Rhos, Bill & the 'turtle' hit the road......

Our plans had been to drive from Eden to Kakadu but once again Mother Nature decided on a different course of action. With all the heavy rain the Adelaide River had flooded and the road to Kakadu was cut and not expected to open for a few days. We stopped for a quick look at Window on the Wetlands. This is a great place to stop and view the bird life from a higher view and there are also some really interesting displays inside to learn about the Wetlands. It is perched on Beatrice Hill, one of the highest points on the Adelaide River floodplain. From here we could see the flooded road and knew it was time to implement Plan B - go the other way.

We drove back down the Arnhem Hwy through Humpty Doo, I'm sure the big croc was smiling at this change of plans, and this time turned left towards Adelaide River. The town not the river. Our first stop was for lunch at a little place called Bridge Creek. Just a lay by we thought but with a little water lying nearby we were entertained by some Rajah Shelducks and some Plumed Whistling Ducks. Also some very cheeky Blue Faced Honeyeaters joined us hoping for some scraps from our lunch. They won and we left them a couple of crusts. With lunch over and the dishes done it was time to hit the road again. Our next stop was Manton Dam, built in 1942, and was Darwin's first reliable water supply. Today, although its water is still used in emergencies, the Dam is a popular recreation area. It's undisturbed drainage area is also a valuable catchment and conservation area. Once again the Do not swim signs were up and the parkland's were very soggy. We did have a walk through the Mangroves on a boardwalk and with the water very high I did just what the sign said and stayed away from the edge. I was not becoming dinner for any crocodile just yet.

We arrived at Adelaide River during the afternoon and found it to be a nice little town. We found a spot in the Caravan Park as recommended by Josie and after a little wander round to get our bearings it was time to cool off in the pool. We had a good night here with dinner at the Pub right next door. There were not too many people in the park as it is still the off season so there was no waits for showers or toilets. A great result that continued for our whole trip. We did have to share the bathrooms with the delightful Cane Toads though. They seem to have settled all though the Top End and while not a pretty sight they are no trouble. I did draw the line at sharing a shower with them and had to shoo many of them out before I could get in. Ah, life on the wild side eh! While having breakfast the next morning I saw these largeish birds bouncing around on the ground. Closer inspection showed us they were Great Bower birds and there were three bowers around a tree trunk. Bill spent some time capturing all their antics and their bowers were just works of art. Unlike the Satin Bower Bird who collects blue things these Grey/White birds collect all things white. They had stones, shells, snails bleached by the sun and broken glass and all three bowers were suitably decorated. They were quite amazing to watch and listen too as the male was obviously courting the ladies. Before leaving we had a look at the Adelaide River War Cemetery. This is a sobering reminder of the impact World War II had on this part of Australia. There are 434 military burials in total and the adjoining Civil Cemetery honours 63 civilians including the nine post office workers who were killed in the 19 February 1942 bombing of Darwin.

We left then and headed on to Pine Creek, stopping for a coffee along the way at Hayes creek. Our mission in Pine Creek was to find a Hooded Parrot. Apparently while quite rare this is one of the spots they are easy to find. Nolan had given Bill the task of getting a photo of one of them. Well I'm here to tell you, I don't believe there is such a thing as we never saw one. Now before everyone screams & shouts I know they do exist as I have seen Nolan's photos but we passed through Pine Creek 3 times and were unlucky each time. Looks like we will just have to go back again. Anyway Pine Creek was a nice little town. Our first night here we stayed in Leaping Lizard Caravan park and the first thing we saw when we set up camp was another pair of Great Bower birds. These ones were not quite so friendly as the others but still fun to observe and see what they were up to. Leaping Lizard C'van Park was a nice place to stay with a quirky pub, good food but the bathroom facilities left a lot to be desired. A bit rustic to say the least but isn't that what camping is all about. We survived the night and enjoyed our wander through the town. As the home of the Enterprise Pit, now filled with water since 1993, it is full of Goldmining history and a walk through Miners Park is like a step back in time seeing all the old machinery. The Historic Railway Museum is interesting too with the old tracks, signals & trains on display. The watergardens and huge windmill in the middle of town is lovley too. Lorikeets by the hundreds descend on the town each night at dusk but not one hooded parrot did we see.

The next morning we decided to give the pesky parrots one last chance so headed out to the treatment plant. No parrots but the most adorable little family of Rajah Shelducks having a little problem getting out of the water. Mum seemed to want them to get out but each time they tried another nasty duck on the edge just flew at them making Mum go for it. Was amazing to watch but eventually they did make it to dry land. In the other pond there was also a little family of Plumed Whistling Ducks. These little guys seemed to be having duck diving lessons from Mum & Dad. All very cute but time to leave them to their lessons we are off to Katherine.

More miles to travel.........