Day 16: Larrawa to Fitzroy Crossing

Windy night with the promise of good tailwinds for the day. Riders were up and off early. Annie’s day started with a flat tyre. Everyone beat us to the morning tea stop at Ngumban Cliffs Lookout. This was a spectacular view but difficult to capture on film. Joe rated the toilets here as 4.5 star and yes they were very clean and no smell.

The cliffs and surrounding rocky outcrops were very impressive and made for a pleasant drive/ride. Next stop was a drink stop at 80 kms on side of the road. Lunch was at 110 kms with 35-40 kms to finis the day. By this time the wind had dropped off, the road had turned and this made for a very hot day. Michael is struggling with fluid intake again but he is determined to ride all the way. He made it in after being supported by Pat & Lorraine. Collis went out and topped up their bottles and they rode in the last 5 kms together.

Cycle Across Oz supplied a 3 course roast dinner at the restaurant. I think they were surprised at just how much cyclists can actually eat in one seating. Most riders had seconds and thirds of most courses. One rider had 3 bowls of soup followed by a roast meal and then a platter of fruit. Camping conditions pretty good here with green grass and nice pool.

Day 15: Halls Creek to Larrawa

Another hot day today. Annie shouted the bag of ice for today with the proviso that the boys don't put their hands into it as not sure where they have been- so I will have to dish it out to them. The girls are all encouraged to wash their hands before dipping into the ice.

Downhill after morning tea and the road was very smooth. Lunch was at Mary's Pool which is just so much dryer than previous times and not many campers at the moment. One guy decided to start up his chainsaw when we arrived and this got up Jerry's nose a bit, so he was going to ask him to cease but Collis stopped him from going over. He stopped soon after.

Some uphill in the last 20 kms so Jane's profile from last night that showed all downhill was a bit disappointing. 4 kms of of dirt road to finish the day into the cattle station stay. It was a lovely stop, Wendy had homemade lemonade ready and cut up watermelon ready for all riders on their arrival. We had arranged a meal for the riders with Wendy making lasagna, both with meat and without followed by a couple of pear tarts with fresh cream. Lovely!

Mike decided to take a cabin to assist with his recuperation. The rest camped. Wendy let us use her cooler to store the eski's and she has made us some ice blocks for tomorrow.

Day 14: Warmun to Hall's Creek

Everyone is a bit uptight about today's distance of 165 kms and the impending heat of 36 degrees. The girls all left together at 0600 hrs with the guys leaving in intervals up till 7 am. Mike is still not looking 100% healthy but is insisting on riding, at least the start of today's ride. He has promised to drink as much as possible. I've bought a separate bag of ice to share with the riders, especially after lunch as it heats up. Jane organised for Collis to buy her own bag of ice. Hopefully this will help.

The scenery has changed again with less rocky outcrops, more trees and termite mounds looking like dinosaur dumps. The weather in the morning was perfect riding weather but it definitely warmed up after lunch. The ice was very much appreciated and did seem to help. Pat had sore legs, Lorraine had some cramping and Dallas had a sore back otherwise everyone was doing OK. Drove past Joe near the end of the day and his body language was of utter defeat- he looked so tired.

We were having water and food stops every 20 - 25 kms after lunch.

We all went to the pub for dinner and it was quite swish compared to the rest of the town. Hall's Creek is a town of barbed wire around all buildings and on all windows and doors. There is a fair bit of building going on around town but still very depressing.

Day 13: Bush Camp to Warmun

We rose with the sun again this morning. The nights are getting cooler so the doona was once again used. Good sleep seems to have been had by all. The riders rode off before 7 am this morning oblivious to the fact that Collis once again has a flat battery. Another camper was able to jump start it again and the older lady, with the classical music, was able to tell us what may be the problem with the battery (or alternator).

The riders stopped at the Doon Doon Roadhouse for a morning coffee so then we went a further 30 kms before having a morning tea. The scenery is great again with lots of impressive rocky outcrops.

Everyone was into camp in good time. Mike came in looking very dehydrated and was feeling nauseated and he had had a blood nose while out on the road. My mission (and his) is to get him rehydrated and keep him that way. He doesn't like drinking water so much but he just has to. Tomorrow is going to be another hot day. Pat was feeling a bit depleted as well but she was drinking.

This is a "dry" roadhouse so the riders were sneaking their alcoholic drinks until the police drove in and it was the funniest sight of Jerry carrying the empties across to the rubbish bin without being spotted. It is amazing that he could find find the rubbish bin as he usually needs directions.

Most riders ate out of their food boxes tonight but Jane, Gareth, Mike and Geoff braved the roadhouse food. All were in tents (or beds) by 7 pm but not sure of the reason. Could be that they are exhausted from the heat. Noisy night due to cane toads banging into tents and fences, bats screeching and flapping about, horses and cows walking through camp AND road workers discussing world politics till late into the night.

