DAY 29 FROM SOUTH TO NORTH - TOP END (NORTHERN TERRITORY) TRIP

23 May 2010

DAVENPORT RANGES NATIONAL PARK – BINNS TRACK, STUART HIGHWAY - TENNANT CREEK – KUNJARRA (THE PEBBLES)

We decided to have an early start to leave before the tag-a-long group hit the road. It was another very overcast day. As we drove back along the Binns Track back to the highway we could see rain to the north and the south.

The trip back along the track seemed to take less time than getting there. The cows had made a mess of the track in many places.

I didn’t mention last time that along the track there were a few burnt out or abandoned cars. They appear to have been here a long time. What was upsetting were all the beer can strewn along the track and empty cartons and flagons. They were not there when we went up to the ranges on Friday. Obviously it was something that happened over the weekend.

When we hit the highway there was evidence of rain on the road.

We also heard a weather report forecasting severe storms over the Oodnadatta and Dalhousie Springs area and rain from Darwin to Alice Springs. It was also very hot and humid as it reached 33C and humidity must have been in high 80-90s.

Tenant Creek does not even sit near a creek so it is an unusual name for a town without a creek. They do have a beautiful dam – Lake Mary Anne – just north of the town that has been set up as a beautiful swimming and picnic area. A pity you cannot camp here.

At Tennant Creek we refuelled and got the gas tank filled up.

We then went to Battery Hill Mining Centre that was also the information centre. We chose not to go into the mine as we have been into several old mines in different places on previous trips. The information Billboards were well presented. Gold was discovered here in 1925 and drew the gold seekers in from everywhere.

At the information centre we found out that all 4WD tracks through Gregory National Park were closed. What a blow! That was to be one of our major detination points. There are very few tracks in the park and they are all 4WD except for one small section. We had really been looking forward to it. It is considered to be a very remote destination. There has been a lot of rain in Kunnurra area including Gregory in the last week. So we decided to alter our plans a bit by going to the north section of the park rather than the south end in the hope that it will be open by the time we get there.

We moved onto the The Pebbles – Kunjarra. It is like a miniature Devil’s Marbles. Lots of rocks but of a much smaller size. It is a special women’s site and the men could only come here when invited for corroborrees.

The weather looked suspicious. We had both internet and phone access here. So we contacted the kids and several friends. The radar showed that the weather would probably miss us.

Cleaning up after dinner I missed the window cleaner bottle and asked hubby if he had seen it. Apparently he had left it on the bull bar this morning after cleaning the window. Mmmmmmm! Well it is no longer with us.

At night we got a little bit of rain, thunder and wind but nothing major.