22^nd November    Carnarvon Gorge

We leave Emerald and make the drive to Carnarvon Gorge driving along the A7 65km south to Springsure then another 70 km east to Rolleston along the Great Inland Way.  From here it is a further 61km south to the Carnarvon turnoff.  Plumes of smoke from bush fires appear on the horizon and we hope it is not another case of not being able to enter, considering we had just driven for miles to get here!

The last 25km is on a corrugated dirt track passing field after field.  We spot a solitary massive white bird walking near the road and stop to take a closer look; it’s either a sarus crane or a brolga.  The two species are similar.  As I approach with the camera trying to take a photo, for every step I take the huge bird takes two.  Eventually I get a photo but the bird now seems to be miles away!

Finally arriving at the fabulously named Takarakka Bush Resort, we pay for a site in the large open green field.  The site is pretty quiet so are able take our pick of where to camp.  In the area next to the camp kitchen are a group of kangaroos along with their joeys munching on the grass.

Amazingly, they let us come really close and do not seem scared by our presence at all.  Although we actually try to stay clear of the larger ones, they move swiftly and are enormous!

The animals which we once thought were so elusive seem to be permanent residents in this wooded green sanctuary.

There are warnings of snakes, spiders and scorpions and to always use a torch at night.  We are out in the bush after all!  Luckily, we don’t see anything scarier than a few large frogs.  We quickly set up camp as the light is about to fade.  Suddenly, the birds seem to go crazy, wicked laughing noises coming from the treetops above our tent!  The rain abruptly starts and the tent starts to leak in places, we just hope it will hold up for the rest of the night or we will be sleeping in the car!  Maybe a cabin would have been a better idea….

23^rd November  

The rain did not seem to let up last night and the morning brings another torrent, but fortunately the tent had stopped leaking.

Martin wakes up early (6am) and heads to the rangers office to find out if the tracks are open and also the latest weather forecast. On route all the kangaroos are out in the rain;

he spots two having a fight, standing on their hind legs just like two boxers in a ring!

We are one of just a handful of people left in the park, most seem to have left this morning.  We think we will have to wait out the day and take the walk tomorrow but are told at the information centre that the rain is not about to stop any time soon and they are also expecting flooding in the area in a few days.

The ranger also warns us not to go past a certain point in the gorge due to risk of being caught up in flood waters. With this news, we prepare for a long walk in the rain and set off for the day.  Driving to the gorge visitor’s centre we are greeted by groups of kangaroos, the young ones are inquisitive standing on their hind legs, with pointed ears in the air, watching us as we make our way down to the main track.  A kookaburra is perched on the sign just outside of the campsite.

On route, we stop at the Rock Pool, a huge pool carved into the river by water from past floods.  There are a few large birds wading downstream and noisy wide-winged birds sitting in the tree branches above our heads.  Under the shade of fig and casuarinas trees, we had hoped to catch a glimpse of the family of platypus which had been spotted recently, most active in the early morning and at dusk, but sadly the elusive creatures remain that way to us!

The path takes us through the incredible gorge, hidden in the rugged ranges of Capricorn’s central highlands.

Walking through the length of the soft sandstone rugged escarpment, a winding course carved over millions of years by Carnarvon Creek, we are surrounded by giant cycads and ferns, river oaks and deep pools all contrasted against the dramatic landscape of the 200 metre high majestic sandstone gorge cliffs.  Shielded from the harsh terrain, life was able to flourish in this oasis of green, fed by the year round flow of the Carnarvon creek.  The rainforest has survived as a result of permanent spring-water, cooler temperatures and low levels of direct sunlight.  The area was made a national park in 1932.

The 15 mile walk leads us over stepping stones in the boulder-strewn river criss-crossing the creek several times and past ancient plants including cycads, king ferns and soaring palms, a relic of cooler and wetter times.

We arrive at the Amphitheatre, hidden within the walls of the gorge, stopping at the foot of the cliff face.  A steep climb up a steel ladder which is not helped by the rain making the steps slippery, takes us through the opening in the rock and to an amazing large chasm carved out by water over thousands of years.  Cracks in the sandstone allowed rainwater to erode the sandstone to create the 60 metre high enclave.  In a storm, it acts like a giant washing machine, churning the water round and round, ripping out the vegetation and carrying it outside.

Behind the narrow crack the ancient rock wall opens up to reveal a massive chamber.  Once inside it is so peaceful and there is almost an eerily quiet atmosphere.  The acoustics are astounding, our voices echoing back at us.  Within the protection of the rock walls is a lush green garden, light pouring in from the wide opening above.

We carry on further to the Art Gallery, where over two thousand Aboriginal engravings and stencil rock art covers the sandstone are at least 19,000 years old, a fragile reminder of the gorge’s first people.  Red ochre was used by the artist to spray around everyday objects such as boomerangs and water containers held against the wall, so it allows you to see the exact size of the objects used.  Hands are the most common motif seen.

The ancient rock art reflects the culture and everyday life of the Aboriginal people and a symbolic relationship between the people and the gorge. The leaf shaped boomerangs were used in hunting to bring down prey and the more pointed boomerangs were possibly used in fights between tribes.   In contrast, the axes stencilled onto the wall were used for many purposes, including the carrying of water and food.

The gorge is sacred to the Aboriginal people and dreamtime stories tell of the Rainbow Serpent who created the gorge and resides there to this day.

We take the opportunity to rest our legs and have lunch of bananas and marble cake!

As we are stepping across one of the creek crossings, we spot something moving across the path just in front of us.  We keep back as the small snake turns around to face the path, hiding behind a rock with just its face popping out, as though it is ready to pounce at us if we were to cross its path!

It looks like a brown snake, one of the most venomous snakes in the world, coming second only to the taipan!  It is responsible for the highest number of snake bites and deaths in Australia.  It is around 1.5 metres long, its long narrow body hidden behind the rock.  A few minutes later, it slithers away down the creek.

The rain starts up again but we carry on determined. The track continues upwards with a drop on one side and grass and vegetation to our right.

Martin, walking in front , turns around to speak to me and jumps, he has just spotted another large snake on the bank close to the path, this consequently makes me jump!

It’s a much larger green snake with a yellow underbelly.  When it spots us it makes its way into the branches of a bush, forked tongue out looking straight at us from the shelter of the branches.  An Australian couple come by at this moment and reassure us that it is a non-venomous green tree snake.   It’s impressive, at a length of 1.5 to 2 metres.

On our way back to base at around 4pm we see quite a few people setting off; walking the track in the dark and the possibility of more heavy rain, we wonder if they will get very far.

We meet another couple as we’re discussing what we have seen today when another green snake peers out from behind the branches…

By the end we have sore legs and feet but it was definitely worth the effort, the scenery combined with the Aboriginal history makes this a special place to come to!

With the rain still coming down hard, the gravel track becomes hazardous for the few 2 wheel drive camper vans using the tracks, slipping and sliding across the road.

Finally the rain stops, we take a walk along the river bank in search of the platypuses which are normally sighted at sunrise and sunset.        Perched in a small tree on the riverbank, we spot a blue Azure Kingfisher, patiently waiting on a branch for the male to come with some food.

Eventually the male kingfisher arrives with a small fish in his mouth.

We head further up the river bank and wait until the sun goes down in one last effort to spot the platypus, but unfortunately we return without a sighting.

Tomorrow we start the drive south to Hervey Bay and Fraser Island.

Sponsors: (photos below)

The post Carnarvon Gorge, Boxing Kangaroos and Deadly Snakes appeared first on Nicole - Martins Overland Adventure.

9^th November

Wanting to explore historic Cooktown to the north of Cairns, we drive via the scenic 33km off-road Bloomfield Track through the pristine Daintree forest.  The track was the scene of major confrontation with conservationists in the 1980’s who opposed the development, however the track was completed within three weeks.  We had hoped to turn off onto the Crebb Track, meant to be more challenging, but had found out the previous day that it was closed.  Passing Port Douglas on route to Cape Tribulation the coastal track takes us all the way up to the small frontier town of Cooktown on the far north tropical Queensland coast.

The narrow winding roads remind us of Indonesia minus the potholes!  We arrive at Alexandra lookout, where a short board walk through the forest leads us to scenic views over the bay.   Driving past hundreds of sugar cane fields, we arrive in the tiny town of Mossman, and the Mossman gorge.  We take a walk through and reach a sandy enclave which meets the rushing waters of the Mossman River; it’s filled with huge granite boulders which have been washed downhill following periods of heavy floods.  Further along the track there are views of the Main Coast Range mountains.

Back on the road, we see the ‘4WD only’ sign past this point.  A large waterway at Emmagen Creek awaits us as the gravelly road takes us over the Donovan range made up of a succession of steep hills.

