Australia’s fauna is not trying to kill you!

I don’t want to jinx us, but I thought we’d encounter more of Australia’s famous dangerous wildlife, especially snakes and spiders in the 'outback'. We've seen very few, dangerous or otherwise. However, if fauna includes insects – mainly mosquitoes, march flies and sand flies – then you could be irritated to death.

Wallaby at Lake Argyle

To date we've seen sea snakes at Eighty Mile Beach, a dead snake in the gutter in Broome and a wolf spider. Perhaps they've all been killed by cane toads which we saw plenty of throughout NT and unfortunately Eastern WA. ‘Toad busting’ is encouraged in the Kimberley and they have live toad collection points throughout the region. It made me wonder if they've ever tried something similar in QLD.

I've always loved animals and still get a little excited to see them in their natural habitat. I keep a vague list of Aussie animals I’d like to see in the wild and I can now cross off fresh and saltwater crocs which only leaves wombats (I've only seen one sleeping on the side of the road) and platypus (Jeff says he saw one in a creek in the Otways, but I just saw the splash).

Crazy Galah

Other land animals we've seen – some native, many not – include wallabies, kangaroos, dingo, emu, brumbies, feral pigs, buffalo, goannas, lizards running upright on their back legs (weird) and huge feral cats brazenly eating road kill in the middle of the day, and barely moving when we drove past which is I'm told highly unusual.

I've never really taken an interest in birds until we reached NT. We saw majestic Jabiru and Brolgas, noisy flocks of magpie geese, and cheeky bowerbirds. WA has also provided abundant bird watching opportunities with colourful little Rainbow Bee Eaters, Galahs, Corellas, Black Cockatoos, numerous water birds at Lake Argyle, and a bird that sounds like a crying kitten – a Silver Crowned Friar Bird.

Bowerbird in our washing up tub!

Sadly, throughout our trip, we've seen thousands of sad, bony, hungry cattle. I’m used to the fat, happy cows of Victoria and southern QLD so it’s a shock to see so many standing in the dust, eating what little they can find, including ripping the bark off the melaleucas by a creek.

Now I understand why the cattle properties up here are so huge, one cow needs hundreds of acres of land to survive. On the road into Exmouth we also saw a number of mangy feral sheep, unshorn and still with their tails. They look out of place among the spinifex and termite mounds.

Our recent ten day stay at Cape Range NP has put us up close with the wildlife of the sea – but that’s the next blog post…

The Wild West: immense, beautiful and expen$$$$$ive

This entry comes all the way from Karratha in the heart of the Pilbara, maybe the most expensive region in Australia. 

Boab at Wyndham Caravan Park

Rent here is redonkulous, apples are twice the price they are in Broome and two delivered generic pizzas is $56 – we bought the apples and skipped the pizza! 

Luckily we’ve been absolutely blessed to be able to stay here with a friend for three nights and enjoy the luxury of a real bed, private bathroom, television and comfy couch – all under a solid roof out of the elements. Thanks darling Anna. xox

We’ve been in the North of WA for nearly a month enjoying more red dirt, boab trees, vast beaches, crystal clear blue water, howling winds, salt flats, pearl farms, corrugated roads, reefs, wildflowers, spikey baubles of spinifex, national parks, fresh water crocs, fishing, expensive fuel and we’ve had the tinnie off the roof! 

Bungle Bungles

With SuzieQ misbehaving and the real risk of more injuries we skipped the main section of the infamous Gibb River Road - Mitchell Falls and Kalumbaru will have to wait until next time. 

The Kimberley, even from the Great Northern Highway, still had plenty to offer: Lake Argyle, the Bungle Bungle Range in Purnululu NP, Tunnel Creek NP and Windjana Gorge.

We used Broome as a base to explore the Dampier Peninsula which offers the only free beach side camping in the region along a spectacular coastline of dark red cliffs and isolated beaches. 

We camped just north of James Price Point and then drove further up the Peninsula towards Cape Leveque to stay at Middle Lagoon – which gave us our first opportunity to get the tinnie down and take it for a cruise in the bay and have a fish.

Dampier Peninsula

Unlike NT and QLD, free camping in WA is limited and here they will fine you up to $1000 if you get caught! So South of Broome heading towards the Pilbara we were limited to caravan parks staying at Barn Hill Station and Eighty Mile Beach. 

Stretching out as far as you can see in each direction, Eighty Mile Beach is made up of crushed shells and the water was a light milky grey near the shore and then turquoise out to the horizon. Its major attraction is fishing and on the stretch of beach in front of the park there were 50+ people fishing off the beach spread out over about 500m.

