After leaving Palmerston, we all breathed a sigh of relief when we passed our break down point at the Berry Springs turn-off. Our afternoon tea stop off was a the little town of Pine Creek. There was a lovely little park nearly the old railway museum, full of…mango trees! Much to our delight, they were free for picking. Whilst it was tempting to fill the fridge, we were very aware that in a couple of days, we would be passing through the WA checkpoint and required to surrender all fruit and vegies.

Continuing on into Katherine, we took Steve for a much anticipated dip in the Katherine Hot Springs. We had discovered that the recent rains had brought with them  a couple of mudslides surrounding the hot springs and were evidently enjoyed by many children earlier that day. Of course, all the boys (big boys included) enjoyed a slippery slide, though most of them came out with dirty clothes and sore bottoms! We then checked back into Knott’s Crossing Resort, where we had stayed just over a week earlier.

The following morning, Steve and Joe headed off bright and early to canoe Katherine Gorge. It was a wonderful achievement and simply a gorgeous place to canoe. They reported back on the wildlife, as well as spotting a croc- right next to their canoe! Mel and the kids spent the morning completing homework, doing a craft activity and enjoying ice creams from the shop.

After a quick pack up, we started to head south-west towards the WA border. It was such a stunning drive; vast grass lands scattered with towering red-rock cliffs. As we headed towards the Kimberleys, a lot of the mountains we were now seeing are made up of compacted sandstone. With temperatures tipping the 40’s, it was a lovely break to make a stop at Victoria River Downs Homestead. For us, it was just a pit stop, but would have been a lovely place to stay- the fresh green grass contrasting to the dry and dusty dirt track. The surrounding mountains were simply stunning. There is also the neighbouring Gregory National Park and Hot Springs which one could explore when staying there.

Arriving in the early evening at Timber Creek, we were disappointed to have missed the 5pm croc feed at the caravan park. However, the disappointment soon wavered when we ventured down to the river, and stepping onto the bridge that was but a few metres from the water, we watched 3 crocs swimming in the waters beneath. It was amazing to be so close to the wild beasts- yet not on any type of ‘tour’! Needless to say, the kids were put on strict guard during our stay there.

In the park, we also saw our first boab tree- an amazing tree unique to the Kimberley area. With its broad trunk and branches several metres up, it was almost a humorous sight! The children’s playground was great here and we all enjoyed a refreshing dip in the pool (a common event these days!).

The following morning, Zach and Josh opened up a breakfast cafe and did a fantastic job creating signs and producing a lovely range of items for the family. We also cleaned out all our fruits and vegies and enjoyed giving away what we could to travellers heading in the direction we had just been.

Arriving at the border crossing later that day, we had an early lunch to finish off the last of fruits and vegies. The family sure had no problems cleaning up 5 apples, 10 kiwifruit, 3 tomatoes, 2 cucumbers and 2 carrots. At the crossing, our rego was taken and our van, as well as car, was searched. Phew- passed! We were now into Western Australia!

Continuing along the Victoria Highway, we had no idea what treasure lay waiting…