tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73325129426561457402024-02-08T10:35:11.053+10:00Drive around Australia - Two Poms in a 4x4Over 36,000 kms touring all the way around Australia!
Our home for 7 months was our 4x4 and a rooftop tent..CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-1259868354811884242009-07-13T16:24:00.002+10:002010-09-01T09:10:00.050+10:00War Planes and Seisia, Cape York<b>War Planes and Seisia - 12th-13 July 09</b><br />
<br />
In the morning we packed up the tent and camping paraphernalia once more and headed off in search of some crashed World War 2 planes. We had heard that there were at least 3 sites where planes had come down during WWII and that the planes had been left pretty much untouched since. This struck us all as a little bit strange, you would never hear of this in the more densely populated parts of Australia. <br />
After a few wrong turns and some chatting over the UHF we found one of the sites and were all surprised at how well preserved the wreck was.<br />
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<caption align="bottom"> <b>Crashed DC3 WWII Plane</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-S_iG78FECwvW2S2xU0WEQ?feat=embedwebsite"><br />
<img
alt="Crashed DC3 World War 2 Plane, Cape York, Australia"
src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/THyerWrD3MI/AAAAAAAAEyU/IgjxDmnn19k/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1266.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/PlanesAndSeisiaFishing?feat=embedwebsite">Planes and Seisia Fishing</a></td></tr>
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For the flying enthusiasts among you the plane was a DC3 and it came down on 4th May 1945. Sadly 6 people lost their lives.<br />
The hull of the plane was in amazingly good shape and you could clearly make out the size of the plane, the tail, wings, windows and much more. We found another crash site but it was not nearly as well preserved and then headed back to Seisia to stay at the camp site we used after the OTL. We had planned a quiet afternoon with dinner, beer and a spot of fishing.<br />
<br />
We had not had the stove on long when all of a sudden flames started leaping up the side of it (where the gas nozzle enters) and setting fire to a loaf of bread! Panic ensued and as we were about to run off for the fire extinguisher Elliott jumped in under the flames and switched the gas off (Thanks man!). The flames soon died down and hearts racing we assessed the damage. Turned out it was only a burnt leaky hose (We carried a spare so no biggy) and a few slices of bread that were lost. Phew!<br />
Excitement over, washing done, dinner eaten, we headed off to the pier with the fishing gear dreaming of a big catch! <br />
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<caption align="bottom"> <b>Kids playing at Seisia Pier</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/O-V4TsQdKAZXteNPvOFSBA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Seisia Pier Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mvkZN0dlxa_4kMvuvxtGDondBHHu3olLa90dCdY75U9a2r5B7iU-8k30OLNYvlW1fVuldBKY9qYcEXPp0xpG7kB0T3pRTviGmaDDB4hEQx7f_fNFt30m2p0_sHrLzeSdNe-ivhOlSSoM/s400/Copy%20of%20DSCF5155.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/PlanesAndSeisiaFishing?feat=embedwebsite">Planes and Seisia Fishing</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Seisia pier is a truly beautiful spot, when we arrived there were Aboriginal children jumping off into the water, looked like they were having a whale of a time. They left a short while later and we had a go at fishing, we were going to use live bait that we needed to catch first and Elliott demonstrated the art of ‘Jigging’ which is basically a line of hooks with lures on. The little fish are meant to find it irresistible and hop obligingly onto the line. You pull them up and pop ‘em into a bucket for later use. I looked over the edge and I have never seen so many fish, it was like a slick of them! Everywhere you looked there were small silver fish, this was going to be a piece of cake! Well after spending a while getting a few fish up (no where near the amount I had expected!) the sun was starting to set. <br />
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<caption align="bottom"> <b>Carl's first catch!</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/umvoOWH6OiN0HU30hB0y8A?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Seisia Pier Fishing, Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtaBq0ZimLYcdUetEKmCExQgWuGJbUjxpy2sp3SuVilQYTVxQSGk6EkD6F8PfENqPkC-G3NYNtJolvW8bTvuBMEk7wb-m4LbA2TkKFxy1WgzYO5iazCCzZiX_kIP59yEf3U4gR2dXEj7nh/s400/Copy%20of%20DSCF5127.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/PlanesAndSeisiaFishing?feat=embedwebsite">Planes and Seisia Fishing</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Have I said how beautiful this place is!? Man when the sun is setting it is even better!<br />
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<caption align="bottom"> <b>Fishing at Sunset, Seisia Pier</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wc2wd7JJzCAK1sE65S1PQw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Fishing Seisia Cape York"
src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/THyeseZMotI/AAAAAAAAEyg/klXFUv7sTMo/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1270.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/PlanesAndSeisiaFishing?feat=embedwebsite">Planes and Seisia Fishing</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>Beautiful Sunset to Fish to!</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QUIdEL3JVwksCal44_HPtA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Seisia sunset Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIrv6_W3dSmU8bhB3fvlA4o-PtMrKOm-oWnQsM5BFBFSDnK_057NP_kXB0Jua8hBSqh0u3uHiTPYeGaT2StvqeDUtrWHphUetDqOar-3xFnPapMnXxoOtYFaUxfstrXfnTRHtw7HjTXNr/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1278.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/PlanesAndSeisiaFishing?feat=embedwebsite">Planes and Seisia Fishing</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Elliott decided it was time to throw out the live bait, in the mean time I was unsuccessfully playing with the jig and not getting very far. I heard a loud “Woah!” and Elliott came over and said that the rod had nearly been pulled out of his hand! He reeled in his bait fish only to find that it had been bitten clean in half! We got excited about a big fish… Anyway true to form we caught nothing but a few bait fish (Carl’s first ever catch included!) and a beautiful sunset. After watching one of the locals spear fishing for squid off the jetty, we headed back to camp a little smelly but relaxed after a fun evening.<br />
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<caption align="bottom"> <b>Check out those colurs!</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9zaHMztANSYNMAzy2yu5eA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Sunset Seisia Cape York Queensland"
src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/THye0E54GFI/AAAAAAAAEyo/9ebL6tZkyU4/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1276.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/PlanesAndSeisiaFishing?feat=embedwebsite">Planes and Seisia Fishing</a></td></tr>
</table>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-42067502628498952662009-07-11T15:33:00.007+10:002010-05-13T15:12:36.775+10:00The Tip and Somerset Beach (Cape York)<b>The Tip and Somerset Beach (Cape York) 11th – 12th July 09</b><br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>Our Goal today</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/a0cnk8VAM-FKVhKlcQpq5A?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Tip Cape York Australia" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S5h8rEIchPI/AAAAAAAAEhQ/aodNwk0ZHwE/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1186.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
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Today we got up with one thing on our minds – Reaching the Northern most point of the Australian mainland, affectionately referred to as ‘The Tip’.<br />
It is a major achievement to complete the OTL and visit the Tip of Australia. It is inaccessible for 6 months of the year due to the ‘Big Wet’ (Rains) and the rest of the year it is a tough remote road that no family car could survive. We were full of high spirits and packed up camp and head off to the Supermarket for supplies. We also found some ice to get that broken fridge back up and cooling. We must have looked a bit strange as we emptied the fridge of water that had melted from the last lot - We were bailing it out with a plastic cup!<br />
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<caption align="bottom"> <b>The Croc Tent, Souvenir Shop</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/E1SL-3nwYnagsffWEFlcRg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Croc Tent Cape York" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S5h7eWqOtHI/AAAAAAAAEgE/BbDkgt3TECg/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1135.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
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With supplies on board we headed off in search of The Tip… We took the dirt road that went passed Loyalty Beach. The road wasn’t bad just a couple of shallow water crossings. We then popped out main road to the tip of Cape York. <br />
Along this road was the famous souvenir shop ‘The Croc Tent’ which has a very real looking croc outside surrounded by nothing more than a flimsy fence! It took me a while to figure out that it was a fake to be honest. We bought a few obligatory souvenirs including a ‘Gunshot’ stubby holder for Heidi and a Nolan’s Brook one for me.<br />
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<caption align="bottom"> <b>Fancy looking sign!</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Nls2pCnrx3_wYXms7b7_pg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Tip Cape York Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrY7EPxRC5FvDKlHLLfRwaYv_GcrBs2F4siuMsFFdYd-NGEXQRmShoVjY0AcoYajdZo4XykHOsZ9LoHSQRx73GN_wYHqIfsl2MyrADr8JRU8MRthUEK0ThkRlemR0sE9NHyRlSAxpEDpS/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2869.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
After The Croc Tent it was a fairly easy if not a little narrow run up to the car park for The Tip. We grabbed our walking boots, cameras and a celebratory beer and set off into the dense undergrowth, not really knowing how far it was to The Tip.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>Our first glimpse of the beach at The Tip</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sqOD8S7aL3DdEpadHjnVXg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Tip Cape York Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbpU4GCg6F-CmUK83PqkcCjANk26Gdg-YvYLQzJtKzrmW0XQEVFgp4HbcvQmcTeD8XIIDGcA3jbdmjjSsw3OHPEi9_N4TAWOZv3WkBRViibv9KT80zg-SoJGbQmeMDaugciNcho6dr7Jz/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1136.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
After what must have been around 500 metres we could see the trees clearing and we were greeted with the most magnificent sight. A perfect flat beach leading away to gorgeous turquoise blue waters, it was truly a sight for sore eyes! <br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>The Beach at The Tip</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/99UEdIzX0lKZc2DlqmMDTA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Tip Cape York Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTA_zvLYIXUoVYiRpMa2u41-ciEt83J4O9TXRxMt4O7EQiwBMb8NrcTWN_OAWpgayPVaShQjv9D9XfojbFqvC2v-nSMITSEL-cOYqS-1xP5mc1PEKm6Ce1N1X8YOWnLdWvRqw99ygh63J/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1139.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>Heidi and I enjoying the view</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TvcY85Lw8OIjrvRwuhHNSQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Tip Cape York Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNPEaBllrZmuzQH7ovd5EM_0jfBfET7OTBjZOT4HygX3d235vh8zoZacgV7qXsgdBrrYNaWnIzozOo1otVvKJtxvW4v-18mc9hAIzglhRrtwEJvwiePkULZsRUsd-MtPQTSwjGP4O5442-/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1148.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>Truly Beautiful</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XV1XS549VYBMge225G3R8A?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Tip Cape York Australia"
src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S5h8BTgPPcI/AAAAAAAAEgU/R30Lh_nrqNQ/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1146.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We took some photos and then headed onward and upward as the path took us over a rocky hill. Well if we thought the view from the beach was good then this was astounding. You could see paradise for miles around… These photos will do it justice.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>The view from the top...</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TPQ3f_EFNBnfRb_NTykzmw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Tip Cape York Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5iICWe1gC8d6dGl_tqu-D-6tcU2PCFY45OoT3LE3wVlxzn6CjokgbxqZuOM0Q8Y9m9sMCf660ngZQINIdWWRvUqY5ny5jbfDr-E4AHAAdmkB_j23njor2D54TGycb_j5-pLwUltnHAqm/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1154.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>AMAZING</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LTDndU9C2KDd0wSXqiQCEQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Tip Cape York Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0xeL0jjD3xKU4pCXsN3LzUNDJKG-lAeFGrOrdXbQfSdf6TaTishmGK8dvgRixLA5YDhVyTmuiNLit5Z2m7w-mNogWUj848b6v_V3fbpKK2lHgX-FZPrsI3jIRfZCHNUy2ikdgqSQdTOG/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1157.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
After absorbing all we could of this view we pushed on a bit to the distance & direction monument. We knew at this point we were not far from reaching our goal as we could see islands in the background. <br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>Direction Monument with Torres Straight and islands in the background</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vj_IEIYOQshpddcLZqp7ng?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Torres Straight Cape York Australia" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S5h8c1FviGI/AAAAAAAAEg0/xZXdkt1VxhQ/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1164.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Over the top we went and climbed down to the famous sign which lets you know ‘You are standing at the northern most point of the Australian continent’<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>All 4 of us grabbing the sign at the same time</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Yry-PmhC2dGURKLgi69lfA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Sign Cape York Australia" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S5h8qbio67I/AAAAAAAAEhE/vL1fxzLX75o/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2926.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>We did it!!!</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/P9NDVDdD90j7F7rJvsZeMA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Sign Cape York Australia" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S5h8quTVzVI/AAAAAAAAEhI/JVX1NtuI6OM/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2934.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We had made it! Elliott was so happy – this was some where he has always wanted to go. We set the camera up, cracked the beers and took a picture of the 4 of us clinging onto the sign. The scenery over the Torres Straight was amazing and we had the place to ourselves for a good 20 minutes. We took loads of pics and even called Heidi’s sister back in Brisbane.<br />
<br />
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<caption align="bottom"> <b>Just in case you wanted to know..?</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8qGzJzV6PYnkzh1lmOo8Ew?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Sign Cape York Australia" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S5h9LzIwGrI/AAAAAAAAEhc/OHHABbURb5k/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1187.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Happy, we set off back to the car and in search of a place to stay for the night.<br />
(Sadly vandals have recently stolen the famous sign that had stood on that famous spot for 20 years – They even pushed the base of it into the ocean. Seems nothing is safe these days)<br />
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Somerset Beach was our pick for camping the night. There were a few people there but it wasn’t busy and a great place for a free night. We set up camp and went down to the beach for a spot of fishing. <br />
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<caption align="bottom"> <b>Campsite at Somerset Beach</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4ucgQzV-uza-8Z6gkwogbA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Somerset Beach Cape York Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbPHeU_WIV8EVSs5fRnPi_4e06IB7SO9QaGCzEVCADeXf71-SjDjU-zMCv4qjYkqTE7QRv77VUYedJSJpLqpvc8IBYIUyJxkLh-Nz-SmC5zVKo-N1rvTTShgXBlM0RYZs93EurvGWE7g2/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1224.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Heidi and I are still novices and have never caught a fish before. Elliott led the way and was showing us how it was done. We all had a go but unfortunately nothing was biting, if anything was even there! We did watch some locals spear fishing a way further up the rocks and they seemed to be having more luck. I wouldn’t have been game enough to go in the water up here in the thick of croc country, but they looked like they knew what they were doing.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>Carl looking like he knows what he is doing!</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/r15Gc4nidfGQ4QxbfB6DlA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Somerset Beach Cape York Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTKrIqEm75Rmgh-jNeVLxKBhIHnteDgzwefbzTg39t4HriJ9aEJz85kCnjXPayhHPA0bQKqko409_WZ7UDyDQbijkwvWWoGJTaDWU5sUhOw3Tuev76Y1lBwerB-rSH1SKCX0bA7_FY0A6/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1251.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Having had enough of the fishing we went back to camp for a famous ‘Sandy burger’ - Basically it was one huge hamburger made from a huge mince meat patty and the usual burger fillings – It was Yummy and we were all stuffed! <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>Elliott looking forward to his 'Sandy Burger'</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RRqGOcvUWVy7CzIGloCtnA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Somerset Beach Cape York Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCP2kI9xX26CHy0QTCU19joMOIOEiKTuN0llDJ9Pc1KQIsGJoYLOst_poIWtkWsv9tdvVbJvTze1CHFqTRylu33niIrS-2xH84s0tkea5jJZPJvmIkSmhSV2NjgTfnVhyphenhyphenOPrhoio0GvJm4/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1253.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
That night we watched a perfect sunset and once again chatted about an ambition fulfilled and what an amazing place Cape York is.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>The perfect end to another day on the Cape</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_KPA92wqko37oMjefnlD6Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Somerset Beach Cape York Australia"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S5h9WtJ06sI/AAAAAAAAEh0/j-ZGN9W8XU4/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1256.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=embedwebsite">The Tip and Somerset Beach</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5447239387003445105%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/TheTipAndSomersetBeach?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-63877041570577915122009-07-10T12:42:00.015+10:002010-02-27T19:47:53.019+10:00The Old Telegraph Track (Day 4) Cape York<i>Just a quick note before you get into reading the latest post. We have updated our Camp site + Fuel costs spreadsheet right up until the end of our trip. So you will also be getting a sneak preview of where future posts in the blog will be about. Camp site + Fuel costs can be downloaded from the link halfway down on the right hand side of this page.</i><br />
We had 191 nights away and put fuel in the 4x4 131 times!<br />
<br />
<b>Total Spent on Fuel AU$ 7,899.78</b><br />
<b>Total Spent on Accommodation AU$ 4,847.65</b><br />
<br />
<b>The Old Telegraph Track - Day 4: The OTL Bites Back!</b><br />
<br />
Well rested, we had brekkie, did the morning chores and prepared for our last day on The Old Telegraph Track. According to the guide book we had 4 Creeks to cross plus a number or Fords. After that we had to cut back over to the Peninsula Development Road (PDR) and then up to the Jardine Ferry. You are no longer allowed to attempt to cross the Jardine in your 4x4. In all honesty you would be mad to do try anyway, it’s deep, murky and infested with crocs!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The Start of Day 4 on The Old Telegragh Track</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TR-nsxQpTv0BYyA7AB2MEw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="4x4 The Old Telegragh Track Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrvuMaBBdKG-QwT3LlMiJWowjJZEmEMj-y2N-cjwPrM2p_OKtHuiAZQc021C11UrekWL2ndWx3YBkzxG89KP-Y2B5By0qVi618qAHyHJVSDyLV1w02VpHFK512l_cMqwp380YIJMjg8NQ/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0976.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Our first crossing of the day was Mistake Creek, described as a clear stream with eroded banks – This was fairly easy compared to most and we cruised on to the next. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Cannibal Creek, Old Telegraph Track</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GAZRZc0eemiu5mdDX27W9g?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Cannibal Creek, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6qXvmqUxnt30GpC7SwB2wnNfVS0WN5_9lGUS9HWRDTWaQ_ZWiugUeoe5m_yz8lic_B_1xP0U47lv1mS4kHqMT2UVjoPlDaT1ukiL41nRwq9J9rZEzJphcgPHaHJxuu2fyceSzioMJH0U/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0990.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Cannibal Creek - Clear stream, steep and eroded banks - No kidding!<br />
The inward bank was fairly steep and required some careful negotiation. Once you were in the water the hard part had been done, the base of the creek was firm and you could just drive round the bend and out up the opposite bank with no issues. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Cannibal Creek, Old Telegraph Track</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/e6_l5AC6Wv5soJvtfXVI3w?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Cannibal Creek, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S4Hq427k1EI/AAAAAAAAEXc/3HeUt0FkMRM/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0999.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Sandy drove their 4x4 and I (Carl) took OJ through this one. The inward bank was a slippery affair and it was just a case of popping her in to low range 1st and feathering the brakes down. Plopping into the water was a relief and I made the sharp turn to exit the creek.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The Bridge Over Cypress Creek, Old Telegraph Track</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OldnmKQVoW67mDi7d7IOtg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Cypress Creek, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S4Hq5Ldy6MI/AAAAAAAAEXg/TVJtja-5sG0/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1002.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Next up was the famous rickety log bridge of Cypress Creek, it really doesn’t look stable and it doesn’t help that when you look over the sides you can see logs that have fallen down into the river!! Elliott was first up before my go, I really don’t think either of the girls fancied this one, the bridge really did look old and a bit dodgy.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The fallen logs at Cypress Creek</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6TPOJmNM4gQAFU0pfbLeRw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Cypress Creek, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S4HsiCCNKjI/AAAAAAAAEZA/VrP6L_Ym3D0/s400/IMG_2752.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We both took it slow and steady as the logs make for a bumpy ride and you wouldn’t want the 4x4 to leap to one side - That could be expensive! Safely negotiated we plodded on our merry way. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Taking it steady</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8JXzPis21sYFc6YEkZyvDA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Cypress Creek, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S4HrkSQsyBI/AAAAAAAAEXo/0nQbyFMejq4/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1029.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
All the way up the OTL we had been seeing the remains of the telegraph poles that this track has been named after, they were either bent over or the tops were missing – a little disappointing really.<br />
Then S&E announced that they were stopping, they gave no explanation and from behind we really couldn’t see what they were on about. It was then we saw Sandy walking off into the bush… toilet stop we thought!<br />
Sandy then stopped and turned around we could see that she was holding on to a fully complete and upright telegraph pole. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>A Complete Telegraph Pole</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kKGSd_e96d_QtkYhqeBcwg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Telegraph Pole, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6Iw9MIUCXDvppDtIneSwELRzHs0-5dt3s2nIuMSKHLnA-1FFAB4CO2hyTZbm2PYHoZoV81tfhkVy4y9bsV1RqZ7pcfFIEUsZmj2jumktvVXvXvOAAJRzk58suDvsN6jr-bjSBmg40zHJ/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1040.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We took the obligatory pictures and carried on our way, pleased that we had finally seen the rare creature that is the reason for this track being here. <br />
A little further down the road Elliott announced that they were stopping again and said that he was having some problems with the car. I tried to look like I knew what he was talking about but truth be known I am not good around cars and a lot of what was being said was going over my head! I did lend him our spanner set though (His was buried deep in the 4x4) so I do have my uses! Repairs were carried out for around 20 mins and Elliott seemed happy so we set off again. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>A view up the track</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6cbCz-BT7s-3jb_azOxrNw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track, Cape York" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCE_OQ5m2hXqmp3z2UX5aXyTccUFN6WZdxHOvhb3SVdv7XYbBijXaokEk749AaStC8AD62LMyNpGzHDmgH1qoe6tJEJpspFcmcC5EXv-7Kigtfcoy_QSUasDhLJNPFI-msQ5Bw2u0jVBDi/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1043.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