Day 12: Kununurra to Dunham River

Hot day again today. We are getting up so much earlier now that we are in WA. The sun is coming up between 5 am and 5.30 am and it is hard to remain in your tents for too long. It's another short day today but Gareth has misplaced his iPad and Garmin this morning. He thinks he may have left it in the kitchen overnight to charge and it isn't there anymore. So he searches all his bags but no sign of it, so I suggest he checks to see if it has been handed in at reception. Apparently it was found by the cleaner in the morning and he got a good telling off for his indiscretion.

After this was sorted we then topped up all the water receptacles and filled up with diesel. Then on the road eventually but we still managed to beat most of them to the morning tea stop. Mike and Joe were first in today and unfortunately by the time Gareth arrived he had missed out on most of the refreshments- I managed to save him some biscuits.

We took the turn off to Halls Creek after morning tea and the wind was now across them. Arrived at Dunham River Rest Area before lunch and everyone was encouraged to claim their tent sites as they were few and far between. We had been warned that the rest area filled up very quickly from 2.30 onwards- and it certainly did. It's funny how we keep running into the same campers repeatedly. The majority of these people were familiar to us from all the different stops we made.

Collis, Annie and I went searching for a wood supply for our cooking fire and after a bit of an extensive search we found enough. Most everybody went down to the river for a dip after a croc search first. We had reception here (probably from the Argyle Diamond Mine) so Lorraine did some Audax work.

Lorraine, Pat and Dallas assisted with the dishes and fire maintenance while I prepared the dinner. Tonight we had vegetarian lasagna followed by apple crumble and custard. We were serenaded with classical music through dinner by an elderly woman camping on her own with her two dogs.

Day 11: Kununurra Rest Day

I woke with a bit of a hangover (or just a headache) and took some Panadol and went back to bed. Felt better when I woke up. The usual rest day tasks completed by everyone. Jerry spent quite a bit  of money on some indigenous paintings and a present for his wife at Zebra Rock Gallery. Pat made a purchase at Zebra Rock as well.

Day 10: Lake Argyle to Kununurra

I can't believe I missed this mornings sunrise. I even took the camera to bed with me but woke way after the sun came up. Apparently I didn't miss much but I was sure I would be awake. We were so tired last night that we were in bed by 8.15 pm and I was asleep within 15 minutes of hitting the pillow. Slept like a log. Wonderful!

Very short day today with only a 70 km ride. Everyone was gone by 7.30 am and morning tea was 35 kms down the road at 8.30 am. The ride out of Lake Argyle is truly spectacular especially when there is no traffic, the wind is up your bottom and the morning has perfect riding temperatures. The scenery was fantastic.

Annie managed to make up the 60 kms that she had missed over the last couple of days by doing extra mileage today, so not a short day for everyone. Geoff was number one on strava today and holds the all time record for this leg- he was very pleased with himself.

The midgies, sand flies and mozzies were ridiculous tonight and I have a fresh set of bites all over the body beautiful. Most of us had a cook in and shared our dinner of BBQ and salads. I may have had a little too much wine to drink as I am no longer used to it. Enjoyed the night though.

Day 9: Lake Argyle Rest Day

First light was spectacular but by the time I managed to go to the toilet and get my camera, I’d missed the best of it, but I joined Mike by the tents on the grassy terrace and we were slowly joined by Pat, Geoff and Dallas to patiently watch the sunrise above the cliffs.  Annie watched it from her exclusive spot on the lower terrace.  

We all dispersed until 7:30am when all the group met for $5 pancakes and coffee at the resort.  

All of the group, except Annie, watched the movie about the building of the Ord Dam which was interesting but perhaps a bit too long with too much talk of rocks but interesting to see the lack of safety gear where the explosive expert dressed in singlet and shorts and thongs lit the dynamite fuse with his cigarette and then run out the way.  The explosion was the largest (non nuclear) in Australia and it even felt in Sydney.  

After the movie, all except Gareth, Jane and Dallas, went on the lake cruise.   Collis was the first to dive in so they tried to give him a beer but as he doesn’t drink, I scored it and then had 3 glasses of white wine with lunch so slightly tipsy….that’s all for now!  

Day 8: Saddle Creek to Lake Argyle

Perfect conditions and not as hot as yesterday.   We had fruit salad and leftover curry for breakfast.  Morning tea consisted of the remains of the fruit in anticipation of crossing the border (luckily there were cake and biccies for the riders not so keen on fruit) and then rode 20km to the border where we regrouped for photos and for the riders to take their food boxes through border control.  Some riders were asked to show their nuts if they had any.    We got through border control without any casualties and we gained an hour and a half so made the ride in record time!  