Cleaverville

The Pilbara is a strange land of big money dreams, historical sites, and undeveloped coast. We camped for two nights between Port Hedland and Karratha at Cleaverville, a pristine little section of rocky coastal reef. 

Looking out to the horizon to the West however you can see the North West gas shelf with its eternal flame creating a dirty yellow haze over the water. 

We are back on the road today to explore more of the Pilbara and then head for the Coral Coast region of this amazing state.      

SuzieQ update for the mechanically interested

A 1988 Nissan GQ Patrol, SuzieQ’s a tough old girl who has previously survived three trips to the Kimberley. She has no aircon, she’s full of rust, the trip meter doesn't work, the odometer is out by about eight per cent, and there is a major dust leak. 

SuzieQ is doing it tough this time, she doesn't like the heavy load we are carrying and the rough, corrugated roads.  She was happy for the first 2,800 km. From Pomona to Burketown without a problem, however since then she’s been fixed nine times, from simple part replacements to resourceful bush mechanics.

1. Why is the fuel gauge a centimetre below empty?

   

   tyre number one

   Although we’d only encountered a few rough patches along the Gulf Developmental Road, the sender unit inside the fuel tank was shaken to pieces and the float arm dislodged. Two hours of finding a way to access the sender unit (eventually cutting a hole in the floor) and a dive into the MacGyver box for some tie wire and it was fixed.
   
2. Oh sh*t, we’ve done a tyre! The back road from Boodjamulla NP to Doomagee was our first stretch of badly corrugated road covered with sharp rocks. A combination of weight, speed and the state of the road destroyed our back left tyre. The spare went on and we were on our way again.
   
3. Seriously, another one?

   

   tyre number two (the spare)

   On the same day, shortly after Hell’s Gate roadhouse, the spare blew out and then we had none. We had to take the first accommodation we could find – Seven Emu Station. Luckily we were travelling in the same direction as a lovely couple we met at Adel’s Grove and Greg and Meighan stayed with us to make sure we safely arrived in Borroloola the next day where we found two second-hand 31-10.5-15’s matching mud tyres.
   
4. F*ck we have no brakes! Sometime after the second tyre we lost our brakes – quite literally. Two days later, when Jeff removed the wheel to investigate, the brake pads were gone. The rough roads had rattled them out of their callipers.  When we arrived in Katherine to get new ones we’d driven nearly 1000 km without them. Obviously very happy to have brakes again.
   
5. Why are we leaking oil?

   

   getting the new brake line

   Arriving at Seven Emu Station Jeff noticed we were leaking oil – driving over corrugations had cracked the front diff housing. It got a short-term fix thanks to the handyman at the Cape Crawford Caravan Park who lent us his small inverter arc welder and then in Darwin we had two reinforcing plates put on. It’s still a temporary fix and we are always looking out for a discarded Patrol on the side of the road.
   
6. Bugger, the brake line is cracked! While welding the diff housing at Cape Crawford Jeff discovered a cracked steel brake line. Some super sleuthing around the caravan park and a close look at a rusty old Toyota Surf out the back, and we got a replacement made to fit with minimal modifications.
   
7. Why are we losing brake fluid? This was discovered when we arrived in Darwin. New wheel cylinders for the rear brakes and all was well.
   
8. What’s that weird noise?

   

   dead bearing

   Only a bearing needing adjusting, it can wait. However when Jeff took the free wheeling hub off to adjust the bearing at Edith Falls the grease had solidified. He pulled apart the bearing to repack it and the inner bearing fell apart. We were not going anywhere. Thanks to our camp neighbours Baz and Elaine, who drove us into Katherine the and then back out to Edith Falls, we got a bearing kit and were back on the road.
   
9. Why is SuzieQ pissing out diesel? As we were about to leave our free camp on the Mary River between Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing Jeff noticed we were losing fuel. Happily it was just the seal on the injector pump which was easily replaced when we got to Fitzroy Crossing for just $2. 

We've made it to Broome and while there is currently nothing on the ‘to fix’ list, Jeff tells me some issues we are looking forward to in the future include the front trailing arm bushes and she’ll probably need a new clutch sooner rather than later.

As Jeff says “at least it’s something new every time and we’re not fixing things twice…”. 

Gotta love his positivity!

