Thursday 12th July 2018 - Arrived in Katherine and set up camp. Once done we wandered into town. Katherine is similar to Tennant Creek in that every building is secured by metal grates and the shops close early; it is bigger and has a friendly atmosphere.

Friday 13th July 2018 - Spent the day around camp doing domestic chores so that we can spend the next few days exploring Katherine.

Went out to dinner at the Mahogany Bar as it was $20 steak night!!

Saturday 14th July 2018 - Today we were able to explore what Katherine had to offer and we visited the following:

Low Level Nature Reserve for a lovely quiet walk along the river by the weir, sandy banks and the paperbark trees for a spot of birdwatching.

The Top Didj Cultural Experience & Art Gallery. Here we nearly stepped on a baby wallaroo that was hopping around waiting to be fed.

Knotts Crossing a shallow crossing located along another part of the Katherine River. It used to be the main river crossing for Katherine until it was unpassable and they built the Low Level Crossing.

The Katherine Museum that is located at the original Aerodrome. This was a very interesting place that provided a lot of information on the town's history and its people. It is the home of the original De'Havilland Gypsy Moth aeroplane that was flown by the first Flying Doctor, Dr Clive Fenton. My Dad would have got a kick out of this place.

Lastly we went back to camp for a short walk to the Hot Springs for a swim before dinner.

Sunday 15th July 2018 - Firstly, Phil would like to thank everyone for their Birthday wishes and that he celebrated his 60th taking a relaxing cruise along the Katherine River.

We had a lazy morning before setting off for the Katherine Gorge - Nitmiluk National Park for a 4 hour cruise to explore the Katherine Gorge. (Katherine Gorge is along the Katherine River and has 13 Gorges that form the Katherine Gorge). What a lovely day taking in the stunning and beautiful spots along our journey into the Gorge. We even had a swim in one of the many waterholes within the Gorge before winding our way back.

On the walk back to the car park we spotted a Great Bowerbird preparing his Bower (nest) and trying to impress a female.

Changed and then made the steep climb up to the escarpment to watch the sunset over the Gorge. What an amazing sight that lit the sky in reds and oranges that illuminated out drive back to camp.

Monday 16th July 2018 - Packed up & was on the road again for Leliyn - Edith Falls that is also part of the Nitmiluk National Park. We walked around the Leliyn Trail that was a 2.6km round trip where we climbed to the top of the escarpment that takes you to the Upper Pools that are fed by a lovely fast running waterfall. Spent an hour here swimming and relaxing to the sounds of birdsong and running water before climbing back down.

After a spot of lunch we then spent another hour in the Bottom Pool that was also fed by a lovely waterfall. And yes, Leliyn - Edith Falls does actually have water in it. It is the only place in Katherine that has waterfalls with running water.

Free camped for the night at a site approx. 18kms from the falls as it is on the way to Kakadu our next destination.

This site was not far from a railway line and as a train passed later in the afternoon we saw our first train that had 82 carriages pulled by 2 engines.

Tuesday 17th July 2018 - Set off for somewhere, not sure where yet!! Well we did stop at Pine Creek that was a lovely out town where we had a nice coffee at the Railway Carriage Resort - they also served good beef pies.

Turned right for the Kakadu National Park where our first free camp was at Gunlom that was a lovely shady site with walks to the Upper and Lower water pools.

To get to Gunlom we had to drive the 37kms along a rugged & dusty unsealed road; that gave us our first casualty - a broken rear light bracket on the caravan. Luckily we were able to repair it with the help of another caravaner.

Took a stroll down to the Bottom Pool for a swim to cool off and relax after a long day!!

We had a bit of a laugh tonight shortly after dinner. Anne on seeing a large buzzing bug decided to bend down to investigate it, as she did it decided to take off and flew into her hair. Well with arms flailing and flapping, Phil just stood & laughed at the spectacle and said that's why I don't have any hair! After Anne calmed down we both went into hysterics… Unfortunately as it's very hot & humid the mosquitoes & bugs have become more prevalent.

Wednesday 18th July 2018 - This morning we got up to the sound of beautiful birdsong and had our breakfast watching the sun come up and the birds flitting around.

We then walked to the Upper Pools for a swim before setting off for another bone jarring 37kms back to the main highway and our next stop. Gunlom however was worth the stop as it certainly was a special place to stay.

Having survived the drive out of Gunlom, we headed for Mardugal to free camp for the night. On the way we stopped for a break at Bukbukluk lookout and guess what? We had our second casualty; this time it was the car. It wouldn't start but luckily for us a couple had pulled up behind us and were able to jump start the car with their booster pack.