Collis had told the group that the final 30km after the turn to the campground would be undulating and he was right, however some of the riders found the hills steeper than expected.  It was a beautiful ride and the first sight of the lake was spectacular.  Lake Argyle caravan park was voted the worst caravan park in Australia 10 years ago but now it has been voted number one and the camping spot we have has green grass with a stunning view over the rocky cliffs around the lake.  

Lorraine and Pat organised a table for happy hour at 4:30pm and we all stayed for dinner at 5:30pm (really 7pm on NT time).  The food was good and there was live music to entertain us.  All my favourite tunes.  Collis watched some of the footie, keeping us all updated with the latest scores and was very excited when the Swans won.  The riders were quite entertained by his football antics.  

Day 7: Timber Creek to Saddle Creek (Bush Camp)

We got woken in the middle of the night by someone yelling out “anyone awake…anyone awake?”.  I woke with a fright and yelled “yeah what do you want?” before I looked to see who they actually were.  They turned out to be a couple of aborigines who asked Collis for a lift home to their camp.  When I spoke up they backed off saying “sorry mate, I didn't know you had your old lady with you, you can go back to sleep.”   And then they left.  I’ll give them “old lady”!!

Another hot day after a hot night.  The riders are heading mostly west so the sun is rising behind them when they set off in the morning which creates some wonderful colours on the trees and rocks.   Lorraine, Pat and Dallas were joined by a dingo for about 1.5km after leaving Timber Creek.  It was a beautiful ride along the river and most riders stopped at Bradshaw Bridge for a photo opportunity.  

Everybody seems to be riding well although Annie started off flat as a tack and didn't even eat at MT or lunch but she soldiered on until lunchtime when she got in the car for the last 20km.  

It was a lovely ride into the bush camp after lunch and the conditions were very favourable.

Everybody got into bush camp and picked their camping spots which were fairly limited.  We had a fruit and nut party to get rid of all the produce we couldn't take across the border while I cooked.  The grey nomads kept bringing their extra fruit and veges so the party rocked on!  Dinner was vegetarian curry with fruit salad and custard as dessert.    After dinner Jerry hosted a music quiz and Collis was not on top form and came in a close third.  The stars were magnificent tonight.

Day 6: Victoria River to Timber Creek

It’s half the distance today compared to yesterday.  The temperature is still hot and humid and still no wind.  Scenery today is mainly cliff faces and ridges and we had the start of the baobab trees plus the kapok flowers are in bloom.

Annie rode out with the girls today.  By lunchtime she wasn't feeling at all well.  She was feeling so bad, she hated her bike, Charlie and cycling…maybe 5 weeks off the bike with no other exercise is not a good idea.  She must have been feeling bad as she got in the car without us even offering.  When we arrived at Timber Creek, it was discovered she had a slow puncture in her front tyre so it’s not surprising she was finding it tough.  

The artesian water is having some effect on everyone’s digestive system but they are gradually getting used to it which is fortunate because it is the only water we are going to have for most of this leg.  

Everyone into Timber Creek by lunchtime and pleased to see that the bar was open.  The campground is green and we are next to the pool - fantastic.  The riders went down to watch the crocodile feeding although Jane came back very early saying there were only 2 crocs and it was not worth the effort.  Apparently Mike kicked over the croc food bucket into the water (which according to the riders was the highlight of the evening).  There were 4-5 fresh water crocodiles and they were large ones with turtles swimming around them and then birds of prey and bats feeding above them.  Everybody got some great photos.  

Most riders cooked for themselves tonight.  Some good chats were had and Lorraine told us how she got into cycling and Ironman competitions.  Very motivational, made me want to get on my bike and she’s done some amazing things.  

Day 5: Katherine to Victoria River

This is the longest ride day on this leg. The itinerary stated it was 180 ams, Collis stated it was 185kms plus some and the road sign stated 193 kms. We will have to wait and see which is correct but not till the end of the day.

The day has started early with Collis giving everyone their leaving times from camp. The girls (except Annie) went out at 0630 hrs on the dot. Dr Mick and then Annie at 0645 hrs, then the boys staggered out at 15 minute intervals.Everyone, except Gareth met their leaving times but Gareth was late leaving although he left before Geoff. 

I was the first car to leave camp as we were going to stagger them as well. I took off about an hour after Geoff. 13 kms out I found Gareth cruising along the road. I couldn’t work it out- had he got lost and taken the wrong turn or did he have to fix a puncture? NO- he stopped to do his last post on FB and made his final calls before we lost reception. We were now spread out down the highway (which we were trying to prevent) over 20 kms plus margin. It’s going to be a long day if they don’t catch up with each other by lunchtime.

