Mataraka Musings

Howdie all,
We have arrived at Mararanka - the only place with internet signal since the last post!  We have had some adventures this week.  We decided to take the road less travelled and instead of coming up the highway past Tennant Creek we cut in fore a mere 400km detour to go through to Cape Crawford.  Couldn't not go there really when we were so close.  The highway was a single lane no wider than our driveway at home and all unfenced paddocks so cows wandering all over the road.  For the entire 460kms we passed 8 cars coming towards us and passed 2 going our way.  We passed a road kill site with no less than 10 wedge tailed eagles who were very reluctant to leave their restuarant - what a magnificent site - and as the car pulled slowly towards them to pass, they finally took to the air - a sight that none of us will forget for a long time.  We arrived at Cape Crawford and set up our camp.  Nothing here except some hopefuls with helicopters offerring 10 minute joy rides over the Lost City - which you can drive to with a 4by.  Not many takers - well, not many people here at all really.  I went to book in at the homestead as you are asked to do when setting up a camp and the guy asked for my surname.  "Crawford" I said,  "no, not the name of this place, your name" he said while looking at me like I was an idiot, and talking very slowly like I was a person of little brain. I repeated myself "Crawford. as in Mr and Mrs Crawford and their two children" I heard myself saying as I fixed him with my gimlet eye that only comes from travelling the so called Barkly Highway in the dust and heat for 460kms after a rotten night's sleep next to a generator.  "You're kidding" he says, "Nope" I say.  "No way" he says, "Way" I say.  He shakes his head a lot and I walk out having completed the requisite paperwork while he just can't believe my signature.  Was hoping for a good night's sleep but wouldn't you believe it, the generator here for the whole township sounds like a lawnmower right outside your window on high throttle - all night.......and in the morning at 6am, the chopper is started up to warm up just about 200 m from our campsite and than after 15 minutes it takes off.  I gave up and got up and we were away by 7.45 that morning.  We then cut over to the Stuart Highway and called into Daly Waters before coming up the road to Mataranka.  We have swum in the Bitter Springs Thermal Pool.  We tried to go bushwalking (in the Elsey National Park) along the Roper River but we hopped out of the car in the car park area and wandered 100m along the track to see a huge croc trap and decided we would abandon such a walk!  The wet season here has been huge and there are still areas closed to the public in Nat parks.  And there are many crocs who have wandered in the big wet that are still being rounded up.  We are heading out of coverage again for a while as we work our way through Nat Parks towards Darwin. I have been writing a lot and have lots of stories saved up for when I have a chance to post them.  There are so many interesting things and interesting people out here on the road and everyone has a story. Next post will be the Weekly Round Up for Week 2.