THE BIG DASH: Coming out in the wash

We crossed one month on the road this week and then a couple of days later arrived at one of the foundation goals of the trip: Darwin.

There were times Jane and I thought the Northern Territory capital might be just too far for us. Diesel prices too high, diesel just not available, World War III…

We always said if we got to Darwin and everything went down the drain, then it wouldn’t be a bad place to bunker down. Two weeks in one place was certainly going to give us time to figure out if we were right.

But first, there’s still a few days on to road to cover...

Also read:

THE BIG DASH: Now or never

THE BIG DASH: Why we went Chinese

THE BIG DASH: Buying all the bits

THE BIG DASH: Sorting the tow tug

THE BIG DASH: Hitting the scales

THE BIG DASH: On the road, finally!

THE BIG DASH: Onwards and upwards

THE BIG DASH: Getting serious

THE BIG DASH: Soft buggers

Tas (our tow tug) has been soldiering on this week. Appropriate really as we drive north on the Stuart Highway passing ever-more WWII landing strips and army bases.

Traffic is not too heavy, which is just as well as we continue to troop along at a stately 90-95km/h in 130km/h zones. There’s been no bad tempers or fist shaking from faster traffic, they just deal with us when they can.

A couple of times I’ve seen road trains lumbering up behind and elected to pull into a convenient layby or roadhouse driveaway to let them by. It’s safer for everybody.

From Mataranka north through the flood zone that so recently enveloped Katherine and surrounds the highway is in a shocking state.

Ignore the ‘road damage’ signs at your peril because there can be man-eaters! More than once we were reduced to walking pace to pick our way through.

We saw more than one victim of the conditions parked up with flat tyres.

Happily the Tasman X-Pro’s Hankooks stayed in one piece, as did the GoodRide (yes never heard of them either) rubber on the MDC.

In Darwin when we first arrived the caravan got its first wash since we departed our Victorian home over a month ago. It was a pleasure to see it emerge from under the dust and grime. It’s performed really well so far, touch wood, so it deserved some TLC.

The big challenge came after the cleaning session to reverse out of the bay right and then snake left on to the service road and then further left because it was one-way.

We got there in the end, but jeepers my head was spinning as I tried to figure which way to turn the wheel and avoid running into solid bits of metal and concrete as different parts of the combination went in different directions.

We made it unscathed, but it was a solid reminder my reversing skills remain a work in progress.

Janey was instrumental with her instructions – we are getting better at this stuff, especially now we have walkie-talkies – but she was ready for a drink afterwards. No argument from me. Hot work that … in fact everything is hot work up here.

No fuel numbers this week as it’s all a bit funky with short fills while mucking around in Darwin. I also dumped in our reserve 20 litres we’ve been carrying since Nurioopta.

Normal service resumes next week I expect.

But I can tell you that in all conditions since this vehicle was first collected from Kia 10,634km ago (as this was written), the trip computer’s claimed average is 14L/100km.

Things we enjoyed this week:

Mataranka Thermal Springs: “You must visit Mataranka!” If I had $1 for every time someone told us that, well, I’d probably have $6 or $7!

Part of the beauty of the Mataranka is you can camp right next to the National Park entry and walk into the springs. It takes all of two minutes on a raised boardwalk.

At its end you are greeted by pools of vibrantly clear water bubbling up from the ground and headed for the Roper River a few hundred metres away – don’t go there, Croc infested. The springs are delicious to float about in and while away some time.

If it sounds weird to jump in warm water on a 30-degree day, don’t worry, it makes more sense when you are in there.

The springs were only freshly opened after flooding and the damage was obvious. The undergrowth, usually lush and green had been swept away while the water – crystal clear to us first-timers – was only poor visibility according to veteran visitors.

Bitter Springs, just up the road, said to be even better than Mataranka, was still closed when we were there.

Jumping Crocodiles: Our last adventure before hitting the big smoke of Darwin was doing a Jumping Crocs tour. Now Jane’s always been scared of spiders whereas I’ve been more concerned about crocodiles and sharks.

So she was excited to go out in a little open-sided boat on the Adelaide Rover, whereas I was feeling a bit nervous. The skipper assured us they’d never had a croc jump into the boat in the 40 years the tour has been up and running.

“This is not Africa,” he said somewhat crossly, which apart from stating the geographic bloody obvious was a reference that was lost on me.

Anyway, it was spectacular and well worth doing. We saw lots of jumping crocs, snapping crocs, growling crocs and just plain bad tempered crocs, but none landed in the boat thank goodness.

He was right, I guess, we’re not in Africa.

In the very early days of our caravan shopping journey we landed at one sales yard that good manners dictate I shouldn’t mention (it was Snowy River in Frankston).

Back then we were learning the very basics of what you get from whom for your money.

The salesman was a very nice and competent guy who did his best to play up the positives of his 'vans and play down the negatives.

When Jane asked about the absence of a washing machine in one 'van that otherwise seemed to be specified and priced pretty well, he remarked:

“Oh you don’t need one, they’re only good for a pair of jocks or two at a time anyway.”

Well, in your face with a smelly pair of jocks mate! Jane and I are in complete agreement that one of the best things about our 'van is the 2.5kg washing machine that comes standard with it.

It’s just so convenient and handy to use - at the point Jane is asking how I would know, having never used it!

But she does assure me it’s a lot better than traipsing to the camp laundry to do the washing and always having to have a collection of gold coins on hand.

As I would be roped into this activity, I wholeheartedly agree!

The point of this story? If you’re thinking about 'van life, don’t discount a washing machine!

Our last night before heading for the big smoke of Darwin we camped at a place called Leaning Tree.

It was a five acre (thick) bush block out of which the owner had carved a few powered sites. There were also clean and neat amenities, which we appreciated.

It was great to take Lulu and Ed for a stroll around, although we were warned to look out for the pythons. “We only get the good snakes here,” our host said.

‘Are there good snakes?” I wondered. Snakes are up there with crocs and sharks on my to-avoid list.

We never saw any snakes but plenty of bugs came out at night, making it preferable us to stay inside the 'van.

Bring your Bushman insect repellent up here. It’s the one the locals use and it’s the best defence you’ve got. Good Riddance works well too. Janey says it doubles as a nice moisturiser.

This area was less than 100km from Darwin yet there was still a sense of frontier lifestyle.

A mix of bush blocks and market gardens, lots of Aussie flags draped on fences, lots of ‘private property, trespassers will be shot’ signs.

One place look like it had been assembled from debris left on the side of the road; another concrete edifice had overtones of Osama Bin Laden’s hideout. More than a bit of Sovereign Citizen vibe about the whole area.

Now it’s on to the heaving metropolis of Darwin for two weeks. We’ll rest and restock for the coming trip to WA, but more important we’ll do our best to try and understand the northern capital and its people that bit better.

In the process of doing that, the phrase “Barry Says” will come to be very familiar…