The day was heating up quickly but there was no wind to hinder or to help. Morning tea was at a rest area which ended up spreading out over an hour or more but everyone are a little closer together now. Annie lost her pedal after morning tea so she gets a 20km lift with Collis to lunch where Mike fixes it and she has to get back on the bike.  The day has turned out a scorcher and still no wind.  At least the sides of the road were covered with quite dense forest.  The afternoon clouded over and the temperature dropped a few degrees but still no breeze.  

The scenery round here is great but unfortunately not everyone is able to enjoy it.  Lunch was at 100k mark, about half way, everyone is doing okay.  

At the afternoon tea stop, Lorraine arrives flat as a tack and I had to leave her in Pat’s capable hands while I raced ahead to get Collis to come back and pick up her and her bike.  I couldn’t put her into my car - well Lorraine I could but not the bike.  Pat and Dallas continued on without her at the back of the pack.  

We got into Victoria River around 4pm and most of the boys arrived within 1/2 an hour.  Collis went out to check up on the girls after opening a tab at the bar for the riders to get an ice cold drink or an ice cream.  The girls slowly came in and all glad for a nice cold drink.   The distance turned out to be 193kms!!

The worst part of today was not the distance but the heat and the humidity.  Anyway, that one is out of the way and they all survived.

Everyone ate at the roadhouse, with most of us eating off the breakfast menu.  The service was good and the food came quickly.  

Day 4: Katherine Rest Day

The newbies decided to hire a car last night and used it to take them to dinner and then today they went to Katherine Gorge (3 gorge tour), visited the Op Shop for Dr Mike and then picked up the girls and went grog shopping.

Annie and Jane spent the day cleaning their bikes and just resting for tomorrow. Pat and Lorraine lazed around camp. We all spent the day in/out of the pool.

Day 3: Emerald Springs to Katherine

Packing the car up was a bit disorganised today as Collis was on his own but he did eventually get everything into the trailer and truck. Morning tea was at the 45 km mark but Jerry got some mixed messages and missed the morning tea stop. Luckily Collis caught him at the 87 km mark and gave him some water. Lunch ended up at the spot Collis caught Jerry. The riders have had a head wind for most of the day with the wind starting at 9 am and not really dropping off until after 3 pm. Most of the riders struggled but they all made it in.

Annie and Jane met up with me in Darwin and we drove down to Katherine stopping at Emerald Springs for a coffee and cake stop.  We arrived at Katherine just after the riders got in to camp so it was well timed. It was nice having a couple of days off on my own but it is now back to work.

Very hot in Katherine so straight to the pool for a swim and cooking up a storm for dinner as the restaurant isn't open. The new boys have rented a car for tonight and tomorrow and they used it to go out for dinner at the golf club. All reports were that it wasn't really worth the effort.

Day 2: Adelaide River to Emerald Springs

It was apparently a very noisy night last night which I mostly slept through thanks to a little tablet that helped with the sleeping issue. I did wake when some huge road train sounded like it was coming through the tents but that was just about it for me.

I stayed around and assisted Collis to prepare the morning tea and load the truck before he headed off to the morning tea stop and I headed back towards Darwin. Apparently the riders beat him to the morning tea stop at 40 km mark but he was able to provide a reasonable snack for them. Hayes Creek was the lunch time stop and the owners of the roadhouse weren't all that helpful when they asked to set up outside the facility. Most of the riders spent money in the shop. Gareth and Dallas were riding together mostly today and Dallas complained of some back pain at lunch but didn't get into the car.

Everyone arrived safely at Emerald Springs but the campers did not have a working toilet or shower so Collis took a donger, a couple of the boys took one as well so the boys were catered for. Collis organised them to open up a donger for the girls to use. Fancy not having a bathroom available. Strange for this roadhouse as it has previously won lots of awards but it has been up for sale for awhile now.

Apparently the mozzies are a bit of a problem there as well.

Day 1 Leg 4: Darwin to Adelaide River

This leg we lost Mark, Ingrid, Lew, Jeanette and Kirsten but we have kept Jerry, Jane (missing in Tiwi Islands at the moment) and Gareth. We have gained Michael, Geoff, Dallas, Lorraine, Joe, Annie (returning from South Africa) and Pat. So missing from the 1st days photo are Jane and Annie. I will be returning to Darwin to pick them up on Monday, driving them to Katherine to join the group.

This group have been very sensible with their food supplies and we are not over run by food that will never be eaten. They have worked out they will be able to do another reasonable shop in Katherine in three days time. 

Light winds this morning after quite a cool night for Darwin. All of the locals are complaining this morning about just how cold it was- apparently it was the coldest night for 22 years- sitting somewhere around 9 degrees.