It was not long before we were greeted with a large body of deep water. It was not in the guide book as a crossing – just marked as a ford! As soon as Elliott started to walk it we could see that it was the deepest thing we had faced yet. “Ford!?” we all said in disbelief and set about figuring the best way across. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Elliott walking the DEEP ford</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8kuq85j0JT7bnSXwyMij1Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Deep Ford, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJ7XbIORvz4yk_9wWOaZB2B_cvKJjAsDqEdXiopVmxy9-5EZPThpUdYl151SrKubjHmYC8kz9uhxsyxqbjuLjlmsWI8a7MSgaO4Ps2V2TAvJ_3wCN3iaDmPD88YzsiiOEuM0ziJ9g8Wdy/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1048.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Heidi and I did the sensible thing and let Sandy and Elliott go first!!!......<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Elliott driving the DEEP ford</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TlsnrEjBB1afl9fOAZl3gA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Deep Ford, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZAouecm2XapIjPJkntBOBUKsUgBMwV__Ewz2CVTjRNZsCb_QeAQlHeaxdF6VR2lY0zX-l-pNs8HZLeye-SedU4kMxkXW_B6-PffmAjoMhY8Td0HwK2duVPPfkGtAfCk4qYDVJHuQ6SdU/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1057.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>Check out that wash!!</b> </caption><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LC8eLmhuDBGz7elDIlxS-Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="4x4 Deep Ford, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wgQK8olZ4D0wmg8KlBGqVZE4l1mzzS0IbM1LYAy0NmjxdjKii30mz0LdmJjnYJWaQTHlpVQ9w1di8S1pjCLoFlrPfFfm8EUDyQvUN5oemZac38xeRbPCWesYgdqfS_SyK0pC2X1zMhJN/s400/IMG_1061.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
There was a good reason for this other than us being a little nervous, they are driving a diesel and they are a little more forgiving than petrol when it comes to deep water like this. It is just as well that they did go first as it was very deep and water washed up onto their bonnet! <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Heidi and a tarped up OJ</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dxiUszxdCVTQCNJXNF-Rfg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="4x4 Deep Ford, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPYUhC5FBykcNX_leusTQHwVHJgIP440O6fJGswBhLFXlSr5LZrjzm_Aoe3kLdFKJbeR3zMK5qnNbT92n6fst6E0yDFsPFqeKGhdETNDR31xrDS4vrQ6_eaf56DJ48afQf_KmOExHZAVk/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1068.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
It was at this point we decided that we would need to tarp up OJ’s bonnet. Basically this involves wrapping a tarp around the front of the car over the radiator grille. This stops water from entering the engine bay and creates a bow wave in front of the car pushing the water around the electrics in the engine. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Heidi taking it steadier than Elliott!</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RyWgz7tkehtpv6lztusI2A?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="4x4 Deep Ford, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York"
src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S4Hr4Zb-b8I/AAAAAAAAEYI/zDMZCvk16Mk/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1076.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
At this point I was on the other side of the ford and had walked up to my waist in murky water. Luckily I didn’t have to trudge back with the camera because some fellow travellers had pulled up behind us and were happy to help Heidi wrap the tarp over (On top of that Elliott decided to nip back across too) – I continued the hard job of taking pictures!!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>My position for the photos!</b>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4ieaDOsexSOwOqygGLE_Yg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="4x4 Deep Ford, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFhzah9uLRCmANiGWu-PcwDXhWa2LUGJaMTQtQfSRGdMXU7Rl_6sXygHyVH49nLBJtxJLkt78zOy_i00S-xdCA9fDxNXooG20dg2Y87zuoPlGJvCrqpc6noSzTTlgg5ilaABYcj5_NGqc5/s400/IMG_2811.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We would meet these fellow travellers again at the next crossing (That is important for the story we have to tell). All tarped up Heidi and OJ set off at a good steady speed and made the crossing look very easy on the end – Good preparation goes a long way up here as we are about to find out……!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Nolan's Brook, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York</b>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6qhOa_jJIs1iA5_HGJ1gWg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Nolan's Brook, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcB_kBwklocgNXoZHSnzNLpzuUS2Qudp20vdp1vv5HwTpbBFNyz0hGXgV7s1fqxO4AFbwgctV6qYHpKtoLCk_wW8ejjPIDj0Di8axsXbCtW6m17NwlTnKwwnIWBvsng9tER1ZslG9bJMk/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1083.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Finally and definitely by no means least was the infamous Nolan’s Brook. Described as ‘Very Deep, with a sandy bottom, (ha ha ‘Sandy bottom’ - still makes us giggle!) alternative log bridge not recommended for large vehicles’<br />
We decided that we would have a look at the crossing(s) and have some lunch whilst we contemplated the best approach. We headed down to the absolutely beautiful clear creek and walked out into the middle. It was deep and sandy but no deeper than the ford we had just tackled. Good job really because the log bridge was now only half a log bridge and only suitable for a motorbike!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The Broken Bridge at Nolan's Brook</b>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qJY_xMbF9Te6lXzxNg6THA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Nolan's Brook Bridge, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheo7Tlb467XE9Z_KAG5PLQhCe2a6VcxOQGkwr9MulATI-oTAZCMVoybxwUPVHFMjARcdyxueMzknsFWFBpJbStJvOne-viDMP6CuMUDcLJYAh08vTSCuPu2Wt-Izx-dROaZzv9tatU-Tj4/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1082.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
On our way back up our fellow travellers from the ‘Deep Ford’ strolled up and asked Elliott how deep the water was. He said that it was about the same as the last only sandy. They said that was good and that they were going to keep on going passed us. It was at this time I became interested because they were both driving Toyota Prados and I had read a report about them trapping air under themselves in deep water and floating.<br />
I said to the guys about this and we all trotted up to have a look and see how they got on, this was not just to put the floating theory to the test but it would be nice to see the line they use and if they have any trouble. They tarped up both Prados, didn’t even bother to walk the crossing and plunged into the middle of the pristine creek. Well what we saw next was a bit of a shocker…. True to the article I had read the 2005 Prado bobbed slightly and floated fractionally sideways. This was obviously very disconcerting for the driver and he put his foot down, unfortunately all this did was dig him into the sand and he was now stuck and the 4x4 was filling up with water. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Prado A stuck in Nolan's Brook</b>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xG1cJQ3gqkMISDbAlYETzg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjATI65uEfIDykifPVXtlslR6VHvvEHXaDLygZP5d7Qe92Oy1Zrqr4bBAvWhoXP5oJqG_Ub1lHoYs1dGCjhSpZZme2hUGM6J3s71u0sn5NuD1iBTvJJe4vVDBqjKSlwOVSUwSxExG_w1SNE/s400/DSCF5104.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
In a flash Elliott jumped at least 8 feet down off the bank and into the river to try and push the 4x4 across to the other side. No use… I then saw Heidi do the same and thought to myself ‘off we go then’. I was about to jump in when I remembered my wallet, keys and phone were in my pocket and soaking them would not be good. Needless to say that after I had unloaded them some where safe I arrived a little late and to the driver of Prado ‘A’ sat in water in the 4x4! <br />
<br />
The water was as deep inside the 4x4 as it was outside, at least the engine was still running though. His mate ran and got his 4x4 (Prado ‘B’) with the goal of pulling him back out the way he came. This is where things only got worse and a bit of preparation might have helped.<br />
The tow hitch was still locked and deep underwater Elliott tried to unlock it but couldn’t, the guy in Prado ‘B’ decided that he was just going to tie his snatch strap on and hope for the best. Unfortunately it was far from ‘best’ that happened. The strap loosened itself and came off when put under pressure, this resulted in Prado ‘A’ staying under water and Prado ‘B’ cannoning off into the bank and smashing in his tail lights and creasing one of his rear panels - Nightmare. Then just when you think it couldn’t it gets worse, the driver of Prado ‘A’ realised that his camera was missing and fished into the murky, water filled, passenger foot well pulling out a very new looking Nikon Digital SLR – Buggered for sure. <br />
Then as if there was not enough sorrow already Prado ‘A’s engine finally succumbed to the water and died – not good. Elliott surmised that the onboard computer (engine management system) was underwater and that could have caused it.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Prado A being pulled from Nolan's Brook</b>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JOFi3RHaB7BETo4BFMfu3w?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="4x4 stuck Nolan's Brook, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S4HsbXuc0JI/AAAAAAAAEYk/IoCF79L5EFY/s400/DSCF5106.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Finally as if from nowhere a 4x4 came to the creek from the opposite bank and had a winch. Nearly 15 mins after Prado ‘A’ got bogged and drowned it was being pulled out.<br />
As it came out of Nolan’s Brook Elliott opened one of the doors and water came pouring out, it was awful. All of their gear was soaked not to mention the seats, carpets and the onboard computer. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Water pouring from the drowned 4x4 :-(</b>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CypF9yVW9Gt4WqUU0P0BYA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="4x4 stuck Nolan's Brook, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4PeoZqE39xLlFlRPk_j6YVheJyyWVmwa5wrhwMlV253VAyS41VlZQL7ozA5qf7a-XapB6UIqBYAhl8Q4AE_BRt6HDc1JCYURcHUVjJjceODRMK0BDtd3zIXTtGqnB8-3yVF_Ez2HgZovv/s400/DSCF5111.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
All of a sudden it dawned on all of us that we had to cross this yet as did Prado ‘B’!<br />
During this time a whole host of people had been backing up and were watching, they decided that one of them would go first and then be there on the other side if anyone else needed help. Prado ‘B’ now fully prepared with strap already attached was first and he made it with not too much trouble which was greeted with a loud cheer. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Elliott crossing Nolan's Brook</b>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LgXVINBn4m5yPnxopwkYnA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="4x4 Nolan's Brook, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjM8rKgxrWyU6VgEfgYdgBLxM8zaXgTAmK8tNI7ZlpG2-dYBzI5EoWiESXvO22fRxKq5JQ11ZfA_WpLoX-nMjK9bYaOa5AMLRH4ovi0lItjW9yRpeCf6OK_OdF5OGrk_qQTfbotaIA88K/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1086.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Next was Elliott in a tarped up Skip (their cars name), he made it look very easy with a very nervous Sandy watching on. Cheers followed and Sandy was beaming.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Carl nervously waiting to cross Nolan's Brook</b>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3xbVYtm8AyuX7PVC6nlLnA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="4x4 Nolan's Brook, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYg3BnAfnh39WJ8BU9YPe9Ucv1byf_kcqYiZ4-x3OjWPLPRzMYqyAHSVLT_1zseR_qMYo6zPtndP6XPnbs99ZknumUBsgxH5wfC0ROgw0Cgu8ZaTV1ENJ5Yn-eQKD7CY-Bv8lt-9z8lRJ0/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1092.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Then it was my turn… to be honest I was bricking it, I didn’t know whether to go slow or fast which gear, my mind was racing. I didn’t want to be the next casualty of Nolan’s Brook! There was a bit of a wait because of things going on on the other side of the creek – only adding to my tension. Once I got going I thought it would better to be slow and keep grip rather than go fast. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>Taking it steady....</b><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zvqymQZb7GFILN2kVkV0AQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="4x4 Nolan's Brook, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S4HsbyuPuXI/AAAAAAAAEY0/-GzJn9KXEXs/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1093.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
So I trundled through slowly, heart pounding, I bobbed down into the deep part and then to my relief up the other side and out onto dry land. Oblivious to the clapping I punched the air, loudly thanked OJ, parked up and ran down to hug a relieved Heidi. I have since found out that I may have approached the crossing a little too slowly, ahh well we got there and that was all I cared about!!<br />
My jubilation soon turned to sadness as we walked up the bank to find the Prado owners pulling everything out of Prado A - seats and mats included. Elliott being a auto electrician got in there and pulled out the computer and explained to the owner about drying it and putting it back in. (We discovered that the reason for the sand in the brook being deeper than usual that day was due to a Nissan Pathfinder being stuck in the water all night creating large dips in the creek bed– That’s right All night!!)<br />
<br />
We left them there hoping they would be ok and set off for the Jardine Ferry - quite a bit later than we thought.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Jardine River Vehicular Ferry</b>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7GYqoBdEyYoIZZCwkZrkJQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Jardine River Ferry, Cape York" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs8XUYWZEEv-af_lwjPBMfVm15gPwiKTUccubA4JxB_pEsh3fwYPdnTejCfbZkGl2-Fq8o-z-K76U63bGmtXQO6QSVkzqVbgUVZC7mi67LeGCvcHAoI3KMzA0R6rHOPzJotJjTSf9SZUrY/s400/IMG_2829.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/JardineAndSeisiaNight1?feat=embedwebsite">Jardine and Seisia (Night 1)</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We arrived at the ferry mid afternoon and I was very happy to see a real toilet for the first time in 4 days! Refreshed… we paid the $88 for the 20 metre crossing! You do also get the permit to travel the aboriginal land for your $88 – still seems a lot though!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>We think this is the old Jardine 4x4 crossing..</b>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/k_IjnP2f-80KetOGX6623A?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="4x4 Jardine River Crossing Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsXdzA99CviraZvFlSeuvX3dKHmWzQiJjkMqemlOKt-l1WyBkhmjxu1wJAiEqPFMa0-g8Sk-S1hkatnQ0nwg22e7Aa30zlDusWrDi1JIibqonw7Pg_zV3xEXGQ5DYhai29NlHY2JXjAf6/s400/IMG_2847.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/JardineAndSeisiaNight1?feat=embedwebsite">Jardine and Seisia (Night 1)</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Once across we decided that it would be fun to take a look at the old vehicle crossing of the Jardine just to see what it looked like. It looked terrifying, deep, fast flowing, murky and we knew there were crocs. We couldn’t believe that anyone ever attempted it to be honest. <br />
Back on what resembled a real road we headed for the town of Bamaga in search of ice and some supplies. - This was the first time we had seen bitumen in ages – <br />
Ice was out but we did manage to find some beers, though they were twice the price of what we had paid in Cairns!!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The campsite at Seisia from the Beach</b>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xLrqtvpwUvsMo9flAcPNxA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Seisia Cape York" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S4H8lt2AFCI/AAAAAAAAEbc/W8ZZIabZ_ss/s400/IMG_2861.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/JardineAndSeisiaNight1?feat=embedwebsite">Jardine and Seisia (Night 1)</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We then headed for Seisia and our camp ground for the night, REAL SHOWERS – we couldn’t wait! The camp site was really great, it was right on the beach with all the amenities we needed. We set up camp, during which time Heidi had a run in with a large Huntsman spider that had hidden on our tent. This caused her to swear loudly and I am pretty sure the entire camp site heard her, she went red and apologised (he was a big bugger) <br />
A nice long shower, dinner and a few beers were not the only treats we had that night. Our friends in the Prados had somehow managed to start the dead car and make the ferry in time. They were now camped up not 50 metres away from us, truly a miracle that that thing started! The driver said that all the dashboard lights were flashing and beeping but as long as the engine was running they were out of there!!<br />
The Prado was once again stripped out and drying – The good thing about the Cape this time of year is that it is perfect weather for drying!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Sunset over Seisia</b>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8syFb2K6WGskefQduCPloA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Sunset Seisia Cape York" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/S4H80ivKYnI/AAAAAAAAEbg/PwOvrFHdmTE/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_1111.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/JardineAndSeisiaNight1?feat=embedwebsite">Jardine and Seisia (Night 1)</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The sun set on another day on the Cape and we were happy that we had managed to complete the infamous Old Telegraph Track. We were glad we had taken the time to appreciate it and we knew we would be telling the story for years to come. - What an amazing experience, shared with good friends.<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5440887588076830001%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay4CapeYork?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-14442837754873827752009-07-09T15:29:00.002+10:002010-06-17T14:29:24.422+10:00The Old Telegraph Track (Day 3) Cape York<b>The Old Telegraph Track Day 3:- Water World</b><br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Cockatoo Creek, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/uFT3RCtNsrxiylL6Yabr8A?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="4x4 Cockatoo Creek Cape York"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SycWERTnOSI/AAAAAAAAERI/bL1VVb19BvA/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0789.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We awoke to another glorious day up the Cape, the sun was shining and the temps were good. We packed up camp and carried on our leisurely way up the OTL; first up we had to cross the creek we had camped next to all night. Cockatoo Creek is a tricky little bugger with many large and often deep stone potholes. These would not be kind to the underside of OJ if we fell into one!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr> <caption align="bottom"> <b>Sheldon Lagoon, Cape York</b> </caption> <td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eTYPGsEXw_Uh1It-8kHicg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Sheldon Lagoon Cape York"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SycWE1HRKBI/AAAAAAAAERQ/4_XcJ2fKipo/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0798.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
After safe and careful negotiation we found the surprising Sheldon Lagoon. This picturesque body of water was crystal clear, had trees standing in it and had many turtles swimming around. They were obviously used to being fed because they came right up to us.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Turtle in Sheldon Lagoon, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Tq1Dyh5hUFub4LByQYya8A?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Turtle in Sheldon Lagoon Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CDKRVVg7oMiZDL5fie6ClyhnKTM_U6LVlLEerq7p3LiM_qQobz2XllYPa4EVvC2VGwWXBiBPc1qlJfSxHo8t5zbGlX-vq-jmhWvph6l9GST-2j_atCxC2NB-iIESrE4oRZ5yxtAmjQIY/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0804.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Explorers Sheldon Lagoon, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TIPZI0lx3QjM8KaDNc0u2A?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Sheldon Lagoon Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Zfa4p3hEr-OzwDqiqqGciAqzPCe_ixa1QE5Q60qSt8_caOUZbQeMkVv7EPURx3ShW6MA8yvoCqA1AbEs3ZkReoYJshEuSQpI5F7ubdtZTF06-6_-bNls0_O1wR2_SVyt5M2cNMwhhM1N/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0813.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Keeping with the water theme we headed up the track, over the main “Northern Bypass Road” and into Fruit Bat Falls. (More importantly for Carl there was a pit toilet – the first for nearly 3 days, he never thought he’d be glad to see one but going outside in the middle of nowhere was far less appealing!!) Anyway…….<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Fruit Bat Falls, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ergOVTOyi_0FbDD0WvRV9A?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Fruit Bat Falls Cape York"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SycWL0upGEI/AAAAAAAAERc/yWcZ1RewnLg/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0828.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We had heard a bit about Fruit Bat but nothing could have prepared us for how stunning it was. The falls were not high but very wide, they had red rock behind them and the pools around were very clear. <br />
It was the perfect place to cool off and we spent a while swimming and marvelling at how amazing a place this was – So Beautiful!<br />
Sandy and Elliott have an underwater camera so we were able to get some good shots of us all.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Fruit Bat Falls, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BNFv-qLVry5ftkvaJmU5Gw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Fruit Bat Falls"
src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SycYfK4doBI/AAAAAAAAETs/zk8lay69kMk/s400/Copy%20of%20P7090194.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Fruit Bat Falls, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OkkCBM8JMqELo8BmBHd8nQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Fruit Bat Falls"
src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SycYfBZdsOI/AAAAAAAAETw/HCVxtO6kFpU/s400/Copy%20of%20P7090206.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Yet more water awaited us on our next stop – Eliot, Twin and Indian Head Falls. Not to be outdone by the awesome Fruit Bat these falls were also magnificent in their own way. Indian Head falls was like a mini Fruit Bat falls only a little higher. You could walk in the very shallow water right to the edge of the falls and look right over.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Eliot Falls, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FVLPDITWSEUoAc1ROHUbhQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Eliot Falls Cape York"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SycWMJ2bCaI/AAAAAAAAERg/iZnIaXfHKdQ/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0845.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Eliot Falls, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QdVCoD9WTbbWKLdbRIR_pg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Eliot Falls Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgVk8uiOuebbl-lBZxkw1ESUfDXW4GdM5W_kso3R6-N6OSippZTSJYE9nBeq3fjAslcyoIrxjGmsIf8TO6MwalBU8edTBlXMpnbDp10FjZ8otjpgSrfBm4qCC-wy_a0xk9m-T6WUaMqCa/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0854.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The water was much deeper under the falls here though and touching the bottom was not an option. <br />
Elliott and I (Carl) had a go at jumping in off the side, it was probably 3-4 meters up and great fun. Heidi and Sandy weren’t quite so brave and were happy to spectate.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Jumping into Eliot Falls, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/osMUiHW0txhor4I68_l23Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Eliot Falls Cape York"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SycWMLSoPRI/AAAAAAAAERo/9cTtsapdxx8/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0869.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Falling...</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0mpkJ1uhbLZXaKb_wKrhCg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Eliot Falls Cape York"
src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SycWMeLtxgI/AAAAAAAAERs/78ajaK6vwB8/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0870.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2UXKWBwQB7eak2pOW9MLUA?feat=embedwebsite"><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>SPLASH!!</b> </caption><br />
<img
alt="Eliot Falls Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpAEZDUcwmPdq47wrCXWkmy869lUbEKqCVFz4EjhxZpBy45N5JO7Tm_URmVlrRybccWvKhYd4UvbwFEt6OzPQjSCC1LEIVUCkktm41WfQsKBlpH5qRmaXNGlUO_Bq1_ygDxXcAO8Us_z4/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0872.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Around the corner was Twin and Indian Head falls they flowed from the same stream but Indian Head was downstream from Twin falls. We all jumped into the pool in front of twin falls and had a great time playing in the water.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Twin Falls, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/B80nLv87WlmGGLb8bt3DjA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Twin Falls Cape York"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SycWT6pRVhI/AAAAAAAAER4/azgl2F8hB2Q/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0898.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