We then come to the Cowie range and a particularly steep hill at an incline of more than 30% causes the car to struggle slightly, but once dropped into low range, everything is fine.

Next we cross Woobadda Creek which forms part of the Daintree Drainage Basin.  With heavy rain the creek crossings can become treacherous but we are lucky that the weather is on our side today and have no problems traversing the creek.

Surrounded by dense overgrown forest, the narrow track briefly opens up.  The trees lean towards each other to form an archway as we cruise through to Luana Creek.   The track winds upwards around the corner coming down a steep hill on the other side.  We see quite a few large 4×4 tour group vans on route filled with tourists.

20 minutes in and we seem to have passed all the steep hills and the countryside opens up taking us to a large lake at the foot of the cliff.   We arrive in Wujal Wujal consisting of a few houses, a police station, a shop, and the end of the Bloomfield Track.  We pass over the Bloomfield River crossing, a paved path across the river, also passing a couple of girls who are sitting on the low wall in the middle of the river.  They don’t seem to be too worried about the crocodile warning signs posted on either side of the crossing!   We find the track to be generally underwhelming as a 4×4 track, with a couple of shallow creek crossings and  some steep hills; however the stunning scenery on route, including coastal beach views and unspoilt rainforest makes up for it!

After the welcome sign there is a ‘no alcohol’ sign with a warning of heavy fines for any perpetrators.  The Kuku Yalanji people are thought to have existed here for thousands of years, the community set around the sacred waterfalls.

Passing the rural villages of Ayton and Rossville, we arrive at Black mountain which is covered in large shiny black granite boulders, stacked precariously on top of one another. The boulders were formed millions of years ago by magma which slowly solidified under the earth.  The soil above eroded leaving the fractured boulders exposed at the top.  The mountain is significant to the Kuku Yalanji people and is the focus of many Dreamtime stories.  There is mystery surrounding the mountain as the area is renowned for people disappearing after venturing into the maze of passages and chambers within the mountain and the subsequent search parties also not returning.

Cooktown almost has a wild- west feel to it, with wide roads and old-fashioned store fronts.   Many of the buildings date back to a century ago.  Surprised that the local motels are full considering this was meant to be the ‘dead’ season, we find a reasonably priced guesthous­e­ and stop to enquire.  There’s no-one around, so we head to a nearby campsite.  Unbelievably, they want the same amount as the guesthouse so decide to go back, having more luck this time.

Martin is eager to go fishing, so take a drive down to the wharf and while away some time fishing, before the sun goes down.  There are crocodile warning signs all the way along the wall.  Once the fishing rods are packed away, we drive to Grassy Hill lookout to watch the sun set over the Endeavour River, a spectacular view!  James Cook himself climbed the hill many times to navigate a safe passage out for his ship.

10^th November

After a hot and sticky night, we take a drive down to the picturesque harbour and Bicentennial Park to the Cook bronze statue and Cooks Pillar, a stone monolith marking the very place where Captain James Cook ran aground his ship, the ‘Endeavour’ near the mouth of the Endeavour River in 1770.  He spent a few weeks here whilst fixing the damaged ship.  They carried on their journey further north where they planted the Union Jack and claimed the whole of the eastern coast for Britain.  It is tranquil, peaceful and unspoilt.

We take a walk around town before heading back to Cairns.

A detour brings us to the scenic Wujal Wujal waterfalls, the highlight of the Bloomfield Track, driving on muddy tracks bypassing road-works and yellow-clad men holding stop/slow signs.  The only car in the designated parking area, we pull up and clamber over the rocky footpath.  Reaching a sandy enclave by the river, we are rewarded by the beautiful falls, the force of the water is so strong that it is loud even from a distance of around 100m away.  A climb up over some large rocks takes us closer to the foot of the falls.  This particular fall is the only one allowed for public viewing, the other larger falls reserved for female aboriginal people only.

Back on the road, a police car is speeding towards us in the opposite direction and then we spot a kangaroo bouncing and slipping all over the road a few metres ahead, trying desperately to get away!  The police car does eventually slow down as we pass, but it’s a pretty strange sight!

11^th -12^th November

We arrive back in Cairns, where our first stop is ARB again to have another look at the suspension, it’s still sagging at the rear.  In the end, the only recommendation is to have airbags fitted to lift the rear due to the weight. We decide to give it a miss for now and consider the options on our route towards Brisbane.

13^th November   Mareeba Wetlands

We leave Cairns and head towards the Mareeba Wetlands Park, which we had passed a few weeks previously along the Savannah Way.  The wooded deck visitor centre area sits on the edge of Clancy’s Lagoon, one of a system of eight man-made lagoons making up the reserve.

We decide to take a guided boat cruise down the giant water lily covered lagoon and spot cranes, jabirus, pygymy-geese and fantastic comb-crested jacana also known as lotus birds.

They have really long toes, adapted for life on floating vegetation in tropical wetlands.  To be honest, we were expecting more from the wetlands, although it was a nice setting.

A quick stop at Coffee Works is next which has a cafe and a variety of coffee flavours from around the world to try before setting off to find Emerald Creek falls.   Driving up through the forested mountains, the directional signs for the falls abruptly stop.  Not wanting to get lost, we turn back and head on to Atherton and the Woodlands tourist park where we set up camp for the night.

14^th November    Atherton Tablelands

Atherton was the first town built on the tablelands and is regarded as the capital of the region.  The fertile plateau of the tablelands is attributed to the volcanic origins of the lands which are covered with lush green fields and cascading waterfalls.   There are signs everywhere for Atherton’s claim to fame as Australia’s tidiest town!

A noise from outside wakes me in the middle of the night, it sounds like something from a horror movie, a low deep growling coming from no more than a few metres away.  I wake Martin up, and he immediately grabs his knife and torch.  The sound stops then starts again.  We both look at each other in silence. We think it may be a dingo, a wild dog….Martin opens the door and shines the torch outside. The animal’s eyes shine red.  Walking along the branches of a tree next to our tent, it stops to munch on some fruit.  What is it??!!   It’s a tree kangaroo, a large furry body with a long tail, powerful hind-legs and pointed ears.  They are clumsy on the floor, but agile in the trees, and are also expert leapers.  It’s not scared away by us at all, instead rustling its way through the treetops for the rest of the night, keeping us awake!

In the morning, as we’re having breakfast in camp, we get a visit, this time from a wallaby.  It’s different from others we had previously seen, larger and with a black stripe down its face.  It hops along oblivious of us, coming along the path from the forest and straight through the campsite.   Just a normal day on the tablelands!

We set off for Hallorans Hill, located on a dormant volcano and the highest point in Atherton, for a scenic patchwork farmland view over the tablelands.   A short drive brings us to the village of Yungaburra, famous for its award winning restaurants and cafes.  Skipping the out-of-budget cuisine, we instead take a short walk along a boardwalk through the forest which brings us to Curtain Fig, a 500 year old strangler fig tree with aerial roots that drop 15 metres to the ground.

A few kilometres south and we are at Malanda Falls, a small falls with a pool supposedly home to platypuses, but we don’t spot any.  However we do see a couple of Australian brush turkeys.   We ask for directions to Peterson Creek walk but the guy at the information desk is insistent that the walk here is much better, and it is only that the other is advertised more that it is more popular!  Taking his word for it and with no directions for the other walk anyway, we leave the visitor centre to take the rainforest trek, avoiding the heart-shaped stinging tree leaves which line the pathway.   Walking through we start to wonder if he was right and hope it doesn’t start to rain.

It is north to Yungaburra and the twin volcanic crater lakes of Lake Eacham and Barrine.   Both lakes have walking tracks around their edges but neither of us fancy doing any more walking today, so we just admire them from the sidelines!

Further north we come to the Cathedral Fig, in an isolated part of the forest, in fact there is no-one else here. Mobo Creek Crater is located further along the track.  The path leading down to the crater is blocked with a sign saying due to recent flooding and the washing away of parts of the track, making it unsafe, it is closed.     We head back to base managing to cook dinner before darkness is upon us.  The tree kangaroo makes a return visit in the night…

15^th November   Waterfall Circuit

Today we leave Atherton and start the waterfall circuit, first heading down to Mount Hypipamee National Park, about 20km south.  A high walking trail takes us to Dinner Falls.  At the start of the trail, there are warning signs that recent sightings have been made of an aggressive cassowary in the area and to exercise caution when walking to the falls!  A narrow rocky path surrounded by forest with steep drops down the banks leads us to the falls and flowing river.

