Mount Isa to Katherine

It's Mine, Mine, Mine:  Mt Isa Mines..........   Before we left Mt. Isa we were lucky enough to secure two tickets for the underground mine tour which was really worth doing.  Our tour left at 7.30 am and we were transported to the mine where we all had to change into full mining gear that included overalls, socks and safety boots, hard hat and battery pack for the torch which clipped onto your hat, belt and safety goggles.  After a safety video we were transported down in a cage to 900 metres below the surface and we travelled round in a 4 WD ute.

It was amazing to see the  activity going on underground.  We watched as big equipment drilled into the walls to place explosives ready for discharging which occurs around 8.00 am and pm each day.  We also were shown how the very narrow tunnels are cleared of the lead/silver ore by way of a skilled worker operating the dump trucks by remote control. He sat in armchair comfort in front of television screens and operated a dump truck that was 2 km away.  It was really interesting and after 31/2 hours we were surfaced into full daylight again.  We both decided that we would not survive very long working down there.  The workers deserve every penny they earn.

It's Finally Happened, What You Ask?   Read On!    We left Mt. Isa and started the long drive of kilometer after kilometer of very scrubby country and straight road with not much to see.  We did achieve one thing and that was we crossed the border from Queensland to Northern Territory.  It seemed forever that we had been on Maps 10 and 11 and now finally we're on  Map 78 and 79.  Overnight was spent at a small off road camp spot called Soudan and the next day we drove over 500 kms to another off road camp spot 22 km north of Elliott.  There is really little to see along this stretch so the sooner you move along the better.  The only interesting thing that happened was an aboriginal who came out of the pub at Elliott and tried to sell us a homemade crocodile carving.  He was asking a little too much for it so we politely declined and he returned to the pub.

Our next day was a bit more interesting as we went to the Daly Waters Pub well known for its history and memorabilia.  At 10.30 am we had our first beer for the day and sat at the bar and admired everything.  There are old caps, old stubby holders, currency, bras, panties, jokes, flags, business cards just about everything.  As we were leaving all the bikies on their Harley Davidsons arrived on their way to a conference in Darwin. What was amazing was that most of these bikies were older than Eric Curtis, a well known Ballarat bikie.

We passed through Mataranka and decided not to stop but to save this spot for sightseeing on the way back in September. Found another off road camp spot this side of Katherine and in the morning arrived at Katherine and a very nice caravan park called Low Levels just out of town.  The weather is definitely warming up 32 -34 degrees each day.  We decided to stay for a week as there was so much to do and it was a good time to just stop and relax as well.   You may not believe it, but we have a very busy time, what with sightseeing, socialising and doing the housework!

CanIcanoelikeyoucanoe......  A 32 km drive on a sealed road takes you to the Nitmiluk National Park and Katherine Gorge and from here we went for a four and a half hour return hike (8.4 km) through some quite rugged countryside and ended up at Pat's Lookout which gave you a spectacular view of the gorge from the top.  As we both wanted to have a swim in the gorge,  we then descended down to the water through very rugged terrain and over huge boulders but it was well worth it as we were able to swim and relax on the banks of the Katherine River.   We decided that we would like to see a bit more of the area, as Katherine Gorge is made up of 15 gorges so we hired a canoe for a full day (8 hours) and were able to travel to the top of the third gorge.  It was a head wind going up the river (definitely muscle building stuff) but fortunately was a tail wind coming home and you were able to lie back and look at the sheer canyon walls as the wind gently brought you home.  The next day Liz did have have a few aching muscles.

Cutta Cutta Caves was another interesting visit.  These caves are just 26 kms south of Katherine and were formed over 500 millions years ago and are still growing.  The limestone cave formations are about 15 metres below the surface and are home to the Ghost Bats, but we didn't see any, hence the name I guess.

The River by Night .....We booked to go on a "Katherine River by Night" tour.  Everyone climbed aboard a river barge and travelled up the Katherine River witnessing a fantastic sunset and spotting freshwater crocodiles by torch.  Their red eyes do stand out in the dark and as it was nesting season we managed to see a few along the way.  We stopped about 5 km down stream and walked across clean white sand to the camp fire where we enjoyed a BBQ tea.   The star filled night sky was so bright,  and the Milky Way stood out so clearly along with the Southern Cross.


 
 

A Magic Spot......   A "must"  visit is to Edith Falls, which consists of a series of falls on the edge of the Arnhem Land escarpment that run all the year round.        Most tourists just go to the lower falls but we walked up to the top falls which takes about 30 mins, a little bit steep but nothing like Katherine Gorge.  We arrived at the top pool and only a handful of people were there.  The falls were just superb and by the end of our visit we were the only ones there.  You could swim right up to the falls in beautiful clear cool water with rocks and pandanus trees surrounding the water hole.  Definitely worth a return visit someday.

The Biggest Schoolroom in the World....  A visit to the School of the Air and the Katherine Thermal Hot Springs were the last two attractions that we wanted to see.  Unfortunately the day at the school saw the teachers having technical problems with their radio which they use to communicate to the isolated school children all over the Northern Territory.  This meant that we could hardly hear the conversations but what we saw was very interesting.  The thermal hot springs were full of tourists and young children.  Not really our scene.

From Katherine we head for Kakadu National Park then to Darwin so until then this is your intrepid travellers signing off.

Liz & Rob

This page updated on August 13, 1999

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