All good things must come to an end though and we had to head onward up the Old Telegraph Track. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Canal Creek, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1Dz26eeO23f6mFFCmUJELg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Canal Creek Cape York"
src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SycWbFjWtdI/AAAAAAAAESE/OSfuZHzGApo/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0915.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Just down the track was Canal Creek, this crossing wasn’t too tough once you determined the correct route as it was very deep in places. We had to approach the crossing by driving along the bank a while and then through the deepish water diagonally and out the other side. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Canal Creek, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/o9m1IecxwcURDykMp-DoQg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Canal Creek Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdW5EeXcX1kKIyVLorNrlMXJmnfGcLaGOrxui-6oEKay77wBm3grZ4Ki4S0CCSBaAlCssF03B8qL5Nh6Dp1u_pZK0tYTuDCvXWn9Et6caScPu0VY8Xf2jxeGBThvbscnFO9KzdaBAoZzU6/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0937.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Once across the creek you are greeted with a very steep ascent to get back up and onto the track again. Heidi and Sandy both negotiated this with ease (these girls can really drive!). <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Leaning 4x4, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9ftJx1SAnIttReppHSpidw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOSy3vCoH34zPh60jDixmyfXH918rPL8g4e66t9fsNjLBph4d_Jm0aB02BYHXdxuG3KKSvUKZALCo-kQGOovVyCi_bkI6VJMIidZ3Xu3CRxcLTbISEb_IKDGcenqhTcnTkPTzH8a9k-ZWK/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0944.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
After a very rutted track which caused the 4x4 to lean over a long way we arrived at the beautiful Sam Creek. The water was so clear and there was a small waterfall just by the side of the track – you couldn’t make this stuff up, just gorgeous!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Sam Creek, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KXjZt4MvKnqy_E7kJlrFoQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Sam Creek Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfna2I9p6_JcXgzBcsi8vEnTvyAwLkqSjvf2X5Tdv9JtymRJVn2eUlf-NztPjGcfwy16ZreDqufjJH7uEIZHbhmzLuOJMdCHZOCsfTDUvKfBVrUxHhjJxh7NoK2R22tyE_7WOCCE0yfuTE/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0956.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Waterfall, Sam Creek, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TY5ZETd9HG8fuuxDcoZmlQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Sam Creek Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOzxkLktp7Sd-onxLEuLzuN4wnMlyFECSDRX_NMYMLTo3v2LkYK6bJhWlBzhFRe2DDUCH_RjN_ax1MwmCYABZlYVYAY7MD_vyArw9rcSuiIxYxMvk9ki3nQjGHBbwbJn4iZ7XfjNFO9Er/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0959.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 3</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
It was here we decided to set up camp for the night, once more retreating to the shelter of the netted Gazebo to escape the buzzies! We chatted again about how awesome this place was and the amazing watery venues we had seen during the day.<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5415321115432119873%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay3?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-46166321685344170762009-07-08T11:22:00.001+10:002010-01-18T13:20:25.370+10:00The Old Telegraph Track (Day 2) Cape York<b>The Old Telegraph Track Day 2:- Tackling Gunshot Creek</b><br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Cleaning the 4x4, Old Telegraph Track - Dalhunty River</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YuH-A_s7ba1NgL-XuhDAnQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Dalhunty River" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkECcv6WiZhbjcIYkR4A9poD9rV0BhGP1PSVFUrN-E5_oEyGttwG-zeui-_9RafQsUX-DawgJRmqmP_HSVHKylIDWo27xWygBCyrAyg_80ue2pXzMyGCAkNPsDjmSQtupJJ4E0ehUf_Y0A/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2226.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We got up at a reasonable hour and had some breakfast; we were all talking about the previous day and how much fun this old road was. After packing up we pulled the cars up to the river and looked for the best route to cross. On the other side we noticed to old exit route from the river, it was seriously eroded and if you were to drive a car over there now you would do serious damage! At the bottom of the exit route on the opposite bank was some white mud that had the same consistency as a sort of smooth porridge. Sandy and Elliott had great fun playing, kicking, and throwing it at each other – we stayed well out of the way!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Old Telegraph Track - Bertie Creek Entrance </b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tWJ-cZFFy5doSS22zAuruA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Bertie Creek"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SxW6jEkBdHI/AAAAAAAAEEg/c0BK9-rFEVU/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2284.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Old Telegraph Track - Bertie Creek Entrance </b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rquqxXzs4e4Xu6Gbt4t4ag?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Bertie Creek"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6CJD06L9xM6yZPZ83C_Zuwk7rL2YeJGbS3bJMplJZ2l6O9n7n6X7ZU_wMNu3DjmYQND0bTUwXf2cOFF6s0BJ-xYr2R56ij4PRdbNetxOHU9NqiJ3S7cp0JdL5YIMcjsByyHyHDXVb17o/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2302.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Almost immediately after Dalhunty crossing came Bertie Creek. This crossing was quite tricky, we had read in the guide that if you just drive straight for the exit on the other side you were in big trouble. We parked up and had a look at what faced us. The river bed was stone but in it were big potholes deep enough to swallow a tyre and leave the 4x4 on it's chassis!! We decided to position 3 people in the creek where the holes were and drive between them. This worked well and no damage was done. It was clear when looking at the holes that others had not been so fortunate. - There were big scrape marks in some of the deep holes, bet that made a mess!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Old Telegraph Track - Pothole in Bertie Creek</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/P4c9_cuIP9gyvWMpn-7EjQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Bertie Creek"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvIqM6XgpbJRhpWJkQ2Q7aBdgS9iXrimkvZqX1H54op51e7-xDx6V2mQqF_wOyINumKMqt_L4d9AsjOv4TBaAVlm_yLyukFk7fOP8M-Ct4dM2RkdR87bUjglBigCOL15s14s8wzt2OrsV/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2306.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Next was long winding and rough road to the infamous crossing Gunshot Creek. Gunshot as it is known is notorious for breaking cars and ruining trips, we were only initially going there to have a look at it as there is a bypass around it – Yes it can be that bad!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Old Telegraph Track - Gunshot Creek</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_difNFbg0VQzrUxgWODNRw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Gunshot Creek" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHCRpXSQ4V917WsyDQpJpJV61yZ7Vq_Ob9GVgRI7hw5Ktam229d-7HzNwZYdKtxUksQckTKs0ApbvTSr4MXMHNjaP2SorstY5xc_67pXXxobgZNgxe84Rj6ddr3BjCML4wD4B0OkjGtD_/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0707.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We arrived at Gunshot to a few parked Fourbies and a large crowd of spectators. We surveyed all of the ways down into the water (I have to say the water was only knee deep, this is not the challenge at Gunshot – it is the eroded banks). There must have been 5 or 6 different ways to get down to water level and none of them looked particularly appealing! One of them would have been like driving your car off a cliff into a muddy grave!! One was very narrow and next to the cliff, the fear of falling off was too great. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Old Telegraph Track - 'Toyota Alley' Gunshot Creek</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QAEu2ODoQ4Zdzc-Nd41vTA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Gunshot Creek"
src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SxW2IE-g8eI/AAAAAAAAEEE/uXqAtlggA0k/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0715.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
There were 2 that were just too steep for comfort and the mud at the bottom was sticky and deep. We just weren’t that confident. Then there was ‘The Chicken Run’, this was a lot less steep than the others however it was much, much longer. Whilst the others were a 2 second hope and pray job this was 15-20 seconds with a little less praying and a little more precision.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Old Telegraph Track - 'Chicken Run' from the Top Gunshot Creek</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/araNpq-sH66HjlRrJQU1xw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Gunshot Creek" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CtS2B-6JwlBBmRCPvZP2wuo3jxay5eeruRrANZ_AiCPf1DErUrONh3iC9zlpoVyImXTCLiTCr2z9fcupnEXGxMNpxVJiuljcX3MNpBycQau6GYYNOCq53MlmhInFvY-jxf3UKaoV3Vyp/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0718.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Elliott decided that he had not come all this way to turn around and that he was going to tackle ‘The Chicken Run’, we were not about to drive all the way back and around to meet them so we agreed to go that way too. Much to our relief Elliott kindly offered to go first and Heidi who really seemed pumped for this was going to just after with a little instruction from Elliott after he walked back up.<br />
So Heidi and Sandy joined the large crowd at the bottom with their cameras and Carl was about halfway up the Run just off the track watching things like wheel placement.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Elliott tackling the 'Chicken Run', Gunshot Creek</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-hQ7REgqAq3hXo-95u5X1A?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Gunshot Creek" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SxW6tVfRDSI/AAAAAAAAEE0/jFEBTPOLAsE/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2369.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Things didn’t go too well at the start when Elliott hit the tree stump he was meant to just ‘stay close to’! After that though what followed was amazing, half way down the car runs out of traction and basically becomes a 4 wheeled toboggan as it slides into a muddy pool, lurches hard over to the right – nearly toppling, then at the right moment you have to get on the power again to get through the mud and across the clean running river. I have to say he made it seem easy and he emerged from the car with a big beaming smile on his face! <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Us Contemplating our turn on the 'Chicken Run', Gunshot Creek</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-CuCE1qZrXUDXu6XtxTALg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Gunshot Creek"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyimRXAgSpBbaBH1u_geuS-WbTdLymaTS8XgrGNVR0KygCiT4zoW62HAoayo270G9Rki2UKyGmp13jeTmlM9qS-ZK0iQwRbkgW-TDFzPBm4sGQLboI2zAzcs_mHoG0tcEqnp5A53pA92qt/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2407.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Next was Heidi, after some re-arranging of a tyre and some logs that had been placed at the bottom to aid traction and avoid punctures (these had clearly been there a while and Elliott had obviously moved them again.) Heidi was ready to get in the car. We were both very nervous, Carl was in charge of pictures and Heidi was in charge of keeping the car in one piece! After some pointers to Heidi from our co-traveller he jumped in the car with her and said he wanted to do it again – this time as a passenger!<br />
I (Carl) waited nervously at the bottom listening to murmurs in the crowd that they couldn’t believe that a girl was going to do it! One girl even said “come on girl, do it for us!” Just as Heidi started on her way down a 4x4 coming from the other side was powering across the river. In a moment of panic and able to see what could happen I stopped taking photos and waved frantically at the driver in the offending 4x4 to stop and wait his turn (impatient idiot). As I turned back it was nearly all over with and Heidi was crashing through the muddy pool toward the finish. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Heidi tackling the 'Chicken Run', Gunshot Creek</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tEg5w0nNmr5B6AHFH2vcyw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Gunshot Creek" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SxW61c7cRSI/AAAAAAAAEFA/4UN0Z953gRw/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2431.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>A rough landing.... </b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zI3GoL1TJ31UDmDvFUxTPQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Gunshot Creek" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlSFubuK1jNixXladB9k9dVNo5CSVMLkgxEYeB6p3Mlns6Uo7UjV4vPViqt-FC9uVEJyk_fKHrynVVgfQqGi9u54WEhaWrrvfCCJ5VBcZSRYRdjd7UdjkIxNFs9l4he0Q_iRwqxkpz0-F5/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2435.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>but through safe and sound.</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MtKQOsoN4t1ZMtvIEcDo_A?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Gunshot Creek" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHPHC2BL18UhIODHLqj2j01pBL5LHBDUFwb58hc39PwdT-3g61vkp8VhgJiGBeOOpU8q3OobLwCXe9Fez-iiECXDPUxypxLZgywfo7bdrA34BvPRUsZfZBfMG9plJd8LU7o43cBJG4ypK/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2439.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
There was a loud roar from the crowd (particularly the girls) and Heidi’s face was a picture of relief and happiness. I was so proud of her, I gave her a big kiss and thanked her and the car for getting each other down safely – I was so very proud of them both!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>A very Happy and relieved Heidi - Queen of Gunshot!</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8cqMQ9uEDDWayxvDdehG-g?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Gunshot Creek" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bnat246hZM0XTJqbjqBSk0_jQlLnwY7Vaj2_Y0oigEIAPgcWyHrIIX1CSuNhB1jY5-edUVz088TI-i5WKUm2ORPiAc1B8NANPmRYBWaI54cnVJEgHdn9huuZrKxbFhuIj463dvOlSmbs/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2452.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Congratulatory Kiss!</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HgjM78gOq-IoGpJVOwKMTA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Gunshot Creek" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SxW61xjEYzI/AAAAAAAAEFQ/nNaOuohEgO4/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2455.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We took some celebratory pics and headed off, but not before having a good laugh at the guy that stopped me seeing Heidi come down the hill get seriously stuck. He needed to be winched out in the end, he is just lucky that there are people out there willing to risk their gear to help a fool.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>JUSTICE!</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eLZwn9WtCbjqE7D5Xj8rNQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Gunshot Creek" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLt4Auxo2zd8PfEpjT92JHOVZEmEXi8NPowCEgYgQ7AH4NXDsWaNMl-MqBXOMQZYc7N9Ku4lOqnKAhNMhi4HOl03tHuLjhLZDwhElLzj0HaZYa4HDfYgmTef778zXN5eo1qfI5HXbboch/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0740.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Oh and Sandy also hung a pair of Elliott’s Boxer Shorts in the tree after the crossing, this was sort of a “so and so woz ‘ere” sort of a tree. Elliott had his pic taken in front of the tree but didn’t notice them until our giggling had become uncontrollable! V Funny!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Elliott and Sandy playing in the mud!</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/p2Hv6_SlRFKPpuqOGaottw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Gunshot Creek"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SxW2Iad4hKI/AAAAAAAAEEQ/wMbyGOJns8Y/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0753.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Gunshot completed and all full of beans we headed on just a little further and Elliott found a pool of mud to play in. The mud looked soft and pretty deep and there was a track around it, but he said “what were we here for if not to give it a shot?” In he went and unfortunately not out the other side! He gave it a bloody good go but the old Toyota was not getting through that and he got bogged. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Helping them back out again!!</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/10FLbREMqNgDS5XbxWMqMQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track - Gunshot Creek"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmBhjvXXRygI7cxoOS1a-_tHIpF_dx1T9xfZ1Ncauz6xvP_za8gL6J9wMrybBUoc0t_ve8b8fYJQEDqv_AJcgPjVB8j8jzS30RMfNyOaaDyTQ9jMgabt7eXOUrsjdEXxuJKCB877ORE-5/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0757.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track - Day 2</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
OJ to the rescue!! We had to snatch (kind of like towing with a big rubber band) them out of their little mud pit and after seeing their attempt and the mud all over everything we decided to give it a miss – we’d had enough excitement with Gunshot!!<br />
We spent the night camped up at Cockatoo Creek, it was a nice spot, this time we had some fellow over-nighters near by. We had a little go at fishing but nothing was happening so we went back up to camp and into the Gazebo (away from the bugs!) for a beer and some food.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5410430171813407569%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay2?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-68348541503760681312009-07-07T11:07:00.000+10:002009-12-15T15:33:29.642+10:00The Old Telegraph Track (Day 1) Cape York<b>The Old Telegraph Track 7th – 10th July 09</b><br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The Old Telegraph Track, Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/W6mUOZZ8FgHw5Nh-KsnpTA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtam9L3eGL305anH3aeUV1ulwUx2Gmelw444hSLimXhaL0pxzUyjUVKHuVAgI5D5ynOlbmbfJIu1CSyzF8bu55-TojyIBGJsfQ33icBfpy8mWdJr2T70-XnosLg0F8X2sdQEMvav1dK1Fz/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0469.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 1</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
In the morning we left Bramwell Station for Bramwell Junction which is another camping area and a fuel stop. The OTL starts right here from behind the fuel pumps here and winds its way off into the bush. We fuelled and ‘iced up’ and set off on the no longer maintained OTL. The OTL is approximately 116kms long and progress is - as you would imagine on an un-maintained road is - fairly slow.<br />
There are 14 River crossings in total on the 4x4 only track, only 1 has a bridge (a very rickety looking one) all the rest have to be crossed by driving through the water along the river bed at designated crossing points. All the crossings presented their own unique challenges and one of them is so notoriously difficult (Gunshot Creek) there is a bypass for it! <br />
We took 4days/3 nights on the track and I am now going to bore you with a detailed account!!<br />
<br />
<b>Day 1:- The Beginning</b><br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Black Headed Python on The Old Telegraph Track</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/d8vYZe3ZDa8nElUYrbShnA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJT8LivEJm3wFZC25ZqXBd0r1aihfWjTGt4g2pvkVk0aOJMOJkTaA7HeVSoq3sw6hjS7Wb4QZGW9_xXOUzL26xaB7nO5RruytNM9y1GAs9FVx86VM1lL2Hy4WS0d_EQ41mhJfT3RqYfSp/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0476.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 1</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We had only been driving on the track a matter of metres before we had our first slice of excitement. A Black Headed Python had slithered out into the road between OJ and Sandy & Elliott’s (S&E) car. These snakes are not dangerous to humans and it was great to see one in the wild.<br />
The road quickly became very rutted and we were keen to get some pics of the cars in action (after all this part of out trip was all about the drive!). We got our first view of S&E’s car ‘popping a mono’ as Elliott put it. This is when one of the wheels is no longer in contact with ‘Mother Earth’ due to a very uneven road surface.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Elliott "Popping a mono" on The Old Telegraph Track</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DcVBNCiYCMENFglalEMicg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track Cape York"
src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/Sw3QW_-11XI/AAAAAAAAD9o/hxnN81YCYVs/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0491.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 1</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
I am going to get a little technical here but it is relevant as you look through the pictures. S&E’s 4x4 has leaf spring suspension, OJ has coil spring suspension. Coils are a lot softer and less rigid; therefore OJ can keep all 4 tyres in contact with the track a bit easier, the downside is however that OJ will sit a lot lower under a heavy load. The pics below show that OJ didn’t even ‘pop a mono’ during this part of the track whereas S&E’s wheel was at least 6 inches in the air.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>OJ not quite "Popping a mono" The Old Telegraph Track</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lcAY3hz1Oz8fVnwPbJDnjQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmA2bfj9aukTSROUGIMZ3we-lEU2Knos3ExFcTRMT9AIarAmWAin5RMZquJMYg3lWGRpBy7C7V9cyE9qMWJTAHJV4IekgJdUlISyDbtFKIKeHyipPzSfj0Xo0p2Ip_1KwBAqc0K0jEmlZ/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0497.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 1</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Ok technical stuff over for now – we didn’t have to travel much further down the track before we came to the 1st river crossing - Palm Creek. We parked up and walked over to the crossing and were greeted with the site of a 4x4 facing us stuck at the bottom of our entrance point. Admittedly he was trying to do it the hard way by doing the track North to South, but it was still a little unnerving to see them there. It kinda meant once we had gone over the edge into the crossing, there was no turning back!<br />
Turns out the guy was going to winch himself up the embankment but his winch was not working. Elliott ended up pulling him out to clear the path for us to get down.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Elliott Towing a fellow traveller</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QCarYvSGMMRMR54gVElLCg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Telegraph Track Cape York" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTy07OOe7iE-ktbHJ7UxDn9aCe6hiau9MCe5rBO35lEOFeuoy0sshOB6xE4JZLc1dDFpnqzPfmH_qeA4gxCQBTkO2HZ438MglvIiOsJK3mwV_VVVVyBh7fn0QoSVrGWM9MFCeT_LsL-ujn/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0502.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 1</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The drop off was steep and hard bottomed, I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about getting down. <br />
We went first Heidi was down the bottom ready to take pics and I was the driver. I popped OJ into low range and crawled top the drop off, remembering my training I kept my foot away from the clutch and feathered the brakes in 1st gear.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The first crossing - Palm Creek</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yL0UtNt2scwcYoSsLtYZ2g?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Palm Creek, The old Telegraph Track"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/Sw3SJMO5v1I/AAAAAAAAD-k/KkLo9C6pmZw/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2109.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 1</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Once OJ started the descent I was basically a passenger and could do nothing much to slow her down until traction was regained at the bottom. It was a strange sensation but all in all was completed fairly comfortably – Thank god we did the training course! The river itself was not deep and I crawled up the opposite bank (which was a lot less steep) and waited for S&E. Elliott followed my path and we were through with no problems. Woo Hoo first crossing done and we were pumped – on to the next...<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Elliott "Walking" Ducie Creek</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kPbpDF6T5BqUxX0ZONl46g?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Ducie Creek, The Old Telegraph Track" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAZunZDnsulQjm_7Fjt29Pat5PvGxfIfUWt1hfdXKWoyUQ3snKgVlvTi7Q_2gNQSnXfvSTFtSt9w-IyYKTgkoQhNAK3DycUfOxtNUyg7gjxijHOahTfxlZHQfI-fBuZFLfLW8WmbmhdGs/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0518.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 1</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
It was only a few minutes on the track and the next crossing was ahead of us – Ducie Creek, which the book described as muddy and deep. There were no steep banks like the last crossing, the water was lapping gently onto the road as we approached. Elliott jumped out of his car excitedly and began walking the creek. It got deeper and deeper until he was up to his waist! Uh oh we thought, that is pretty deep, he then walked left and discovered it was much shallower around the edges of the crossing. OJ is petrol so the shallower part was gonna be for us. S&E’s car however is diesel and Elliott got Sandy to drive right through the middle for fun. Sandy drove at a good speed and the 4x4 lunged down into the deep part, water almost went up onto the bonnet before she emerged the other side. Water was draining from the underside of their car and Sandy had a big smile on her face! – It was pretty deep!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Sandy Drowning Skip in Ducie Creek!</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/h6Yynzef3aThA20y6pnIXQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Ducie Creek, The Old Telegraph Track"