As we are the only ones here, we take in the falls, and head up around to the crater.  Arriving at the viewing platform, we find an impressive crater, an 138m drop with sheer cliffs to a green pool covered in a layer of silt and seaweed.  The crater was created 3 million years ago from a massive explosion caused by magma and gases escaping through fractured granite at the surface, which also sent volcanic bombs across the landscape.

Next we head to the town of Ravenshoe; at 930m it is the highest town in Queensland, and are continually reminded of that fact passing numerous signs placed along the road! The area is lush and green, It is also home to the widest falls in Australia, Millstream Falls, walking the incline to reach the view point.  It is picturesque, and we seem to be a lot higher than the top of the falls, watching them plunge over the edge of black rock, it’s just a shame we can’t get a bit closer to them.

Winding through the green hilly countryside dotted with windmills and dairy cows, we head back north and back onto the waterfall circuit.  Along one country lane a peacock is standing in the middle of the road but unfortunately it’s camera shy as it runs away when we come closer.

Heading east towards the town of Milla Milla at 873m above sea level, we follow the signs for Souita falls, which takes us down deserted back lanes through farmland.  The main sign is camouflaged well so we miss the turn off and come back around, only to find that the path has been blocked and is not suitable for walking.

The town of Milla Milla is next and its namesake waterfall, also the largest and most popular on the circuit.  The falls are certainly pretty but the busloads of backpackers somehow seem to detract from its potential!

By now we have reached waterfall overload point, but decide as the others are near, we would carry on and besides when would we ever have the chance again!

A few steps to Zillie falls takes us up to a platform where the relatively small falls flow beneath us into a creek flowing off into the forest.

The rocky Ellinjaa falls is another 2.4 km down the road, this time we have a further walk through a path cut into the forest but it takes us right to the foot of the falls and get so close we can feel the spray.

We drive towards the coast and the small farming town of Innisfail where we stop at a local campsite.  It’s really quiet and virtually have the whole place to ourselves, surrounded by green grass and palm trees.  It seems it is a little too quiet so we put the TV aerial up and watch the news!

16^th November

Leaving Innisfail on the Bruce Highway, we can’t resist a detour to Murdering Point winery for a taste of their exotic fruit wines.  They have sweet and dry versions of each flavour, and try out lychee, mango, pineapple, mulberry and mocha Bailey flavours.

We head down to Kurrimine Beach renowned for its golden sands, enjoying having the whole beach to ourselves.

We check out the information centre for some advice on local fishing spots; however an hour later we are still waiting to talk to someone and decide to push on.

We head to Wallaman falls in Ingham, reputedly the largest sheer drop waterfall in Australia.  The LP states there is a drop of 304m but the sign outside the falls clearly states 268 metres.

The route to the falls is long and winding, a steep climb to the top of the mountain taking 20 minutes each way.  It is worth the effort as there is a stunning drop over sheer cliffs to the valley and pool below which almost looks like a crater, definitely the most impressive of all the falls we had seen so far.  Just to the right there is a camping ground which we consider staying in for the night, but it looks more like a car park so decide to give it a miss and carry on driving.

Back down the hill, we have great views over the rainforest and farmlands below making our way to the noorla resort in town, but arrive to find a hotel and no campsite.

So it’s onwards to Balgal beach, one of Townsville’s northern beaches and a free-camp spot.  Arriving just as the light has nearly completely faded, we hurriedly set the tent up in the dark.  The wind picks up and later the rain starts, we hope the tent can take the battering!

17^th November

Balgal beach is famous for defence patrols in WWII, troops stationed nearby to survey the coast line as a Japanese invasion threatened.  Waking up to a cool breeze and swaying palms on the beach is fantastic.

Our neighbour is Barry from Tasmania who has been travelling around Australia for the past year, a fishing enthusiast.   A relaxing day fishing and reading is in store.   It’s a short stroll to the creek where a pool of calm water runs into the ocean.

Whilst Barry from Tasmania has a green turtle on the end of his rod and is struggling to pull him/her up onto the shore Martin catches an estuarine cod!  The turtle runs out of energy and is eventually pulled out of the water.  Barry poses for a photo and fortunately releases him, to live another day.

Even here at the mouth of the wide Rollingstone creek we are not safe as estuarine crocodiles have been seen in the tidal rivers along the beach.  Later we have a swim in the wavy, cold water within the netted enclosure, protecting us from the stingers.  The day is rounded off with an ice cold mocha cream and a huge portion of mackerel and chips at the Fishermans Landing, yum!

18^th November

We head to Townsville for a days shopping, turning up just as Anaconda is having its sale, so we end up with a car full of new camping gear. We pull in to a roadside camp site just on the outskirts of town.

19^th November   Airlie Beach

On our way out of Townsville at 9 in the morning, we are pulled over by the cops who are doing spot breathalyser checks, wanting to catch all the hung-over people and early starters!  Passing small towns along the way we push on to the Whitsunday coast and Airlie Beach.  We decide to relax for the day in a peaceful and picturesque camp site filled with palms and pink blossom trees, complete with a huge contingent of ducks wandering around, before exploring the area tomorrow.  They even have an outdoor cinema but as they’re showing ‘Cars’ we decide to give it a miss, we’re probably a bit old for it!

20^th November 

After breakfast, we drive to Airlie beach and take a walk around town. Coming from England, it’s a strange thing being continually asked for my bag to be checked after walking out of every store, and not something we had experienced in the previous 32 countries!! ! It’s pretty demeaning, although at least they don’t follow you around the store, which happened occasionally in Asia, and was also really annoying.  Next time, I will say no and see what happens for the hell of it!

Anyway…  Airlie beach is the jumping off point for the Whitsunday islands.  The town seems to be packed with teenagers, the outdoor lagoon area is crammed.  The actual beach is deserted, with just a few moored ships.  We take a walk through the market area, seeing a lot of merchandise from Indonesia, but at three times the price.  Thousands of school leavers are descending on the Gold Coast for schoolies, a massive end of school days event, but it looks like you need a pass to get in.  A lot of hotels are either booked out or have increased their prices.  Probably great for school leavers, not so much for everyone else!

22^nd November   Emerald

We drive to the Central Highlands and the country town of Emerald, gateway to the sapphire gem fields, one of the world’s largest and richest gem fields.  Pulling in at the visitor centre, a large Van Gogh ‘sunflower’ replica in the field behind it, we get some information on fossicking and are advised to go to Pat’s Gems.   So off we go to fossick in the town of Sapphire 40km west of Emerald.

The gem fields in this area are renowned for their large and rare sapphires.   Buying a bag of wash, strangely we are asked if we will be taking it home with us (does anyone actually do this?) or need to be shown how to mine it. We opt for the latter, basically immerse the sieve-like tray in water, moving it in a circular motion to get the smaller stones in the middle along with any resident sapphires. This keeps the larger stones on the outside.  Working outside, this is not easy work with the sun beating down us, it is beginning to get very hot!  It is quite hard to distinguish the small sapphires from the other stones but generally they should have a glass like surface rather than a dull one.  Having probably discarded some without realising it and having gone through the whole bag of ‘wash’ we hand our findings over.

With a head torch on, the lady sorts through the stones, selecting the small shiny sapphires.  We had managed to find a couple of cutting stones and other ornamental ones worth around $80.

On our way back to Emerald, we had hoped to go on an underground mine tour, but can’t find the turn-off so carry on south to the remote Carnarvon Gorge.

Sponsors: (photos below)

gear

The post The Bloomfield Track & Cooktown appeared first on Nicole - Martins Overland Adventure.

Overland Sphere

Spanning the globe to bring you the latest overland news and blogs

With the help of 18 overland bloggers, a mixture of 4x4, Truck, Motorcycles and even a Taxi, OverlandSphere is now live!

We currently have over 400 individual blog posts which span the globe detailing overlander’s adventures from the initial preparation to finally shipping home.

With hundreds of posts to add in the coming weeks and months, OverlandSphere will become a unique resource for overlanders researching their big trip or just looking for inspirational reading.

We hope that you will take this opportunity with us to document and record our adventures for others and the generations to come!

Martin & Nicole

Join OverlandSphere on: Facebook   Google+   Twitter

About

Overland Sphere is a collective of overland blogs from around the world. The purpose is to make available not just the latest blogs but also provide an archive of past adventures for the overlanding community.

Whether you’re researching your next big trip or just looking for inspiration, we have carefully scanned through hundreds of posts and categorised them in an easily navigable format, so that you can find the information that most interests you!

While planning our own Overland Adventure we spent hundreds of hours researching; we found the most relevant information was contained within other people’s blogs. We continued this on the road too but found browsing through many blogs, trying to search for information about a specific country extremely time-consuming.

This gave us the idea to set up this site.

How does it work?

