Message Stick

From Alice Springs we had another massive drive to Katherine so decided to break things up with an overnight stop in Wycliffe Well, UFO sighting capital of Australia. We didn’t see any flying saucers, but we got a glimpse of the Devil’s Marbles. Arriving at sunset these giant balls of rock glowed orange and felt like a prop from the Flintstones. At night we kept an eye open for E.T but he was probably scared away by the near-riot between rival Aboriginal groups outside the camp site.

Further on at Mataranka we took a dip in Bitter Springs, so call because of the water’s taste. Floating downstream along with the strong current we couldn’t stop thinking that a huge crocodile was about to slide into the water with us despite being advised it was perfectly safe. Every time we heard some reeds twitch we’d speed up a bit and you can imagine our relief to reach the end and climb out.

Finally arriving at Katherine we were a bit disappointed/alarmed to find out that all kayaking along the gorge was suspended due to a ‘croc survey’. Since the wet season was approaching its end, it’s possible for crocodiles to get trapped there as the water recedes, leaving them to dine exclusively on tourists . Our disappointment was short lived however upon hearing that we’d arrived in time to catch a horse-hustlin’, bronko-bashing, rootin-tootin rodeo! We can assure you that despite appearances the cowboys were full-size and not midgets.

As we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn we were pleased to find the swarms of moisture hungry flies were starting to ease off. Unfortunately, we now had the plague of 24 hour oppressive heat to endure. At Uluru we were sleeping in thermals, silk liners and sleeping bags, now we were butt-naked and still sweating buckets. With some inspired thinking from the Mataranka camp’s groundsman we purchased a big pedestal fan and created the ‘Air-con tent’ envy of all other campers across the Northern Territory!

Although we were driving far too close to the camper van in the last photo, it was necessary to capture the motto that we thought our parents especially would appreciate.