We are travelling from Darwin to Sydney via the Stuart, Barkly, Landsborough, Warrego, Carnavon, Newell and New England Highways, then the old Pacific Highway to Sydney.
I’ll try to write this blog whenever I have time and coverage and include photos whenever I get a chance to download them from my camera.
There’ll be comments on places we stay such as the fees and quality of the facilities; fuel stops and cost; the location of strategic turn-offs; and, how long it takes us to cover each stage.
We are travelling in a Nissan Navara D22 4×4 dual cab ute with a rooftop tent mounted on the well body.
Day 1 – Sunday 23 August 2015
Left Darwin around 12.30 pm, a bit later than intended as always. Within an hour we hit our first lot of roadworks at Coomalie but the five-minute delay gave us the chance to get the CDs out from under the driver’s seat and launch Bob Segar, always first on the playlist!
Drove past Adelaide River around 13.50; Hayes Creek 14.20; and Emerald Springs 14.25. Bob Seger finished so we swapped him for Adele.
Passed quite a few cattle holding yards packed with stock probably waiting for their overseas trip to Indonesia.
The Pine Creek turnoff came up 15 minutes past Emerald Springs and the one for Edith Falls 30 minutes later with nothing to distract us inbetween except occasional sightings of kapok trees and turkey bush and jet streams in the sky making me wonder where they were all off to.
Crossed the Katherine River around 15.45, fuelled up at Woolies: 56L @ 143.3 cents per litre (cpl) less 4 cpl discount $74.87. Odometer 59276.
Left Katherine 16.07. Passed through Mataranka an hour later. Sign warning ‘No fuel next 176 km’ which would be Daly Waters therefore no fuel at Larrimah, our destination which we arrived at around 17.50.
A fun place to spend the first night of our roadtrip
Staff members are welcoming, fun and friendly. A full dinner menu is available. Pies were advertised but not on the dinner menu. However, when I asked if I could have one, the cook insisted on baking a fresh one rather than giving me the last one left, baked earlier today, but earmarked for an elderly regular. It was delicious.
The facilities are basic: 1 toilet and 1 combined toilet and shower each for males and females.
Camp kitchen includes bbq, jug and toaster.
Cost $9 per person for an unpowered site.
DRIVING AUSTRALIA 