Jambo from Jabiru,

I forsook breakfast (no room service; dining room only) in favour of an early getaway. I was away by 6:45, in light rain (which soon cleared), but 21 degrees nevertheless. I headed south, back down the Stuart Highway, refuelling and provisioning at the Noonamah Roadhouse. Some 115 km from Darwin, I turned west to Bachelor, the gateway to the Litchfield National Park. I had a late breakfast/early morning coffee near the park entrance ’round 9, and then proceed to visit various sites, including:

(via a 10km 4WD track)

(via a 7km 4WD track, including a couple of creek crossings ’round 700mm deep; I had a late morning coffee/early lunch there, at about 11:30)

and

By then it was was after 12, and as I’d seen the major points of interest, and my destination was over 300km away, I headed north again. Thankfully the road through the park loops back to the Stuart Highway, via 50km of gravel road, so I didn’t have to retrace most of my path to the park. Some 35 km from Darwin, I headed east to Jabiru, along the Arnhem Highway.

I was in my room at the Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn by 3:30. I knew there wasn’t wireless internet access, but I thought I’d be able to dial-up BigPond; nope! After a shower, I headed to the bar for a couple of beers, where I chatted with some Rotarian blokes supporting (and one doing all the stages of) the Great Australian Bike Ride.

Here’s my route on Google Maps:

Cheers,
Julian