Australia day 33 – Katherine to Timber Creek

Most of the country from Katherine along the Victoria Highway travelling west is mile after mile of savannah woodland – it’s not for nothing that this road is known as the Savannah Way. That is, until the area around Victoria Crossing where the flat gives way to the spectacular; angular red glat top sandstone escarpment ranges on both sides and the strangely shaped boab trees with their bulbous trunks start to make an appearance.. The Victoria River is the largest in the Territory and it sweeps through deep valleys and gorges and at some parts is over a kilometre wide. Unfortunately access to most of the Victoria region requires a 4wd and we are restricted to a brief glimpses of the river at Victoria Crossing and for a short distance alongside the road. A road house is the only settlement at Victoria Crossing consisting of a bar, diner camping ground and petrol station. We make a short stop to have an ice cream and top up with petrol. The road house is the first services stop since Katherine 194 km away and the last for another 90km. There is also a caravan park bar and restaurant here and that is all for the next 90 km.  

There’s little traffic on the road, although we do see a Roller and a Bentley! There is a certain camaraderie amongst those travelling in camper vans particularly in Wicked vans, which usually manifests itself in energetic waving at one another. Whether this is from sheer excitement of seeing someone else on an otherwise empty stretch of road or out of empathy for some other poor sucker who ended up with a clapped out old rust bucket, I’m not sure.  

There are many areas of charred earth along the road sides, the result of the small bush fires that seem to break out regularly and palls of smoke can be seen at intervals signalling several small fires are burning up the dry grass in the surrounding country.

Timber Creek is a tiny place on an eponymous tributory of the Victoria River at the foot of the rugged Newcastle range It is a tiny place consisting of a caravan park, motel, bar, mini mart, cemetery, a visitors centre and not much else. It is reknowned for its fishing in particular for barramudi and apparently people come from all over to fish here. The plan is for Andy to catch our dinner tomorrow!  

The creek runs at the back of the caravan park and we arrive just in time to witness the daily feeding of several rather large and aggressive freshwater crocs. There are apparently 13 in this stretch. It’s quite an awesome experience standing only inches above these menacing creatures as they rise out of the water to snap their jaws with a mighty clap around pieces of meat dangled above their heads.  

There are also hundreds of what look like black towels hanging from the trees on the other side of the creek, which on closer inspection tturn out to be huge fruit bats. Apparently they don’t hang in the trees in the caravan park, thank goodness!

.