The original plan for Katherine was to paddle the gorge and
camp the night somewhere along the river and then paddle back the next day.
After the series of cold nights we had had we decided that this was probably
not the best idea. We got up early after a good night’s sleep and headed to the
gorge to spend the day paddling. We got our permit and headed for the boat
ramp. There were a couple of parking spaces near the ramp that were marked
National Parks and Wildlife. As we were not parking, just unloading the boat
and moving, we pulled into one of the spaces. In the space of 2 minutes we had
numerous people come over and tell us we had better move or the ranger would
fine us. We quickly chucked the stuff out and Iain moved the car while I waited
with boat and bags. Next thing a ranger comes walking over, and as our things
were in the parking space, I thought for sure we were in trouble. Turns out he
had just come over for a chat about the Land Rover, and what we had in the big
bag and what our plans were for the day. A really lovely guy, full of good info
and tips – Iain says the only reason we weren’t in trouble was because of the
shorts and bikini top I was wearing – mmmmm, but hell so what we didn’t get a
fine!
We set up the boat and set off up the gorge, it is totally
different from the river level. The last time we walked to the top of the gorge
and looked down on it. We cruised down the river – dodging all the tour boats
that were taking the unfit people and oldies down the river. It was hard
paddling, we were going upstream and the wind was howling down the gorge. At
some point it blew us into the banks and all we could do was paddle as hard as
possible and fend off the banks and trees with the paddles.
Eventually we got
to the point that you carry your boat over the rocks to the next gorge. We tied
up and went to check it out – what everyone failed to mention is that it is a
bloody long way to the other side – up stairs, over rocks, around bends! We
bumped into another friendly ranger (lol) who explained that if you hire canoe’s,
you simply tie up, walk down the path and get into another one on the other
side. We decided it was too much trouble and we would spend an hour or two
exploring the area where we were tied up.
There were some awesome chains and rings embedded in the
rocks for the tour boats to tie up to – we couldn’t resist using them as props
for a photo shoot. So while Iain kept an eye out for tourist and paddlers, I
did a quick strip and we snuck in some shots. Around half an hour later we
reralised everyone had left and we had the whole gorge to ourselves, we took
the opportunity to do some more shots around various rocks and outlooks.
Around lunch time, we decided a milkshake would be very
welcome so we paddled back to the boat ramp. This time we were going with the
current so we went much faster. At certain points the wind would really pick up
so I used my sarong as an impromptu sail, we got quite a bit of speed, and a
lot of laughs – especially from the paddlers going in the opposite direction!
After a quick pack up we headed for our well-deserved milkshake and then made
our way back to Katherine.
I had decided to attempt a fruit cake in the eco pot; I had
found a recipe on the internet, so was very keen to give it a go. We went to
the bottle store to get some brandy, I decided to get a small bottle – just enough
for the cake as it is illegal to carry alcohol with you in most of the NT. I
think my eyes were like saucers when we had to pay $17 for 150ml – ah well all
for a good cause. We went back to the resort and while Iain gave the car a much
needed wash, I set about making the cake.
We spent the rest of the evening, just relaxing and sorting
out the rest of the stuff we had unpacked, into some sort of logical order.
No comments:
Post a Comment