Cape Crawford to Katherine in Australia’s NT

We are on a roadie around Australia’s south, centre and west in our large motorhome we’ve called Ixi. Our most recent stop was deep in the Australian outback at the iconic Heartbreak Hotel in Cape Crawford. The next stop was to see some amazing rocks.

Marg at some rocky towers of the Lost City, NT

We were travelling east on the notorious, one-lane Carpentaria Highway, one of the Northern Territory’s most remote drives that connects the deserts of the outback with the subtropical Gulf of Carpentaria. Our first stop along the route was at the Carranbirini Conservation Reserve where we walked among some ancient rock formations called the Lost City.

Marg in the Lost City, NT

This “city" is a landscape of colourful sandstone rocks that have been sculptured over millions of years by nature, into tall freestanding pinnacles and odd shapes, some of which are 25 m high. They sit on 1,200 ha that is part of the lands of the Gadanji and Yanyuwa Aboriginal people. 

The fire-blackened trail leading to the Lost City, NT

The first part of the walk into the Lost City would have been through medium density vegetation. However, the area had been swept by a fire and was eerily bare and still. This was good for us as it meant we could more easily see snakes on the path. Once at the base of the rocks, we did the 2 km Barrawilla Loop. Not a long walk, but in the 33 degree heat it was enough.

The small settlement of Borroloola, NT

Back on the Carpentaria Highway and 380 km later, we reached the small and isolated settlement of Borroloola. The 900 or so folk here, mainly work at the nearby McArthur River Mine and nearby cattle stations. There was not a lot to see in Borroloola, but we’d come here because we wanted to see the Gulf of Carpentaria and we’d read we could get a boat trip on the McArthur River from here to the Gulf.

On our way to Bing Bong, NT

However, we learned that all boat hire was done from King Ash Bay, which put it out of our reach because it is around 40 km away on an unmade road and we are not allowed to drive on unmade roads in Ixi.  So, having come this far and still wanting to see the Gulf, we drove on a bitumen road all the way to Bing Bong. 

The Gulf of Carpentaria seen from the lookout in Bing Bong, NT

This fantastically named place is part of the Bing Bong Concentrate Loading Facility for the McArthur River Mine (mining lead, zinc and silver). Beside the entrance to the facility, there is an elevated lookout platform with views of the waters of the Gulf and some of its islands. It wasn’t what we’d hoped when visiting the Gulf, but we had to make do.

The one-lane Carpentaria Highway, NT

Leaving there, we returned to the Heartbreak Hotel for another night before moving on. The next morning, we were back on the Carpentaria Highway and it was relentlessly straight, making for a challenging drive as we struggled to maintain concentration. So we focussed on things that looked different, such as termite hills.

Termite hills on burnt-off bush along the Carpentaria Highway, NT

We had seen many termite hills in this part of the world. But along this drive, we saw thousands, using every available bit of land on both sides of the road. We also spotted spindly trees that had no leaves, but had green pods and lovely yellow flowers, and saw burnt land where wildfires had swept the side of the road.

A very small sample of the memorabilia at the Daly Waters Pub, NT

Eventually we reached Daly Waters where there is a pub that has been voted Australia’s best pub in the Australian Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards (year unknown!). It was built in 1930 and its walls and ceilings are absolutely drowning in memorabilia of all types imaginable from placements, hats, bras, shoes, etc. We had a great lunch there, then moved on.

Marg with the Pink Panther at Larrimah Pub, Larrimah, NT

We were now back on the Stuart Highway and about one-hour later, we stopped in Larrimah, a former railway town. This town is small and has only three buildings, with one being a character pub. For some reason unknown to us, in addition to the pub’s memorabilia, it also has a pink panther theme. Before leaving, we took a snap of their giant pink panther.

Marg having a dip in the Bitter Springs thermal pool, NT

Our final stop for this leg of our drive was in the tiny settlement of Bitter Springs. The ‘springs’ are a thermal pool where the water is a constant 32 degrees and crystal clear. We had a great spot at the motorcamp there, and walked about 15 mins to the pool on a shaded trail. It was very peaceful and we spent three nights there just blobbing.

Katherine River and bridge showing water levels, Katherine, NT

When we eventually moved on, we were only on the road for about 90 minutes before arriving in the town of Katherine on the Katherine River. With a population of around 9,800 Katherine is the 3rd largest town in the Northern Territory after Darwin and Alice Springs. It is a friendly, clean and interesting town, and we stopped there for supplies. 

Some of the 300 steps on our walk to the Katherine Gorge lookout, Nitmiluk NP, NT

We were in Katherine because it gives access to Nitmiluk National Park and its famous Katherine Gorge. The morning after we arrived, we were up very early and out walking by 8:00 am to a lookout over one part of the gorge. Unfortunately, it was 32 degrees hot and we had over 300 steps to negotiate along the walk. By the time we arrived at the lookout, we were absolutely knackered. 

View of Katherine Gorge from the lookout, Nitmiluk NP, NT

But the views of the gorge and the Katherine River were wonderful. This place is around 23 million-years-old and its impressive and ancient walls were framed by the bluey-green water, colourful vegetation, and a cloudless sky. It was lovely, and well worth the heat and strain.

 

Katherine Gorge, Nitmiluk NP, NT

The Nitmiluk National Park is owned by the Jawoyn Aboriginal people, who also own and run boat tours through the 13 gorges along this part of the Katherine River. So, the next morning we went on a cruise through two of them. As we cruised along, the captain, a Jawoyn person, told us about how his people look after the land, the importance of certain parts of the gorges including the sacred areas, the local wildlife and more. 

The walk between the first and second gorge Katherine Gorge, Nitmiluk NP, NT

We were there in the dry season so as we reached the end of the first gorge, we had to walk across rocks at the base of the gorge walls for about 800 metres, then board another smaller boat to get through the second gorge. The second gorge in particular had a spiritual feel that made the hairs on our arms stand up.

 

Katherine Gorge, Nitmiluk NP, NT

The sandstone walls of the gorges have been worn and weathered over millennia giving them a colourful and characterful look, and both the gorges we saw were different and interesting. Two hours later we were back on land after a fabulous cruise. Tomorrow, we head north to Kakadu National Park and that’s in the next blog.

This post is the fourth in a series about our travels through Australia’s south, centre and west. The first post was about Adelaide and can be found here.