src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/Sw3RvirGdeI/AAAAAAAAD94/0-11DGDexOs/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0526.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 1</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Heidi and OJ were next and she picked me (the photographer) up half way across and Elliott took the rest of the pics from the other side. (We had already agreed that we would swap piccies at the end of the adventure) The wider shallower route was fairly simple and we completed the crossing easily. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Heidi and OJ taking a different route!</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lBtW4eQw7BgpJdIWDizYYg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Ducie Creek, The Old Telegraph Track"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/Sw3SJZuFIsI/AAAAAAAAD-o/J6nkfhDZfXw/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2143.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 1</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The bank on the far side was quite steep and had some pot holes near the top. There was an easier way up but we decided to have a play in the pot holes on the tougher option. Sandy was up first and when she neared the top and gave it a little power she ‘popped a huge mono’!! You could see the whole underside of the car the wheel must have nearly been a metre off the floor – it was a very impressive sight!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Sandy and Skip Popping a MONSTER!</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pYtvd0c9KJt2wtkl4RmOWg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Ducie Creek, The Old Telegraph Track" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/Sw3RvmaALMI/AAAAAAAAD98/IC9Sfsxhahk/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0554.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 1</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Heidi had a go and OJ got a little air but nowhere near as much as Sandy. Heidi then turned to me and asked if I wanted to drive back down and have a go. I thought why not, problem was I came back up the hill on a different line and OJ slipped into the holes at the wrong angle. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Carl attempting to pop a mono, succeeded but....</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0RuoeVQt1hq3vmaKvOMC2A?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Old Telegraph Track"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2cN801pXHT7ifTTyGdIkBQ-WX9UMYveYr_mfUWyi2mC2sv7PUNpnOl0F83UNjRiQwy52KcSViCCqYQ67iBYt6u-691Rgy8iEzE-DBrXgKVOSiz4QLjlWB9monbm3t-04F5Gg6lcMHNkA/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0575.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 1</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>BANG!!</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RFqKCnlZHe5O8fjEzTWuNg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Old Telegraph Track"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6xD9mVfyBWIFko7hqC4wIaufon7CLW9NQbnSfHhTJmMf8UNaVNg6qWg7GQG6W3QaQqkzGTqulhkvn4SErmuiH3-3p_rgQXdO0q8k2nQfNRk7jpQJp874e2SB4Hw34bN_j2cqmjw8XNqG/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0576.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 1</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Instead of getting a little air I got a loud BANG and a scrape. I carried on to the top and got out to inspect OJ for damage it was loud and I was sure I had broken something!! It took a while to find it but when we did it was clear what had happened. OJ had slipped onto her sills and there was a nice little dent to the body work on the underside – Oooops!! <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Whoops!</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/O09MZTcmPuRWNP4BNd5dmA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Old Telegraph Track"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/Sw3R91TakdI/AAAAAAAAD-I/SsO9cClOqeE/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0578.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 1</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
I was not a happy bunny at the time, very disappointed to have damaged the car. Now I think of our little war wound as a cool “trophy” from the OTL!!<br />
After the fun at Ducie it was 23kms of very rough uneven dirt road before crossing number 3 – Dalhunty River. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Cooling off in Dalhunty River</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NVzaVl6s93Zw65i5bUZApg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Dalhunty River, The Old Telegraph Track"
src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/Sw3SJD08lpI/AAAAAAAAD-g/iCdNvcagpZE/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0656.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 1</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Heidi and Sandy enjoyed the day!!</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Fjy4c_K8dq_NygyXvic3Ng?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Old Telegraph Track"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR4If5kkqe7TZUokgMleIbepa3ZJKPnME-tnRNLnc22KS_8z2o6YS1DXi35cbXNrD59CGzUFldGk6ftKdDvdzRVMlkM4Dq01n5lZceRBTswZ2K5aOL8C2_EF4BJ8IfEB8hBpKMytT3YVwh/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_2157.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=embedwebsite">Old Telegraph Track Day 1</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We opted not to cross this one this afternoon, instead we camped up and went for a swim in the gorgeous river there. We played in the waterfall which was good fun. It may be the middle up winter up here but temps were always around the 30C mark and the sun was shining bright. Getting into the river with a cold beer was heavenly after the excitement of the day, we just sat there for a while reflecting on what we had seen so far and what an amazing adventure we had had already. Little did we know the best day was still to come.<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5408207561115723313%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/OldTelegraphTrackDay1?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-67032137443917524322009-07-07T07:00:00.000+10:002009-12-15T15:35:08.640+10:00Coen and Bramwell Station 5th – 7th July 09Coen and Bramwell Station 5th – 7th July 09<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Travelling Companions</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a
href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MB5xqHGKAp4Nt1oJ3n7gcg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Bramwell Station 4x4's Cape York"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillsfvCVg0fXXYNIA2tq5yfkby_FtkER6GLhJZ6ixQMymuE24L8JMvh08ABbBB58vCWcy4p7941420nv6ontnquMtKLo7P3Ency2Ux1BvbvAfHHIkGTqlM6MM8jsOGugX8eZvsjE-OMCTv/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0433.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/CoenAndBramwellStation?feat=embedwebsite">Coen And Bramwell station</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
From Lakefield we headed for the small community of Coen and the precious fuel that they offer travellers in these parts. Along the way we stopped in at Musgrave River Roadhouse and bought some block ice. Our plan was to empty the fridge lay the block of ice in the bottom and then put everything back on top. This plan worked all the way up to the tip and back – we had to buy ice every 2-3 days (Pretty good really)<br />
We chose to camp at a free rest stop just outside of Coen. This was clearly a popular spot as there many others camping here.<br />
The highlight of the evening was showing Sandy how to build a campfire and eating the Damper she cooked on it. Yummy!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Bramwell Station by night Cape York</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KLfP6X_FTH9zrLtSvvzJfQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Bramwell Station by night"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SwN1WMcEbII/AAAAAAAAD5w/7cNmTQgunIc/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0450.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/CoenAndBramwellStation?feat=embedwebsite">Coen And Bramwell station</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The next day we were headed for Bramwell Station, Sandy and Elliott had booked us all in and agreed to leave their Camper trailer there whilst they continue up to the top and back. Most of the day was spent driving and announcing hazards on the UHF. We did stop in at Archer River Roadhouse and Moreton Telegraph Station along the way.<br />
Bramwell Station, not to be confused with Bramwell Junction is a working cattle property just off the main road. They were closed to the public but I guess as we called ahead they let us in. As we set up camp in front of the bar they have built for their guests a tour bus rolled up, oh no we thought… until we saw that everyone of them was over 60!!<br />
We had a peaceful night watching Sandy and Elliott unload what they needed from the camper into the 4x4. Sandy cooked us a nice mince meat meal, which for the life of me I can’t remember what she called it!<br />
We were all eagerly (and a little nervously) anticipating the day ahead and one of the main reasons we came up here – THE OLD TELEGRAPH TRACK (OTL) – WOO HOO!!<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5405292884494847729%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/CoenAndBramwellStation?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-83831416691115160562009-07-05T13:47:00.010+10:002009-11-24T15:41:14.766+10:00Lakefield National ParkLakefield National Park - 4th – 5th July 2009<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Battle Camp Road</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZIsyHyjnys2xNsRuONXXLQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Battle Camp Road Lakefield National Park Cape York Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJtjVgTYGvJSUlmlN9AhJFq-0HMmS_ArlgYT_37U5UgukdqIRPka__Y6eT4j1qg3vI56BMZwv5nn40apEBZPX-yA_eP1gohyphenhyphenOBMbCM7tluPKShvvjKAci4s6YarmC8vfjHv2rKz75sCtj/s400/Battle%20Camp%20Road.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/LakefieldNationalPark?feat=embedwebsite">Lakefield National Park</a></td></tr></table><br />
<br />
<br />
We left Cooktown with supplies and fuel and made our way up Battle Camp Road (Another 4x4 dirt track – as they all are from now, goodbye bitumen) to Lakefield NP. We travelled in convoy and the UHF radio really came into it’s own. First we just used it to tell the person behind (travelling with reduced visibility in the dust!) that there was a hazard coming up - e.g. a car, pothole, DIP!! ROCK!! But then general chat started to creep in as we got to know each other more.<br />
Lakefield is a vast wetland area and much like Kakadu it is home to many birds and other wildlife (including Crocs!). In the wet season it is impossible to get in here, in the dry it is a very green and pretty place full of dry river beds. We stopped off at a nice spot by a lake for lunch before heading to Old Laura Homestead – an abandoned, corrugated iron farming property. It was a very interesting little place with lots of history.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Old Laura Homestead</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-0KvdB2VgQqc2XVWPK3nnw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Laura Homestead Lakefield National Park Cape York Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLZ6slAMeJ7ToaOchbNMN8LbBPRC1YwpfVsd5o4dtKRa5dD9BeiqFBqVUt6MMcgJp7cAkQC8aMylR9epxM5vy6CamHSC-RRRwL3kP-Wjz8xRTyEPpnAorfsaI82Q-IXQsMo5nzVhWIANK/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0358.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/LakefieldNationalPark?feat=embedwebsite">Lakefield National Park</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/laWTvKGXwtQS5sl27e5XRg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Old Laura Homestead Lakefield National Park Cape York Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8G3_CkvZhCYK6IsvCCMPnQVnS8NJ_0RhDWkJ12-qxV5g_jXujy89-7c4-JQG3pemvG9T4XZ3P-EntjDeBpliwUx25xrveKCZ8U2f-uDlCKVnV62Jx96fOilvG1BMqT9Kprfg-TeTa6lA/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0359.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/LakefieldNationalPark?feat=embedwebsite">Lakefield National Park</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Along this road we realised that the fridge has stopped working again and this time we did not have any 240V to plug it in to. We were a little disappointed but now had to think of a plan to get us through the next couple of weeks back to Cairns. The food we decided would be good for now as long as we didn’t open the fridge too much. Sandy and Elliott also had some room in theirs so we could put the meat in there.<br />
<br />
Mid afternoon we stopped to make camp at a very quiet spot by a river called Kennedy Bend. Mid afternoon was a little earlier than we had become used to with all the kilometres we had been pushing and it was so nice to stop at that time and relax. It was here that Heidi and I got out first ever taste of fishing. I know we are 30 years old and have never fished before! Sandy and Elliott taught us how to cast with a rod and how to use a hand line.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Learning to fish, Lakefiled National Park Cape York Australia</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yP7S5kUihXW7bsMI59HO6Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Learning to Fish Lakefield National Park Cape York"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/Svow1auv41I/AAAAAAAADyk/le9LYeM84Rc/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0383.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/LakefieldNationalPark?feat=embedwebsite">Lakefield National Park</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We had a few bites but we did not catch anything, as Sandy said it doesn’t matter if you catch anything or whether you are doing it ‘right’ as long as you have fun. This was so true and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.<br />
The following day we headed out of Lakefield through a vast treeless plain. The only things you could see standing was 1000’s of termite mounds – a very strange site.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>A Magpie Goose, Lakefield NP</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Hu07EIhUnfq5ShqIcJEczQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Magpie Goose Lakefield National Park Cape York Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4utUv_ppI99GURribgh49IK6-nBamgvooLZhudt5f05FS8neEokxLuGuZdfxhKTdrC-IySqoN4IbA6ScD31DhLpr68TWT7uoUaKG62IA-hF0PsGyBAWD-P6Xr6yHP35p3zou0rgUE1lj/s400/Copy%20of%20IMG_0398.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/LakefieldNationalPark?feat=embedwebsite">Lakefield National Park</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We also caught site of the rare Magpie Goose (See pic) sitting in the top of a tree and a wild buffalo – not native to Australia; that is the same for all hoofed animals, all of them were shipped into Oz at one time or another.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5402682559247055409%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/LakefieldNationalPark?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-40940373830006330312009-07-04T19:00:00.003+10:002009-11-19T09:59:19.658+10:00CooktownCooktown 2nd – 4th July 09<br />
<br />
The road from Cape Tribulation to Cooktown is a well known 4x4 only dirt road – The Bloomfield Track. The drive can be quite challenging and it’s best to travel at low tide as it can be difficult to cross the deep Bloomfield River.<br />
We started the drive early and purely by chance were on target to hit the river at low tide. The road was very steep in places, one bitumen section we had to stop on the hill, apply handbrake and foot brake, then use 4wd low range to get up! Took a long time at 5km/h!! <br />
The track was winding, we crossed a couple of rivers and passed through some very nice rain forest scenery before we arrived at the dreaded Bloomfield River. The causeway across the river was bone dry and the water we expected to see was well below the road – we were dead on low tide. We crossed the river and stopped for a bite to eat before continuing on the dirt all the way up to Cooktown.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Bloomfield River, Bloomfield Track</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fe7_WvgTjZk1QMydxnKfpg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Bloomfield River, Bloomfield Track"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCuOEGVUnJKu0_T3FSktuj2AIvYIMCjEuOs57tVo6ZGCsJVEP9y_TbZWmc7SCpgKxVPQP7GdS8cvzrNle2IrzgTEJ8qkY4w4_sGBngSzh_V8nClq4rmtCeR6_v7YNN85PavifUqkj7cuD/s400/IMG_0273%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Cooktown?feat=embedwebsite">Cooktown</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Cooktown is so called because Captain Cook stopped here for 7 weeks to repair and restock after he had damaged his ship on a reef.<br />
We pulled into town late in the afternoon and looked immediately for the caravan park that we had casually agreed to meet Sandy & Elliott at. We found the park and got booked in on the last available site, we could see Sandy & Elliott’s car and knew that they had arrived. The night before we had spoken about our cars and I had said that as we had no cash we hadn’t serviced OJ for a very long time. Elliott is very handy when it comes to mechanics and he said that we really should do an oil change if nothing else. He offered to help us, all I needed to do was find a place that sold oil in this tiny town. Least I didn’t have to go far to scout around! <br />
With the oil purchased from a service station we set about changing the oil whilst trying to make as little mess on the campsite as possible. We chopped the top off an old water carrier and drained the very thick black oil (clearly OJ needed the change).<br />
With the car serviced we thanked Elliott by cooking him dinner and providing a few beers.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Cooktown Sunset</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/v12Ax27OvLuK613EdT8uHg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Cooktown Sunset"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SvaF64JaqxI/AAAAAAAADwg/MLxZtEUiOZs/s400/IMG_0283%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Cooktown?feat=embedwebsite">Cooktown</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
In the morning we went to Tourist info in the very large Botanic Gardens and did some trip planning over coffee and a cake – very pleasant. Then we did a little sight seeing going to the town lookout and the marina area. Cooktown is a very picturesque place surrounded by forested hills and turquoise blue waters.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Cooktown Lighthouse</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5W_M6-I3J9IvUxtafElqTw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Cooktown Lighthouse North Queensland"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBcCeeJI25un5u84dGPrN7zvkzuS5I74AelnItFLGIhWDxX6YXFHBWOHZFrfQidCRU0kft0I73saYcw4U2Mgel8Yha54LzZmrX-9qxrLRsdTk8KisOtFND4g3gct8xBiVOwS5-Dzen2uy/s400/IMG_0305%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Cooktown?feat=embedwebsite">Cooktown</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Over the last couple of days the fridge had been playing up and was not coming on all of the time thus getting to warm for the food. Today however the fridge would not come on at all and we made a call the service centre to see if there was a place in Cooktown that could look at it for us. There was, so we made a dash over there (we were due to leave for Cape York proper in the morning and Cooktown was the last town we would see for a very long time!)<br />
The fridge was not working when we pulled it out of the car and took it to the service guy. He plugged it to 240V as it had been on 12V and nothing changed, took the back off and said it was likely to be the power supply but could be the compressor. He said either way it didn’t matter as he did not have the parts to repair the fridge and that the nearest place that would stock these was Cairns…<br />
No sooner had he said this and the fridge suddenly fired up and started cooling. <br />
We decided that we would carry on up the Cape and hope that the thing would keep running (Fingers crossed – the fridge was full with recently purchased food!).<br />
<br />
That night we chatted once more with Sandy and Elliott and asked them if they would like to travel up the OTL with us (The OTL should not really be tackled alone). They said that they would have a little chat about it as they didn’t know how much time they wanted to take and see if it was possible.<br />
In the morning the answer we were looking for came and we had new travel buddies for at least the next 10 days.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Our Travelling Companions - Sandy & Elliott</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1tss7wZYyG3z_hicbGyG5g?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Our Travelling Companions - Sandy & Elliott"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SvouKi-ihoI/AAAAAAAADxo/7r_GoRJ2e94/s400/IMG_1149.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Cooktown?feat=embedwebsite">Cooktown</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The 2 Fourbies</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Z1g_qf8L-KnLFELTJbPbLg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The 2 Fourbies"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SvaIZ-5ZScI/AAAAAAAADw8/DVaEiHM2MDI/s400/IMG_0330.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Cooktown?feat=embedwebsite">Cooktown</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<br />
<b>Cooktown</b><br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5401651862460577729%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Cooktown?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-18626507604469417712009-07-03T08:57:00.000+10:002009-11-18T14:34:11.145+10:00CAPE YORK – Our favourite part of the whole tripCape York is a sparsely populated, isolated region in the far north of Queensland, home to the most Northern part of the Australian continent and the famous 4x4 track – The Old Telegraph Track (or OTL for Old Telegraph Line) it has 14 river crossings all of varying difficulty – none include crocs!. <br />
There are 2 seasons up here, wet (Oct – Mar) and dry (Apr – Sept), in the wet you’d need a boat or plane to get up here, in the dry the roads are repaired and opened and the tourists and 4 wheel drivers come up in there droves. The southern most town in the Cape and the largest is Cooktown - this was our first stop.CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-72547124198836376782009-07-02T11:37:00.003+10:002009-11-19T10:01:05.244+10:00Port Douglas, Mossman, Daintree and Cape Tribulation30th June – 2nd July 09<br />
<br />
From Palm Cove we headed for the resort town of Port Douglas. Port Douglas is very modern and seemed purpose built for tourism. The palm tree lined beach is very nice and surrounded by ‘stinger nets’ for safe swimming. The town is full of boutique shops and expensive accommodation (even the Caravan Parks were expensive!). We had lunch by the very nice new marina (the paint was probably still wet!) and gazed at the very expensive looking boats.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Port Douglas</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8u2_6bcA4561VnbbA0DsBg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Port Douglas"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SvPd4xP12mI/AAAAAAAADuY/jHo5-STVyKc/s400/IMG_0155%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/PortDouglasMossmanDaintreeAndCapeTribulation?feat=embedwebsite">Port Douglas, Mossman, Daintree and Cape Tribulation</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
With cheaper accommodation in mind we headed on out of town and into Mossman. Mossman is a sugar growing town and is famous for it’s gorge. This gorge is very different to the red desert types we have seen before. It was surrounded by rainforest and has a lovely river flowing through it. People were swimming in it and there was a large group clambering to take pictures - The scenery was gorgeous.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Mossman Gorge</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KKVO5LZLHHgOSBTSMPXk3A?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Mossman Gorge"
src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SvPd5hQkomI/AAAAAAAADuk/nqihnRXlBC0/s400/IMG_0168%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/PortDouglasMossmanDaintreeAndCapeTribulation?feat=embedwebsite">Port Douglas, Mossman, Daintree and Cape Tribulation</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Before we left town we pulled up next to a familiar looking Toyota Land Cruiser (This will become relevant soon) and popped into a newsagent to buy a guide to Cape York – our next big adventure!<br />
We headed out of Mossman in the direction of the World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest. This is the only place in the world where 2 ‘World Heritage’ listed areas exist side by side – The Daintree and the Great Barrier Reef.<br />
The drive through the rainforest along the coast to Cape Tribulation was spectacular and easily rivalled the Great Ocean Road. Just after the ferry crossing (the only way across the river) we stopped at an amazing look out and took the obligatory piccies.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Daintree and Great Barrier Reef</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RaG5IwwYbR-JmuRMBaJNBA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Daintree Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef"
