From Katherine out to the Katherine Gorge, then up to Darwin
Today we travelled 372 kms, from Katherine out to the Katherine Gorge, then up to Darwin. The Gorge can only be explored by boat or from the air. We climbed aboard a river boat and cruised up 2 of the Gorges. As you can see from the stunning pictures, it is a serene tranquil place at the moment, but when the heavy rains are about, the waterline rises by 1 metre an hour. The cruise went for about 2 hours.
We were told that the rock faces are normally white sandstone, that has been stained over time, and that there are no fossils in the stone because it is older than any animal able to be fossilised.
We then drove up to Darwin, stopping at the Pine Creek lookout to see the remains of an old gold mine that is now filled with water. We also stopped at the Adelaide River War Cemetery, where many servicemen killed in WWII have been laid to rest, and the names of those who were not able to be buried are memorialised.
Tomorrow we have a planned rest day, before heading off South again through Kakadu and Jabiru. Hopefully some of the 4WD tracks will open up so we can get to Jim Jim Falls, but it’s not looking good at the moment!
