DALY WATERS TO DARWIN

  Today we are making our way to

      Australia's World Famous

Daly Waters Pub

WE ARE EXCITED!!!

As you can see

It doesn't take much to excite us!

We woke fairly early this morning & were very relieved to discover we
survived our night
@
Attack Creek!

Sunrise over Attack

Wow!~~~We didn't even have the doona on the bed last night

it was that warm!

The temps are rising back up!!
Yeeeha!!
Enough is enough of that cold weather!
How lucky though, as we have not had a winter yet since we left home 13 months ago!

Well
Today we set off in record time which is rare for us, no matter what we do
we never seem to get on the road before nine!
 Today was a first!
It is 8.50 am & we are off & running
in the race to get a site at this

Iconic Pub's camp grounds

We had so many vaners over take us along the way

Ha Ha!....Our turn!!

    We arrived @ Daly Waters about lunch time!

Husband's looking very pleased with this place & he hasn't even gone inside yet!!!!

Inside & our eyes scanned the room in amazment!!

We have never seen so much paraphernalia!!!

 Every inch of this place is covered!

From...bra's, hats & money

to 

undies, shirts & shoes & that is just the half of it!

Wow!!

You name it they hang it!

I was talking to this man about all the stuff hanging in there!
 He went on to tell me he had been coming here for years, 
he continued on with this story......
One night he was sitting @ the bar chatting to this backpacker woman,
 as the beers went down some of the other male patrons started telling her she should hang her bra up there with the rest of them.....No she kept replying, until very late in the night & a few too many she just ripped off her top
 un did her bra & threw it up there!
 She then picked up her top & walked off home to bed......Topless!
Mmmmm......
No wonder that man keeps coming back here year after year!

And so another bra was added to their collection!
 I bet all the others didn't get up there like that one did!!

Anyway

Back to business!

After booking our site
we booked in for tonights dinner
The main menu was

Beef & Barramundi on the Barbie 

 You could choose from
1/2 & 1/2

or all Barra or all Beef

This place is famous for this meal, so here's hoping?
Our mouths are watering for some good seafood!

We find it so hard to get good food out!

 Every where we choose usually serve up rubbish!

Anyway

I chose all fish

Mark the half & half

There are 3 sittings, & seeing as we are usually in bed by 8.30!

The 6.30pm sitting was for us!

The guy behind the bar went on to add...Happy hour is 4.30pm till 5.30pm
We toss a coin
you choose heads or tails
If you win you don't pay!
If you loose you pay!
Too easy!

He then told us politely where to go....

If you drive down to the gate
 Ivan will come out & escort you to your site

Oh Ok!

How good is that!
I don't have to do it!

Although, i am getting better these days @ giving the

directions on to our sites...I suppose i should, after a year of doing it!

At the gate we waited & next minute along comes
Ivan????

This blond lady walks in front of us, arms going in all directions
 waving us to follow her 

we did & in our spot she directed us!

Too easy!!
Wish we could take her to every park with us!!!

Mark said to me....Was that woman Ivan???

Mmmm..... Strange name we thought but hey,
they breed em tough up here in

The Territory!

Not even the dam flys die when they are sprayed a hundred times!!

It is 1pm & everyone has beers in their hands!

 I think this might have something to do with the atmosphere & the temperature!

I had a cardigan on when we left Attack Creek this morn
even though it was quite warm down there

you can feel how much warmer it gets the more we move up!

Time to pack the winter woollies

it's now singlets & shirts all the way!

Before Ivan
{which i am sure, is not really her name}
left us she rattled off a spiel that went something like this....

Don't keep your hose permanently connected to our taps, you can fill your tanks then 
un plug it!

No Water For The Pub

means 

No Beer For You!
OK....Sounds logical to us!!!

Once we set up camp & had our showers
it was nearly time for happy hour, so we decided to head on over to the pub!
We met up with these people who were travelling in tents with their families
What characters they were!!!
 The two guys absolutely hilarious!!!

Out of the blue in the very beginning of our happy hour session 
when we first met them, one of the guys said to me.....
You look like a
Shazza
we have a friend Shazza & you look just like her!
Ha ha..... That is funny i said cause my name is
 Sharon
They thought this very funny {why i don't know??}
They then said to Mark.... Is your name Barry??
I answered that question
No....but my first husbands name was!
This they thought even more hillarious as they blurted out
Ha ha ha!
"Shazza & Bazza"
That was just the begining of the silly fun night which was to follow!

Well with happy hour now in full swing & losses at the toss becoming very common practice with us 
Mark decides to ask the bar maid {who reminded us of a Helga type.... Big build, blond & stern!!} to toss his coin?

Her very stern reply
NO!.....Do you want to pay me now for your beer or what???

Oh boy, she is a bit of a cranky old, smarty bum
 i thought & Mark i think you should shut up!

No not my Husband
he goes on to dig his hole a little bit deeper!
Well show me the coin then

She ignored him & tossed the coin
he called & lost, she walked away!
&
with that Mark said....

GESTAPO WOMAN!

Oh No!
I looked at her & could tell that she had heard him!
She gave him the worst death stare!