src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SvPd65vaQ9I/AAAAAAAADus/J1RJtQnGwPw/s400/IMG_0187%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/PortDouglasMossmanDaintreeAndCapeTribulation?feat=embedwebsite">Port Douglas, Mossman, Daintree and Cape Tribulation</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We spent the night at a caravan park in the forest and pulled in behind a now very familiar grey Toyota Land Cruiser 61 series. We headed off to the camp kitchen for dinner and got talking to a couple it seems we had been following for a while. (Little did we know at the time, but this was the beginning of a great friendship and an awesome adventure). Their names were Sandy and Elliott and after eating dinner and talking for a while we were invited back to their camper trailer to getaway from the biting insects! We chatted over a beer until late and casually agreed that we may bump into each other in Cooktown at Orchid Travellers Park.<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5400903699208209521%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/PortDouglasMossmanDaintreeAndCapeTribulation?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-13057003339510018142009-06-30T17:12:00.003+10:002009-11-19T10:05:05.384+10:00Cairns and SurroundsCairns - 24th – 30th June 09<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Cairns Hinterland</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lfAT_fAZLgci4VZMs2ABMQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Cairns Hinterland North Queensland"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SmVqz6D3jcI/AAAAAAAADpE/mt0BLZ4C2AU/s400/IMG_9940%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/CairnsSurrounds?feat=embedwebsite">Cairns & Surrounds</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
After we left Mt Garnet we set off for Atherton, on the way we stopped and marvelled at the green rolling countryside (something we had not seen for months!). It is truly amazing how we can find something we used to see every day in the UK so captivating. We were snapping away with the camera like we had never seen anything like it!! Another reminder of just how dry Australia is. We also enjoyed 4 waterfalls on our way to Atherton, these were all very nice with Milaa Milaa falls being the pick of them. It is straight out of a story book, the way it falls straight out of the forest into a neat pool below.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Millaa Millaa Falls</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-PtdZYL6cEYCX8S8cJH8Pg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Millaa Millaa Falls Cairns North Queensland"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SmVq1cGIHsI/AAAAAAAADpM/gfuvoIzujRI/s400/IMG_9987%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/CairnsSurrounds?feat=embedwebsite">Cairns & Surrounds</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Ellinjaa Falls</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6GYy-wtx5YQZ_ViYF-2JNw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Ellinjaa Falls Cairns North Queensland"
src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SmVq2941eXI/AAAAAAAADpU/ooY6KGeJEno/s400/IMG_0024%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/CairnsSurrounds?feat=embedwebsite">Cairns & Surrounds</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Atherton is a nice little town in the mountains and we stopped of in the ‘Crystal Caves’ store in the centre. This store is home to the largest piece of Amethyst crystal in the world. In the store you can ‘Crack your own geode’. Geodes are mined in South America and start out looking like a big stone. Inside however is beautiful crystal. Cracking your own means that you pick a random stone (guaranteed to be hollow) and then get to split it yourself, this means you are the first person to ever see inside the ancient geode.<br />
We chose our ‘rock’ and the lady in the store explained that the geodes were very easy to crack; they even have small children do it!<br />
Heidi was at the handle end of the giant cracking device and I was at the dangerous end holding the stone and wearing goggles!! With the stone in place Heidi gave a little pull and nothing happened. So she pulled a little harder, still nothing.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Cracking a Geode</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SEfZWfbP5GbHeX5qpl_Nxg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Cracking a Geode Atherton Table Lands"
src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SmVq3nc62DI/AAAAAAAADpY/9uYVuTkyjIE/s400/IMG_0058%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/CairnsSurrounds?feat=embedwebsite">Cairns & Surrounds</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The lady came over and tightened the chain and we tried again… nothing. The lady came over to help Heidi and still the stone would not break. With Heidi basically swinging from the handle and 2 of the shops staff helping the geode finally cracked – It was solid all the way through!! The shop manager said that he had never seen this before and looked totally bewildered. He let us pick another geode and this one cracked like an egg first time with very little effort. We ended up with a very nice smoky quartz crystal that will look nice on the mantle piece.<br />
We bought a pizza in town and then stayed in another heavily populated rest area (this one even had a caretaker!).<br />
The next day we drove through the mountains and down into Cairns. Cairns is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains and ocean (ocean containing the Great Barrier Reef no less!). It is the commercial centre for the North of Queensland and bigger than we expected. There are a million and one tourists here and a million and one things to do, from snorkelling to bungee jumping, but with our now exceedingly tight budget we will save this for a dedicated trip some other time. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Palm tree at campsite</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tUdajgI2aJAvPfIfz7_YfQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Palm tree at campsite Cairns North Queensland"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cZoFyTnFsp377sCCfUu7ANTAYna-GvHw_J1g172xegUONbTLATQjkj0gsWBHmmHRnVtP9guotswhOXTYoCKQUSgSsGOhxwFt8lpQlahlOFyB7iHupnr9nw6ArWovCb8_V0bK8_ceGYfg/s400/IMG_0079.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/CairnsSurrounds?feat=embedwebsite">Cairns & Surrounds</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We spent our few days in Cairns at a very nice Caravan Park (where you could feed turtles in the river) and stocked up, bought a new tyre (the old now unroadworthy), refuelled, shopped, did washing and carried out all those essential tasks that comes with being in a major city for the first time in a while. We visited a few of the northern beaches and really liked Palm Cove (sunrise looked beautiful here). There were expensive resort style hotels all the way down to a council run caravan park all over looking the beach (The latter being our place of residence for the night!). One problem up here though is that swimming in the ocean can be a little dangerous, there are marine stingers (Jellyfish) and Crocodiles. Needless to say there was no swimming for us!<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5360808003977745553%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/CairnsSurrounds?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-13765596766678311542009-06-24T17:09:00.004+10:002009-11-19T10:26:23.132+10:00Gemtree, Plenty Hwy & Mt Isa<strong>Gemtree Caravan Park 20th – 22nd June 09</strong><br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The Plenty Highway</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_UzjBGYPzP0LhK5Wf1oVyg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Plenty Highway"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSnHrgPNHiE98ijqCpTgEW416ZtO4-WzUj7eEeKNdE9ZZ5lYez-uwJ-zkUhWuW40F4Ey3XHvi_kYdXVkas25m7Ap5RN5UieF-AlHWQSHieGQYQr6Zwzu2THvftZESTYhWUdFig5d5tT0z/s400/IMG_9882%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Gemtree?feat=embedwebsite">Gemtree</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Our next ultimate destination was Cairns on the north east coast of Queensland (Our final state). This is a bloody long way from Alice and we knew we had some tough driving with not a lot to see ahead. We had 2 choices – Bitumen (tarmac roads) via Three Ways, Camooweal and Mt Isa = 1150ks approx or a dirt/gravel road called the Plenty Highway straight over to Mt Isa with not a lot in between! = 750ks<br />
We opted for the short cut (of course!) and stopped just 140ks out of Alice at a place called Gemtree Caravan Park. As the name suggests there are actual gems here and you can fossick for them yourself. You can normally choose from Garnets or Zircon (Both semi precious), but the Garnet tour was all booked out so we were taught how to fossick for the harder to find Zircon. Garnet is easier to find and therefore slightly less valuable because it is found in soft sandy soil, Zircon is in hard clay.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Fossicking for Zircon</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hI8zQlgTqquPP3ir_eBhsg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Fossicking for Zircon Gemtree"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQr1vJ0oWIBsYr8Maq8-M9bG1CDKJiFJ2yYhg1wlEvua6IDUw6rSGlbGm7cUSY8QLwJCIogKN1QaOP2qZ8rCTzL3wQcIogQ5R_yMr1H2F7RyFtW-psyR9_LzOEayUWYbLa_J6Kk3skzxDt/s400/IMG_9892%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Gemtree?feat=embedwebsite">Gemtree</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The tour began nice and early in the morning, we collected our gear and set off to the gem field in search of riches!! Basically once you have located the right layer of soil, you dig out all the stones and dirt that lie there, sieve it, wash it and then search through it for the elusive stones. Sounds easy and it was really apart from the whole swinging pick axe thing and all the shovelling and all the washing of dirt (which turned to mud in the bottom of the wash barrel) and then searching through 100’s of stones for maybe one or two muddy zircons that look nothing like they do once they are cut and set into jewellery!<br />
Truth be, we had a ball, we quickly realised that no one is going to get rich doing this. We were only out there to see if we could find a nice stone that Heidi could set into jewellery. The tour guide said that if you find more than 3 cutable stones (That’s right, not all the Zircons you find are even any good!), then you have done well.<br />
We were very chuffed when we got them back to the Caravan Park and were told that out of our 100 or so ‘possibles’ we had 8 cutable stones - a good day indeed.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The Fossicking Tools</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/swFYsz9WRN9ptuujNNRAyw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Fossicking Tools Gemtree" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mTEVdcZBxiwZqqfTeTWCbr9B_1H_-sZAJLrIwdAwcEgIRLfbi2-X6bexFSZyKTXWE2u7OohGlJtGzho1E-vDDzZRIGXQxi8cDS7dYqPQyy4TSeZH8W2fPeME3wglFAbYvD-bpLOnHcbh/s400/IMG_9893%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Gemtree?feat=embedwebsite">Gemtree</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We arrived back at our tent and were invited over to our neighbour’s tent for dinner. We gratefully accepted and the Damper and stew (which was awesome) went a long way to sooth our weary limbs. We stayed with our hosts until late chatting around the fire and listening to the singing of a man and his guitar a few sites down.<br />
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<strong>Plenty Highway and Mt Isa 22nd – 24th June 09</strong><br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The Plenty Highway</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sUGM8qsqeUcfYs3ss4i-EA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Plenty Highway"
src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SmVqG67QXLI/AAAAAAAADoc/q3ae__BKQAM/s400/IMG_9905%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Gemtree?feat=embedwebsite">Gemtree</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The next day we set out with many 100’s of kms of dirt road between us and the Queensland mining giant Mt Isa. The road was long and apart from a giant termite mound and having to stop at someone’s house to refuel (!), fairly uneventful. Though we did finally get to see some real ‘Bull Dust’, it is basically a massive hole in the road full of dirt the consistency of talcum powder. It is very nasty stuff and you can do serious damage if you go ploughing into a deep hole of it! It can also be hard to spot, but we managed to negotiate it without any dramas. <br />
Dusty and tired we pulled into Mt Isa after dark and got to see the awesome copper mine all lit up – amazing sight. Dinner and then bed followed, the next day we headed to the town look out for views over the city and mining operation. We grabbed a new number plate (now that we were finally back in Qld) and fuelled up before hitting the road once more. We did not set off until afternoon and spent the night in a heavily populated rest area. A night in a nice little Caravan Park in Mt Garnet followed then we hit Atherton in the Tablelands just west of Cairns. (Nearly there!!)<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5360807375464783601%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Gemtree?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-23330903887362020212009-06-20T17:06:00.003+10:002009-11-19T10:27:54.468+10:00Alice SpringsAlice Springs - 18th – 20th June 09<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Bojangles, Alice Springs</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9YSfG1gMHw8PYmt16EShVg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Bojangles, Alice Springs Norhtern Territory Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyMz56H0BAdFbI_eIPbozaOip881n9QXaLBCMvmrBR3E-otdMuwKKGriL1kFrb_DDQPmH06DHKW4jDcCWKKrs9rCOX3FNENHykJ6EHnlV7IF_QCq7WBPVC9BJYRGStBbBHGZEIVjvSqNl/s400/IMG_9808%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/AliceSprings?feat=embedwebsite">Alice Springs</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Our road turned north and back to Alice and the drive took the whole day from Uluru. The next day we headed into Alice to explore the town and get a few supplies for the onward trip. We stopped in at the famous Bojangles for lunch. This is a very quirky place and they like to have some fun with their customers. There are coins glued to the floor, on the doors to the toilets the handles are on the wrong side, when you turn the tap on in the bathroom the tap at the next sink along is the one that turns on, even the hand dryers are cross connected. All the while there are video cameras beaming live images to the Bojangles website. (There is even an ‘ON AIR’ sign above the door as you walk in!) <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>A Thorny Devil</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TDdKyYG8iQ3oX8MglyGrDw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Thorny Devil"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFeV6026bYo30PAdHJ3qjcuQyMdchyK0YnsLXgx5GRcBXRqbdXg8hWMD9eVEWJeW1OEaCe_A1Al7dS__KbDuQYRTYeYniQYQVfB7ZLFxwyJ7d2ZCrkeXlLEk3UFL8E6sTYXDstMu_rLjf/s400/IMG_9838%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/AliceSprings?feat=embedwebsite">Alice Springs</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Late afternoon we managed to find an hour to pop into the Reptile Centre and even got to hold some of the attractions there. We held a Bearded Dragon, a Blue Tongue Skink and another type of skink – the name slips my mind – it was very good fun and educational too!<br />
After another bloody cold night (these were part and parcel of central Australia for us by now!) we headed out of Alice via Anzac Hill, which is a small mound in the middle of town that provides a nice view over the city. Next we stopped at the Old Telegraph Station.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Alice Springs, Old Telegreaph Station</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pRroikFj1zNOJpXcx9eG2Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Alice Springs, Old Telegreaph Station"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SmVpm1v-zWI/AAAAAAAADns/k55hQZQ00Ts/s400/IMG_9866%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/AliceSprings?feat=embedwebsite">Alice Springs</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The Old Telegraph Station is how Alice came into being and the history and the way that people lived in outback Oz was fascinating. Being so isolated before communications and motor vehicles must have been quite a challenge.<br />
The telegraph station is still worked by volunteers to this day and we sent a message to Mariana via Adelaide (she still hasn’t got it yet though!! Nearly a month has passed….. oh and yes we know we are mega behind with the blog – travelling is so much fun and tiring it is hard to find the time!!)<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5360806688683060145%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/AliceSprings?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-82660538174199081102009-06-18T16:47:00.003+10:002009-11-19T10:35:32.378+10:00Kings Canyon, Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and Uluru (Ayers Rock)16th – 18th June<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Uluru - Ayers Rock</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BB0a6CZBCrSzbWhrZjbEcQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Uluru - Ayers Rock"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SmVlYSLFP2I/AAAAAAAADmg/0e9LjT-eO1E/s400/IMG_9663%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/KingsCanyonKataTjutaUluru?feat=embedwebsite">Kings Canyon, Kata Tjuta, Uluru</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We left Alice a bit late in the day for the 300 odd kms to Kings Canyon and arrived there in the mid – late afternoon. We took the dirt road short cut and got our first glimpse of camels in the wild – a strange sight.<br />
We did not have time to do the 3hr rim walk around Kings Canyon but did walk in through the bottom to have a look. It was not as spectacular as we thought it would be and thought we may have been a little spoiled by all the gorges and ranges we had seen so far.<br />
Caroline and Graham had left a lot earlier for the canyon than us and were doing the rim walk. We parked next to their car and waited for them to finish. Caroline was very surprised to see us and we set off to look for a place to camp. Campsites are expensive around here and we settled for the less pretentious Kings Creek Station over Kings Canyon Resort. It was a good night and we caught up with a few beers. It was very cold overnight once more and the hot shower in the morning was very welcome.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Kata Tjuta - The Olgas</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PM_kiIKEaYgM6xwxs698ew?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Kata Tjuta - The Olgas"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZqdqT6NbvScQqBHNiFGQSpdbWIJ-eP6qD8G5WDUdA7dPekDP4Dvqw7AOj-o4eqzJQv5f_im8yAz2vB-R7D5PkDL-0vTW_gXYdKcDE6KmA9vB8QfeJJw9w5eYWswN9kkvXExY6JXMK3VD/s400/IMG_9605%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/KingsCanyonKataTjutaUluru?feat=embedwebsite">Kings Canyon, Kata Tjuta, Uluru</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
All clean we set off for Uluru and Kata Tjuta, we said to our co-travellers we would meet them later in the day… somewhere... and camp with them once more. The drive to Uluru was again a very long one and we couldn’t wait for it to be over. On the way we stopped to have a look at Mt Conner (A lot of people think this is Uluru at first!) and then continued on the further 150kms to Uluru National Park and the purpose built resort town of Yulara. As we all know Uluru (or Ayers Rock) is the natural icon of Australia and when it came into view it was very difficult to take your eyes off of it.<br />
We headed into the National Park and over to Kata Tjuta (Or The Olgas) first. They are not as well known as Uluru but still very spectacular. We took the obligatory pics and then headed off to the ‘main event’. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The road to Uluru</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bFM6qMwS6oZ1X7R_2fRA-g?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Uluru Outback Australia" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SmVlUvMypGI/AAAAAAAADmI/UouJRcLiGmE/s400/IMG_9633%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/KingsCanyonKataTjutaUluru?feat=embedwebsite">Kings Canyon, Kata Tjuta, Uluru</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
After driving around the full 16km base of Uluru we stopped at ‘the climb’ and ummed and ahhhed as to whether we should have a go. The climb is long and very steep; there is a chain around 100m from the base that you can use to aid the ascent. Don’t be fooled though this does not make it that much easier and the climb was incredibly tough. Heidi is not too fond of heights and did very well to make it to the chain and even continued another 100m before saying to me that was enough for her. I was however determined to get to the top of this chain to see what the view was like from the top. Heidi passed me the camera (I already had the ruck sack with the water in it) and I continued on up to the top. The climb was intense, my heart was pounding out of my chest after 200m and the top was nowhere in sight. I ended up taking a few chains at a time and then stopping for a break. I have to say I have never pushed myself that hard before, my legs were shaking and I was sweating like mad. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The rock climb (Uluru)</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9HD92BrWr8BzFudUA5EFDw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The rock climb Uluru"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bXoYl9I9SEz1lFKZD480PBYRaAXReMMOkE4MxpxHtjT170i0qT4qzZJmXSs8IzFEf4JHpwcUGTKVX12dT2RM7iSE_dwy5DdYdOwNGmHDAXM16cF8WzQ0dFQFowG2hTCWJU3StHfX5Nlo/s400/IMG_9650%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/KingsCanyonKataTjutaUluru?feat=embedwebsite">Kings Canyon, Kata Tjuta, Uluru</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
After what seemed like forever I could see the top of the chain, a guy coming down the other way told me that the chain was not the top of the rock and that more climbing followed. I looked at the time and knew I would never have time for that too! I just wanted to beat the damn chain!! After a few more arduous meters I was there, I sat down, took some pics and drank a little, then set straight off for the precarious climb back down – I needed to make it back down in time for sunset!<br />
With shaky legs and being very out of breath already the climb back down was not as easy as I would have liked. It took a very slow approach and a lot of time to make it safe to the bottom. Heidi was waiting with Caroline and Graham who had completed the climb a bit earlier than us (as ever we were trying to squeeze too much into 1 day!).<br />
After I recovered we set off to watch sunset on the rock. This is one of the ‘must do’ things whilst you are here and there was a large crowd in the sunset ‘viewing area’. We took the obligatory pictures and watched the red rock go to brown then grey.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Uluru Sunrise</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kf1h8uA3bqy9V3t374PV0g?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Uluru Sunrise Outback Australia"
src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SmVlZBi7pmI/AAAAAAAADmo/EELtL_2HqSQ/s400/IMG_9739%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/KingsCanyonKataTjutaUluru?feat=embedwebsite">Kings Canyon, Kata Tjuta, Uluru</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
It was then off to camp in Ayers Rock Resort for the night.<br />
After another cold night we awoke early and headed back out for sunrise. We decided to watch the sun come up behind the rock, which was a pretty special sight. We then headed back to camp and cooked our travelling companion’s porridge and made them a coffee, they acted like all their Christmas’ had come at once!! (They had no stove!) We bid Caroline a definite final farewell and we’ll hook up on Facebook soon.<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5360801834157248737%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/KingsCanyonKataTjutaUluru?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-86896897840474676882009-06-16T18:48:00.004+10:002009-11-29T17:17:06.577+10:00Mataranka to Alice Springs<strong>Mataranka 13th – 14th June 09</strong><br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Mataranka Hot Springs</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JBaeuCYoK4xSEcSp5_6qlA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Mataranka Hot Springs Northern Territory"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/Sl2YYe4VENI/AAAAAAAADks/r8xy3qIR3Q8/s400/IMG_9524%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/MatarankaToAliceSprings?feat=embedwebsite">Mataranka to Alice Springs</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
From Mary River Roadhouse we drove to Katherine via Pine Creek - 250kms or so. Here we stopped (now in mobile signal) to wish Mum (Carl’s) a happy birthday and welcome Mariana back into the country after 3 weeks in England. We refilled OJ (AGAIN!) and were about to set off for Mataranka when I spotted a very familiar Red Ute with an Irish sticker in the window – small world. A couple of jokes and a more sober goodbye later we were on our way to Mataranka.<br />
<br />
Mataranka is a small inland town famous for being near some hot springs. We arrived in the afternoon grabbed our swimmers and went for what we hoped would be a refreshing dip – it was a hot day again. Unfortunately the water was body temp and not that refreshing. The pool was gorgeous; the water was crystal clear, tree lined and deep. There was a current which gently swept us along and we took in the view. Swimming back was optional but we made it stopping only once for a breather.<br />
Another wonderful place to add to the list of places we have visited. <br />
<br />
<strong>Mataranka to Alice Springs 14th – 16th June 09</strong><br />
<br />
The road south to our next destination – Alice Springs, was a very long one. We stopped a few places on the way, Daly Waters, Tennent Creek (overnight) and Devils Marbles. Daly Waters is one of the most famous outback pubs in Australia, we stopped in for a drink and a pee, took some pics and got back on the road. It was a quirky place like the outback pubs we have already seen.<br />
After here we stopped at a rest area for a quick snack (read: sausage roll!)<br />
As Carl walked back to the 4x4 he noticed that there was a small puddle forming under OJ…. Oh no! After a quick investigation under the bonnet we discovered that a small hose right under the manifold was leaking. As fate would have it at that moment a mechanic pulled up with caravan and family in tow and asked if we were ok. I (Carl) pointed out the leak and he said that it was a heater hose and not a serious issue, but it needs to be fixed pretty soon! I said I was on my way to Alice (800-900kms away) he said “Need to do it before then! They may do a hose here if you ask”<br />
I toddled off to get a hose in the roadhouse – no luck. We carried on to Ellis in search of the hose but it was Sunday and nothing was open.<br />
