.. after a short foray into Darwin and back via the Kakadu Hway, I'm back in Nth Qld .. well .. at Fountain Springs Rest area which is just 60 k's west of Cloncurry ..
My heart wasn't in the Darwin trip .. but I did want to have a brief look before I spend a week or more there next year.
but its great to be back in Qld too .. top up supplies tomorrow, then head north to Normanton and Karumba .. been meaning to see that area for some time.
After that .. head east again .. for Mareeba ..
Jon
Firefly said
02:12 PM May 21, 2011
Nice one John, sounds like you are having a great time.
jonathan said
03:19 PM May 21, 2011
Thanks FF ..
problem is .. the more you see .. the more you want to see .. but thats all good !
Jon
lilly31 said
03:28 PM May 21, 2011
jonathan wrote:
Thanks FF ..
problem is .. the more you see .. the more you want to see .. but thats all good !
Jon
I know how you feel ,,,,,
Cruising Granny said
05:22 PM May 21, 2011
Keep it up Jon and tell us more. I'd like to hear what the country up FNQ is like after the big wet and cyclone season. Good luck and take care.
jonathan said
05:39 PM May 21, 2011
Its good though, Jude .. I love it !
Jon
jonathan said
05:44 PM May 21, 2011
Thanks Chris ..
.. and I'm considering doing what you did too .. maybe join Sing Australia .. its time I took some coaching .. heh ..
will be in Mareeba for some time .. so Cairns is not too far away ..
Jon
jimricho said
05:57 PM May 21, 2011
jonathan wrote:
Thanks Chris ..
.. and I'm considering doing what you did too .. maybe join Sing Australia .. its time I took some coaching .. heh ..
will be in Mareeba for some time .. so Cairns is not too far away ..
Jon
I can't sing but I've been told that sometimes I hum a bit!
jonathan said
06:44 PM May 21, 2011
Humming is good ! .. leastaways when your teeth fall out, it doesn't alter the sound ..
Jon
yogi said
06:54 PM May 21, 2011
g/day jon. im in cairns now ,wil be for about another month, hf 8961 same club as you , only just retired and be on the road full time very soon hope we cross paths somewhere mareeba is where i was based working all over qld there is ac/van park at granite gorge (mareeba) guy there is a auto elec they have been there only a yr or two could be worth a try paul
jimricho said
07:07 PM May 21, 2011
jonathan wrote:
Humming is good ! .. leastaways when your teeth fall out, it doesn't alter the sound ..
Jon
I suspect their reference to humming had more to do with an olfactory sensation rather than an aural one!
jonathan said
07:39 PM May 21, 2011
Hi Yogi ..
Will definitely be in touch .. Will also look into that van park at Granite Gorge. Current plans are to go to the Rodeo grounds where I was last year but all things considered .. and I expect to be in the area for a few months ..
quite possibly be there in about a weeks time .. talk soon !
Jon
jonathan said
07:43 PM May 21, 2011
Gee Jim ..
let me have my moment of sensational comment .. there was another 'slant' one could have applied .. but I didn't want to make it too difficult for you .. hehe !
Jon
Cruising Granny said
08:14 PM May 21, 2011
jonathan wrote:
Thanks Chris ..
.. and I'm considering doing what you did too .. maybe join Sing Australia .. its time I took some coaching .. heh ..
will be in Mareeba for some time .. so Cairns is not too far away ..
Jon
You don't have to be good at singing, you just have to love doing it. It's all about having fun. There's a strong group at Mareeba, and join with Atherton, Mossman and Cairns for special events in the region from time to time. The best part is you can join in wherever there's a group where you are across the country. It's a good social connection, and you'll make friends for life. If you join in Cairns I'm sure Barb Jordan will welcome you with open arms, especially if you drop my name.
jonathan said
08:45 PM May 21, 2011
appreciate that Chris ..
Jon
Vic said
02:57 PM May 22, 2011
Jon, we were at Normanton about this time last year, if you're staying at Normanton, suggest the c/park behind the motel with the big barra out front. There is also free parking on the Norman river on the edge of town. A short trip on the Gulflander is also well worth doing, but check which days it runs etc and book.