We stopped at Manton Dam Reserve for morning tea. The traffic has been reasonable but could have been better. The wind still hasn't kicked in yet but it will be a head wind when it does. 

Straight after morning tea the wind picked up but nowhere near as strong as predicted and didn 't seem to affect the riders pace too much. Lorraine is having a small amount of trouble with some cramping but is hoping it will soon right itself. Geoff does appear to be a bit of a gun cyclists and will probably need to leave a bit later than the rest of the group.

Everyone in at Adelaide River by 1.30 pm. Great grass to camp on and we all went to the bar for dinner put on by Cycle Across Oz. Food was good. 

Day 26: Bark Hut to Darwin

Last day's ride for this leg. Everyone up fairly early and out on the road by 7.15 am. Road surface and riding conditions perfect except for the traffic. We've just had 5 days of little to no traffic through Kakadu so this is a bit of a shock- still not heaps of traffic (until we hit Stuart Hwy) but double to triple what we have become used to.

Stopped at 'Windows on the Wetlands' for morning tea. It must be an exceptional exhibition as even Lew was impressed. Everyone arrived at the Virginia Tavern ready for the celebratory lunch by midday. T shirts were ticked and then spent the afternoon assisting riders to pack bikes and bags and then running them and their luggage around town to their chosen accommodation.

Now for three days off!

Day 25: Aurora to Bark Hut Inn

Mark left first this morning and he was riding all the way to Darwin (230 kms) as he had a personal appointment to attend to. Sad saying goodbye to him as he has been a very valuable participant on the last 2 legs. He did some very fancy bike repairs on Kirsten's bike (saving her ride for her) and he was always looking out for the riders out the back each day. Thanks Mark.

Pleasant riding today although there were lots of burning off and the atmosphere quite hazy. A pack of dingoes were spotted by our kiwis. These may have been some of the noisy ones from last night. A wallaby jumped out in between the truck and my car this morning and would have hit me if I hadn't spotted and slowed down- my new Citroen.

All in at Bark Hut Inn by 1.30 pm after 2 stops during the day. Tail winds for the last 20 kms. Everyone went for a swim and then dinner and drinks in the bar. Mozzies again but nowhere near as bad as Kakadu.

Day 24: Ubirr to Aurora.

The mozzies were still out in force this morning. They were so bad that Mark stayed in bed until the sun was well and truly up hoping they would then disappear- they didn't. I sat in the car to eat my breakfast in peace. Ingrid was packing up her tent and found an enormous spider (the size of a dinner plate, according to her) on her tent. She went to scream but instead swallowed a mouthful of mozzies and then vomited. All very dramatic but Jane came to her rescue with a shoe and it disappeared into the bush, never to be recorded as proof of existence.

Packing up this morning was a very unpleasant experience and the mozzies did eventually disappear only to be replaced by flies. Today we rode through the Pandanos Forest, across the Sth Alligator River and through expansive river flats. Great scenery.

Aurora is looking a bit more rundown since our last visit 2 years ago. The grass is still green for the campers but the amenity blocks are quite dilapidated. We had the briefing in The Bar and then everyone stayed for dinner. The swimming pool was good value.

Day 23: Cooinda to Ubirr

I got up around 6.15 am to find Jerry had gone already. He apparently got up earlier than usual and couldn't cope with the mozzies so packed up and told Jane to tell us that he had left. Jane then left around 6.30 am , Lew at 6.45 and the rest in dribs and drabs until Kirsten and Gareth leaving last around 8.15 am. They are so spread out today, it will be difficult to support them all.

We met at Jabiru for morning tea, hoping the bakery would be open but alas it did not open on Sundays. So off we went to find a nice park to sit at, hopefully with toilets. Lovely park down by the lake. I went and shopped for the bush camp tonight. It was a bit of hit and miss and I will have to cook according to the food availability. Gareth and Kirsten were a mile behind everyone else and so we made phone contact to find out what their plans were. They had stopped at the Information Centre and have decided to be self supportive today.

We arrived at Merl campground around 1.30 pm. Most riders decided to ride on a bit further to a general store they had heard about. Unfortunately the store closed down around 2 years ago so they rode back to Merl. Mark did a bit of his own exploring so didn't see him until after dark. While waiting for them to arrive, I cooked up a big pot of spaghetti bolognese.

Kirsten and Gareth arrived around 4 pm having coped quite well out there on their own. Everyone went out to Ubirr for the sunset viewing and rock paintings. Collis led them out on the bike. Lew decided to remain in camp as he has seen plenty of rock paintings before. I stayed behind to keep preparing dinner and mind the camp. Surprisingly they came back early with only Mark, Jeanette and Ingrid remaining for the sunset. They are glad they did and I'm pleased some of them did.