The site uses your blogs RSS feed to populate blog posts.  It can do this in two ways, the entire feed including all text and pictures or just an excerpt from the feed.

Our site posts your blog, categorises it by location, tags the post with additional other useful information like border crossings, sites of interest, towns, to make your manual navigation of the site and posts easier.

We have also installed a search engine which searches all the posts and will output relevant results, based on your search terms.

The post OverlandSphere.com is now Live!! appeared first on Nicole - Martins Overland Adventure.

10^th -15^th October   Sydney

Flying from Cairns to Sydney we have a five day whistle stop tour of the clean and compact city, the capital in terms of culture and finance.  We manage to find an amazing deal at a 5 star hotel in Circular Quay at half the price of a hostel!  Luxurious, complete with a huge balcony and phenomenal views over the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, we can’t believe our luck!

The Sydney food festival is on so we head over to Hyde Park and the nightly noodle market; the park is crowded with people and there are huge queues for most of the stalls.   On route we visit St. Mary’s Cathedral; it’s beautiful, recently restored, with amazing stained glass windows and a golden sandstone interior.

After a delicious three-course breakfast we take a walk through the botanical gardens and spot the huge grey-headed flying foxes hanging upside down in the low branches of a tree.

The walk takes us on to the spectacular Opera House which opened in 1973 and finished with over 1 million tiles, followed by a leisurely walk across the iconic steel harbour bridge aka the ‘coat hanger’ before stopping for drinks at The Rocks to cool us down! As dinner for four is also included for one night, we head back to the hotel and indulge!

Deciding to side-step the expensive cruises but still take in the dramatic natural harbour views, we jump on a ferry to Manly, on a narrow peninsula a few miles away from the city centre; the beach is peaceful and picturesque as we take a walk down the scenic walkway to the headland finding a small bay at the end.

In the evening, we meet up with friends for drinks and dinner.  It’s a beautiful sunny day so we take the opportunity to get on board the city bus tour which keeps us entertained for the day, taking us past the Queen Victoria building, King’s Cross, Central Station and Kings Street wharf jumping off at the famous and packed Sydney fish market for some classic barramundi and chips.  After lunch we take the Bondi tour taking us past Chinatown, Bondi beach and Rose bay.

We head down to Darling Harbour to the Chinese gardens and wander around the National Maritime museum taking in the history.  In the evening we try to find a reasonably priced restaurant in Circular Quay, eventually finding a small Italian with fabulous night views over the illuminated bridge and Opera House.  A perfect way to end our time in Sydney!

15^th-16^th October    Port Stephens

The two and a half hour drive to the harbour region of Port Stephens north of Sydney takes us along Nelson Bay road, turning off at the Pacific Ocean highway.  On route, we stop at the Port Stephens winery for the first of many tasting tours, before relaxing in the gardens listening to a live band playing outside in the courtyard.

The next morning we head to Nelsons Point Lighthouse and tea rooms wandering through the museum with artefacts from its previous use as a lighthouse.  There are striking panoramic views over the bay and offshore islands.  A hot thirty minute trek up the paved footway takes us to Stephens Point, and the Tomaree headland lookout which is well worth the effort for the stunning views it affords.

We carry on to One Mile Beach, a circular stretch of white sands then straight on to Anna Bay, filled with kite surfers and even a line of camels heading to the shoreline.  The bay is backed by the Stockton Bight sand dunes.  At 32km long stretching all the way to Newcastle they are the longest moving sand dunes in the southern hemisphere.

It’s just a shame we don’t have our 4×4 with us to access the sand dunes.  Finally we head to the Gan Gan lookout for more stunning 360 degree views over the bay.

17^th-19^th October   The Hunter valley

From the coast we head towards wine country, the cooler inland air and the green vineyards of the Hunter Valley, one of Australia’s premier wine regions.  We are based in Pokolbin Village where most of the first vineyards were planted in the area, and spend most of our time driving around the 140 wineries in the area, testing the different varieties and buying our favourites!

We go on a couple of wine tours where we are taken through the process of making wine from vine to bottle, dodging the territorial swooping magpies who fly inches from our heads as we make our way through!

Sculpture in the Vineyards is on so we combine wine tasting with a walk through the rolling picturesque countryside viewing the various sculptures on display.  We follow the Wollombi valley wine trail, starting at Stonehurst cedar creek finishing at the Undercliff winery a wobbly three hours later.

20^th-21^st October    Port Macquarie

Travelling north we arrive in the laid back city of Port Macquarie, and take a coastal drive past Oxley beach, Rocky beach, Flynns and Nobbys beach, each one with white sands and sparkling waters. Stopping at one of the lookouts, a guy with a mounted telescope tells us he is keeping a track on the humpback whales passing through the port.  Not wanting to miss the once in a lifetime opportunity, he phones base for us and we follow him back into town, ready for a spontaneous adventure on a whale watching trip!  Before we know it, we have our life jackets on and are sitting in a RIB. We head out of the harbour mouth where huge waves are rolling in.

We are really lucky to have the RIB all to ourselves as it flies over the waves bouncing us around; it’s exhilarating and we haven’t even seen any whales yet!  We see a lot of other bigger, more expensive looking boats which seem to be overcrowded.

15 minutes later we are in deeper waters, at which point the engine stops.  We hope to catch just a glimpse of the majestic creatures.  Within a few minutes, the boat driver suddenly points to our right and we see a mother and her calf moving just metres away from us.  We can’t believe we have seen them and moving so close to the boat!  Mother and calf are absolutely awesome, the pair travelling together over 50,000kms, one is colossal at around 15m long and 50 years old and the other 4m long and just a few weeks old!

The whales make the hard migration from the freezing waters off Antarctica, as the temperature falls and ice sheets covers the sea, to the Australian coast where they mate and give birth, before heading back to their Antarctic summer feeding grounds where they have access to a rich supply of krill.   The whales are believed to use landmarks for navigation which draws them so close to the coast, and also keeps them away from predators. Having the chance to follow alongside these gentle giants of the sea on their journey back to the Antarctic is such a privilege.

Another whale appears out of the blue, and all three flick up their tails in unison, before one then leaps straight out of the water. Wow, it truly is amazing!

They appear to be very inquisitive coming closer and closer to the boat.  Unbelievably, one actually goes right under the boat, literally close enough to reach out and touch.  The shiny leathery skin of the enormous whale is crisscrossed with scars.  One of them surfaces just inches from the front of the boat, and makes Martin jump…   Any closer and it’s quite possible that all 50,000kgs of whale would have caused our RIB to somersault!

They roll over and spurt water from their blow holes, seeming to put on an acrobatic show for us! Reluctant to leave we head back over the waves to the wharf, still reeling from the incredible experience we have just had!

Back on dry land, we head over to a performance which is on at the local theatre, The Glasshouse before going to the Koala hospital.  The hospital takes in sick and injured koalas, mainly from motor vehicle accidents and dog attacks.

We follow a volunteer around who explains each individual koala’s story; they are so cute and placid, just hanging out in the gum trees within the hospital grounds.

22^nd-28^th October    Cairns and Port Douglas

Landing in Cairns we pick up the car and drive to our hotel in Palm Cove, a quiet beach to the north of the city.  We take a boat out to the Great Barrier Reef where we spend the day on the reef snorkelling.  We also get on the Skytrain railway over the Daintree forest, gliding just metres over the tropical rainforest canopy, passing over the Barron River and Falls and stop in the market village of Kuranda for lunch.  The sprawling markets sell everything from painted didgeridoos to incense sticks.

Our last port of call is Port Douglas, an hour’s drive north of Cairns on a spectacular coastal road.  We take a guided crocodile spotting boat ride down the picturesque Daintree River and see everything from snakes and large river birds to baby crocs bobbing near the water’s edge and the elusive estuarine crocodile, the giant 4 metre, hundred year old Spartacus.

We also drive the Daintree coast through the ancient rainforest, home to the endangered cassowary.   There are signs for the big bird everywhere but unfortunately we don’t spot any.  On route, we stop at interesting points along the way including the Daintree ice cream company, surrounded by jackfruit, durian, mango and breadfruit trees, and Alexandra lookout with sweeping views over the Daintree river delta to the Coral Sea.

A day at Hartleys crocodile adventures is spent watching the crocs being fed, death roll demonstrations, jumping crocs, shows with crazy or brave rangers in a pool with the deadly saltwater crocs and river cruises.

With the sun going down on another day, we decide to head back for a siesta before a final dinner at Salsa.  Thanks for coming to see us Mum and Dad, hope you enjoyed yourselves!

Sponsors: (photos below)

View in full screen, click the button 0n the right! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>^^^

The post Crocs, Koalas & Humpbacks appeared first on Nicole - Martins Overland Adventure.