We used this as a base to visit Karumba and found it much nicer. At Karumba make sure you visit the Enviro Centre (I think that is what it is called) to see the Barra breeding program and breeding stock (no fishing rods allowed, ha ha) well worth the entry fee.
-- Edited by Vic on Sunday 22nd of May 2011 02:59:47 PM
Welcome bakc to Qld Jonathon - I like Normanton and Karumba - also like the Curry - happy travels.
wendyv said
10:07 PM May 22, 2011
While you are in the area, think about detouring to visit Lawn Hill area. One of the best places in Australia, in my view. Why was your heart not in the Darwin trip?
jonathan said
10:50 PM May 22, 2011
Hi Vic ..
Arrived here in Normanton just afterlunch today .. and actually booked into the same CP .. Handy spot allright .. and I could be here for up to a week ..
Haven't looked into Curry Jules .. so will make a point of doing so .. and thanks !
Hi Wendy .. Basically I went in unprepared. I was last there in '72-'74 .. and knew it would be different.
Being so close though (in Katherine) I just had to get an idea of the changes .. and to help prepare for a longer (organised) look at it next year ..
Jon
Vic said
05:36 PM May 23, 2011
We loved it there Jon and should have spent more time there, it was so relaxing. The barra weren't biting, even on the charters at Karumba, something to do with the temperature of the water wasn't right, so some grumpy fishermen around.
wendyv said
04:50 PM May 24, 2011
Jon, I think that, for anyone who knew Darwin, pre-Tracy, the best way to go back there now is to treat it like you are going to a totally new place. I didn't know "old" Darwin, but have made several visits there since late 80's, and have seen big changes in that time. It is a great place to visit - friends who live there love it, too. It is also a very different experience, outside of the tourist season......our most recent visit was Feb this year. The Driver wanted to see the storm season, but overdid it a bit and he got to see a little cyclone.
jonathan said
05:33 PM May 24, 2011
I agree with you Wendy .. and I hope to be going back there next year after travelling up through the centre ..
Hopefully I'll link up with friends (of friends) who do live up there .. but as yet the details I have are pretty incomplete.
I think too that would have to include a closer at Kakadu as well .. so yes .. will approach it as new territory.
Jon
wendyv said
04:39 PM May 25, 2011
For next year, put Litchfield NP on your must-do list. It is very different to Kakadu, with several impressive waterfalls fairly close together. Some good short walks at the various falls. We worked out near Wangi Falls for a few months, in 2006, and it was beautiful country to be in.
Cruising Granny said
04:50 PM May 25, 2011
You're right WendyV. It's a beautiful area with lots of points of interest, including the walk up and over the falls. I travelled with a mate and we camped in the park adjacent to the national park, just outside the boundary fence. There are other national park camping grounds. The unique magnetic termite mounds, and some history around the homestead just to the south. Interesting place, followed by a wallow in the Wangi Falls pond.
jonathan said
05:49 PM May 25, 2011
Will do Wendy .. Some friends I saw on numerous occasions while travelling across the top were heading there in a 4x4 ..
I will have to see whats accessable to 2wd and plan it accordingly ..
Jon
wendyv said
05:48 PM May 26, 2011
You can turn off the Stuart Highway about 30km north of Adelaide River town, go via Batchelor right through to Wangi, on a good bitumen road. The bitumen continues for a few km beyond the NP boundary, just west of Wangi Falls turnoff. This gives you access to a basic but adequate caravan park, the Litchfield Safari Park. All the main waterfalls have bitumen side roads to them. You would have to backtrack the same way to the highway, as the road beyond Woolaning is, at this stage, unsealed to where it meets the Mandurah road.
jules47 said
09:15 PM May 26, 2011
Yeh Jon - Litchfield is a lovely place - lovely waterfalls and pools, but I really loved Kakadu best - sort of wilder.
jonathan said
03:27 AM May 27, 2011
.. I'm gonna enjoy going back .. It's also nice not seeing everything initially. Sort of justifies a need to go and have another look.
Hi folks ..
.. after a short foray into Darwin and back via the Kakadu Hway, I'm back in Nth Qld .. well .. at Fountain Springs Rest area which is just 60 k's west of Cloncurry ..