Dinner was rudely interrupted by swarms of mozzies trying to eat our dinner and us. It was not a nice experience and everyone was in bed by 7.30- straight after dinner. Jerry even tipped his dessert over the ground trying to scare off a biting mozzie (I gave him my dessert). Around 10.30 pm Collis woke me with a call to arms as there seemed to be somebody wandering around the bush near our truck. When I shone the torch outside there was nothing to be seen but definitely something moving around out there. I was nearly back to sleep when I heard something running very fast towards the truck again but still couldn't see anything and whatever it was moved away when I shone the torch. Then we heard dogs barking and it sounded like they were then attacked by something. Needless to say it was a restless night.

Day 22: Cooinda Rest Day

All of us had booked onto the early morning sunrise cruise of the yellow billabong. So we were all up and waiting at the bus stop by 6.20 am. Just as the buses arrived, Collis decided to go to the toilet ( he does this every time). Anyway we all managed to hop on a bus and off we went.

The cruise was fantastic and very much worth the expense. The guide was informative and the scenery was just magnificent. We all got some great photos. It went for 2 hours and we saw heaps of crocs and birdlife. Followed by a buffet breakfast where you could eat as much as you wanted. I don't think they realized just how much cyclists eat- this is the main reason we won't do a catered tour because it would just send us broke and we would have to have a separate food van.

My computer has packed it in today and I can't even get up a screen. Looks like we will have to get it checked out in Darwin. No photos until I can get it up and running again.

Day 21: Mary River to Cooinda

Today we enter Kakadu National Park. This is new ground for Cycle Across Oz, so very exciting. Jane arranged with Collis last night that she would leave early and just meander through before meeting us at the lunch break. This is OK as long as we are aware and they don't expect us to rush ahead to join them at the lunch break spot early.

Everyone saw Jane leave early so they all got a bit antsy and left earlier than usual. The road was a bit rough at the beginning but did improve as we got further into the park. Gareth lost his rear light as it just bounced off during the ride. Mark stopped and walked up a dirt road to do some sightseeing but left his bike back leaning against a tree. Yes it was still there when he got back but the rear tyre was blistered as he had left it on some scorched earth. Quite a bit of controlled burning going on in the area.

Morning tea was at the South Alligator River at Gungurul Bridge. Water very murky and banks muddy and overgrown. No way we're we venturing down but couldn't see any crocs. Checked out the Barramundi Creek as it was flowing and looked that it may be safe to swim in parts of it. Again we didn't risk it.

Jane was waiting for us at the 80 km Mark and looked like she had been there awhile. Scenery today has been spectacular coming into the park as we did climb a little and got some great views. Got to Cooinda and checked out the dongers and cabins but the prices were out of this world. Everyone camping and the area is quite nice down under the trees. We are not far from yellow billabong.

The mosquitoes were absolutely crazy and impossible to keep out of your tents. We all went to bed very early but there was no escape. Jerry woke everyone around 2 am with his "whack,whack, f...., f...." routine. He says his tent now looks like a sight of a massacre.

Day 20: Pine Creek to Mary River

Only 60 Kms today. After much changing and then back to original plan we are going to Goymar Roadhouse instead of a bush camp. Everyone slept in and left about a half hour later than usual. Morning tea was scheduled for 10 am at 40 kms. We ended up stopping at Evelyn Creek. On the banks of the creek were crocodile footprints with emu and probably buffalo prints along side of these. The water was sludges but still had fish in it. This was all viewed from the bridge and no way we're we going down to check it out closer. Mark later saw a freshly lying on the bank.

Passed a horrific smell just before Goymar Roadhouse which turned out to be ahead buffalo. Into Goymar by lunchtime. This roadhouse has been closed for quite a long time but has only reopened in the last 2 weeks. The managers seem to be on top of most things with a beautifully clean and refreshing pool, freshly mown lawn to camp on and clean bathrooms.

Jerry and Mark went down to a rock pool to check it out but weren't game to go too far into the water with all the croc signs up around the area. Anyway they came back and told Kirsten and Gareth about it so they headed down there as well. They were more fortunate as there was at our group there and they were in swimming so they joined them. They made it back alive.

I cooked on the open fire tonight as the gas was still not connected. We had Apricot Chicken followed by a coffee banana cake which didn't actually have coffee in the recipe. Anyway all nice.

Middle of the night we heard dingoes howling again but these were pretty close. We've been hearing them for about a week now.

Day 19: Katherine to Pine Creek

Nice drive out to the highway past mango farms and vegetable farms (not quite expected around Katherine). Spotted the turnoff to Edith Falls and was tempted to take it but we would then be late for morning tea. Got to morning tea at the 45 km mark to find Jerry in a tizz over his cold foods left behind in the fridge at camp. He thought I would have grabbed them but no I won't touch anyone's food unless asked or it is clearly labelled. Anyway Collis rang the camp to see if anyone was traveling this way and be able to grab his food and bring it up to him. No luck but while he's on the phone we both realize we had forgotten the frozen food for the bush camp hidden in the ice cream fridge in the managers office. So, lucky Jerry, back I went to get his food and the bush camp food. 90 km round trip for a bit of food.

