DAYS 76 - 82 FROM SOUTH TO NORTH - TOP END (NORTHERN TERRITORY) TRIP

9 – 15 July 2010

BORROLOOLA

Hubby is always very optimistic and his mate told him he will have the parts by Monday or Tuesday. I tend t be more realistic and my comment was but the post may only come here once or twice a week.

Anyway he headed off early in the morning in the Oka to get the radiator fixed whilst I stayed in the caravan park as we had set up our fly tent. I did the washing and some quilting. Luckily I had taken out something for lunch. As the day progressed I began to wander what else could be wrong. I could’ve walked over to have a look but Carol, the manager of the caravan park, advised me against it. The mechanic does not lke females in his yard. So I stayed here and waited. It was not till after 4.00pm that he came back. They only got the tank out by lunchtime. They tested it every which way and could not find the leak. The pepper has done such a good job. So some Stop Leak went in and the radiator was put back in. That was the good news.

We then went to the post office to let them know that we were expecting something to come through in an express envelope. She told us maybe this coming Thursday – today is Friday - or else the following Thursday. Mmmmmmm!!!

So here we are in Borroloola wandering how we will spend the rest of the time when we can’t drive the vehicle anywhere. Today was day one and at least hubby was busy helping with the radiator.

Day 2:

I quilted whilst hubby helped the manager’s husband assemble several quad BIKES.

Day 3:

I quilted whilst hubby read a book. I also redid my excel accommodation record worksheets and hubby helped with the formulas.

Day 4:

Visited the local Art Centre then came back to the caravan park. Hubby did some jobs around the Oka including adjustments to the fridge set up to stop it jumping around during rough roads. He did go for a walk to get a bulb for the torch and some butter. He came back without both – not available. There is a food delivery on Wednesday so we will wait for the butter till then. He went to another service station in the afternoon for the bulb. He got one but it is so old that he had to make adjustments for it to fit as the newer torches have a slightly different fitting for the bulb. He said they were covered in dust and he thinks they had forgotten that they had them. A cop dropped in with a quad bike that wasn’t working properly. As Hank was out Carol asked hubby to have a look at it. So he fixed the problem. Then more reading by hubby and I quilted.

Day 5:

More quilting and reading today. Oil was checked in the car and the solar panels were washed. The first mail delivery for the week came but no parts. It seems express post always comes by truck not plane here. So we will wait to see what Thursday will bring.

Day 6:

Hubby topped up the water in the car. He can’t even fathom the idea that the parts may not come tomorrow. He checked out the library – no internet at the moment as they have a virus in the system. We went shopping as the delivery was supposed to have come. Got some fresh fruit and vegetables but no butter. So I will have to resort to margarine. It is strange what you can and cannot buy here.

I finished my quilt Snowscape that I will enter for selection in the Australia Wide 2 exhibition by Ozquilt. I am happy with it. I am not sure of the rules re publishing a photo of a work being submitted for selection so I will post a photo of the quilt only when I can ascertain that I can do so. Now I can start on another quilt that I had prepared to work on on the trip.

Day 7:

The parts arrived. Hoorah!!! In mid afternoon the car was roadworthy once more. We drove out to Bing Bong to have a look. The mines have built a channel through the sea flats so that boars can come in to the mine her.

Tomorrow we should be on our way again. We have been without internet access for quite a while now so hopefully we can pick it up in Mt Isa when we get there.

DAY 75 FROM SOUTH TO NORTH - TOP END (NORTHERN TERRITORY) TRIP

8 July 2010

SAVANNAH WAY – NATHAN RIVER HIGHWAY

Butterfly Springs is a delightful place. Beautiful paperbark trees surround the waterhole.

Butterfies flutter around in droves.

We started the day in a relaxed frame of mind but it didn’t last long. Hubby noticed water on the ground. After investigation he found that the radiator was leaking but he couldn’t find from where. We made the decision to give Lorella Station a miss and go straight to Borroloola. With a careful eye on the temperature gauge we took off.

The Southern Lost City was not too far away and was on our way so we decided to stop there. The radiator was dripping but still no trace from where and the temperature gage was not showing any signs of trouble. We went on the 2.5 km walk through the Southern Lost City.

It was not quite a stroll through the lost city. I did not enjoy walking through the Spinifex.

In places it was a tight squeeze between rocks and in other places a bit of a goats track but overall it was okay. It doesn’t have the awesome impact of the Western Lost City as to see it you have to weave your way through the rock formations.

Often they really tower above you. This face was really interesting.

It is hard to get a panoramic view of them partly due to the foliage and because you are too close to them or the impact is lost because of the numerous rock formations.

Some of the formations were really interesting. I called one a Bowl

another a Vase

and a third a Tulip.

At the top there was a view to another distant lost city.

After the walk we had lunch here. Hubby conferred with a others here who showed an interest in the Oka re the radiator. A decision was made to put some black pepper into the radiator to plug up the leak. Guess what – it works.  It worked so well that the next day when they tested the radiator under pressure no evidence of the leak was there.

Anyway, we continued on making our way through creek crossings to the Carpentaria Highway.

As you approach each creek crossing they look so similar on the road – a patch of water. They don’t look like much but many were quite deep. As mentioned before in my blog, when you look at either side of the crossing you see the uniqueness of each creek or river.

Some differences may be very subtle but they are there. At other times they are very different.

On our way in to Borroloola, on the last section which was on a bitumen road I mentioned to hubby that the tyres didn’t sound right. He pulled over and checked for a flat tyre but they were all fine.

Finally we got to Borroloola. First stop was to find someone who could fix the radiator. Arrangements were made for the next morning. Then onto the town centre, if you could call it that, to post some postcards. Hubby came around to my side of the car to lock the doors after I got out but I soon saw his expression change to horror. I asked what was wrong but he told me I would see when I got out. The wheel studs had worn through and sitting loosely on the wheel. We had been very lucky. What was sort of funny was that all trip I had been going on about taking spare wheel studs on the next trip as we had heard on the HF radio of a number of instances of the studs going and arrangements being made to get them. Well here we were in the same boat. The radiator problem paled into insignificance at this point. Hubby tightened the studs as much as he could and we drove slowly to the caravan park not too far back down the road.

He was soon on the phone making arrangements to get some sent up if needed and to see whether he could redistribute the others in order to drive to Mt Isa if needed. Advice was that we needed 7 on each wheel so we had to get new studs before moving on.

So here we are in Borroloola and we will see what tomorrow will bring.