 26^th September   The Savannah Way

The epic Savannah Way stretches from coast to coast, from Broome in Western Australia to Cairns in Queensland through the heart of the outback.  The rugged outback adventure takes us from Darwin to Cairns, driving 2700kms, and takes just over four days.  A month on, given the torrential rain, it is likely some of these roads have now been closed.

Waking up to hazy skies, the temperature is 26C already.  It doesn’t take too long to pack up our camp and so we manage to leave at 8am heading east 565km to the Heartbreak Hotel, Cape Crawford, along the Savannah Way, expecting to arrive at 3pm.

Along route, we pick up supplies for dinner tonight and continue on past large areas of burnt out trees, with wisps of smoke still visible and warning signs stating ‘high risk’ of fire in the area.  An unusual speed sign on route reads ‘we like our lizards frilled, not grilled’.

The highways are never ending, seeming to stretch into forever, and clear, passing another car once  every few kms.  We cruise at 110km/hr within the speed limit of 130km/hr. The road is surrounded by dry landscape with skinny gnarled looking trees which have been scorched by the sun, and birds of prey circling overhead.

We see plenty of road kill on route, lizards, snakes, birds, and wallabies but so far no live wildlife. We pass through a remote town called Never Never, an aboriginal area in the heart of the outback, spanning the lengths of the Roper River.  It now feels as if we are the only ones out here, on a never ending road through the territory.  Or so we think… a few minutes later, between Katherine and Daly Waters we see a woman walking down the road alongside an animal which is carrying lots of camping gear!  From a distance we think it is a large horse, but no, as we come closer, it’s a camel!   The nearest town is 50km away! It’s a very strange sight! She looks like she is just going out for a casual stroll with her camel!

The sun catches the road ahead, making the surface look like glass or water.

After filling up at the petrol station at Daly Waters for an extortionate rate of $1.92/L we turn left onto the Crawford Highway taking the classic outback route, the Savannah Way.  It is a further 275km from here to the Heartbreak Hotel.  A massive lonely bull stands in the middle of the road, when it spots us it darts back into the bush.

The road then turns into a single lane road, and we pass no less than two cars in the space of two hours.  We spot a few wedge-tailed eagles, amongst the largest eagles in the world.

Rocks are thrown up from a speeding road train and cause small cracks in our windscreen.  We quickly learn they don’t move over and don’t slow down for anyone.

We finally arrive at Cape Crawford and the Heartbreak Hotel but it’s deserted and a car has just pulled in and turned back around.  It certainly lives up to its name as the driver of the ute tells us it is closed!  We are close to heartbroken, but carry on another 90km on dry deserted roads to the town of Borroloola and the McArthur River camping grounds, reaching the site at 4pm.

Camp set up, the atmosphere here is in stark contrast to Katherine, very peaceful with just a few other caravans in the grassy grounds and mainly older people camped out.   Pasta is on the menu for dinner and then we settle down for the night.  It feels cooler, which is bliss, so we are able to use our sleeping bags for the first time.

27^th September      Bush Fires!

It is a long journey ahead of us today aiming to reach Lawn Hill National park 500km away on dirt tracks.

The famous Hell’s Gate Roadhouse is on our route, but we had read it closed its doors in 2007.

We wake up to a misty and grey morning, spray fills the air.  Breakfast is warm crumpets with butter and coffee.  Setting off, we cross the McArthur River which is popular for fishing, coming to a dust red corrugated dirt track, driving through the mist.  It’s a colossal 380km to the next fuel stop!

The mist still has not lifted, and in places is starting to get denser.   Driving cautiously, a pickup truck screams past us into the mist, we’re barely able to see his rear lights just a few metres ahead of us.

The mist finally clears and we are back bathing in the sunshine, driving through the forest and wilderness of the outback.

In a dip at the bottom of a steep hill is our first river crossing; unsure of how deep the water is and the possibility of crocodiles lurking, we cross cautiously and make it without too much problem.

Around the corner is another water crossing, but this time it’s much shallower.  The rocky red track continues.  A few metres on and there’s another DIP sign with a huge waterway at the bottom.

Before crossing the Robinson River, there are crocodile warning signs and at the far end it looks as though the water is fast flowing, we wouldn’t like to be stuck in this one!

Crossing number eight is rocky and steep and it looks like the perfect territory for crocodiles!

A huge white bird crosses the road in front of us; as we approach it walks off on its lonesome into the bush.

The road continues for miles with barely a soul in sight.

We come to the Queensland-Northern Territory border; we were expecting some sort of border post and possibly quarantine, for fruits and vegetables.  However, when passing all we find is a ‘welcome to Queensland’ sign and not much else.

We notice that on the Queensland side, the road seems more corrugated and bumpy and most of the creeks have dried up.

Further down, the road becomes dry with large sandy patches, which makes keeping up speed difficult. The road conditions deteriorate with the sand becoming increasingly deeper.

We come to a set of road works, after which the dirt track is as smooth as tarmac.

Pushing on, the famous Hells Gate Roadhouse is ahead of us and we are quite surprised to find that it is open.  It was the last outpost of police protection for settlers heading to Katherine and the scene of ambush as Indigenous Australians tried to protect their lands.

We turn off the main Savannah Way from Doomadgee stopping at the general store where we buy a bottle of coke for $5.65 (usually $2) then across a dried up waterway towards the Boodjamulla Park  (Lawn hill National Park) at 3pm.

The road again is a corrugated dirt track, covered in small rocks.  The road opens up to a large plain, bordered by hills on either side.

Within an hour, we see a big plume of smoke then another and another maybe 5-10km in the distance.  Bush fires are raging and we seem to be driving towards them!  From now on we keep a close eye on the direction of the road and the direction of the smoke.  We wonder if we’ll be told to leave once we arrive as it’s not safe…

A series of chained gates are next on route, which mark the start of national park land.  We pass a cattle ranch with women riding on horseback.  One of them points the right way down the track.

Suddenly there’s a river crossing, which looks fine.  However as we pull out in to the river we notice that to get to the other side, we actually have to drive for 20 metres further up the river.  There’s no route around it as it’s surrounded by forest and we’re also unsure of the depth.  Given it’s the height of the dry season, we take the risk.  In fact, we have no option but to cross, hoping the snorkel will work and get us through safely.

From here it’s 14km to Adels Grove along the wide gravelly path, passing a police car going in the opposite direction.

It is definitely an adventure to get here, having to drive through lots of different terrain, including gravel, sand, water, tarmac and mud, all the while keeping one eye on the unpredictable raging bush fires!

A group of three wallabies appear out of nowhere and hop across the road in front of us; it would be very difficult to stop in time if they were any closer to the car.

Finally we reach Adels Grove around 5.30pm.   Surprisingly there are quite a few people around and we set up camp by the creek in a shaded area under tall white gum trees.  To our disappointment, we are told that the national park is closed due to the fires.   All the Park wardens and people camping out there had been evacuated!  For now, the campsite at Adels Grove is safe, we hope.

Asking if the creek waters are safe for swimming we are told ‘There are only freshies in there, so it’s perfectly safe for swimming.  It’s the salties you’ve got to be careful of! Groups of school kids go in there all the time!’

The creek waters at the base of the camp grounds do look inviting, betraying the possibility of sharing the water with crocs!

Adels Grove is named after the initials of the botanist Albert de Lestang, who in 1920 converted the area into an experimental botanical gardens and exotic hideaway.  In the 1950’s a fire swept through, destroying everything.

Walking to the shower blocks at night is an obstacle course, trying to dodge all the humungous toads!

28^th September

The night eventually got surprisingly cold and morning arrives to be told that the park is still closed.  An accidental fire had jumped across a fire break and was now spreading towards the park.  Last night they had been trying to beat back the flames at the ranch we had passed yesterday not far from here.

We leave the grove heading towards Gregory; we are stuck behind a road train which leaves such a trail of dust that visibility of the road is virtually zero.

Reaching Gregory, there are a few vans camped out down by the river.

We head to Burketown, the ‘barramundi’ capital of the world, and the thought of Barra burgers is making us very hungry, apparently there is a caravan in town which sells them.  We take the long Development Road driving through grassy plains, eventually turning back onto the Savannah Way and pass Poison Gully!

Arriving in Burketown, we find it to be deserted, just a large caravan park, a police station and a 130 year old pub.  It seems as if it was not meant to be, as the caravan selling the barra burgers is closed until 5pm and the other food store is out of fish and chips!

Stopping for fuel, Martin asks the kid at the counter, who is in his school uniform and looks about 12 to pay for a couple of drinks and pump number 1.   The kid looks thoroughly confused and after a few seconds deliberation, tells him it’s next door for fuel payment!