Tennent Creek was out next port of call - 500 or so kms from where we first notices our leak. We had stopped every 100kms to check the water and top up if necessary and were very relieved to see a town. It was evening and we went off to the caravan park and had a beer to settle our nerves and watched a show called Jimmy the Bush Tucker Man. He did a campfire show and we got to try Kangaroo tail – interesting… (we’ll leave it at that!)<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Devils Marbles</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/E-M6A-NPBFkB7bGGcsuaZw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Devils Marbles Outback Northern Territory Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5V41WnhsClTehOFGvZvpxnFHHagmuSNiCiprQnWw3vToDIb_ctd6HnG2VJZfFYSCBcv2vrX_ALuIZOmClfYdKsV31DLCd7LXP_UG4ZYIcQ9A547uTNLkNijdGT7FbfaJOjtVx3-Z5NhAw/s400/IMG_9548%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/MatarankaToAliceSprings?feat=embedwebsite">Mataranka to Alice Springs</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
In the morning we set off to the spares place for the hose and then as the hose was in a very awkward position, off to a mechanic to see if he can fix it up. The spares place said that the mechanic would need to have a look at the 4x4 to determine the hose and then he would buy it before he did the work. Fair enough we thought… 2 trips to 2 different mechanics later we not having much luck. Neither could do the work until 2:30pm and we really wanted to be in Alice by the afternoon ($88 an hour for labour was not that appealing either!) <br />
The 4x4 was not leaking when cold and was not leaking when running – only when cooling down. We wrapped some electrical tape over the hole and set off for Alice (fingers crossed). On the way we stopped off at Devils Marbles and marvelled at the huge boulders perched precariously in the desert. Check out the pics.<br />
After what felt like forever (stopping every hour again) we arrived in Alice as the bright desert sun was setting. We pulled up at the service station and the tape and hose finally gave up and coolant was now running all down the forecourt. We popped over to Repco and picked the hose OJ so desperately needed, Carl got talking to the guy that served us about how it was hard to find a mechanic at short notice and he offered to do it for us that night on his driveway! So within hours of arriving in Alice OJ was fixed and ready to go.<br />
We rolled into what felt like that last available campsite in the whole of Alice well after dark (after a Macca’s) and it was freezing! After a night in 1C temperatures we were off again with no time to explore Alice right now (we would be back) to meet up with Caroline and her new travelling partner Graham at Kings Canyon.<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5358606452173163889%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/MatarankaToAliceSprings?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-15452575682237732582009-06-13T18:46:00.007+10:002010-06-17T14:15:56.275+10:00Kakadu National ParkKakadu National Park - 11th – 13th June 09<br />
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<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/78W7MzlF_4AKiJm7M1f_PA?feat=embedwebsite"><br />
<caption align="bottom"> <b>Ubirr, Kakadu National Park</b> </caption><br />
<img
alt="Ubirr, Kakadu National Park Northern Territory Australia"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/Sl2X1Xp0WJI/AAAAAAAADkI/WDMg0KW-Zi0/s400/IMG_9486%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
It is around 140kms from Darwin to Kakadu (the largest national park in Australia), we stopped on the way to fulfil the ambition to see a Salty in the wild and took a ‘Jumping Croc’ boat tour on the Adelaide River.<br />
There were around 10 guests on the tour and the boat was a good size. The captain advised that we should not let any part of our bodies hang over the sides of the boat as it could be seen as food! We all sat nervously in the middle of the boat, no sooner had we pulled away from the docking area we say our first croc, apparently it wasn’t very big (!) and we carried on down the river. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Croc Jumping Tour</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vhvIHCfr-CLz3KdAz4sJZg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Saltwater Crocodile Jumping" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/Sl2XyaT1qwI/AAAAAAAADj4/914tCN0inlI/s400/IMG_9414%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/KakaduNP?feat=embedwebsite">Kakadu NP</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
It was then that a larger male floated over and the action began. The deckhand basically had a piece of chopped Buffalo tied to the end of a stick and she hung it just up out of the crocs reach. Then when the croc could be bothered (it sometimes took a while) he would let his tail fall down below himself and propel himself up a metre out of the water to grab the meat. Often the croc was unsuccessful as the meat was hoisted even higher in the air (They called this encouragement, not teasing!!) I felt a little sorry for the croc but the captain explained that if there was no jump in the wild there would be no food either. Their policy was if the croc jumped and made an effort he would get the chunk of meat in the end. The croc was estimated to be around 4.5m long, we were told any croc over 3m could pull down a human and could kill.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Saltwater Crocodile</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0bq5t53C8qOwsb0p5-tz8Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Saltwater Estuarine Crocodile"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMIlM9q_cwe95AZk8dIWRGVO5S4f3CbH4ZYSpWovBlvLugXP9wyB6RlVFtXaOCbVouRgYXZ4e-ZYuHQFBfm_o7FVzUoKJZlnc4tquUP0GqYH2-T7MbxOdd1Dy0AqvpPJPFxWnAiSE045z/s400/IMG_9429%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/KakaduNP?feat=embedwebsite">Kakadu NP</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We carried on up the river to a spot where a mother had been seen at a nest site. As we pulled over many baby crocs jumped of the bank and into the safety of the water. We were told it was very rare to see baby crocs just out of the nest in the wild – we were very privileged! Mother croc tolerated us and got a piece of meat for jumping out of the water. It was when she jumped that we saw that she had no front legs, this was due to bigger males being a bit rough during/after mating! Tough life!<br />
Ambition fulfilled we headed to South Alligator (so called because the first explorers thought the creatures they were seeing were Alligators not Crocs) and set up camp for the night.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Ubirr, Kakadu</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qV10CG7lw5n2fmSRu6JhvQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Ubirr, Kakadu National Park Northern Territory Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYkdX7gPQMpr8s5B_tKnCE9stPwIu2iGn-DDkOLpS9SXY73DR86SKepV1pz9QT64alnlNyJBcxu0GD7NdkhISYfLl2SOyjJYLL7BR7XLsRkac7syrvnSkjHWPn-UpoPr4CnrpoWLpSz4_/s400/IMG_9476%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/KakaduNP?feat=embedwebsite">Kakadu NP</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Refreshed and clean we headed in the direction of Ubirr and the main source of the World Heritage listing – the Aboriginal Rock Art. Some of the art is estimated to be up to 4000 yrs old and they have gone to great lengths to preserve it. There are railings guarding the rocks for which there is a $5,500 fine if you cross. There is also a bead of silicone around the art to stop rain water dripping on to it and degrading it.<br />
Ubirr is also the site of a 360 degree lookout over the surrounding wetlands and of the Arnhem Escarpment. Arnhem Land is a massive area of land under Aboriginal ownership and you need a permit to enter the area – it is a mysterious place!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Ubirr again</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/o_xcgMvz4vFmLahWko1u0w?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Ubirr, Kakadu National Park Northern Territory Australia"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/Sl2X0oBD0AI/AAAAAAAADkE/E5Bq_xjzJrM/s400/IMG_9483%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/KakaduNP?feat=embedwebsite">Kakadu NP</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Also visible from the lookout and probably the most exciting thing of all (Carl) you could see one of the places where Crocodile Dundee was shot. Kakadu was used heavily for this film and Carl was excited to have seen a piece of it.<br />
From Ubirr we headed for the Uranium mining town of Jabiru for a few supplies, stopped in at the visitor centre for some interesting facts and then headed out of the park to the Mary River Roadhouse. We realise we did not see all the park had to offer and had we more time Jim Jim Falls (via 160kms return of rough dirt road) would have been on the list, but time is very much of the essence and we bid farewell to Kakadu.<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5358605787291873521%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/KakaduNP?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-43180772167707623852009-06-11T18:44:00.003+10:002009-11-19T10:44:46.292+10:00DarwinDarwin - 7th June – 11th June 09<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Darwin</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Gp2gbzxFbfpnlMfu4JP1lQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Darwin Northern Territory Australia"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/Sl2XRNyBq6I/AAAAAAAADi4/DIvjwWxM-ds/s400/IMG_9372%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Darwin?feat=embedwebsite">Darwin</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We arrived to a very hot and humid (for us!) Darwin in the middle of the afternoon and picked up a couple of things for the car – A new Headlight and some De-mineralised water to top up the battery (See Dad we are being good auto maintainers!!). <br />
We then set off in the direction of Lee Point Caravan Park after a recommendation from Frank and Allison. We found the C Park to be an interesting place… They wanted $100 deposit for no real reason other than “it is their policy” and then told us that we could just go pick a site anywhere we liked… The place was quite full and it was a little difficult to find a spot in the shade. After touring around a couple of times we found a spot and set up, all the while sweating our arses off! I would not be joking if I said that this may have been one of the hottest most humid nights I have had in Oz so far! It may have been because we had gotten used to cooler dry whether on our trip, but I know one thing I WAS MELTING. <br />
After an uncomfortable nights sleep, we set off into Darwin to meet up with Kieran and Caroline (the Irish backpackers from Broome and beyond). They had sent us a text 3 days before asking when we would be in Darwin and saying they would love to catch up. After a quick wander around the Darwin Esplanade we met them in a bar called “The Deck” on Mitchell Street at 12pm. After lunch, a few drinks and a lot of catching up, we did not leave the place until 8pm – something we had not planned!<br />
Caroline was very excited as she was meeting up with her boyfriend the next day. She asked if we could stay another night to meet him. We said that we would as the only thing we have seen of Darwin so far is the inside (& outside) of “The Deck”!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Kieran and Caroline</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/niMFlgkRwHHxKLd0xFVtag?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Our Irish backpacker friends"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-b-ErW3kkqXwnP71BOR3rjXvUpRPfFl7KQppS0truEGqo_v5iUMgcyFE6WMUfwMIAUGpssXCyFXehyphenhyphenP1-XtHRDejnz5O33b04av2WaOYY3TmWIVVchJwiYD70skUxkyig5K9ogz-VXQsG/s400/IMG_9382%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Darwin?feat=embedwebsite">Darwin</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The next morning after once more hearing Dingoes howling during the night (Heidi has decided this as a very eerie noise straight out of a horror movie!), we fitted the headlight and headed off into Darwin. It was the afternoon and we headed for The Wharf Precinct. There is a lagoon (Croc free of course – think it must be the chlorine and tiles they don’t like) that they have built there and it has the best wave machine we have ever seen.<br />
Makes the Oasis in Swindon look like child’s play, these waves were so big you could grab a free boogie board and ride them back to shallow water! COOL! <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Darwin Lagoon</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5avJyv5bolnVcZlBGjx7wQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Darwin Lagoon Northern Territory Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmtRl8G8kFdz8QNCX7XQGbKtWXU8ONtlMPo_Tb7vqEbSkdaZLdrC4Tg4rInuMhrIPuvKBGBaK2dLNI2X6Kez9_Uy6-EF5s-DGWu99IIDgQW7IcnaBQCyQcl7a-jDvp28ymqofbG6YYPs1/s400/IMG_9392%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Darwin?feat=embedwebsite">Darwin</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
After a fun afternoon and no success with catching a wave, it was time to head home and get ready for our night in town meeting the guys. We ended up being a little late getting out and did not arrive until after 9pm. We stayed out until very late, not getting into bed until 4:30am. We had a good night and said a final farewell to Kieran and maybe Caroline though she is heading in our direction. All this of course forced us into another night in Darwin!<br />
We booked another day and spent it by the pool, reading and getting ready to leave tomorrow. Our next destination was the World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park.<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5358605273688988113%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Darwin?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-80789515329886139132009-06-07T18:43:00.003+10:002009-11-19T10:57:16.538+10:00Litchfield National ParkLitchfield National Park - 6th – 7th June 2009<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Litchfield National Park, Florence Falls</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dVdzTtF-P5a73bFAqDzLjQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Litchfield National Park, Florence Falls Northern Territory Australia" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/Sl2WoPoMx6I/AAAAAAAADiI/VDfdU0Hxdps/s400/IMG_9300%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/LitchfieldNP?feat=embedwebsite">Litchfield NP</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We set off for Litchfield reasonably early leaving all the hardcore campers to cook their breakfast over an open fire back at the springs. Litchfield is well known for its waterfalls and waterholes to swim in… Our thoughts turned back to the ‘Salties’ “Surely people don’t swim if there are Crocs around?” We had heard that Litchfield is croc free.<br />
We arrived at Florence falls and were hungry so did lunch first, then onto the falls lookout before descending to the pool under the falls for a swim. The falls looked great and we could see people at the bottom having a great time swimming “Great we thought we can get out of this heat!” We walked 135 steps down to the bottom and dropped off our stuff, by now there were at least 20 people in the water and having a great time. Heidi said that it was always a dream to go for a swim under a real waterfall. She carefully climbed barefoot over the rocks to the pool edge and negotiated the underwater minefield of boulders to jump forward and swim. I followed and the water was great, it was such a hot day. We swam over to a few rocks in the centre of the pool and sat looking at the falls cascading down from at least 10mtrs right in front of us. I said “well what are you waiting for, shall we go” “if you’re sure?” came the reply. Off we went the 20 or so meters across the pool to what now seemed a very powerful waterfall! When you are under a fall like this water is spraying everywhere and it is very difficult to see. We tried to look up at the falling water, catching mere glimpses of it falling before we had to wipe our eyes once more. We then looked across to the other smaller waterfall into the pool and swam over. Here you could haul yourself up onto a ledge and sit with the water falling on to your head and back. When Heidi jumped up I swam back a few metres… What I would have given for a waterproof camera! The backdrop she had sat there was amazing and I hope I never forget it. Water tumbling from high up off red craggy rock as she sat there laughing, it was awesome!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Litchfield National Park, Wangi Falls</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oEOr4RV9ni2fyao63wZtCQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Litchfield National Park, Wangi Falls Northern Territory Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWl9lVZfY6M-xBKTPNLlo1sdE63t-BKyQcz2wTuaUyW03CqX3HQqFb-25YiQEOqPqEAbSD1lXToik3V146FdM3G5xRlSx7hyphenhyphen3x9fWjB71Ajk_fcUqfxWDYdXRhc8BHM5bdmn8n4nbZWCl/s400/IMG_9332%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/LitchfieldNP?feat=embedwebsite">Litchfield NP</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Later in the afternoon we went back up the steps and headed expectantly for Wangi Falls and another swimming hole. We stopped at the lookout over Florence once more and saw a guy climbing the side of the falls and looking over the top of them… remember at least 10 mtrs up! “Surely not we thought” Then after what seemed like an age he leapt from the top and took an eternity to hit the water. It was so high and how did he know what was under him?? He rose safely back to the surface and 2 more of his friends gave it a go – madness if you ask me.<br />
The walk to Wangi Falls was considerably easier – just a gentle slope to the waters edge where a series of steps and a handrail were waiting. On the way down we had seen a sign advising that Estuarine Crocodiles (Salties) can enter the area and to please not swim in the water if the sign advised it was ‘Closed’. This was a little unnerving but the sign said “Open” and there were at least 50 people in the water. We thought that if there was a croc and he were hungry he would sure have eaten by now!! All jokes aside we were sure we’d be ok before entering the water – please don’t any of you worry!<br />
This place was much larger than Florence Fall’s pool, but no less spectacular. There were again 2 sets of falls and we swam to them both. A little further this time (around 35 metres approx). First to the heavy and sprayful one and then over to one where you could haul yourself out – seemed familiar (Which only added to the enjoyment). This time though you could climb up a few easy steps to what appeared to be a little pool next to the falls. We dutifully waited our turn to sample the pool and were rewarded with a little hole no bigger than a dining room table yet over 2.5 metres deep! The water was much warmer than the main swimming hole and had a little waterfall of it’s own. We spent a little while here before letting the next in the queue have there turn and we swam back over to the main sand bank where there were many people enjoying the cool water.<br />
It was at this point that we noticed an Asian girl and her male friend. We recognised her as the person in the little pool before us, she was beckoning her friend to go and have a look at the pool. The swim as I have mentioned was a calm 35 mtrs across to the other rocky side. She swam slowly and unconfidently over and motioned for him to join her. He was shaking a little and then sprang forward into the perfect ‘2 stroke then breathe’ front crawl. Heidi and I looked and thought oh well he must just be scared of the deep dark water… It was not until he neared the rocks and stopped that his problem became apparent- he couldn’t tread water! He was flapping like a dying bird just 2 metres from the rocks where he would be safe. His friend jumped in and ungainly tried to push him to safety. Phew we thought, hope he is ok.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Heidi's Knee Injury</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Oo6cnHUlpFj7Z5HpJyGPmg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Litchfield National Park, Wangi Falls Northern Territory Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBSyWnUdpLBFfZgNgWQ6N6_odbVUwJAr6xjpzk3tly15D90y7D7zsmEh9Vh6cmWpsvHMlMNrj2tlao7ae4B6bFV0397L520e0nxpA9U4J-vpWSCMwZNm2ex93fHsCQoh1kiWHhpBCdcX-/s400/IMG_9359%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/LitchfieldNP?feat=embedwebsite">Litchfield NP</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We were about to leave the cooling waters for camp when we noticed the guy sitting on the opposite bank. He was not interested in the pool but looking back longingly for the shallow waters of the sand bar! Heidi said we better wait to see if he was ok and I agreed. <br />
We waited for what seemed like half an hour before Heidi jumped in and swam across to ask the last 2 people on the opposite bank if they were ok. The Young Asian man immediately said to Heidi in broken English that he was not ok and that he needed help. He said that he was very tired from the swim across and scared that he could not make it back! After a 10 min conversation Heidi had made it known that she was not strong enough to get him back on her own. She had signalled breast stroke and he had agreed to do his best and just keep going. <br />
They set off, Heidi on one side and his friend on the other, it was not long before he was going under and Heidi was grabbing him by the arm to keep him afloat. I (Carl) am not the greatest swimmer and waited anxiously as deep as I could manage holding out my hand ready to pull the guy across to shallower waters. Heidi looked like she was struggling now to hold the weight but they were making slow progress. The guy seemed blissfully unaware how close he was to sinking. Just as Heidi could give no more I was in arms reach and grabbed the guys hand pulling him passed and over to safety.<br />
What a day we had had! Heidi was shaking, telling me that if the pool had been 5 metres longer she would have really struggled - swimming one handed was not easy!! Wow he was a lucky boy!<br />
On our way out of the pool, I sat on the rather high step, up to my chest in water waiting for Heidi to confirm the guy was ok and to come swimming over. For some unknown reason she walked and in trying to get up the step whacked her knee on the very rough almost pebble dashed step. She held her knee and looked in real pain, at first I thought she would be ok, but then on 2nd inspection the cut looked very deep and the visible white flesh was quite disturbing. We had only said the other day that we had hoped to never have to use the first aid kit! My first thought was that it would need stitches <br />
We hobbled over to the car and decided that antiseptic followed by some of those little strips to hold the wound together and a plaster (Band-aid) should do it – the bleeding was already virtually stopped. We got it done and she managed a smile and thanked me – I will forever be known as doctor Carl (K), just like the legend from Neighbours!!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Enjoying Wangi Falls</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/M-x5U5wZNvL3j_kCgxFUWg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Litchfield National Park, Wangi Falls Northern Territory Australia"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/Sl2WrGxFBcI/AAAAAAAADiU/kNLj0CrP56w/s400/IMG_9340%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/LitchfieldNP?feat=embedwebsite">Litchfield NP</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We headed off to camp at the Wangi Campground and found the very last available site in the whole place – lucky for a change! In the morning we went to set off for Darwin and OJ wouldn’t start – Dead battery! In the evening we had the fridge running from both batteries in a bid to keep it cool and we also had the stereo on, OOPS! Luckily our neighbouring camper had seen me try and start the car and was already on his way over asking if I would like a jump start? He said that he had no jump leads though.<br />
It was ok, we are very prepared and I foraged through the back of the car looking for something I thought I would never need! 10 mins later and with half of our possessions on the floor I emerged triumphant with the jump leads and we pushed a very heavy OJ over to his waiting Pajero. She stated first time and we thanked our neighbour for his help and set off in the direction of Darwin via a dirt road shortcut.<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5358604577551358977%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/LitchfieldNP?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-66018877765137059942009-06-06T18:36:00.003+10:002009-11-19T11:01:57.977+10:00Katherine Gorge and Douglas Hot SpringsKatherine Gorge and Douglas Hot Springs - 4th June – 6th June<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Northern Territory - Woo Hoo!</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/F5QUZgq49262gx-02pYlOQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Northern Territory Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzYWqcvdNqMaS3AfuvQ5F4VGoSUjiFPODQxFL6jWFTY-wdSgO6FykUVLVbK-zB3uCa2S285WvrGDQOmSo-8FcG0hw31j9naE4DYkElPcrEDTZpyw626seSFWXDuNFypzfTIWtqZ-Ljydw/s400/IMG_9257%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/KatherineDouglasHotSprings?feat=embedwebsite">Katherine & Douglas Hot Springs</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The drive from Kununurra to Katherine was looong and not really much fun. Frank had told us to stop at Victoria River and look for Saltwater Crocs from the bridge. We did so but had no luck. We both really want to see a ‘Salty’ but from a safe distance!<br />
In Katherine we stocked up on fuel and headed off to the campground at Katherine Gorge. We arrived whilst the sun was setting and virtually did everything after dark (not much fun – the pool there looked nice and a dip would have been great. We are relaxing now… right?)<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Katherine Gorge</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vB1MV-xrCuSuUWhnPMiigA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Katherine Gorge Northern Territory Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3j-lmNpgTBw7GmDhP33QPcsodIFSj_YldsEj0aktxoeQPRovUrPn9gv-veoIU-uz22F8lSuekkFzCQUZlbCBCEYNIVhYzIKA8Xo4FSidrNg-Yiv-Hj4dVJnJDiZTBhpMivIlNPoOyK93K/s400/IMG_9281%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/KatherineDouglasHotSprings?feat=embedwebsite">Katherine & Douglas Hot Springs</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
