A trip through NT, QLD and SA

Arriving back from Thailand at the ungodly hour of 5am ish, got picked up and taken Howard Springs where our car was parked. All good. Then while driving noticed ants, they were lurking somewhere in the car removed what we could see and bought spray. Took us days to get rid of them all. While at our accommodation next to Botanic gardens, the groundsman from units says Hi, you must be the people with 4×4 ,”you should put air in tyres before going far” ?. Puncture number 1. Any way a few pleasant days in Darwin, visiting markets etc and removing ants again and getting fridge back “its all ok checks out on our equipment”. Off to Mataranka but decided on Bitter Springs as we had not been there before. Someone had been playing with a box of matches and all around Bitter Springs and Mataranka was burnt. 2 people caught and will be prosecuted. Even so great place lots of birds not many people. Short walk to Hot Springs and on the way back Steve nearly trod on a snake, made him jump a bit. First night camping small flashing light in tent ? firefly!. Steve tries to shoo out of tent, lands on his hand and he has to shake it off, strange. Away we go toward Linmen National park via Roper Bar, ready for adventure and different stuff. Roads not to bad thank goodness, still hot and dry as hell (we get to the gates later) Limmen was a bit disappointing mainly because of lack of rain. Pleasant to have a few river crossings with water in them though, although this caused a second puncture. Decided we would camp at lost city so onward, onward but then thunder storms in the distance, looks like where we are going? Says us. Maybe road bends away. Then 2 massive strikes not too far away, hope road bends now, yep, road bends .Thats good says us. At the campsite we see smoke billowing from where the lightning had struck, very close. Best not to camp here. Couple of happy snaps and away we go. Next stop a late arrival in Borroloola and the last motel room available. Roads still not bad then tarmac yippee. Heading to Lawn hill Qld. Met a group of builders who were refurbing Indigenous homes around the area. Meals in motel restaurant were huge one meal would probably keep a small country going for a week. Tyre Fixed Again, off to Lawn Hill? Roads all good Get to Hells Gate Roadhouse and Puncture number 3, just for more fun. Overnight stay few sherberts and bed. Lawn Hill would have been lovely but too dry and hot so kept going. Arrived in Winton too hot to go tramping around looking at Dinosaur fossils etc, quick break and onward. Got to Longreach decided to stay as Steve wanted to go to Qantas museum, not much else to say about here until next morning went to museum, half closed due to refurb! Gave it a miss. From Longreach we set off toward Ilfracombe, boy what a surprise when we got there. The town had gone to great lengths restoring old vehicles and put them on display in “Machinery Mile” the rarest was a Rustons tractor one of only three in world. Interesting sight on route was a signpost on a country road, covered with dead hanging dogs. Weird. Another thing we have come across a lot on this trip are unmanned fuel station – not sure that this is a great idea as you can then not buy drinks etc. Over the border into New South Wales and we came across a sign for “Free Beer – Yesterday”, Then another “Free Camping”, we decided to check it out. A pub called Nindigully next to an almost dry river was holding a music and video festival. The place was packed with campers and the music was not bad. We did not stay though as it was still 40 in the shade, a little hot for camping in our minds. The scenery didn’t improve much till we got to Pilliga Forest as everywhere was dry and we were constantly on lookout for fires. Some of the highlights were some of the old buildings in Mitchell, One ton post on the border complete with dunny and a statue to the last bushrangers stand. Our cabin at Camp Cypress was huge.  Lovely place to stay and very quiet.  A couple of days in the Pilliga forest found us a number of birds but not the varieties that should be here. The drought is really taking its toll everywhere. From here to the outskirts of Sydney to stay with my sister for 10 days. On leaving my sister we went to Canberra, Steve has always wanted to go the War Museum (I went there when on a weeks work in Canberra years ago. The drive was so smokey and Canberra even worse. Our eyes were running and throats hurt, even though the fires were not that close. A trip up the Telstra Tower to view the very smokey and hazy scenery and a walk round Cockington Village (a model village) were interesting trips. A couple of hours in the Botanic Garden before the War Memorial opened and then a few hours there. The plan was to do more of the Botanic Gardens first thing before leaving town the next day as it was really good and we only saw a fraction. But as is our luck on this journey they closed it due to bush fire risk. All New South Wales & ACT parks were shut. [ Nothing for it but to head to South Australia as fast as possible. This we did in a couple of very hot days (47 in Murray bridge while there). Bush fire smoke thick along the freeway from the SA fires. It was a relief to be back in South Australia.