  0 (click here for Julie's Strava and photos from our canoe trip)

Total Kilometres:  5540

Weather:  Hot and sunny

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Toasted ham, cheese & tomato sandwich/Toasted chicken & avocado sandwich 

  Lunch:  Trail mix, ice-cream

  Dinner:  Soup, macaroni cheese

Aches:  Julie cut her toe when she slipped on a trail in the gorge

Highlight:  Our five-hour excursion up through the Katherine Gorge by boat and canoe was excellent.  It started with a boat trip, along with about 30 other participants, through the spectacular first part of the gorge, accompanied by expert guide commentary, including information about the unlikely-to-be-dangerous freshwater crocodile inhabitants.  We disembarked at the end of the first gorge and hiked a few hundred metres across a rocky bar to reach our canoes in the second gorge.  We then had about four hours to explore as far up the gorges as we cared to go.  For most of us that meant paddling the length of the second gorge, portaging the canoes 100m across another rocky bar, then paddling the length of the third gorge.  The walls of the gorges were generally sheer rock cliffs, but it was amazing how individual trees, especially pencil-thin palms, and small hanging gardens had grown in the most unlikely places.  Here and there were feeder canyons to explore.  We hiked up one, at the end of which was a beautiful big pool that Julie swam across (on the way back she slipped and cut her toe), and at another we clambered up to view some ancient aboriginal rock art.  At other places, we beached our canoe to sit and admire the view and/or Julie went for a dip.  The other canoeists did similar things while one family with children spent time scaling high up the cliffs to then jump into the river (memories of recklessly taking young Aaron, then about 8 years old, jumping off the cliffs at Johnson's Shut-Ins in Missouri).

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Our booked boat/canoe excursion didn't depart from near the Katherine Gorge Visitor Centre until 9am, so we were able to sleep in a little before wandering down to the Visitor Centre around 8am to buy some drinks and toasties for breakfast, which we ate on their magnificent shaded deck overlooking the Katherine River valley.

From there it was a short walk down to the river and the start of our very enjoyable excursion (see above).  After the excursion returned to the dock just before 2pm, we hastened back to the Visitor Centre cafe, scheduled to close at 2pm (COVID-19 hours), and bought an ice cream as a reward for all of our paddling, which we enjoyed on their deck.

With nothing else on the agenda for the day, we returned to the campground to read (and swim/sunbake, in Julie's case) for the rest of the afternoon.  Dinner in the camp kitchen followed in the evening then an early night.  Pedalling instead of paddling tomorrow!

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.