We buy the cheapest ice-cream in the store, still costing £1.50; it’s shockingly tasteless, reminding us of the chocolate ice-cream in the Neapolitan tubs which nobody ever wanted!

Eagles and falcons swooping over the road into the treetops is a common sight.  Just past the town we spot three massive vultures catching some shade under the branches of a tree.  By the time we turn the car around, there is one left, who quickly flies into the treetop, it looks intimidating, its huge wingspan must be at least 2metres.

Slightly further on and Martin spots a group of four gigantic bluish birds with long legs and beaks and huge wings, near the road in the grassy plains.  As we come closer, they fly off at a snail’s pace in unison, almost hovering mid-flight.

After Leichardt Falls, which unfortunately are not flowing due to it being the height of the dry season, the road turns back into a corrugated dirt track and we turn left, back onto the Savannah Way.  It’s another 165km to Leichardt Lagoon camping where we plan to spend the night.

The long straight road is visible from the top of the hill stretching all the way to the horizon.  On route, we spot the Australian icon, our first kangaroos taking shade under some trees!  When they spot us, they bounce away and turn back to check us out, another sits watching us with its head and pointed ears in the air.  It’s amazing how quickly they jump!  They are perfectly camouflaged and are quite difficult to spot among the brown grassy plains.

Further on are another group of three large birds; they fly for a few seconds when we get too near, landing not too far away.

We see signs for the Burke and Wills historical site; the two explorers had camped here and led an expedition in 1861 to travel from the south to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north, a journey they did not survive.

As it’s getting late, we decide to stop at the town of Normanton, setting up camp near the Purple Pub.  The young boy at the campsite is a character, insisting on taking me down to the site in his golf buggy!  The largely Indigenous-populated town is quiet, just a couple of people on the streets, hardly a car on the road, a handful of deserted shops and a pub.  We treat ourselves with fish and chips, as neither of us feels like cooking tonight.  The barramundi is delicious, but not quite as good as the fish and chips back home!

29^th September

Not sure exactly what it was, but there was definitely something big nosing around our little tent last night! We leave sleepy Normanton and head towards Cairns on the Gulf Developmental Road.

An eagle suddenly flies towards the side of the front of the car and the open window; it’s a close call as we narrowly miss hitting it and consequently sharing the car with it!

We pass through the tiny town of Croydon where a gold rush brought a few thousand people in the 1880’s and produced over 760,000 ounces of gold.  Then it’s onto Mount Surprise, which appears suddenly on the horizon, and Bedrock Village camping grounds.  This is the location for the Undara giant lava tubes, which we may visit from Cairns.  On entering the town, we see a free wash down bay and go through three times in an effort to get the layers of red dust off the car!  Setting up camp for the night, we get peckish and decide to treat ourselves to a pizza, it’s just a shame Martin then drops most of it on the dusty ground!

30^th -14^th   October

We leave the dry harsh outback in exchange for the subtropical ocean air of Cairns.  The landscape suddenly gets greener, hillier and cooler; it’s also a much more acceptable temperature of 26C.   We decide to spend a couple of nights in a central campsite, but located in the centre of town it’s really crowded.   We manage to escape the crowds by eating out and catching a movie (Johnny English) at the cinema, a treat, as we hadn’t been to the movies for over a year!

Luckily we find a hotel deal just outside of town and relax before flying to Sydney to meet the parents!

Sponsors:

View in full screen, click the button 0n the right! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>^^^

[Show picture list]

Martin & Nicole

The post The Savannah Way – Outback Australia appeared first on Nicole - Martins Overland Adventure.

24^th September    Katherine

We finally leave Darwin and drive the 350kms south to Katherine along fast and barren highways arriving four hours later.

The temperature hits 39C.  The road trains that share the highways are humongous, each time they come past, the car is sucked towards them.

We see one ahead of us snaking dangerously on the road, so much so it looks like it could topple over, deciding to keep back until the road is clear to overtake (which takes a while as they’re so long).  As we drive by we notice he has a flat tyre….

The drive is long and repetitive.

Suddenly after miles and miles of endless road, we arrive in the small town of Katherine, passing the industrial estate, and a court house.

Filling up on fuel and a quick stop at Woolworths (not the bankrupt chain but a widespread supermarket here!) we carry on 30km where we set up camp in Nitmiluk National Park.

Within 5 minutes of being there we see our first wallabies!  They are similar to a kangaroo but much smaller and not shy creatures, coming right up to our camp to investigate!

The camp is pretty noisy as we have arrived on a weekend, hoards of school kids on an excursion are in the pool and most are sleeping in tent village, tipi-looking permanent tents set up in an area just behind the kitchen and dining area.

Later we set up our new tent for the first time and try out our camp beds.  The tent takes less than a minute to erect and the beds are comfy enough.   At $20 each they were quite a bargain, and beats inflating the mattress.

Hunger strikes so we make like the Aussies and cook up some sizzling sausages with onions, in toasted buns.  They go down well with some rum, however the food also attracts the attention of a couple of wallabies.   They stand on their hind legs and literally lift their heads to the sky and sniff the air, as if trying to detect the direction of the food, one even tries to eat our empty cardboard box!

The camp information states you are not allowed to feed them as they will be healthier if they find their own sources of food, but they still manage to find the leftover onion and happily munch on them, guess it would be a lot nicer then eating cardboard!

By the time we have finished, darkness is upon us, but it is still 30C and we are sweltering.  A shower is needed, Martin has no problems but of course I’m stuck waiting in a queue!

25^th September

We really didn’t need to set our alarm clock as the strange and exotic bird calls coming from the trees above our camp wake us up at 6am!  The night was warm, even with two fans going in the tent to try and keep us cool.  An early morning coffee is needed to help us wake up, and then it’s a 5 minute walk down to the visitor centre to buy our tickets.  At $77 each for a four hour cruise, it’s by no means cheap but then nothing we have seen so far here is!  The girl at the ticket desk asks how old I am, could have possibly got away with a student ticket!

Lining up at the dock, there is a huge queue of people behind us, both for the 2 hour cruise and for the canoes.  We did think about taking a canoe, but taking into consideration the heat and the amount of effort involved, we decide to go for the easier option!

Katherine was named after the daughter of one of the explorers passing through the area in 1862, on arrival at another large creek.   Since a ruling for ownership was passed in 1989, the land was handed back to the local Jawoyn aboriginal people and renamed Nitmiluk, meaning cicada country.

Heading down spectacular Katherine Gorge which was formed 23 million years ago, on tranquil waters, we are surrounded by stunning scenery of steep sandstone sheer rock faces up to 70m high, which almost look like they could have been chiselled by hand.   The aboriginal guide provides some history behind each of the three gorges the boat takes us through.

Thirteen gorges have been carved from the ancient sandstone by the Katherine River through the Arnhem Land plateau and our cruise takes in three of them.

First up is the 17 mile gorge.  There are quite a few freshwater crocodiles in the river, which eat small animals like rats, snakes and lizards but are considered to be harmless to humans unless provoked.   However, they have also caught six large saltwater crocodiles which can grow up to 6m in length and over, which will eat anything that moves!  The guide stops by one of the crocodile traps.  A buffalo leg is put into the trap, and when the crocodile takes the bait, the trapdoor is closed behind them.   Six saltwater crocs have been caught in the traps in the last few years, which only enter the river in the wet season, when water levels rise.

Next is the dramatic scenery of Katherine gorge where we stop in a deep green pool; tradition says this is home to Bolung, the rainbow serpent, who must not be disturbed.

Then finally we arrive at the Golden gorge, where the rock face glows a bright golden in the sun.

We stop at Pine Alley, a narrow sandy walkway between the cliff faces with a line of trees through the middle. Between each gorge are large boulders and rocks so we take the walkways on the edge of the river to get from one to the other.

The local Jawoyn people knew when it was time for the crocodiles to lay their eggs by when the trees would bear fruit; this is when they would then hunt for the eggs.  They survived by living completely off the land.

The maze of waterways has been sculpted from the landscape over thousands of millennia by the Katherine River, flowing from Arnhem Land to the Timor Sea.  Our guide tells us that from the air the 13 separate gorges look like squares cut into a mango pushed up.

Aboriginal wall art found along the gorge tell stories; circles which represent the humble potato tell us this particular place was once used as a bush camping ground.  Human figures tell of elders and ancient spirits who have passed through this region.  The wall paintings are all quite high up the rock face, for which there are two theories.   Our guide explains that water flowing over the top of the gorge had over time, eroded the rocks which they stood on to get to the wall. The second theory is people had really long legs back then!  Aboriginal tradition says that everything is interconnected, the environment, people, animals and spirits….