I arrived back in time to meet them for lunch but jerry had gone onto the pub. I didn't think he had been told about his food so I chased him down to the pub to give him the good news only to find out he had been told already. I requested a cold beer for my effort. He also knew about the camp food and  presumed I was the one to be at fault- typical male.

We stayed at Pussy Cat flat caravan park and racecourse. It hasn't been used as a racecourse since 2010 and has a number of very large termite mounds along the straight. Community run park and quite pleasant with adequate amenities and good food at reasonable prices and a bar. Mosquitoes were a problem and drove most of us to bed early. Kirsten and Gareth stayed up later.

I woke around 3 am to the sound of very loud chewing. It wasn't Collis and it definitely wasn't someone heading off to the toilet having a late night or early morning snack. I then heard horses hooves and by this time Collis was awake so I looked outside but couldn't see any horses. I then heard a quiet neigh but still no sight of any horse so we assumed it must have been the ghost of Pussy Cat Flat. There was a full moon so no trouble seeing everything else. Anyway Mark confirmed that there were horses near us during the night and he actually saw them.

Day 18: Katherine Rest Day

Six of the riders booked a bus to take them to the gorge and they did the 3 gorge cruise early this morning. They loved it and all got to have a swim and a wash under the waterfall.

Jerry explored places he hadn't seen last time he was in Katherine. Jeanette went into town, wandered the shops and then came back and lazed by the pool all day.

Collis washed both cars inside and out. I shopped, cooked and then book keeping.

Day 17: Mataranka to Katherine

There were lots of wallabies (live ones) along the roadside today plus a wild dog. Everyone is going along well today with the wind behind them and the weather not too hot yet. Morning tea was called earlier than planned as we weren't sure how Jeanette was going as she was at the end of the pack- she was OK so probably could have gone onto to designated spot.

After morning tea we come across an older woman on the side of the road picking up tea bags. Their caravan had blown a tyre which had blown the bottom out of the bottom of one of their kitchen cupboards. Poor things, I helped picking up these t bags as she was worried she wouldn't be able to buy this brand around this area. Unable to find her pots and pans which may have flown off into the long grass. Collis assisted the husband with the tyre.

Gareth and Kirsten rode along beside a long black snake in the middle of them, they rode as fast as they could to get away. Neither stopped to take a photo. Ingrid was passed by a Greyhound bus and heard a POP. When it had gone past she found a snake mangled on the road but still squirming.

Everyone into Katherine by lunchtime and shopping done before they headed out to the campground. Everyone cooked in tonight.

Day 16: Mataranka Rest Day

The tune for today was:

Rest, rest and more rest.

Throw in some swimming at Bitter Springs, visit Roper River but NO swimming (crocodiles) and check out town.

Then we do some cleaning of the bikes, cleaning of the clothes and cleaning of the tents.

Later in the day Collis had a run in with some spun out aggressive moron. He ended up ringing the police but they didn't do anything because he soon left the park and didn't come back.

Dinner was arranged and paid for by Collis and we all enjoyed our roast. At the end of the meal the waitress knocked over Gareth's red wine (right into my lap). I had to change my clothes, soak with soda water and hope for the best.

The aborigines were noisy overnight. They were partying in the middle of town and at the settlement.

Day 15: Daly Waters to Mataranka

I was up really early this morning because  of some drama we are having with Collis' email. Someone hacked into it and so we put a block on it but were unable to reuse it or retrieve all of our contacts or any electronic files. This morning I had a go at getting back but ended up putting a message on FB and sent imessages to all cyclists on our FB pages. The new email is cycleacrossoz15@hotmail.com
We are mainly concerned about the most recent people who have contacted us via our webpage and have decided to join the ride at a later date. Hopefully contact details on the web page will be updated today or Monday.

Today is the longest day for this leg and everyone is quietly nervous about it. The increase in temperature is also a concern for them. The wind is minimal but favourable.

We had morning tea at the Alexander Forrest. Ingrid saved a turtle from the middle of the road. Mark is doing a horror movie and is constantly looking for interesting roadkill subjects- so he didn't photograph the turtle for Ingrid as it was still alive.

Lunch was at Larrimah and the Pink Panther Pub (the highest hotel in NT). Really rundown and not much else other than the museum. Afternoon tea and it's getting hotter with 34 degrees in the car, 39.8 degress on Mark's garmin and something in the 40's on Jerry's. Everyone is struggling but still in reasonable spirits. We squirted them with water and sent them on their way.