In the morning we went for a walk to a lookout over the river. We suddenly felt ‘Gorged out’. No disrespect to Katherine but I think we have just seen too many lately. We shopped for a few supplies and headed out of town for a place Heidi really wanted to visit – Douglas Hot Springs. She had read about this place a while ago and now was the chance to get there. We arrived with plenty of daylight left and found a shady spot for the car and grabbed our swimmers. Off to the springs we went.<br />
We stepped into the water not knowing what to expect and were greeted with a luke-warm flow of water. The further we went from this flow the cooler it got… Cool we thought. There were a large number of people sat upstream in a deeper area and we felt we would be intruding to sit there so we found a log a way down in the cooler section – it was a very hot day after all!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Douglas Hot Springs</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/s6RY3p-FFGYlVNLwkJrLJw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Douglas Hot Springs Northern Territory Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXX-mlHHwPyTe7Vy1ZrPPHvDpH7ifWTY31wK0GWX_Jg76FtgG0F5w721K17NwEBEjDLFzw9jIGa8OYgWUkebOLhUe4f44sq6J9ZVsDvKCANStLvxff-BjaonYEMUU27Ard2WfnXaRs7s5/s400/IMG_9291%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/KatherineDouglasHotSprings?feat=embedwebsite">Katherine & Douglas Hot Springs</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
As the pile of people upstream thinned we ventured further up – primarily to take some pictures of this very nice place. Heidi went one way and I walked straight up stream towards the group of people (with the intention of walking by)<br />
As I got closer the water became a little warmer (as I had expected.. I mean this is why they are sat here right?) It was not until one of the guys there said to me “the further you go the hotter it gets” that I really appreciated the “Hot” in Douglas Hot Springs. As I walked through the group I was like ‘Ouch’ - wow this was real hot, like a bath you can’t quite get into. Heidi had stopped taking her pics and I beckoned her up the stream telling her I had just found ‘the hot’. As she walked up the stream she said “woo it’s nice and warm here” until she got to me… then she danced a little saying “ooo ooo ouch” and then jumped up on the sand next to me. “Told you it was hot” I said. What an amazing thing we thought – Hot water straight from the ground.<br />
We had a nice evening chatting and then went off to bed. Litchfield NP was our destination tomorrow and all the expectation that comes with such a well known park.<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5358603613989223329%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/KatherineDouglasHotSprings?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-73640340806510313502009-06-04T10:55:00.005+10:002009-11-29T17:10:40.058+10:00The Bungle Bungles (Purnululu NP) and Kununurra<strong>The Bungle Bungles (Purnululu NP) 30th – 31st May</strong><br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The Bungle Bungles (Purnululu NP)</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZYAQKOhD44j-Fb25dpgGJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Bungle Bungles Purnululu National Park Western Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVAxNTnP3YmMfxJ-AYDS1-NFlSpWNd_HCF7OxpZzo0JkFHtBxUR9DrgEYjuhMVUjW91py7VzWTZXj403Czr42mXL_OWnHF1a8urkxz7L9F011PYNUd5YQBtiqUdqYWMQmExcn33Sy_i8_/s400/IMG_9081%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/BungleBunglesKununurra?feat=embedwebsite">Bungle Bungles & Kununurra</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
After a long drive from Fitzroy Crossing through Hall’s Creek we arrived in the afternoon at the signpost for “The Bungle Bungles”. The Bungle Bungles are now officially known as their Aboriginal name Purnululu (NP) and have only recently become known to ‘the White man’. In fact it was not until a video or photo (can’t remember which) was published that the world took an interest; this was in the 1970’s! I believe this area is now World Heritage listed!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Cathedral Gorge</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8LDqfYyLkqmerLaXCJY5vg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt=" Cathedral Gorge Bungle Bungles Purnululu National Park Western Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVLnosY-4UgHOzhmRAkyUy7n7Fa_MRhLDubWFzXAxXJ-RMyL6xeZT4_tJ4GF1XzfUorAxVF3XDjjumaf7kXCT6H3TJg0Vey3IcLh5V3y0ln2DyLrPUrBnEWUmJiCfaXgtDZdemKnVhso_/s400/IMG_9112%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/BungleBunglesKununurra?feat=embedwebsite">Bungle Bungles & Kununurra</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The Bungle Bungles themselves are famous for looking like beehive shaped domes and being striped in black and reddish orange. Apparently they look like nothing else in the world and are very well preserved.<br />
After taking the turn off to The Bungle Bungles we only had 53kms of our long journey left and were looking forward to seeing some of the park before setting up camp and our rissole salad for dinner. Unfortunately things didn’t quite go to plan and it was soon obvious seeing some of the park would not be happening tonight.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Road into Bungle Bungles</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mURTuY7K2Xm-EsgplHU1Ag?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Bungle Bungles Purnululu National Park Western Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg018J2kg9dRgCl-OhcwvW1oymIgPvYT2CRxEU8YvbIQaJJ0hM2q4a5lRnsMwzAAa7q45HoIOLX1chjuc4MNz9lR33SaDtNPN7exwxCXE-T8bj_F2jRxlCqUpLvs7oIaTu5ijOaKUkSG_7K/s400/IMG_9219%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/BungleBunglesKununurra?feat=embedwebsite">Bungle Bungles & Kununurra</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The 53kms were very rough (4x4 only for sure!) there were numerous water crossings and a large patch of bulldust, this was along with the bazillion corrugations. We both said to ourselves that if OJ doesn’t break something it will be a miracle – we still have to get back out of here by the same road!! (To kill the curiosity for some and to stop you skipping through… The miracle happened, kinda - we did lose the front number plate!)<br />
We awoke the next morning determined to see what The Bungle Bungles had to offer and get back up the access road afterwards and on our way. On the itinerary for today were Cathedral Gorge and Echidna Chasm. Both were meant to be spectacular and we were keen to see them both. We started with the walk to Cathedral Gorge via “The Dome Walk” and were not disappointed. The beehive domes were amazing to see and so fragile. Any loss of the waterproof film from their surface would result in them eroding very quickly – we were not to walk on them and to stick to the river bed – which was dry of course! After dome walk it was onto the gorge, it was truly worth the walk. We thought we may become “Gorged out” (as it were) but we were not (yet anyway). The ‘hole in the floor that had been created by a waterfall running in the wet season was amazing. The place was huge, red and staggering; there was a little pool in the middle, dwarfed by huge overhanging walls that you could not see the end of - we felt very small. After the piccies (see below) we headed off to a lookout over the domes and then off to Echidna Chasm. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The Bungle Bungles (Purnululu National Park)</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zXleolXV80OPIoRZVC6-Qg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="The Bungle Bungles Purnululu National Park Western Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-QxN5x6YJ4aflYioxbwlpuX1SFrwDYchpoOwvcoM7yiJlgZj9Q_TMqKukljZGSV2RSlQOg7oo0XlJU-AmsOeR8c3W8Uz2NzqT9YGxSiVvhCFQnw9E64ZlE_PVegRg2H48bYWixDBmKkW/s400/IMG_9141%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/BungleBunglesKununurra?feat=embedwebsite">Bungle Bungles & Kununurra</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The lookout was great and gave you a scale of the park. Echidna Chasm was awesome. After a rocky walk up a very pebbly river..creek..(whatever!) bed, we were rewarded with a very narrow, tall opening in a very large red cliff face. As we walked further into the Chasm (our first ever chasm by the way) it got narrower, taller and redder. Amazing how water can cut into rock this way, takes millions of years I guess, but still an awesome sight – more pics below! They don’t do it justice though – you really need to be there!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Echidna Chasm</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6urTPLMyGQgxXaMyPY2TCA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Echidna Chasm Bungle Bungles Purnululu National Park Western Australia"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SjwyKRg6gQI/AAAAAAAACII/iHR03yNxcEA/s400/IMG_9173%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/BungleBunglesKununurra?feat=embedwebsite">Bungle Bungles & Kununurra</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Lunch was still falling into our bellies as we headed out of the park and the nightmare 4x4 only road. 2hrs later and with the sun low in the sky (and unbeknown to us, minus a number plate) we pulled off the dirt road to the very welcome bitumen. Our destination was Kununurra…. Hopefully, if we had the time??<br />
The drive from The Bungle Bungles through the Kimberley Range at that time of day, particularly with the sun low in the sky is awesome. Carl marks this as one his best ever drives and certainly up there with ‘The Great Ocean Road’. The scenery was amazing, only enhanced by the position of the sun. The rock faces and mountains were burning red on one side and in deep shade the next. The sky was a brilliant blue and gave a stark contrast to the greenery hugging the red rocks. (“Something I’ll never forget” :- Carl).<br />
We did not make it to Kununurra that night; we had just taken too long on the damned road. We stopped in a rest area as dark approached just 60kms short of our destination. As Carl opened the back of the car he said “Umm we have a problem” He waved a 20litre drum of water in the air (this was full at the start of the day) and said “the taps come off and the back of OJ is very wet”. Not again! Our second leak of the trip and this was much bigger than the last!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>The Kimberleys Mountain Range</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WEaO3fNOenzx5eaJctT1OA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Kimberleys Mountain Range Western Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdl03Cr3V6fJboDFSTeHHTLpvoiyDJGtqIOSxs_KzozUhz1IrSowUsZg-Ijl2AlfhlDwzJ0IIKUWTf8jKnAz9WKAk2Xd9YwngNh939aYIGtFixS1zM6v5aH4mYvQzNX_lz65N53PO5veN/s400/IMG_9222%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/BungleBunglesKununurra?feat=embedwebsite">Bungle Bungles & Kununurra</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
<strong>Kununurra 1st June – 4th June </strong><br />
<br />
After the short drive into Kununurra (somewhere we had not initially wanted to stay after we pulled into the rest area) we picked the “5*” campsite in town (at 8:30 am – 2hrs before people even checked out!) and unloaded the entire car, carpet and all.<br />
It was a hot day and we begged the car to dry knowing that the pool was waiting for us – the relief from the heat was gonna be good!<br />
We plopped into the pool in the late afternoon and agreed that this was a very nice campsite. We decided to stay another night as we had not stopped 2 nights in the same campsite since Exmouth way back on 20th May. All this travelling was beginning to take its toll and we felt and looked tired. Another day by the pool couldn’t hurt… right? We awoke feeling suitably lazy and did not a lot all day. We popped into town and picked up a few nice bits to eat. After lazing by the pool we came back to the car and were greeted with an invitation to join the neighbours for a drink and nibbles. After a fun night chatting to Frank and Alison and a few too many beers it became apparent that we would not be leaving the next day either! – Neither of us could face a hot day sat in the car!<br />
So…..After another lazy day, now fully relaxed, we packed up and hit the road in the direction of Katherine and our final unvisited state The Northern Territory.<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5349205269037347521%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/BungleBunglesKununurra?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-17506277876011479692009-05-30T10:52:00.005+10:002009-11-19T11:12:05.357+10:00The Kimberley’sThe Kimberley’s - 28th – 30th May<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Boab Tree, Gibb River Road</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MU9V6mD33COgGBavSk-Kig?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Boab Tree, Gibb River Road Western Australia"
src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SjwxOYnME3I/AAAAAAAACGU/ZwYKNA_uuOg/s400/IMG_8990%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/GibbRiver?feat=embedwebsite">Gibb River</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We spent the morning in Broome and were still umming and ahhing whether to do the Gibb River Rd (GRR), we drove to Derby and decided to stay there the night. We came to the conclusion that we would do the first section of the GRR and then make our way back to the highway as we wanted to see Windjana Gorge, Tunnel Creek and then The Bungle Bungles. After a bit of a hot and sticky nights sleep (the humidity) we headed along the GRR. It is only a 100ks or so to the turning to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek and most of it was bitumen (it looks like they are going to bitumen a lot more of it too). We felt a bit cheated as we always thought the road was notoriously rough. We were told it was pretty good for about ¾ of the way and seriously considered carrying on, but with out a second spare and time issues we decided to keep to the original plan.<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Windjana Gorge</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9-GIJRv4c6J8fssFTQoy9g?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Windjana Gorge Gibb River Road Western Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglz5SR-vl7tp2pGVPptzq1VTz069SzLhZz7RhxdxRpxI2vs7tTnHxCJek63LnCrYVMLZUkS_tIaxKrd9Z28NKWyCnnqs42tOL8mUpLFyE8c1eX2NnORvjlrApqFfJvvCwgM5JZMA3RgbLg/s400/IMG_9005%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/GibbRiver?feat=embedwebsite">Gibb River</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Carl described Windjana Gorge as Mordor (from Lord of the Rings). I must admit, it was very strange looking and black. Many many moons ago it was a reef under the sea. It looked like a black wall of rock rising out of the ground, very spectacular looking. You can walk right into the gorge and it must be the best place in Australia to come face to face with Freshwater Crocodiles. These ‘freshies’ are considered harmless and are a lot smaller than and not as aggressive as their larger, dangerous cousins - Saltwater Crocs (unless of course you provoke them). We got our first sighting as we walked along the river bank and could see lots of freshies on the other bank. As we walked down a bit further and out on to a sand bank, we managed to get quite up close and personal with a couple. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Freshwater Crocodile</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GR5YUUWmLxkdrs2jwoMEfA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Freshwater Crocodile Gibb River Road Western Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqWLegvhZ3WnWhi59w3ZrBH6yBTKgfAg0GqB54SbBqGXgza2paAMKX4Cmr-x7Pp7gIxVLsjuG1KXbfr3lBwNx4TC8eJUX0A02Zvw-dPn_-XWV5Xhe58XiaGpY5lhCNNoMbHcuC0hhEt-h/s400/IMG_9023%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/GibbRiver?feat=embedwebsite">Gibb River</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The gorge was quite fascinating to look at with the black rock and sandy bottom – it kept making us stop and look at it. Very different to anything we have seen so far.<br />
<br />
After the hot walk back and a quick bite to eat we headed for Tunnel Creek. Tunnel Creek (the name describes itself very well) is a tunnel underground that has been carved by a river (or creek as you aussies say). After a quick clamber to the cave it was soon apparent that the advice to take some waterproof shoes was good advice. We stepped into the cold water and entered the dark of the tunnel. Then it was obvious that the other advice to take a torch was even better advice!!<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Tunnel Creek</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Fd3RLXoBWzKZ_h9F58mhxw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Tunnel Creek Gibb River Road Western Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeiftCcvVjmTY0StD538ARoUXfSSzGI4Ywek-cek3jUCg0LPkiope-p3ii9Ciro_qCHs1pncbaZ9gEb-YI2H1vFyW0HB0ewRH3EbfyjSxXdz7vjlhjTZTAaAAvLTgPbO8Cvzfa3ggKMpzz/s400/IMG_9065%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/GibbRiver?feat=embedwebsite">Gibb River</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
After 200m or so in the dark and what we discovered not to be a great torch, we arrived at a great big opening in the tunnel that rose away upward and let in a massive shaft of light. Trees and plants were visible at the top, their roots coming all the way down to the water in some places. All the while the bats buzzed around busily. <br />
Whilst we thought this was nice to see, we couldn’t really understand why many people raved about this place. Never mind, we left by the same route and headed off down a rough corrugated dirt road to Fitzroy Crossing and our chosen campsite for the night.<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5349204329788465809%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/GibbRiver?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-40059743790258221832009-05-28T20:16:00.004+10:002010-04-19T13:52:12.548+10:00Port Hedland and BroomePort Hedland and Broome - 25th – 28th May 09<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>ROAD TRAIN</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QUYklltF38b1k_HnSbo_Zw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Road Train Western Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnoqKBkdSzy-z9uE7iTo40-Z_i1bVGzF0uW_Vge2D85oDpWqInKmtagdEWqAJaq95aTmy7TA3gFY3tDm5U1zhxM4MzinDIPuHD-myP6Y8KWUITXDYSMoARGoW2PdnLVO1kJQHS6fWW18a/s400/IMG_8900%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/PortHeadlandBroome?feat=embedwebsite">Port Headland & Broome</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
As we climbed back up Dale’s Gorge we bumped into couple of Irish and a German backpacker (Kieran, Caroline & Anna). We started off joking about the heat and then got talking about travelling and the direction they were heading. We said that we had planned to spend the afternoon driving to Port Hedland. Kieran said that they were doing the same as they had to replace a tyre on the Ford Falcon Ute they were travelling in. They had driven on the dirt road to Weano gorge, the first and last time that they had been off the bitumen! I thought to myself “how can 3 people be in a Falcon Ute?” sure enough as we got back to the car park there it was an old 1986 ute with 3 seats in the front and the back luggage bulging under the canvass. We bid them farewell and joked that they would be overtaking us shortly as we drive OJ at 85km/h to preserve fuel. Kieran said that may not be the case now as he had decided to slow down from 120 to 90km/h for the same reason. This was after finding out he had spent nearly twice as much as some guys he met in a camper that had done the same journey, just slower.<br />
We were 6kms outside Port Hedland when we pushed the fuel gauge to the limit once more – 10 mins and a jerry later and we were back on our way (Yes we had run out of fuel twice in 3 days!). As we looked for the service station we saw a familiar looking red ute go passed. We waved, filled up the car and set about looking at one of the 4 caravan parks in town. The sat nav showed us to Black Rock CP and off we went. As we pulled in we rolled up next to a red Falcon Ute and thought “What are the chances?” (25% logically). We set up camp next to the guys and had a few beers, putting the world to rights.<br />
Port Hedland is a very industrial town with lots of mining vehicles running around. It was here we saw the longest road trains of the trip so far (4 trailers long) There was nothing much to see here and we set off for Broome the next morning. We exchanged numbers with our new co-travellers and got a head start as they had to get a new tyre. After a very healthy start to the day in Maccas we set about the 600km trip to Broome. <br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Cable Beach, Broome</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2JvhokriBER1U6VX9Od5Og?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Cable Beach Broome Western Australia"
src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SjYgAGrH2EI/AAAAAAAACFs/3J3crLvIucc/s400/IMG_8982%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/PortHeadlandBroome?feat=embedwebsite">Port Headland & Broome</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
It was just getting dark as we arrived in Broome and still no sign of the Ute..?<br />
We had no desire to set up camp and cook in the dark, plus food supplies were running a little thin so we popped into Macca’s for the 2nd time that day! As we sat down to munch on our cheeseburgers, talking about the wall of heat and humidity we had just hit the phone rang and Caroline asked where we were. They came and met us and Kieran exclaimed that we must have been doing more than 85km/h. He was right, we had for the first time in a long while increased our speed – the drive was just so damn boring!<br />
We arranged to go to the same campsite and then went out for a few beers in Broome centre on a Tuesday night! Predictably it was not very lively but the beers in Pearler’s bar were on special and COLD so we stuck around for a while under the ceiling fans.<br />
To go from so cold to so hot in a couple of days took a little while to get used to!<br />
After we were kicked out of the closing Pearler’s Kieran was keen to carry on drinking (no one else really was) so we went to Macca’s for a 3rd time!!! And then on to an Irish bar where we left Kieran and went off to bed. <br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Camel Ride, Broome</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mGkcnyIXemdtCv_-wcdAlg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Camel Ride Cable Beach Broome Western Australia"
src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SjYf8clXCLI/AAAAAAAACFc/foHu0vH7H-E/s400/IMG_8914%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/PortHeadlandBroome?feat=embedwebsite">Port Headland & Broome</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
The next morning we had a walk around Broome doing a couple of necessities. Broome is a pearling town (where the world’s best pearls come from) with strong Chinese links. There are pearl shops everywhere selling gorgeous pearl jewellery, but no matter how much I tried, Carl wasn’t having a bar of buying me any of them!!! <br />
That night we headed for Cable Beach just outside Broome to watch the sunset and to see the Camels. A visit to Broome is just not complete without seeing the Camels on the beach! <br />
It was a lovely sunset and we got some great pics of the camels as the sun went down. The beach is very flat and wide and many kms long. We didn’t know, but you can take your 4wd drive on to the beach which many people had done, set up with chairs ready for the sunset. After stocking up, we were ready to set off towards Derby and the Gibb River Rd.<br />
<br />
<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5347496481579736961%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/PortHeadlandBroome?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-78931825444176693252009-05-25T20:15:00.003+10:002009-11-19T11:26:44.108+10:00Karijini National ParkKarijini National Park - 22nd May – 25th May<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Tom Price, WA</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DAxdLwbahobKQ37iTxJ1Jw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Tom Price Western Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbv1pqmY5ywTS_Wly4H7qv6SGwgSA0nUusZtWHwzUFUW97EYIYp_x7Tzs1cNjDQtaW-J5E7N6CbhdMN31HPkw1dxHK5Ee3qiHhiffm5TN-hZ9ejRHPKbsbHi8lC41fXKK9BNjaVWRLOGu/s400/IMG_8452%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Karijini?feat=embedwebsite">Karijini</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We set off from Exmouth as early as we could; our next destination was Karijini NP. It was 500ks to the town of Tom Price - the park and its gorges were a further 60-100ks. The drive was fairly uneventful apart from the last 70ks or so which were dirt. It had been raining on and off and the dirt road was a little wet. This is usually a nice thing (as long as it is not too wet!!) as it keeps the dust levels down. Unfortunately road works are being carried out at the moment and they have flattened the road ready for bitumen to be laid. This has the effect of leaving a layer of muddy slime on the road. We had only around 10ks of this but to say OJ was in a mess would be an understatement! Every time we jumped in or out of her we had red slime on our legs and clothes – Not nice.<br />
We arrived at Tom Price Caravan Park late in the day and decided to stay and somehow clean the car. They had a car wash bay and we had to queue for it. By the time we were half way through cleaning the car it was dark and Heidi was spraying the hose by torch light!<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>A very long train - Tom Price</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zH_aGQlp5cSX5gMuDkNUWA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Long Train Tom Price Western Australia" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SjYeCrMV6VI/AAAAAAAACDI/_K6_PVNDhLY/s400/IMG_8462%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Karijini?feat=embedwebsite">Karijini</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
In the morning we left the caravan park in search of fuel as we had avoided roadhouses yesterday, due to their high prices. The car was very empty but we did have 2 jerries on board. The sat nav said the garage was close but then all of a sudden the car gave a little cough and died. ‘Oh No’ we had run out of fuel. We untied the jerry can and set about pouring in 19 litres of fuel on the side of the road. After a couple of goes OJ started and we drove under the bridge to see the Coles servo right there in front of us – We had run out of fuel less than 200 mtrs from it!!! <br />