My heart wasn't in the Darwin trip .. but I did want to have a brief look before I spend a week or more there next year.
but its great to be back in Qld too .. top up supplies tomorrow, then head north to Normanton and Karumba .. been meaning to see that area for some time.
After that .. head east again .. for Mareeba ..
Jon
Thanks FF ..
problem is .. the more you see .. the more you want to see .. but thats all good !
Jon
I know how you feel ,,,,,
I'd like to hear what the country up FNQ is like after the big wet and cyclone season. Good luck and take care.
Its good though, Jude .. I love it !
Jon
Thanks Chris ..
.. and I'm considering doing what you did too .. maybe join Sing Australia .. its time I took some coaching .. heh ..
will be in Mareeba for some time .. so Cairns is not too far away ..
Jon
I can't sing but I've been told that sometimes I hum a bit!
Humming is good ! .. leastaways when your teeth fall out, it doesn't alter the sound ..
Jon
I suspect their reference to humming had more to do with an olfactory sensation rather than an aural one!
Hi Yogi ..
Will definitely be in touch .. Will also look into that van park at Granite Gorge. Current plans are to go to the Rodeo grounds where I was last year but all things considered .. and I expect to be in the area for a few months ..
quite possibly be there in about a weeks time .. talk soon !
Jon
Gee Jim ..
let me have my moment of sensational comment .. there was another 'slant' one could have applied .. but I didn't want to make it too difficult for you .. hehe !
Jon
You don't have to be good at singing, you just have to love doing it. It's all about having fun.
There's a strong group at Mareeba, and join with Atherton, Mossman and Cairns for special events in the region from time to time.
The best part is you can join in wherever there's a group where you are across the country.
It's a good social connection, and you'll make friends for life.
If you join in Cairns I'm sure Barb Jordan will welcome you with open arms, especially if you drop my name.
appreciate that Chris ..
Jon
Jon, we were at Normanton about this time last year, if you're staying at Normanton, suggest the c/park behind the motel with the big barra out front. There is also free parking on the Norman river on the edge of town. A short trip on the Gulflander is also well worth doing, but check which days it runs etc and book.
We used this as a base to visit Karumba and found it much nicer. At Karumba make sure you visit the Enviro Centre (I think that is what it is called) to see the Barra breeding program and breeding stock (no fishing rods allowed, ha ha) well worth the entry fee.
-- Edited by Vic on Sunday 22nd of May 2011 02:59:47 PM
Why was your heart not in the Darwin trip?
Hi Vic ..
Arrived here in Normanton just afterlunch today .. and actually booked into the same CP .. Handy spot allright .. and I could be here for up to a week ..
Haven't looked into Curry Jules .. so will make a point of doing so .. and thanks !
Hi Wendy .. Basically I went in unprepared. I was last there in '72-'74 .. and knew it would be different.
Being so close though (in Katherine) I just had to get an idea of the changes .. and to help prepare for a longer (organised) look at it next year ..
Jon
I think that, for anyone who knew Darwin, pre-Tracy, the best way to go back there now is to treat it like you are going to a totally new place. I didn't know "old" Darwin, but have made several visits there since late 80's, and have seen big changes in that time. It is a great place to visit - friends who live there love it, too. It is also a very different experience, outside of the tourist season......our most recent visit was Feb this year. The Driver wanted to see the storm season, but overdid it a bit and he got to see a little cyclone.
I agree with you Wendy .. and I hope to be going back there next year after travelling up through the centre ..
Hopefully I'll link up with friends (of friends) who do live up there .. but as yet the details I have are pretty incomplete.
I think too that would have to include a closer at Kakadu as well .. so yes .. will approach it as new territory.
Jon
The unique magnetic termite mounds, and some history around the homestead just to the south. Interesting place, followed by a wallow in the Wangi Falls pond.
Will do Wendy .. Some friends I saw on numerous occasions while travelling across the top were heading there in a 4x4 ..
I will have to see whats accessable to 2wd and plan it accordingly ..
Jon
Yeh Jon - Litchfield is a lovely place - lovely waterfalls and pools, but I really loved Kakadu best - sort of wilder.
.. I'm gonna enjoy going back .. It's also nice not seeing everything initially. Sort of justifies a need to go and have another look.
Jon