Swimming with the crocs!

Leaving Alice Springs marked the first art of my travels completed and setting forth now to the Top End to see the rest of the NT.  On the way I stooped two nights at The Devils Marbles - there is just something about that place!  The duty dingo was on duty, being photographed by all who passed thru.  While not on my list, everyone kept telling me Daly Waters is a 'Must Do!'.  As I headed north, there were greener parts in amongst the desert and the temperatures were warmer, in the range of 15-30 degrees C.  Down south, of course, the temperatures were cooling with winter setting in, resulting in tourist traffic increasing with the migration north.  Free camps were getting very crowded so as I had plenty of time, I would not travel far ensuring I got to the next stop early.  At Newcastle Waters Rest Area, I was informed that the town of Newcastle Waters was only a few km away, but was mainly a ghost town now.  I was also informed that the pub at Daly Waters is a 'must do' so added it to my list.

Newcastle Waters was indeed well watered and thus became an important waterhole on the stock routes when cattle were driven to market.  A few of the original buildings remained and were reasonably well preserved, if basic.  The pub was by far the biggest complex, including rooms (bunkhouse-type?), a dorm and associated amenities.  It wasn't hard to imagine a busy night when a few herds were being rested nearby for a few days and the stringers were 'washing off trail dust' in the traditional manner.  The nearby store was also interesting, having one wall constructed by laying beer bottles and mortaring them in place.  The waterhole itself is quite extensive and is very popular with a variety of birds.

Then on to Daly Waters Pub for the night, arriving early to get a good spot but the critters put me in the overflow park, my guess is because my van was small and would take a spot where a larger van could be fitted.  As not much 'overflow' developed, it was quiet, if a bit lonely.  Daly Waters was a stop on another stock route, however with improved roads and road trains, the percentage of cattle driven increased from 3% in 1956 to 95% in 1958.  Rather than go the way of Newcastle Waters, the pub at Daly Waters turned to tourism, featuring an original Outback Pub.  A caravan park was added, meals are very good and reasonable and an entertainer - Chilli - puts on a nightly performance.  Also, the decor has been left to, well, whatever you want to leave!  So there are signed bras and knickers hanging from the ceiling, photos, ID cards, caps & hats, shoulder patches, license plates, money of various denominations from an equally variety of countries...  You can spend quite a few hours checking out the items!  The feature meal is Beef & Barra, it is a good feed and there is an all you can eat salad bar.  Chilli starts at 7:30pm and goes non-stop for an hour and a half!  He tells stories, jokes and sings songs.  He grew up in the Outback, worked stock, spent time on the rodeo circuit and now entertains.  Now I tell people that Daly Waters is a 'Must Do!'.

My next stop was Elsey National Park, known as 'We of the Never Never' country, as it is the former property Jeannie Gunn wrote of in her book "We of the Never Never" in 1908.  It is a very pleasant campground on the Roper River, quite a surprise in itself as the drive up was pretty dry and suddenly here is a river 50m wide!  Apparently the water comes from storage in the Barkley Tablelands and comes up as springs through a fault in the vicinity.  It reputedly contains fish, including barramundi, can't prove it by me nor have I found anyone who has caught any, but it is great for swimming in (all the crocs are freshwater crocs and harmless apparently)!  It is a very peaceful relaxing Park so I booked in for a few extra nights.  I also went to the Elsey Homestead, a replica used in the movie "We of the Never Never"; they show the movie each day at noon so I watched it over a barra burger:  Note in the "Maluka's Bar" photo that the Jan 27, 1998 flood level was a few centimetres below the ceiling!  Can't say this life is tough but for some reason it is nice to just have a few days of nothing - washing clothes & tidying the van aren't quite 'nothing', but it is comforting knowing I am keeping on top of such chores.  From here it is on to Mataranka and Katherine.