After arriving & setting up camp in Mardugal we took a drive into Cooinda where we booked the Yellow Water cruise for the following afternoon. Went back to camp but didn't sit out for long as the mozzies were biting viciously, not to mention the many other bugs flying around.

Thursday 19th July 2018 - Drove to Maguk where we walked through a patch of rainforest with a few water crossings that eventually opened out on to another beautiful pool being fed by a waterfall. We made our way up an escarpment to the upper pools but these were only for the young & fearless to jump into and climb out of, so we made our way back to the bottom pool where we enjoyed a refreshing swim in the cool water before walking back along the clear river & sandy river.

Having returned from Maguk that was one of the highlights of Kakadu for us we had another problem with the car; it wouldn't start again.

It should be noted that when you are on a campsite and your bonnet goes up, it isn't long before most of the men wander over to see what the problem is. After much scratching of heads it was concluded that the earth terminal had probably worked loose after driving on the numerous corrugated roads.

With the car seemingly OK we quickly got ready after thanking everyone for their help and safely made it on time for our cruise.

Wow! The Yellow River cruise was beautiful. The boat meandered along the Yellow Water & out onto the flood plains where we saw: Jabiru's, Sacred Kingfishers, Azure Kingfisher, Whistling Ducks, Brolga's, a White Bellied Sea Eagle, Pigmy Ducks, Darters, Buffalo's, lots of Crocodiles - some of them really big, Jacana's with their babies, rainbow Bee-eaters, a number of different types of heron and beds of Lotus Lillie's.

Towards the end of the cruise we idled in the water so that we could watch another glorious NT (Northern Territory) sunset.

After the cruise & with the worry that the car might not start again we grabbed a quick fish & chip dinner at the pub. Yahoo! The car started & we were able to get back to camp for another hot, sweltering night & Anne's de-bugging night-time routine of squishing anything she can find before going to bed.

We should mention that since being in the NT it has been very hot, humid & mosquito infested!!

Friday 20th July 2018 - Yey! Car started - We left camp & drove into Cooinda to re-inflate our tyres (when we go onto unsealed roads we deflate all tyres to give a better ride over the corrugations that minimizes vibrations and punctures), check out Emails and have a coffee.

We then drove to the Yellow Water boat ramp & walked along the boardwalk to the bottom where we overlooked the flood plains & saw a pair of Jabiru's building a nest within the treetops. (Jabiru's are a type of stork).

We arrived in Jabiru where we were camping for the night and as soon as we were set up we took a drive out to Cahill's Crossing. Cahill's Crossing is notorious for Barramundi fishing & dangerous Crocodiles; it's the place in the NT where a number of people have been taken by the very large Crocodiles when fishing in the fast running river that runs over the road crossing into Arnhem Land.

We stood for a while watching the fishermen catching a few Barra whilst a number of Croc's lazily circled the area.

Information: Within Kakadu there are a number of Billabongs - A billabong is a section of water within a river that has its access to water cut of at both ends.

Our next stop for the afternoon was Ubirr, a site that had some of the finest Aboriginal Rock Art in Kakadu. Several places of Rock Art were passed during our walk through some lush rainforest until we came upon a magnificent collection called the Gallery.

We have been told that the age of the Rock Art is established by identifying the types of animals & birds with the Art i.e. Barramundi, Brolga's etc. and knowing when they appeared on earth helps date the art.

We then climbed to the plateau that gave a spectacular view over the wetlands & rocky escarpments that make up Kakadu National Park. This gave Anne a chance to go crazy with the camera. (This is the place where some of Crocodile Dundee was filmed).

Wildlife seen: Yellow Oriole, Rock Wallabies & a White-gaped Honeyeater.

On return to Jabiru we went for a swim before dinner. As we were both or should I say Phil was getting smashed by the mosquitoes so we sat enjoyed a bit of AC.

Saturday 21st July 2018 - We made our way to Darwin where we will be staying for a few days to prepare etc. before heading for the Litchfield National Park; arrived & set up camp.

Sunday 22nd July 2018 - Undertook a few chores during a relatively lazy Sunday morning before heading into Darwin. We walked around town before ending up at the Mindil Beach Sunset Market. We spent the afternoon wandering through the many stalls showcasing the local crafts, food & Aboriginal Art. Throughout the market, local people entertained with live music from solo singers to musicians & particularly a good busking duo called Mdee whose instruments were a drum kit & 4 linked digeridoos.

We then sat upon a sand dune overlooking the beach to watch the sun go down, listening to the sounds of the hustle & bustle of the market behind.

Monday 23rd July 2018 - A lazy day today. Watched a demonstration on how to make and play a digeridoo at a camp presentation.