Claire and I had only been in the NT for a few weeks, but we wanted to get out and see what there was. It was a dry wet season, but even then, most places were closed. We went down to Litchfield National Park to look at the waterfalls, way before I knew to look up access reports. But it all worked out, we got to swim in Florence Falls, and of course there were some great waterfalls.
2,791 km across five days, four nights
We stopped in Charter’s Towers, Mt Isa, Tenant Creek, Mataranka – with a stop to the Daly Waters pub!
We took both our cars, theorising that if one broke down at least we would have the other. But they both made it no worries.
There had been rain recently and the desert was a lot greener than I imagined.
I definitely look back on it as a bit crazy, hopefully I won’t do another road trip that long without stopping to enjoy what’s around! It should be a four month trip, not four nights 🙂
Mataranka Thermal Springs
As I was heading away to Darwin, Andy and Shae took me on a last fishing trip out to the Whitsundays. We didn’t get anything, just a bunch of small fish. We explored a small beach, it’s just so great being out on the water amongst the islands.
The Peel’s boat on the beach. We didn’t catch anything worth photographing.
Always scary fishing at the end of December in Airlie, and sure enough, we got rained on. But it wasn’t too bad and was one of the best trips we had done.
As soon as we moored up I dropped some bait over the side and pulled up a 45cm sweet lip – my favourite. No one could believe that was where I got it, but hey, I’m just a pro.
If I hadn’t gone so hard on the piss the first night I might have been able to fish a great spot where my mate Judda pulled up Indonesian Snapper after Indonesian Snapper. All thanks to my home burley I will assume.
Good fun.
Got some huge crabs
Never thought I would be uploading this photo on a website, check out the abs
I think Dugong Beach is the best place I have ever been.
Seriously, I think it is #1
You need a boat there, but there is a boat you can pay that picks you up and drops you off, at least there was back in 2011.
The website doesn’t have anything other than some tables so you need to bring everything.
Be careful of the monitor lizards! They will eat anything you leave out, and tear open plastic to get in there.
The walk is something you have to do. Unlike every other walk in existence, the ‘estimate time’ and ‘difficulty’ is accurate. I didn’t bring enough water. The view is something else. You will look at my photos and think they are photoshopped… they are auto function on a cannon powershot d10
Beach site
View from the top
Me at the top