We packed up early from the station and pretty much just drove and drove all day. We finally got to turn left at Three Ways and started our journey east to Queensland. We had filled our tank at Three Ways so we could avoid the excessive fuel price we had heard about at the next stop, Barkley Homestead ($2.35/litre). We stopped for the night about 100 km from the Queensland border at a roadside rest stop. As usual, this roadside stop has the basic facilities of a pit toilet and a tank of undrinkable water. Best of all it is a free night’s accomodation.

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We drove about 300 km to Banka Banka station, an old cattle station that is now a camping ground. On the way we stopped at (Grumpy) Frans for a scone and coffee, and we weren’t sure if it was worth it, as it was expensive and Fran kept telling Olive off. At the station we tool a Walk to a lookout and around to a small waterhole. Olive got to see a gamut of farm animals, cows, goats, a donkey, kangaroos, even a couple of turkeys. In the evening there was a slide show about life on a working station.

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We woke early for the morning breakfast cruise along the gorge. We had breakfast during the first part of the cruise, then changed boats to see the second gorge, before changing back to the first boat to return to the start. The views of the gorge were spectacular. Going for a canoe along the river would have been even better, but that was not an option with Olive. It was a fabulous time to do the cruise as the mist was rising off the water, and it was so calm. It did not take long to pack the van and leave. We headed to Daly Waters as a stopover on the way to our next destination. There is a well known pub here with lots of character, so we had to have a drink. Met Dave, an Abattoir worker from Warnambool, and had quite a few beers around the van into the night.

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We wanted to go on the breakfast cruise along the gorge today before leaving, but it was fully booked. We have reluctantly booked for tomorrow morning, meaning we will be staying here a day longer than planned. It’s not a disappointment though, as this is not such a bad place to hang out, and we have a great camping spot near all facilities. Rob did some computer work for most of the day, while Clare did a few walks with Olive, and had a swim in the Katherine river and a swim in the pool.

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We were up very early as Olive is teething, and headed out for a big hike along Katherine Gorge. Combining two hikes into one, we walked for a total of 4 hours. There was a nice breeze that kept us cool for most of it, but also meant that a swim in the gorge was not that enticing. Rob still took Olive for a swim in the delightful large pool back at the campground, while Clare did some work. We got in for some early showers today, as yesterday Clare missed out on the hot water from the solar power showers! In the evening Rob caught up with some work, while curious kangaroos looked on. We were exhausted from such a full day.

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We had to negotiate the 36 kms of dirt road again to Leave Gunlom Falls in the south of Kakadu National Park. It was near deafening with all the gear in the van rattling, including the door of the cupboard rattling completely off! Another job for Mr Fix-It Rob. The fuel guage on the van was heading towards empty, but we decided to risk it and drive past the fuel stop at Mary River to get cheaper fuel at Pine Creek. We saved a few dollars (it was still $140 to fill the tank) and also discovered how far past the red on the fuel guage we could go. We stopped in Katherine to restock the fridge and have lunch. We are staying at the campsite at Katherine Gorge which is very comfortable. Clare and Olive went for a swim in the campsite pool - tomorrow we will swim in the gorge.

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We took a pleasant stroll to the South Alligator River this morning, passing a billabong on the way. We also passed several signs warning us of crocdiles in the waterways, so we were on the lookout, and not tempted to take a dip. After lunch we took the steep track up to the top of the waterfall, where there were numerous rock pools, with a great view. There is low risk of crocodiles here, so we could calmly swim. It is very nice here at Gunlom Falls - it is hard to believe we are in the same park as Ubirr. We are back into camping mode again after weeks of comfort in Darwin.

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