The regular packup, get ready and we leave at 10.
We head right across town to start our journey west. As it happens it is Tuesday morning and this is when The Ghan arrives in Katherine.
Having watched the SBS slow TV thing on The Ghan (the 3hr, not the 17hr version) I can’t help myself. It does help that the train station is 5 odd km’s west of Katherine, and that’s the way where headed. It’s meant to leave around 1pm, but as we’re here it starts to move, “Oh, cool we get to see it leave”, but no it just moved up about 100mtrs or so. I think it is just to screw with the returning passengers as to what carriage they are on. Alzheimer’s anyone?
As we leave Katherine the sign say “next services 193km”, well that’s where we are headed. There is nothing not a house or really any sign of life for 200km.
I’m not sure what the next section of the trip is going to be like, but the fact that we’re now heading west is like the third term. We had a month in north QLD, we’ve just finishing a month in the NT and now we can look at W.A.
After about 150km of flat dry savannah landscape we reach the edge of the Gregory National Park, immediately the scenery changes and we can start seeing ridges and escarpments rising out of the ground. It’s funny, the land looks the same, but it is always changing too. It’s really hard to explain the subtle difference that happen and then “bang”, you turn a corner or go over a crest and the land is completely different.
I had planned on staying at a campsite called Sullivan’s Creek, but it’s just too hot, so we carry on a few extra Km to the Victoria Creek Roadhouse, nice, but nothing special. They have power so we can cool the van down a bit.
I want to be here as there is meant to be a great walk just up the road, but given the temperatures we need to do it early in the morning. So we camp up, put the AC on, let the kids watch some movies and all have a rest, ready for tomorrow.
The area around Victoria River is really impressive…the entry to the mighty Kimberley and your first baobabs…those mighty boabs…you constantly scan the bushland from your vehicle, looking for the largest, or the weirdest. Then the tick gates…how’d you go, cos they’re a bit rigorous regarding certain food stuffs.
Tick gates?????
The Boabs are a interesting tree.
….Where you been hiding the snazzy new Aerocom shirts…….
PK x
Not the new ones, these are the old ones, they don’t get out very often
Oh bugger, I was so looking forward to having a look at the Ghan in Alice Springs and lucky you, caught up with it in Katherine. At least you have a good photo to back up your encounter.
Yes, I guess you could say I was doing some trainspotting. I only wish I could have got a photo of the locos.