17 - 22 April 2010.
KATHERINE ICON - a monument to honour the pioneers of the outback. The model was an aboriginal stockman.
SPRINGWOOD HOMESTEAD
This is the oldest original homestead in the Northern Territory's Top End. The stone house and barn were built on the banks of the Katherine River in 1879 by Alfred Giles. He spent the previous two years droving 12,000 sheep to the station, which was the stuff of legend for years to come.
As soon as the homestead was finished, Alfred returned to Adelaide to marry and bring up his young bride. The property had an extensive orchard and vegetable garden and many overland travelers stopped there to obtain fresh food, especially fruit with Vitamin C to cure the effects of scurvy after many months of living on dry rations.
A picture of Alfred Giles with the house and barn in the background.....
Alfred's wife, Mary, planted four South American Raintrees - one for each of their children. Today these huge trees overshadow the house. (The reason they are called Raintrees is that each night the leaves curl up and collect rain or dew. In the morning when the leaves unfurl they release the water like rain!)
In one of the trees were three Tawny Frogmouths.... here are two checking me out!!
KATHERINE GORGE
We took a river cruise up the
KATHERINE GORGE. There are 13 gorges carved through sandstone by the Katherine River, with rocks and boulders separating each gorge.....
Our tour took us along three gorges. Usually you have to alight at the end of each gorge because of the rocks and rapids and walk a short distance and join another boat. We did this at the end of the first gorge, but the recent rain had raised the level of the water so high that it was well above the rocks at the end of the second gorge and we were able to negotiate a few small rapids into the third gorge......
We stopped and took a short walk into Lilly Ponds.... and a swim....
Near the end of the cruise, another quick stop for a swim.... Southern Rock Hole.
CUTTA CUTTA CAVES
These limestone caves were discovered by a stockman looking for lost cattle.... some of his cows had fallen into the cave!! The caves are home to 5 species of bats including the rare ghost and horseshoe bats.....
A snake curled up in a hole near the cave entrance....
A curtain of stalactites......
Calcium carbonate with glowing crystals (click to enlarge). The holes were caused by sticks which get washed into the caves when they flood in the wet season each year. Towards the end of the caves were underground thermal pools and it was like walking into a sauna!!
WALK TO TOP OF KATHERINE GORGE
On the last day we went for an early morning bush walk up to the lookout overlooking the Katherine Gorge. On our way met this friendly little wallaby.....
As we climbed higher, one of the tour boats is heading up to the wharf to pick up its first boatload of tourists for the day....
The gorge escarpment starts to rise from the surrounding plain.........
On the path looking across the gorge.....
What's he trying to tell me? Take a deep breath, Bev, and you can fit through?!?!
Success! We make it to the top!! The weather is so hot and humid here.... on the way back we stopped for a swim in the Katherine Thermal Pools.....
Just think, people go all the way to NZ for thermal pools and here they are right in our own back yard.
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