Thursday July 14th 2011 Hayes Creek to Wooliana

Travelling through dense savannah areas, we see thin tree trunks that look as though they would topple in a strong gust of wind. The narrow road looks like a patchwork quilt worked in various shades of black and grey and bordered by red on each side. Flood damage is evident in a few places with bitumen back to the original layer and gravel roads swept back to red dust.  We go over many low-lying crossings that would probably be much higher in the wet. The road crew we pass probably is a bit like the Sydney Harbour Bridge being painted; start at one end and paint the whole bridge then start again. It must be a continuous job repairing and maintaining roads up here.

Wooliana CP swimming pool

We travel at a slower speed and it doesn’t take long to reach Wooliana, which is about 120 km from Hayes Creek. No complaints about the signposting on the way. There are very clear directions for a traveller to follow to the various places of interest in this region. Several mango farmers have diversified and have set up caravan and camping sites along the Daly River. For people who enjoy fishing, this is a great spot.  

There are also areas that have been cleared for cattle grazing and Robert has to pull off the road to let the semis pass that are laden with cattle. The roads are quite narrow.

This park is like an oasis; green grassed areas with palms, mango trees and other tall trees provide shade for campers. It’s a large area with a couple of amenities blocks, swimming pool and fishing lodge-type accommodation.  A sheltered area protects butterflies that can enter and exit as they please.

We don’t think we got off to a good start with the owner when we checked in. She told us to follow her so Bobby did. He should have known not to drive on the grassed area!!!! She gave very firm, explicit instructions about where the van and car should be parked then left. Smiling doesn’t cost anything.

Daly River

It wasn’t long before Bobby had met someone who knew someone whom they both knew. The boat ramps are a favourite place for Bobby and he returned a bit excited. Taking a sharp knife and plate he went back to the ramp. Mervyn Braithwaite is a professional fisher and he is best mates with Peter Paige who was in the army when Bob was in national service! Small world!

We now have enough really fresh barra for several feeds as Merv has a full fridge and gives away any he catches and it was our turn today. Peter still lives in Kingston SE so we have a contact number and Bob can get in touch with him. I might be making a huge generalisation here but it seems to me that women are much better at keeping in touch with friends than men.  

There are plenty of fish to be caught in the river although some fishers travel many kilometres before they get a good catch. Robert thought about going on with a guide but has decided not to. When I spoke with Jeff (my younger brother) last week, he told us he’s got a mate in Darwin with a boat and he’ll organise some fishing for Bobby.

Just across from our site, there is a stand of very tall bamboos. When the wind comes up and blows through the trees, the bamboos sway gracefully and produce a mesmerising sound that creaks and bends as the canes rub gently against each other.  Bird life up here in NT is different to home although there are corellas and some galahs. The bird calls are beautiful and sound quite exotic. 

creaking bamboo

It’s so hard to spot them and many of the birds are quite small. I’ve deleted many blurred photos. We did see an azure kingfisher when we did the Nitmiluk Gorge cruise but it darted into the foliage before I could take a photo.

Travelling along the road into Wooliana, we saw many wallabies either sitting on the road or hopping out of our way into the tall grass. In one spot, there were about a dozen poking their heads above the grass.