As we have arrived in the dry season, the weather is scorching hot and there is hardly a cloud in the sky.  In the wet, the river level rises but are surprised to learn that tours are still taken through.  We imagine it to be a completely different experience with rapids and waterfalls flowing, and the river a raging torrent rather than the serene calm mirror-like waters we see today.

The river can rise by up to 12m in the wet season, so the boats go straight over the walkways.  In the 1998 floods, the town of Katherine was inundated with 4m high floodwaters.  Our guide points out a tree with debris still high up in its branches.

On the way back we pull in at a swimming spot where we have the chance for a dip and to cool off from the intense heat in the refreshing waters of the Katherine River.  We are given refreshments including fruit cake and apples; a cake is stolen from a kid by a rogue crow, flying away with cake in mouth ready to eat his spoils!

When we get back to camp, we put the awning up to shield us from the sun and get the fans going, in an attempt to stay cool, although it’s virtually impossible to escape the unyielding heat.

That evening we meet a couple from the Netherlands who had been travelling around the Australian coast in a cruiser and recommend the Lions Pub 20 miles outside of Cooktown, which they say is the best they had been to in Australia.  Hopefully we will get a chance to try it out when we are up that way!

Next on our adventure is an exciting drive on the epic Savannah Way towards Cairns.

Join us on Facebook,

Sponsors:

[Show picture list]

Martin & Nicole

The post Katherine Gorge – NT Australia appeared first on Nicole - Martins Overland Adventure.

One flat tyre, a new radiator, two gear box solenoids, a  new brake master cylinder, around 100 tanks of fuel, 1000s of hours driving, 36,000 miles (58,000km), 31 countries and 461 days on the road later, we have made it to Australia!

We have now joined the small club of people who have successfully driven from the UK to Oz independently.  We are surprised by how well everything has gone to date, although we did cheat a little by shipping from India to Malaysia, it was worth doing considering the price of transiting China to Laos.  Crossing countless numbers of borders with relative ease, it has all been a smoother than expected process, Kyrgyzstan excluded!

No matter how much preparation you do, you can’t prepare for all eventualities, and being flexible is an advantage. In our case when things have gone wrong on the rare occasion, they have opened up opportunities for us, i.e. being refused an Iranian visa meant we had to bypass Iran through Georgia, the Stans (Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan) and China.  An extra seven countries which we both enjoyed travelling through and would have liked to have spent more time exploring.

Both http://www.nojobwilltravel.co.uk/ and  http://motoventurers.com/ helped us out massively, providing us with last minute information on crossing the Caspian, entering Turkmenistan and Pakistan; without their help we could still be in Turkey.

The diversion also took us over the highest international road in the world, and the world’s highest paved border crossing, the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of 4693m into Pakistan, and across Attabad Lake. Something we will never forget.

Our time through Pakistan was also one of the most enjoyable on our trip, we must thank Ayub Khan http://hkttreks.com/ our guide during our adventure there.

India proved to be a once in a life time experience, with so much beauty and culture in the country let down by the poor hygiene and probably the worst driving in the world. We left the country with mixed feelings, having enjoyed the south of country so much.  We visited some of the most beautiful monuments and sites in the world in central India, which were surrounded by slums and the dirtiest streets known to man.

We next hit central Asia and the tourist loop through Malaysia, Thailand, Laos & Cambodia. The mass tourism of southern Thailand has put us off for the foreseeable future, yet the north, Laos and Cambodia captured our imaginations. The jewel of south-east Asia for us was Indonesia, a country where we really felt we made the most of what the country had to offer.  We had experienced more in Indonesia than any other country we have been to so far, the 5 months we spent there were still not enough… a country we certainly will be returning to someday.

Overall during the last 15 months we have been incredibly lucky, catching good weather and with our vehicle being fairly reliable to date.

We will spend the next 9 months touring Australia, and planning stage 2 of our adventure from Argentina to Alaska.

Our route around Oz is not yet fixed, it’s hard to decide whether to drive east or west, and given we have to meet family in a couple weeks in Sydney, we also need to ensure we are able store the car somewhere for a couple of weeks and arrange flights.

Darwin – AUSTRALIA

12^th September

Although we have landed, the work is not over as we still have to clear the vehicle through customs and AQIS (Australian Quarantine Inspection Service), and ensure it is insured and legal to drive on Australian roads.

Landing at Darwin International airport, our first stop is duty free, where we pick up several bottles of alcohol.  Knowing how much everything is here, alcohol is a luxury we cannot afford!

Mark from one of the Land Cruiser forums has kindly offered to put us up for a couple for nights while we clear the car.

As we exit customs, we meet Mark who has been waiting for us a little longer than expected; we jump into his brand new modified Prado. If only we could afford one… although our 13 year old Land Cruiser with its old shape and rattling exhaust is a little more fitting for budget overland travel.

He drives us to his place, taking a detour through the city centre, which even though a week day, is busy with people and filled with al fresco restaurants and shops.   Everything looks so new and modern, from the wide roads to the apartment blocks which dominate the city.

The city was rebuilt after Cyclone Tracy hit on Christmas Eve 1974 destroying all but 400 homes.  Darwin was also the only Australian city ever bombed in WWII, it being frontline for Allied action against the Japanese in the Pacific.  Regarded as the gateway to Asia, Darwin is closer to the capitals of five other countries than it is to Canberra!

On arriving back at Mark’s place we are taken to the top floor of the building and are surprised to find he has a fantastic penthouse apartment with sea views and a huge balcony complete with stunning sun sets, and lucky for us, a spare bedroom!

Our first evening is spent having a few drinks and dinner and watching the sun go down.

We spend the next day sorting out admin and simply having a relaxing day.

As promised our new sponsors Maxtrax deliver us a set of the latest model of their recovery gear; since leaving the UK we have not had any sand ladders, so have been very cautious venturing on to sand, especially after getting stuck in sand during the middle of night in Spain!

In the evening we head into town to Shenannigans for dinner with Mark, where we enjoy a couple of Guinness’s and a first taste of kangaroo steak, it tastes a bit like dry tender beef but not as flavoursome, while Nicole has a salmon fillet.  It all goes down pretty well.

I spend the next day try to figure out what’s happening with our shipment. I walk all the way to the Perkins office at the docks, to find out that the shipment will not arrive and be ready for inspection until Tuesday at the earliest, giving us a further 6 days to wait around in Darwin.

It’s not an understatement to say that the Northern Territory is hot!  Temperatures are higher than in Indonesia and it also feels a lot more humid.  Given we had told Mark we would only stay a couple of nights, we brave the heat and decide to head out and check the prices of local hotels and hostels.  To our shock, a private double in a hostel in Darwin averages around $80 per night, it’s absolutely extortionate.

We start to wonder whether it was such a good idea coming here!  Even the cheap brands when shopping in the supermarket seem expensive to us!

We return to Marks, and let him know our predicament of not having the car for nearly another week; being a great host, he lets us stay as long as we want.  Without his generosity we certainly would not be enjoying our first few days in Australia, let alone be able to afford them.

Taking a walk out to the twice-weekly Mindil Beach market on a balmy evening, the sun is beginning to set; it’s an amazing bright red-orange colour.  Once night falls, the market is heaving with people, eager to try out the hundreds of world-wide stalls, ranging from Vietnamese to road-kill!  The boys try some crocodile sticks and baby octopus which they look like they are enjoying, along with samosas, spicy kebabs, chips, small squid and prawns.  Mark has a go at cracking the whip; apparently the “crack” occurs when the wave of motion travelling down the whip surpasses the speed of sound, and later we are entertained by the fire performer.

17-20^th   September

Swimming is off the activities list due to deadly box jellyfish and stingers inhabiting the shallow coastal waters, not to mention the salt water crocodiles!  We decide to hire a campervan and spend a few days out of the city. We head south 115km to Litchfield National Park for the weekend.

Our ‘backpackers’ van isn’t the most glamorous, but will do the job we hope!  Driving out of Darwin, we start to notice fire warning signs; it’s the height of the dry season with the highest risk of breakouts of bush fires.

We pass numerous WWII airstrips as we drive out of Darwin; one doesn’t hear much about the Northern Territory involvement in WWII but they are a stark reminder of the region’s history and the enraging Pacific war.

As we pull off the highway, the land is dry and scorched where recent bush fires have burnt through.   Suddenly we are driving along floodway after floodway; during the wet season the torrential downpours flood the land.  Wherever there is a dry creek or gully it turns to a gushing stream, with regular road closures.

Passing the small township of Bachelor and nearby Rum Jungle mine, site of the first uranium discovery in the Northern Territory, we pull in at the campsite at Florence falls.  There is also a four wheel drive track that takes you to a different site nearer the falls, however being in the campervan we are stuck taking the road to the 2WD site.