Escaping the northern heat

Our time in NT was hot, dry and dusty. Temperatures have been over 35 degrees, but the relentless sun makes it feel closer to 40+. Much of the bush is still black and charred from the annual patch burning. It’s a traditional Aboriginal practice adopted by government and land holders to prevent bush fires and encourage biodiversity and the black trees and grass just intensifies the heat.

Thankfully the Territory has a myriad of gorges and rock formations filled with fresh water creating natural swimming pools which are inaccessible at other times of the year. I’ve learnt water in the top end is always approached with caution and the tourist literature says assume crocs are present everywhere. There is a saying in Kakadu that the only safe place to swim is in the public pool at Jabiru.

Most swimming areas have larger lower pools and upper plunge pools. In the dry, lower rock pools are still home to fresh water crocs, fish eaters who are safe if left alone. In the National Parks pools are monitored by the Rangers for salties before they’re opened for swimming. The camp manager at Gunlom in Kakadu told us he warns 22,000 people a year not to swim in the lower pool but most can’t be bothered with the walk up the hill. As a result in the dry season, they keep a 20 foot trap in the creek below the lower pool containing a large pig leg just in case. We did the climb!

The safest place to swim is in upper pools – often accessed by difficult steep, rocky walk or climb but the reward of a refreshing swim is worth it. Also, beyond what you can initially see are often more hidden pools so we watch where the water flows from and always climb and explore.

three of my favourite places to swim...

Butterfly Gorge in the Douglas/Daly region

Just north of Pine Creek the main attraction in the area are hot springs, but as we discovered it’s worth the 17 km drive, on one of the worst roads we’ve encountered, past them to Butterfly Gorge.

Luckily we met a couple on the track who advised skipping the lower pool and taking the poorly marked track over the rocks to the upper pool.

We then swam 50-60 m across the pool and climbed between the rocks to find a series of private, hidden rock pools.

Surprise Creek Falls in Litchfield NP

Maybe one of the Park’s least visited camp sites as it is accessible only by 4WD and the road is not always open.

We practically had the place to ourselves for a whole day which was divine. The walk in along a sandy, flat track is easy. Again skip the lower pool and climb over the rocks to the upper pools and waterfall.

They’re deep enough to jump into from a decent height, and the further you climb the more pools there are to discover.

Leliyn (Edith Falls) in Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge)

Not only does it have great swimming but also lovely shady grassy campsites so we stayed for three nights.

The main lower pool is the largest I’ve seen and nice for a quick dip but the best swimming is a 1 km walk up a steep hill to the upper pools and waterfall.

A climb and explore to the outer edges of the pool also uncovered a picturesque rock pool complete with a single water lily growing in the middle.

Unfortunately there aren’t more photos as I don’t have a waterproof cover for my phone/camera…

Eye spy with my little eye something starting with… S

We've driven over 6,000 km in the past month.  It’s a lot of time in the car on boring roads looking at endless bitumen, brown grass, sparse trees and red dirt with the occasional hoparoo (my generic term for anything smaller than a kangaroo) and feral cats or large predatory birds eating road kill – which curiously we haven’t seen much of since entering NT.

A combination of Eye Spy and 20 Questions is the driving game of choice. Eye Spy on its own can take forever so we allow other questions to be asked like ‘is it inside the car or outside the car?’ and ‘can I see it now?’.  

Best object so far has been ‘sunglasses’ – it took Jeff forever to guess (extra clues included it’s inside the car, there are five in the car and you can see two all the time. It was genius, he thinks it was cheating. Pfft.

Missing Google

I miss being connected to the world 24/7. You’d think I’d be happy for a break from it seeing I used to spend 10+ hours a day, five days a week on a screen – before work to check the weather and news, all day at work, then after work on social media and email. 

I’m particularly missing Google and being able to get the answer to any random question day or night. What do I do now? Keep a list of things to Google next time we have phone/internet service. 

E.g. why do flies land on us, what are the rates of Ross River and Dengue fever in Australia, find a flapjack recipe that could be made in the camp oven, and where have I seen Lyndsy Fonseca & Clark Duke (actors in Kick Ass) before – turns out Desperate Housewives and Hot Tub Time Machine respectively??? 

Three week update!

Greetings from the Northern Territory

Intrepid travellers Jeff & Maddy

Where are we? After three weeks on the road we are in Darwin where I'm finally getting the time and adequate internet connection to update my blog! Warning up front - this will be a bit longer than usual. I've embedded my Instagram feed into my homepage so non Instagram users can keep up with the photos!

