Elsey NP to Soudan RA



Cat Haul Trucks on their way to Borroloola

22nd June 2012

15591km's to date 866km's today

Back down the Stuart Highway and once again onto the Barkly. A long driving day today. We had a break at the High Way Inn Daly Waters and sat in the huge que for fuel. There were people every where. We had a bit of breakfast and John threw up all over the front passenger seat. John and the seat cover received a quick wash and we were on our way again. Stopped at Three Ways for diesel and planned to get as far along the Barkly Highway as possible. We considered stopping at Wonarah Bore as we had stopped here on our Northern Territory trip in 2010 and knew it was good. Everybody else decided it was a good spot too so we drove on to Soudan Rest Area where there was not another soul around and this rest area was so much bigger than Wonarah Bore and it had wood fire barbeques.

Our camp at Soudan Rest Area Barkly Highway Northern Territory

We had passed a lot of cat trucks being ferried to some mine somewhere and some of them stopped at the Soudan rest area, so Chris took the kids to have a look and a chat. It was really cold and windy here. A quick and easy dinner of two minute noodles and into bed. There is no firewood at any on the rest areas along the Barkly Highway and tonight we really wished we had some with us.



Limestone RA to Elsey NP

Roper River - Elsey National Park

21st June 2012
14725 km's to date 190km's today
We were the first ones to leave the rest area this morning. It was freezing cold and our fingers hurt as we packed up the camper. The kids got into the car with their sleeping bags to keep warm. In Western Australia we would get up at about five thirty and the sun would be almost high in the sky. It is going to take a bit of getting used the 'normal' time of day. We called in to Katherine and were lucky enough to not have to join a que for diesel at the Coles servo. There were five cars behind us and another five in the line up for the other diesel pump. We located a carwash and Chris gave the Pajero and Camper a proper wash.

Roper River

We discovered Katherine has come up in the world as it now has a McDonalds, so we called in for breakfast. This would probably be the third maccas stop for our entire trip and I don't think we will ever eat McDonalds again. It was nice at the time, but not so nice a few ours and days later. We arrived at Elsey National Park just before lunch time. Our neighbours Murray and Ange from Mesa Camp at Cape Range National Park had recommended this place to us so we thought we would go and check it out.

swimming pontoon Elsey National park

It is the best National Park campground we have ever come across. Hot showers, flushing toilets, gas bbq's, nice big bitumen sites and your allowed to have a fire. We headed straight to the river for a swim. Everyone had fun messing about on the swimming pontoons. Chris was sick but still managed to take the girls out in one of the canoes you can hire for the afternoon. John and I didn't make it as John was now sick too. poor John boy was a ghost and in and out of sleep for the rest of the afternoon. It was a long night.

Wyndham to Limestone rest area

Victoria River - Old River Crossing

20th June 2012

14535 km's to date 552km's today

Today is the day we realised how lucky we were to be on our way home and not at the beginning of our travels. We stopped in Kununurra to visit Coles again (this would be our third time during our entire trip) and Chris needed to pick up his Valvoline Super Diesel Engine Oil that he ordered during our last visit to Kununurra. The Pajero was about five hundred kilometres overdue for a service. Kununurra was packed. So incredibly busy with hundreds of tourists. Every caravan park was full and the overflow (Kununurra Showgrounds) was almost at capacity. It was now definitely peak tourist season. When we stayed in Kununurra back in early April, there were about five campers in the whole caravan park. Our first stop in Kununurra was the car wash, which to our dismay, was out of order. We were really looking forward to getting the car clean knowing that we wouldn't be travelling on any more dirt roads.

Victoria River

We borrowed the hose at the Coles petrol Station and gave the Pajero and Camper a quick wash down. This was better than nothing and at the least would stop us getting covered in the fine Kimberley dust that coated the back door. Chris discovered his engine oil hadn't arrived and was reluctant to mix different brands of oils, but it had to be done. He was more uncomfortable about the Pajero not getting a service than mixing engine oils. Before we knew it, we were back in the Northern Territory and setting our clocks forward an hour and a half. There are so many caravans on the road now. It is kind of annoying having to overtake them all the time. We did a bit of a survey on the types of cars other people are towing with. We were quite surprised at the variety, although the Nissan Patrol won, it wasn't by much.

Our rig getting a wash in the Victoria River

On the western side of Timber Creek, there is a little dirt road that takes you down to the old Victoria River crossing. It was here that we took the opportunity to wash the Pajero and camper. We drove into the water and parked up, and went to work with our sponges and brushes. The water ran red from all the Kimberley dust for a little bit. We stopped in Timber Creek for a break and some fuel and encountered some disgruntled tourists who where unable to get into either of the two caravan parks there. Timber Creek is a fairly small place and we begun to worry slightly about wether we would have any trouble getting into camping spots during our trip home.

The Pajero getting it's long awaited service

There is a time in the afternoon where you start to notice fewer carvans on the road and each roadside free camp you drive past is just about chockers. You realise even though you know you want to push on, you better pull over soon or you may not have anywhere to camp. We stopped for the night in the last decent available space at Limestone Rest Area. Plenty of others pulled in after us and ended up being pretty much ontop of the neighbours. Within minutes of being set up, Chris was under the Pajero draining the oil.

New Air Filter - Old Air Filter