We start to appreciate having the Land Cruiser; the campervan bounces and shakes as we drive down a gentle dirt track. I cannot imagine being able to drive this in many of the places we have visited around the world or being able to comfortably drive at the speeds we are used to.

I once thought a van was a suitable alternative given the extra space etc. rather than a 4×4 but a short stint in this vehicle has convinced me that an unmodified 2 wheel drive would just not cope. I’m sure people have done it, but it’s not my thing.

We stop for the night at the basic campsite, although it’s quite a bargain at $5.  We have a fairly large space and access to fresh water and hot showers.   We cook up some burgers and sausages washed down with a G&T and head to sleep for the night.

The next morning we take a walk through to Florence Falls, taking in the panoramic views of the picturesque falls falling into a deep pool with a few people swimming down below. We clamber down the 160 steps to the valley below, where we jump into the cool and refreshing, croc-free waters; it’s a mighty relief to the 35-38C scorching day time temperatures, with forest surrounding the pool.

Along the road, we come across some magnetic termite mounds, hundreds of mounds which look more like tombstones.  The termite mounds are magnificent; each one is in alignment and facing in exactly the same direction as the others, designed for minimal exposure to the sun.

Next are the cathedral mounds, which are enormous, up to 6m tall and over 60 years old.

After driving around we decide to head to Kakadu National Park, although on the way Martin’s back is playing up quite badly, so we decide to head to the campsite where he can have a lie down.

In the morning, given Martin’s back is not getting any better so we decide to head back in to Darwin and make final preparations for the car to be imported.

21^st   September

We spend time stocking up on essentials, car parts and camping equipment.

It’s D-Day, The AQIS inspection; we arrive at Perkins at 3pm for the inspection, and are taken straight to the shed where the inspection will be carried out. We are given the news that our car won’t start, it seems the water issues we had in Timor had fused some wiring, which ended up fully draining our batteries, and possibly killing them.

The lady from AQIS arrives and immediately jumps under the car; she checks everything from the chassis to under the carpet in the car. In addition to this she opens every piece of baggage we have; each one is checked in the corners for seeds and debris, the tents are fully opened and inspected.

The inspector comes across our ground mat, which has very small grass fibres stuck in the velcro, we are given the choice of taking them out or destroying the mat.

The inspection lasts for 1 ½ hours; unfortunately we fail due to the chassis not being completely clean, something we thought and understood Troy logistics should clean thoroughly, however they did not.

It’s now 4:30pm and Perkins is slowly winding down for the day, making arranging the cleaning more difficult.  However a couple of calls to the office and they are able to arrange someone to come over to re-wash the chassis through.

This saved us having to return the following day with AQIS for another inspection as she was able to hang around and ensure it was clean to the required standard.   Twenty minutes later we are all clear, and have passed the inspection although we are not allowed to leave the yard until paying the inspection fees at the AQIS office on the other side of town.  This means we would not be able to drive out until the next day.

22^nd September

In the morning I head to the AQIS office and settle the bill, prior to heading back down to Perkins to part with more cash, and to collect the car.

The car, before leaving Timor, had been taken apart by Troy Logistics.  Both the owner Troy Adams and his brother Chis Adams had promised to sort out any outstanding issues.

We found the car had been left in a negligent state, with our central locking not working, a kill switch still in place, seats and seat belts missing bolts, snapped bolts on our fuel tank guard and battery bracket, damaged fixings on our radiator, side panels not put back in correctly, damaged roof bar and missing screws from our gear stick.  All in all I would expect the total cost of the damage to cost over $1000 to fix given the high cost of labour here.

We have repeatedly tried contacting Troy Adams to resolve the issues; to date they have not responded to our requests to repay us for repairs or the extra cleaning that was required.

We would therefore suggest if anyone is travelling the same way, to give them a wide berth as they are dishonourable.

Having jump started the car, I take it to a garage to have an oil service, filters changed, and a general check-up before taking it for a roadworthy inspection test.  Unfortunately we fail the test due to wiring problems with our lights, another issue from Troy logistics.

It takes a couple of hours to diagnose and sort out the lights; it seems a relay had been wired incorrectly, which also caused several fuses to blow.

The next morning I’m back at the test station; the car passes, and after purchasing insurance we are finally legal to drive in Australia.

23^rd    September

We spend the day packing and preparing for our long drive east, finally deciding to drive along the Savannah Way via Katherine to Cairns where we would be able get reasonably priced flights to Sydney to meet up with Nicole’s parents.

While going though our luggage we find a bottle of 100% DEET had leaked.   I never really believed DEET could eat through plastic; however after seeing with my own eyes how it had stripped electrical cables, burnt through charges and destroyed our back up hard drive, I now believe it!

In the evening we have a final meal with Mark at a local seafood restaurant down at the marina, which has an all you can eat buffet from large prawns, squid, mussels, crab, oysters, mixed rice, beef, chicken dishes to chocolate cake and fresh fruit.

In the morning we begin our 2700km journey to Cairns, along the Savannah Way.

Join us on Facebook,

[Show picture list]

Martin & Nicole

The post The Beginning of The End appeared first on Nicole - Martins Overland Adventure.

History

The Portuguese first arrived in Timor in the 16^th century, with the Dutch following 50 years later, both with a vested interest in the trade of sandalwood and timber.  The two powers were to compete for Timor over the next three centuries.

After various conflicts for control, by the mid 19^th century, Timor was split into two, with the Dutch claiming the eastern half of the island and the Portuguese the western half, including the enclave of Oecussi in West Timor.

January 1942 saw the occupation of Timor by Japan, a harsh regime involving forced labour and severe food shortages.  By the end of the war, 40-60,000 East Timorese had died.

Following the downfall of the Portuguese empire, the dictatorship was overthrown in 1975 in the ‘carnation revolution’ a peaceful takeover, and on the 28 November the existence of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste was declared.

However, Indonesia was uneasy with the thought of a potential communist neighbour and attacked the capital Dili just 9 days after independence.  27 years of Indonesian occupation followed, at a huge cost of up to 200,000 lives lost from the fighting (a third of the population), and the subsequent disease and famine.

These 27 years saw regular attacks on the Indonesians from the main political group, Fretilin and by early 1999 the Indonesians prepared a referendum for Timor Leste and finally a choice for the people of autonomy or independence.  A near 80% vote for independence resulted in the pro-Indonesian militias and Indonesian army to run rampage, with fires raging in Dili and around, and also near the border, causing thousands to flee into the mountains.

This time the media were watching the atrocities unfold and UN troops soon intervened, bringing stability almost immediately. 20 May 2002 finally saw the declaration of Timor Leste as a new nation.

29^th August

At the Timor border, we hang around in the blistering heat for the border guards to come back from lunch, to have the carnet stamped and our visas issued.  As we have visa permission letters, this takes just 5 minutes and we carry on through to Timor Leste.

We’re surprised that border officials don’t check the car at all; we head straight through on quiet roads past tiny villages, the only car on the roads for long stretches, people wave as we drive along the spectacular coastal road to the capital of Dili.

Being our first new country for 5 months, we wonder what to expect.  Having read the outdated version of the LP guide, which painted a bleak picture of the country, including warnings of not to venture out after dark, we set off arriving in Dili a little guarded.

The accommodation in Dili is expensive and relatively poor in quality compared to what you get for the same money in Indonesia.  After looking for hours online we take one of the cheapest hotel rooms for around £20 a night on a quiet area just off the main road.  We think we probably have the best deal in town, new rooms, flat screen tv, internet, hot water, and breakfast for half the price of the other shady hotels in town.  Later on we go to Castaways restaurant overlooking the seafront, and get a meal which is shockingly expensive, compared to the Indonesian fare we have had for the past few months!

We find most things in Timor Leste expensive, for example a large Bintang or a small Aussie beer will set you back about $4-5.  Food prices are also high, probably because the majority of goods have to be imported.

30^th August

Timor is one of the smallest countries we have been to.  Dili doesn’t really feel like a capital, it’s so tiny, but compared to the surrounding towns, it certainly stands out by miles!  It was recently anointed ‘City of Peace’ by president Jose Ramos-Horta.  Its setting on the northern coast sprawling along the waterfront provides it with a picturesque and laid back feel.

On Timor’s roads, there are UN cars everywhere, mainly kitted out Toyota Land Cruisers and Hiluxs.

We take a drive along the coast, approaching the Christ statue which sits on the headland on Cape Fatucama, looking over the harbour, and modelled after Rio De Janeiro’s Christ The Redeemer.  We take in the stunning bays, passing cyclists training for the ‘Tour de Timor’ cycle race.