All arrived safely at Mataranka with 4 riders breaking their greatest distance in one day record. Gareth, Jane, Ingrid & Jeanette. Jerry rode straight onto Bitter Springs for a swim before coming in.

A group went down to the pub for dinner but didn't like the vibe or the surrounds so they came back. Half of them went to the caravn park restaurant and the other half cooked for themselves.

Day 14: Bush Camp to Daly Waters

Fresh morning which warmed up pretty quickly once the sun came up. Camp became organised pretty quickly with the first group leaving around 7.30 am and the last 3 riders leaving at 8 am. Collis and I were all packed up and on the road by 8.30 am.

Beautiful day for riding. The scenery is changing again but still no tropical plants yet. We were going to meet them at the 40 km mark for a water stop but we didn't catch Ingrid until the 50 km mark. So we went onto Dunmarra for the morning tea break. Lots of fresh roadkill which is mostly wallabies today. Up till now the roadkill has mainly been cows.

Ingrid was first in and was quite chuffed with this achievement. A few people had a second breakfast here with Collis and Gareth opting for the big breakfast- it was huge. Found our first cane toad for the trip- it was a petrified black toad. Ugly bastards.

30 kms was the lunch stop but not many were hungry. We got a pleasant spot under a gumtree with Gang Gangs flying overhead. Jerry and Jane opted to head to the Hwy Inn and start a pub crawl rather than stop for lunch.

Arrive at Daly Waters at 1.30 pm to discover a Rodeo and Gymkana on here for the next 4 days. New toilets and showers built at Daly Waters. They were very nice but it was like a sauna after your shower before you could get out of the building.

Day 13: Renner Springs to Newcastle Waters plus some. (Bush Camp)

We are still not in the tropics and no tropical vegetation in sight. Hopefully tomorrow. Heading off to another bush camp although we were going to stay at Elliott but we were unable to contact anyone in the town- the Mobil service station or the pub- so we decided that the town must have shut it's doors to outsiders.

We got to Elliott for lunch and the Mobil service station is now a BP and this might explain why they weren't answering the phone. The pub has closed down. The town was looking even more dilapidated since our last visit so we're glad we changed our plans. Going that little bit further today will make tomorrow a shorter day. The group are looking a little flat at lunch and we're not sure why as they have had ideal riding conditions over the last week or so. It may be due to the fact that they haven't had a full rest day for a while as well. A couple of the riders seem amused that Collis isn't too sure exactly where we will camp tonight and not sure why. Lew is again worrying about the camp fire tonight.

We drove to Newcastle Waters rest area and it was already packed with caravans and backpackers. No thanks- nowhere to camp. So we went on in the cars to find the perfect spot. We found a road that led to the old Stuart Hwy- going up and down into waterholes and out again- we followed this until we were back on the new Hwy without any luck. All of the grass is sitting around waist or shoulder height. Eventually 10 km down the Hwy we found a drive into a station with an area just outside the fenceline which looked pretty good. There was a cleared area for the fire, plenty of firewood, privacy for toilets etc and flat areas to pitch their tents. Perfect!

As soon as Lew arrived he was going on about the fire again but he seemed to calm down when I informed him that we have a fire extinguisher in the car if needed. Dinner tonight was a lasagna (my first attempt in the dutch oven) and was quite successful. These riders seem to like all my cooking though and I am getting a little suspicious that they are just saying this out of politeness. Dessert was an apple cake (a little underdone) and custard. Nothing left of either dish. Some of us sat around playing Ghost while half the group went off to bed straight after dinner (around 7.30 pm). Jerry read us a new poem about the 2 NZ girls- I hope I can publish it here before we go to print.

Lovely night!

Day 12: Banka Banka to Renner Springs

Everyone had a little bit of a sleep in but not as much as we expected except for Jeanette who we ended up checking she was still in her tent because there had been no movement by 10 am. Jerry went and did a bit of a ride to get his mileage up for his charity and Mark and Kirsten went early as arranged. Some of the others were chumping at the bit to get on the road and so they left around 11 am. Gareth being the last to leave after patching 3 of his tyres (a good mornings work). It took them around 2 hours to do the 60 kms so everyone was in at Renner Springs by at least 2 pm.

Mark spent the afternoon fixing Kirsten's bike and did a really good job. It was a bigger job than expected but it is now going beautifully. Spotted Jeanette assisting Lew to put up his tent before then doing her own. Checked to see if Mark wanted his tent put up for him but he said no.

Everyone had dinner in the bar and a fairly early night. Renner Springs is quite a nice spot and the water is great to drink. We are camped next to the spring outlet which every so often starts trickling water. I wonder how many times I will have to get up during the night.