Mind you we are all in fits of laughter by now,
Well, all except for her that is!!
 She just continued to ignore him all night!

Glad it was Mark, usually it is me that opens my
big mouth & puts my big foot in it!

Phew!!! How lucky we didn't get kicked out!!!!

Three blind men!!

2 hours later & way too much beer in our bellies,
it was time now to settle down, so we ventured out to the beer garden,
to try out
 their claim to fame
 Barra & Steak
BBQ

 

At least he cant get in to trouble while his mouth is full!

Ha ha ha!!!

Oh boy now that was well worth every cent of it's
$27.00
Really Really Good!

The entertainment followed with this
Comic Bushy Guy, who recited some very funny poetry,
sang a song or three & told some very funny tales!

What a fantastic night!!!
Time to leave now & waddled off home we did!!
That was the best night we have had out for some time!
Sooo funny!
Our jaws are still aching!!!!!

Next morn we packed up & set off with our seedy heads
to
Mataranka Hot Springs!

We parked the car & started to head over to the path way down to the springs,
guess who we ran into along the way?
Our funny friends from last night!

Quick dip & off we are again, this time to Katherine for a couple of days!

The dip was nice & quite refreshing, the tempreture is a constant 34 degrees!

 I was not that impressed with it though, to me it was not very

natural looking with it's cement walls & Pebble crete steps!

Oh well it is another of those you just have to do it places!

We are driving straight through to Katherine from here which is

about a 100kms up the road!

Woah!.....I just looked up to see this big dead

roo in the middle of the road !

As Mark just swerved to miss it!

Thank Heavens he did!

Oh Boy...That was close!

That could have been very bumpy & messy indeed!

The road from

Daly Waters to Katherine

was strewn with dead Kangaroo's

 plus one very slow, live tortise making his way across the road...

Good luck little fellow we thought, we could only hope he made it!!

Katherine here we are!

Katerhine is much nicer (we feel) than

Alice Springs!

The main street is definetly more inviting !!

They even have music playing from big speakers along the medium strip!

We booked into the Low Level Caravan Park which is just out of town for 2 nights

We usually always start off booking 2 nights @ a time

just incase we don't like it or we decide to move on

that way we are not comitted!

We unwound out side with a cold bev & low & behold

who do we spot camped up the road a bit?

Yep....Our last nights

Pub People!

How bizzare everyone is on the same route & all following one another!

Katherine Gorge was our next sight seeing adventure!

We went in to the info centre at the begining of the Gorge to see what was on offer!

There were lots of walks to choose from! 

Us not being very good tourists, chose the smallest of them!

Plus by now we are starting to get a tad bit

Rocked out!

This walk will take us up to the first viewing platform & is rated moderate!

Well here we go again!

Havaianas on & off we go!

As we walked around the bottom of the bank,

 it was very sandy & close to the waters edge.

My immediate thoughts of course race to....Crocodiles!!

 & with my fears growing

i do a quick run up to the first of

 many steps we are about to climb!  

Some of these steps were natural & some man made!

Mark stopped counting them @ about a hundred

he estimated there would have to have been at least 200!

 Come on Husband...You can do it!

Ha ha...You filming me filming you!

KATHERINE GORGE

Once at the top, the view was worth the climb!

It is pretty but in our opinion, no where near as stunning as our favorite

Lawn Hill Gorge in Qld

She was

Absolutley Spectacular!

LAWN HILL GORGE!

  

Well, tomorrow will see us in

Darwin

where the holiday part will end & the

work part will begin again!

Although we do plan on going to

Kakadu (or as some say Kakadont) & Litchfield National Parks

from our base in Darwin

Wow!.... Cant wait for that one!

We will store the van in Darwin & tent it down there for a week or so!

We both love camping!

 From the open fire,  fishing, the yummy camp fire food,

getting up close & personal with nature 

&

just enjoying the simple things in life!

Heaven!

There is such a difference though between

 Camping & Caravaning!

One is definitely the camp fire...This is so not possible in a van unless,

 it is a mile away, every window & hatch has to be locked up as

 the smoke just stinks everything out!

Where as in a tent, well it just doesn't matter!

Both are equally great, but i must say there is nothing quite like that feeling of stepping back into the luxury

of the van or house after a couple of weeks camping!

Well.....

What an unreal, unforgettable holiday we have just had!

From the beginning when we left Queanbeyan about

6 weeks ago, it has taken us to......

  

Eden & Phillip Island 

on to

The Great Ocean Road  & Adelaide,

then up the centre

to

 Coober Pedy, Ayers Rock, Kings Canyon, Alice Springs

&

Devils Marvels

followed by

Daly Waters, Mataranka & Katherine Gorge

Plus all the towns, sights

 & 

many memorable fun moments 

in between!  

How lucky we are to have had these fantastic once in a life time experiences!!!

 Sadly though the end is near & its back to reality for us!

 The next question is.... Will we get jobs in Darwin??

If not, will we have to resort to....

Plan B...which is to continue across to WA instead.

Who knows??

We will just have to play it by ear & wait & see! 

Till next time....ENJOY!