Where have we been? We've been everywhere man, we've been to Pomona, Gympie, Biggenden, Coringa, Gin Gin, Rockhampton, Notch Point, Sarina, Mackay, Ollera Beach, Bowen, Ayr, Townsville, Alva Beach, Ingham, Cardwell, Innisfail, Millaa Millaa, Ravenshoe, Archer Creek, Atherton, Cairns, Mareeba, Undara, Georgetown, Croydon, Normanton, Karumba, Leichhardt River, Burketown, Gregory Downs, Adel's Grove, Boodjamulla NP, Doomagee, Hell's Gate, Seven Emu Station, Borroloola, Cape Crawford, Katherine, Douglas Daly, Surprise Creek, Litchfield NP, Dundee Beach, Crab Claw Island... and Darwin!

What a whirl wind trip so far, we've done about 5,500 km, only stopping for two nights four times in three weeks at Adel's Grove, Cape Crawford (not by choice - mechanical issues), Crab Claw Island and Darwin (partly due again to mechanical issues).

It's incredible how many Australians are out travelling at this time of year. We've rocked up to free camp sites to find them full of caravans and camper trailers. The grey nomads are out in force. We've met some lovely people and now have invitations to visit Port Augusta in SA and Echuca in VIC. Most travellers are on short holidays (4 - 6 weeks) or their annual escaping the Winter holiday (4 - 6  months). We haven't met anyone younger than us yet and only one other couple so far have been on an extended trip. Jeff did meet one man who has been on the road for 18 years and reckons he will go for another two and stop when he's 77.

SuzieQ our GQ Nissan Patrol has been challenged by the corrugations and rough, rocky roads - and we haven't even reached the Gibb River Rd in WA yet. At one point it was like a Country & Western song. "We're outta beer, outta water, outta spares, outta food, outta brakes, the diffs leakin' oil and there’s a strange new flapping sound... but we have our love and a sense of humour". 

A few observations from the journey so far:

• Water is precious. I know it's an obvious one but until you don't have clean drinkable water on tap 24/7 its hard to understand. When you do it's a luxury - appreciate it.
  
• Phone reception in rural Australia sucks balls (one for Mandy Downs). Come on Telstra, give everyone in Australia phone reception, please, and then Optus can follow.
  
• There is no recycling out here (until you are in Darwin). WTF? I'm having to come to terms with throwing cardboard and glass into normal bins. It hurts each time I do it.
  
• My fingernails are never clean. I don't know how but they are constantly filthy. My feet are also filthy and I'm getting a thong tan.
  
• They only way to cope with red dirt is to make friends with it. It covers everything including the first six feet of vegetation on each side of an unsealed road. It also does not come out of clothes in a normal wash cycle and sticks to every surface of every item in the car.
  
• Caravan parks, as well as being a great place to have a long shower, are a wealth of information. Most conversations centre around three topics - the price of fuel (farking expensive), the state of roads and the price of beer (also expensive). I was horrified to pay $39 for a carton of XXXXGold in Innisfail. Should have stocked up as it was $70 at Cape Crawford and we've been told up to $85 in some more remote areas.
  
  

• The smell of the ocean after weeks in the bush is incredible. But it's heartbreaking when you can't just run and dive right in for swim because of crocs. 

• Fresh water, crystal clear, deep swimming holes are hidden throughout this dusty, rugged country and they are incredible when you find them. Many are only accessible at this time of year and exploring them has been one of the highlights so far.
  
  
  One of the best we found was Butterfly Gorge in the Douglas Daly area of NT. It was a 17 km drive from the main road on an unsealed 4WD only track (one of the worst we have been on). Then a long walk on a poorly marked track over rocks up a steep hill and then a steep scramble down to a sandy beach and large swimming hole. We met a couple walking out as we came in who advised swimming across the gorge and climbing up between the high rock walls. A 50-60m swim and we climbed through to find an amazing series of deep plunge pools. No photos due to the swim and lack of ways to keep the phone/camera dry. Memories only.

• I do not love sand flies, mozzies or march flies. I never did but I also haven't seen one living in Melbourne for 20 months. I currently have somewhere around 90 bites and have been using every pharmaceutical and natural remedy I can find to stop the itching. Luckily one of them is working.
  
• Watching the sun go down over the water is magical as is the afterglow that continues for the next 20 mins - even if you do share it with several hundred other people.

Farewell Darwin, you're an interesting city. A massive thank you to our hosts for the last two nights Gay, Henry and Shirley, and Petra. Thank you for your hospitality and welcoming us into your beautiful house. Next stop Kakadu...