After a bit of a giggle and a fill up we explored Tom price for an hour or so. We found a big mining truck for Heidi (she has wanted to see one up close since Kalgoorlie). In this area there are also trains that can be 3-4 kms in length (Yes kilometres – that’s 1.8 – 2.5 miles for you UK readers). Well as it happened we followed one out of town on our way to Karijini NP. Hearing how long these things are is one thing but seeing it is another - Amazing.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Hamersley Gorge, Karijini National Park</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XuruoFbFhbEB7Zz3MrOF3w?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Hamersley Gorge Karijini National Park Western Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNv2Z2fE5F-tNnP6-as7VPbWYJBCnijUG9cVh_2nmcdfbr6_sw6sTErSvJpnTeMri8Y-_B_ZUBC8F-XSAuNUkn0IDeRJ1I8aiGHj-UYGSiKLhKfZizUgvgXj_zmV6oqWOhbQq92T9tScE/s400/IMG_8494%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Karijini?feat=embedwebsite">Karijini</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
There are 3 main gorge sights in Karijini (there are others but we would only see these if time permitted), Hamersley, Weano recreation area and Dales recreation area. Our first stop was Hamersley as it was to the north of the park and not on any through road that we wanted to take. We arrived in the afternoon after the Tom Price exploration to find a lookout down into the gorge. The gorge had a cascade type waterfall at one end a swimming hole in the middle and a narrow ravine at the other end. It was an amazing sight from above but we knew that the perspective would be completely different once we were down inside it. <br />
There were some steep steps down into the gorge and we ummed and ahhed about taking our swimming gear down with us. We had a bag packed with camera stuff and water and decided not to. Once down in the gorge we were very taken by the size and beauty of this place. Red rocks against blue sky, green trees fringing the pool full of little fish and the sights and sound of the waterfalls. <br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>H Relaxing in Hamersley Gorge</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qyA5YLT5mEA3FqOgAXlknA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Hamersley Gorge Karijini National Park Western Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILQdSmzQGMyaqhK7EjAfCe38SHcyMxntBw2HtPv42U6JDktNHuPBl8cTDWohq9RKBbstYScnMhTNmc-J8CRi7pBPHea1BtlwfVth0YDysW7dKapgjntn9Wa0haocKT-09h0g2iNPP6Rl6/s400/IMG_8534%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Karijini?feat=embedwebsite">Karijini</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We hopped around on the rocks taking pictures and watching others swim in the pool – it looked good. <br />
Heidi said that she had always wanted to swim in one of these gorge type pools but was worried that it might be a little cold. I suggested that if she ran back up to the car and then came back down, all those steep steps would make her want to cool off! So off she went. After carefully changing (without exposing ourselves!), Heidi was first to brave the pool. She said that she was going to go in slowly and set about climbing down the slippery rocks at the waters edge. After some very graceful clambering(!) she pushed off and swam over to the other side exclaiming “It’s not too bad actually”<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Swimming in Hamersley Gorge</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lMFqGGCaSlyoqkZRzvBU0Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Hamersley Gorge Karijini National Park Western Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5MDXeDu1wHqSR3sek32vaLuMrh1eFifNiDOdRIbsUcn4h3GoakMxkY7wcJfa-KaqTK0KiE-5LSndv90oR5LXmo20-IqMmNC2DsXcaVdGgl2iXEGmICBacGGlv9X61WQmfT0cltCo_FjM9/s400/IMG_8570%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Karijini?feat=embedwebsite">Karijini</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
I was next and decided that I was not messing about with the shallow slippery rocks to the side of me and just dived into the deeper area in front of me. The pool was very refreshing and crystal clear; we splashed and swam for a while. We then had to head off to camp, happy that we had ticked off another must do experience in such a wonderful setting.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Karijini National Park</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3sUmzFFfG0o0LYReYYuRDg?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Karijini National Park Western Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz23pVMZpYflN-nXdgExXHF_rxSR63L-m-oAi9_NnNO7GSG1e6Go5BZ2lIAH4_mN4YQV_Uf7JbKgLrk5E4cYGqQBCPTmR7J97v5boOdbo-5ay7Q5ZhK0QmjIwLF07lWwG96-YiXUPeu3gV/s400/IMG_8585%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Karijini?feat=embedwebsite">Karijini</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Our camp for the night was to be ‘Savannah Campground within the NP. These camps are normally very basic and not very expensive. As we drove towards the camp we kept seeing signs for an ‘Eco camp’. As we pulled in we saw a reception area, BBQ’s, flushing toilets, those cabin/tents that people pay a lot to stay in and a restaurant. We looked at each other and thought “this is not what we expected, looks expensive!”<br />
After a trip to reception (which was also an air-conditioned bar selling alcohol and meals!) we found that the camp area was now privately owned and a touch more that the $13 we were expecting! ($25) Never the less we were in the area of the park we wanted to explore so we paid our money and set up for the night.<br />
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After one of the coldest nights we have had so far we made the short drive to Weano Gorge Recreation Area. There are a few walks in the area of varying degrees of difficulty. Neither of us are big walkers, usually a challenging walk involves long distances, however all walks were short and we decided that a challenge would be fun. We had heard that one of the walks even had a shortish ladder climb on it!<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Hancock Gorge</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KhSZIji-URuOhzeeriWw0w?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Hancock Gorge Karijini National Park Western Australia" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SjYeSHwdNYI/AAAAAAAACD0/wou8A_mCP30/s400/IMG_8617%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Karijini?feat=embedwebsite">Karijini</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We started off with a quick stroll to a lookout over a chasm where 4 gorges meet in what I have seen described as ‘a marvel of geology’. It was pretty spectacular; the area was so huge though it was difficult to take in the scale of what we were looking at – a feast for the eyes! <br />
We then headed off on the level 5 walk down into and through part of Hancock Gorge to Kermits Pool. The walk started off on a level 4 walk down into the gorge. This consisted of some steep steps with little else (No handrails for instance). On completion of this we arrived at the level 5 section. (Just as an aside level 6 requires an official qualification in abseiling! WOW). <br />
The level 5 section started with the ladder climb down onto the gorge floor. Safely negotiated we carried on through the gorge, we had worn our proper hiking boots and there were some patches of water. It quickly became a fun challenge to keep close to the walls and out of the water. After a few hundred metres there was what seemed to be a section that was impassable in the dry and people were taking their shoes off and wading. After some deliberation we followed suit and were just about to get wet when we saw a group go up and over the top and get safely down – all dry. We quickly pulled our shoes back on and followed their route over the top. It was a bit of a clamber but nothing too difficult. This gave us the confidence to carry on and we did a bit more ‘sticking to the sides’ over another deepish section of water.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Hancock Gorge</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_cspr5sBPNnBghog8ZO9Lw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Hancock Gorge Karijini National Park Western Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsBFFJha_QKgCPwHVCAtiqZGbAO67ithkwsRMbpSf6Mroukkhj5BxZOAu4DZ2oyIX3V39mXrntzL2VxTgmHpIRTni-azppZmeCxns3QpQIMt9M9FYWOzDWssgrgGqEUVkfmCEL5vH9d_a/s400/IMG_8670%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Karijini?feat=embedwebsite">Karijini</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
We then arrived in ‘The Amphitheatre’ – a large hollow in the gorge that looked like it had seats for some sort of show, “What a weird and wonderful place this Park is!” we thought. <br />
The Amphitheatre was the start of the section of the walk called ‘Spider Walk’.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Spider Walk</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/89Wpli4BGMhRrfedSFEixA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Hancock Gorge Karijini National Park Western Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuB8hKjEA_dfpXAC9CinJtLn4wTk2EasUiTcMpYR_BdfQg5o-PNc7C-w3OYUCElk1874sCRcw7GZLQgeQi15NFYSogQZOqNKoeguDd4yqMJAwg2A2NeeSM0b_arWMNm9GOgULDgikk245Z/s400/IMG_8791%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Karijini?feat=embedwebsite">Karijini</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
Spider Walk was basically a very narrow section (never more than arm span wide) with a shallow slippery water flow running down it. Looks like we were finally gonna get wet! But wait what happened to the guys that were doing it in the dry? They must have done it. After checking up high and deciding that it was just not safe we saw ‘the dry guys’ coming back through holding themselves up just inches above the water with arms and legs across the gap. – Walking like SPIDERS!!<br />
So with a little trepidation we set about spider walking the 100 or so metres to the next clear landing area. After clawing our way down Spider Walk we were rewarded with the very picturesque Kermits Pool. Kermits Pool was gorgeous, a green pool with red rocks under the surface and the gorge towering high above it on all sides. <br />
At one end of the pool the water slipped away down a waterfall that was more like a rocky chute. The pools down the bottom looked excellent too. However you needed to have qualifications in abseiling to go any further. We bid farewell to this amazing little spot and headed back up the same route we’d entered the gorge. It was a little warmer by now and the climb back up the gorge side was quite hard work!<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Weano Gorge</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ko_evGn_FPStzCEsVvQ22g?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Weano Gorge Karijini National Park Western Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5lT0-wwaganpkV3CRhLfpE0B5-Dc3sH1zskfMAiPXzdomBwpTxTM4cclkcbEtQxkW2etPZm6Vj9E7CAcJifyphSpIblXd8sY3KzuBNX1tRjR0REbh3phFwPcgKiXKf7pRdtZaTCgVm6m/s400/IMG_8800%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Karijini?feat=embedwebsite">Karijini</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
After a spot of lunch we then headed back into the gorges this time Weano Gorge for a go at the walk to Handrail Pool – so called because there is a handrail (and rope) to negotiate a tricky slippery waterfall before you can descend into the pool (for a swim if you wish – we didn’t). The walk through the gorge also involved climbing up high to avoid getting wet, then a little passage between fallen rocks. We were both amazed at the amount of trees and plants that grow down in the gorges considering there are not many hours of sun down here. I slipped on the surface a couple of times this walk, wetting both my feet, Heidi thought this was very amusing!<br />
Next was the job of negotiating the handrail and rope. Not too difficult you would think however there was a small cascade running over your feet that made things very slippery. In the end we turned, facing away from the drop off and slowly lowered ourselves holding tightly on to the rail. This took us to a little ledge where there was a rope tied to the hand rail that went over a 2m drop. 2m doesn’t sound like much but lowering yourself over the ledge backwards holding only on to a moving rope was a little unnerving. I have to say Heidi made it look a lot easier than me! Must be a big chicken!<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Heidi Above Handrail Pool</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qHGj9qXkLP1Be00qNJa_4A?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Handrail Pool Weano Gorge Karijini National Park Western Australia" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SjYegauV78I/AAAAAAAACEk/9tf2U_q3ct0/s400/IMG_8805%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Karijini?feat=embedwebsite">Karijini</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
This was pretty much the end of the line unless you wanted to swim the last couple of hundred metres – Pool looked cold!<br />
We sat and marvelled for a while at the towering red rock on all sides, watched a crazy guy free climb up to at least 20m above the pool with his camera (bare foot!), laughed about what fun we had had today in such a beautiful natural place.<br />
Once back we set off for camp at the National park owned site of Dale’s Rec Area. This was the area of the park we wanted to explore next and we spent another very cold night recuperating after an exhausting but thoroughly enjoyable day. <br />
That night whist at camp in broad daylight a Dingo wandered in and had a sniff around. This was our first clear sighting of a Dingo (larger than we expected!). We were warned by the camp host that they were around and to hide our shoes as they chew them! In the morning we were awoken at 5am by the eerie sound of many Dingoes howling together – not a pleasant sound. This was also officially the coldest night that we had experienced as the thermometer in the car showed a new minimum temp – 5C. That meant it must have been even lower outside of the car (we believe around 2-3C).<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Dales Gorge</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Q0HFbj4MBKwr0RJ6UPr6pw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Dales Gorge Karijini National Park Western Australia"
src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_odY5tgH2uh4/SjYeiPWFpuI/AAAAAAAACEo/eJ9Rn73MLf8/s400/IMG_8814%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Karijini?feat=embedwebsite">Karijini</a></td></tr>
</table><br />
It was still pretty cool when set off for the Dale’s Gorge walk. Swimming was also possible on this walk but there was no way we were thinking about that at the moment – The warning signs of hypothermia still fresh in our minds!<br />
This walk was not as fun as yesterdays but it was more picturesque and seeing the waterfall and tree lined pools was well worth it. Karijini NP is truly an awesome place, if you are ever in the vicinity you would not regret the small detour for a couple of nights – Brilliant, one of the highlights of the trip so far.<br />
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<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5347494279600004737%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Karijini?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7332512942656145740.post-26905760650443119022009-05-22T00:11:00.007+10:002009-11-19T11:31:31.121+10:00ExmouthExmouth - 19th to 22nd May 2009<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqOM6Dq6SAiLTeMW7aVpk1kAvSepEZR78WSDv0MtF89nkLiyZEsMxnUjgOoFqmard8EEASdmGn2DRIVN3DROeiZGD9WjvgzYbvvXrAud9mevI1nz6v-h3vYxoD-jBnalyxyDlNkzjC4Yq/s1600-h/IMG_8399+-+Copy.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;"
alt="Exmouth Western Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqOM6Dq6SAiLTeMW7aVpk1kAvSepEZR78WSDv0MtF89nkLiyZEsMxnUjgOoFqmard8EEASdmGn2DRIVN3DROeiZGD9WjvgzYbvvXrAud9mevI1nz6v-h3vYxoD-jBnalyxyDlNkzjC4Yq/s400/IMG_8399+-+Copy.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338651318845083698" /></a><br />
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<strong>Carls 30th Birthday!!</strong><br />
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Unfortunately that morning we had to leave Coral Bay for Exmouth. Exmouth isn’t far so we arrived pretty early and got ourselves sorted with a campsite and booked ourselves on to a Whale Shark tour for the next day as our Birthday pressie. We then treated ourselves to lunch at a café, which was very nice. We then relaxed by the pool on the campsite for the afternoon. Whilst Carl was in the shower, I decorated the tent with streamers, balloons, 30th birthday banners, a cake and candles as a surprise. I was running around like a mad thing, blowing up balloons whilst tying up streamers!! It was quite hard trying to do it as a surprise as we spend every minute together - It’s hard to keep anything from him!! It all went well and Carl was actually surprised. We then phoned Mariana to wish hew well on her trip to England and sang happy birthday before going out for a meal. We had a great time and the food was excellent.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Ningaloo Reef</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YtuHv0tnt-xRmX6Ta8jxzw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Ningaloo Reef Western Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUWpjrHASEz1nwtS-4iLgFWGa6cijAWMuYc31WjyQbUcsSsktqjfpl9eOG3Af_GQXOxbUpMGAahnv9t3CTZ76SB6lL6SL_7VDBdeDFOi5CSevLDOyPkTEn7EMUNNm5aiPshpLSHoJxss1/s400/DSC05294%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Exmouth?feat=embedwebsite">Exmouth</a></td></tr>
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Whale Shark day! WOW, what a day!<br />
We got up early for our pick up at 7.15am and then had a 30 min bus ride to the boat. After a quick dinghy ride we got on to the boat and were kitted out with snorkelling gear and stinger suits. It didn’t seem long before we were in the water for our morning snorkel. This was to make sure we were happy with our equipment and our ability in the water. We saw loads of marine life, a huge puffer fish, catfish, masses of tropical marine fish and a sting ray (but didn’t see Aquamarina (Carl’s pun…..????)). After about 40 mins we were called back to the boat, the crew very happy that the whole group were capable swimmers and snorkellers (little did we know the importance of being able to swim until later!!) <br />
We had some morning tea and then had our Whale Shark briefing. We were told that the boat would position itself in front of the Whale Shark so the back of the boat was facing the on coming shark. We were to jump off of the back and look in the water for the shark and then get out of the way, turn around as it went past and swim, swim, swim with it. This all sounded a little scary as these are the biggest fish in the ocean and can grow up to 18m long. Everybody looked around with nervous smiles. <br />
We were split into 2 groups (there can only be 10 people at any one time swimming with the shark) each with a crew member (a spotter) who would swim with the Whale Shark with their hand in the air at all times - our ‘spotter’ was Todd. The boat headed out into the deeper water ready for information from the spotter planes.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Tiger Shark</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zJpifpBK4F0zNjg6rIqnRw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Tiger Shark Ningaloo Reef Western Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-KbQWPqoqmULgwNPjHA7hAsfsIrvktYnVEX6pKnL6yNdc7cotUb2ZVVgACPJV5LUjI5cAguHe3GvZ5rHnGpE9CNFkLeUvdktLOYhLeKVixKwDqaCU7b-37_dSGrYXkpJenG4egOJ0n6D/s400/DSC05283%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Exmouth?feat=embedwebsite">Exmouth</a></td></tr>
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The inner reef is amazing, the water is so clear; you could see the coral and the fish from the boat. As we made our way out to deeper water we were lucky enough to see a Tiger Shark (approx 3m) in the shallows, the boat circled it a couple of times - what an amazing sight!!! We also got to see a ray and a couple of turtles.<br />
It wasn’t long before they got the call from the plane that a Whale Shark had been spotted and off we went. Carl and I were in group one and so even more nervous that we had to go in first. We were told to get ready with our snorkel gear and sit at the back of the boat ready to jump in. Then the call came, “Go Go Go!” So we all jumped in the water all looking around for this shark, you couldn’t actually see that far in the deeper water - it was a bit nerve racking. I kept looking up for Todd who had his hand in the air, but when I looked under I couldn’t see anything, and then all of a sudden, this huge Whale Shark appeared from no where! I quickly moved to one side and just floated there in awe as it went passed, I then suddenly remembered I had to turn around and swim with it so off I went. What an amazing sight. <br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Swimming with Whale Sharks</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cBygTyTg3QkER1zXQNz9RA?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Swimming with Whale Sharks Ningaloo Reef Western Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPvIIkR6hqTZw8hyphenhyphendL0YvwleytF4C6wPABQ6Ijln2QsbDb2rPfltfauloIHbeJVlJA5VERBXmpIhEj_AzZX6KNtX6N2MA0rPtyCmm12ri6LXjElVPSMPcoL67S69sUMH7Tzb2J5Ef5R-Y/s400/DSC05314%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Exmouth?feat=embedwebsite">Exmouth</a></td></tr>
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Meanwhile Carl, who had jumped in behind me was also desperately looking around for the giant fish amidst a sea of legs and flippers. All of a sudden looming from the depths it was swimming straight towards him. After a quick think of whether to go left or right he got out of the way. As he turned to see the shark go passed, he was in front of everybody else and started swimming with it. Unfortunately almost straight away the shark started to dive down into the depths and went out of sight, Todd followed it for a minute or so and then came back to say it had gone, we all waited for the boat to come and pick us up. We hauled ourselves back on to the boat desperately hoping we would get another go. <br />
Then the call came almost immediately for group 2 to get ready, so we watched as they all jumped in the water frantically looking for the shark. This time it stayed on the surface and they got to spend much longer with it. It was great to see their faces when they came back in. <br />
All of a sudden Todd shouts “right then lets go, get ready. We’re going with this one too. Go! Go! Go!” Again we all jumped in the water, and again this shark just appeared from nowhere. This time we got to spend much longer with it, about 10mins. It was such a fantastic sight, just watching it gliding through the water. It was surrounded by lots of smaller fish, which we later found out were little sharks and flute fish. Todd then passed the shark on to group 2 and we got back on the boat. It wasn’t long before we were getting ready again, as we had this Whale Shark all to ourselves. (sometimes boats will share, passing it between groups).<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Ningaloo Reef, Great conditions for snorkelling</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pyiUwR3lMnWAd59iOoBolw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Snorkelling Ningaloo Reef Western Australia" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC5cChla5JWGrd9G4h79v4AGx5QTt2U4evElGmIM-QyW1UXHjj8X1DyS9gTjXlZWKlpE12Eg7D66I65MIu749O_qo1rnkQ2ta4ropcEnA5wp1bCXTiFwGWNcCvgKekpRbbc6v00Hm1YmeI/s400/DSC05296%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Exmouth?feat=embedwebsite">Exmouth</a></td></tr>
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It was just amazing and we didn’t seem to bother it at all. Obviously we had to keep our distance and couldn’t swim in front of its gills in case we spooked it. I guess to the Whale Shark, we were just smaller fish swimming along with it. We spent the next couple of hours hopping in and out of the water and must have had about 7 or 8 swims in total. <br />
We did sit one out each just to catch our breath again as it was quite energetic all the swimming involved, but it was truly fantastic. <br />
After each groups last swim, we headed back into the sheltered reef for lunch. Lunch was a good spread and we all sat around talking about how great the day had been. After lunch we got to have an afternoon snorkel, as we swam over the clearness and brightness of the coral and fish were amazing. It was like being dropped into an aquarium, the water was so clear, we saw so many fish, lots of clown fish in anemones, and so many schools of colourful fish. I was gutted we didn’t take our camera in with us. Never the less it truly topped off the day. Apparently that was one of the crews favourite snorkel spots and we can see why! The whole day was fantastic, we got to see some amazing sights, it was truly a memorable experience, made all the more perfect by great weather, great crew and everything going exactly to plan. <br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><caption align="bottom"> <b>Turquoise Bay</b> </caption>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jhOJfX551MC8_1tsXBiaBw?feat=embedwebsite"><img
alt="Turquoiose Bay Ningaloo Reef Western Australia"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkByDRviG5cVuwNkm7zPkA_rMoEML17CY-od-WYoixpD_hw4EpKMMwWRWSWT_EZVDYeJ-mpF0tB6NXw4I8rri9wUqnlUWax0JVmY5iSCbwNtnwJO_gtmqmlzKv2J1DonTxwVGXw8rxwJ9/s400/IMG_8439%20-%20Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Exmouth?feat=embedwebsite">Exmouth</a></td></tr>
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The next day we headed to Turquoise Bay, another recommended snorkel spot. There is a ‘drift’ snorkel on one side of the bay but you have to be careful to exit the water at the right time or you can get dragged out by the strong current towards the end. As we don’t have flippers we didn’t want to take our chances so settled for snorkelling in the bay. This was good but we were spoilt the day before!! We did find Nemo though!!! After days of searching, although he didn’t seem a friendly Nemo and wasn’t happy at 2 strangers gawking at him! It was with sadness that we were leaving the next day, but lots more to explore, and as ever not enough time, so we said good bye to Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef.<br />
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<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fcarlheidi09%2Falbumid%2F5338650300478395825%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/carlheidi09/Exmouth?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>CKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00064175651778441171noreply@blogger.com