Leaving Darwin

 

An emotional last week saw me in tears on a number of occasions and Eric having to speak for both of us. We had left our Tiwi home of almost 20 yrs to the new owners and decamped to Sandy's Homestay for a week to finish everything off and spend time with family and friends. Everything seemed to be going wrong: the lights in the van wouldn't work, the car needed a mechanic, settlement was held up ...... but then by the end of the week we were ready. Just as well because Sandy unexpectedly succumbed to Covid19 and we had to make a hasty move to Squiz and Jim's Joint in Virginia. Our nights in the caravan had begun. 

We hit the road on Sunday 24th July and cruised down to Katherine for a very enjoyable night with Trina. Who could leave the NT without a night in Katherine? It was good to us for our first 4 years in the Top End. We stayed in the van on Trina's nature strip only to discover the construction of a new levee bank directly opposite would begin before sunrise. 

There was the usual amount and variety of vehicles on the road, mostly heading north, but by far the most interesting was this load heading to the Darwin Airbase. Thankfully we met it at Dunmarra Roadhouse rather than on the road.

By the afternoon we were parked-up beside Yve and John at Banka Banka Station. This is just one of the many couples we met very early on, when we first arrived in Katherine, but who have since moved away. They had travelled up through outback NSW and Qld then across the Barkly on their way to revisit Katherine. 

In the morning we headed south and from here-on we're not expecting to see anyone we know until the Clare Valley. Two nights in Alice Springs gave us a break from the driving and a chance to play golf on the fabulous course nestled below the MacDonald Ranges. We also switched our mobile service to Telstra again after much frustration with no connectivity. Lovely sunny day but oh boy, the nights were cold!

The next day we crossed into SA and got to Cadney Park, north of Coober Pedy. Not a lot to remember about this stop but the sunrise was spectacular. It a very easy drive on to Lake Hart near Woomera on the Friday. 

We'd tried to stop here before but found it crowded so we were thrilled to find there was plenty of free camping, and to our delight, the salt lake had water in it. We spent the afternoon walking around in the scrub looking at the lake and birdwatching. A number of trains went by while we camped just up the rise. Enjoyed a beautiful sunset and sunrise but its very cold outside at those times. Note the layers of clothing.

Our next stop was with Denise and Col at Watervale in the Clare Valley. This is another couple we met in Katherine but after many years in the Top End they too moved south. It is lovely to see the improvements they continue to make in the stone cottage with each visit; this time the kitchen flooring was a standout. Walking around the property we had to stay clear of all the spring lambs frolicking about. We were driven around the valley including to this silo art at Farrell Flat. Apparently there is a baby elephant hidden in the picture. I couldn't find it then but now I have thanks to a spoil sport on Fb. There's a story explaining why it features but you need to visit to find out from a local. 

Our final stop on the journey to Vic was at a free camp across the river from Robinvale at Lake Benanee. We found this spot in 2019 and thought it would be a good one to enjoy a last open fire by before setting up in a caravan park for the next week or so while the house hunting begins. We weren't disappointed.

We booked into the NRMA  Caravan Park in Echuca on 2nd August, 9 days after leaving.