Katherine -Mataranka

And I thought I slept badly Thursday! It was still 28 degrees when I went to bed at ten. That wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for the mosquito's, forcing me under the blankets! After an hour of not sleeping, I striped my bed back to sheets only. A couple of German backpackers were getting in late, and after a bit of confusion over what it was I wanted exactly, I got hold of some bug spray. So after that i slept great. Until I woke up cold at 5. I was way too tired to care- threw my doona over top of my swag!
After my somewhat pathetic attempt at sleeping, I had a good start, with my neighbour Trish and her dog Rosie stopping in to see if I needed an help. She then recruited Toby, our German waiter from last night, to come roll my swag up for me. She even went and tracked down a chair so I could have a shower. after my lovely cold shower (that is not sarcastic, cold was good!) I went and had a chat with Trish and one of the other ladies, Jannette, both of whom are from south of Sydney and also travelling by themselves. We had a good chat, then I headed off to Katherine Gorge.
I had had a look into cruises last night, but everything looked like it was booked out, so I went out planning on going for a push. I quickly realised that wasn't going to be an option, and that my options were boat, or helicopter. As fun as the chopper would have been, I opted for the cruise. At $73pp its not something you can do with a large family, but this is one of the joys of travelling alone, I can afford it. I had a bit of a wait until my cruise, so I had some lunch at the information centre. It wasn't real cheep, but I was pleasantly surprised with how good the food was! I wasn't so impressed when I almost lost it... I moved a couple of meters to take a photo of what I think was a blue kookaburra, only to turn around to see 8 or 10 birds getting into my lunch! I saved it though. I also spent some time looking through the display on the history of the gorge. It was really interesting to read about how burning off at different times of the year will encourage growth in different types of plants. I also learnt that didgeridoos are made of trees hollowed out by termites!
I headed down to the boat ramp, with the temperature in the mid 30's. The boat was only very narrow, so I had a choice of the front row, which had a great view, but no shade. The cruise was great, but any of you wheelies considering doing it, you can't get past the first gorge. I had maybe a 45 minute wait with Beth and Pat, who were doing the cruise as part of a tour from Darwin to Broome. They were great company, and we found plenty to talk about. I think my cheeks and nose may have got a little burnt over the two hours... Everyone else who did the second gorge get to see a croc too!
By the time we got back to solid ground, it was time for me to head south to Madaranka again. It took me half an hour with the AC on flat out for my temperature to drop to normal! A quick fuel stop in Katherine, and I was back on the road.
I got into Mataranka just as the rodeo was starting. Luke and Larry both competed in the steer wrestling. Luke caught well, but broke the barrier. Larry caught the ground. The boys got a couple of decent catches in the team roping, but with a 5 second penalty for missing a hind leg. Luke caught in the calf roping. Haven't heard if either of then won any money though. Have had to put my slippers on tonight, for the first time in a week or more.
Pretty much ready for bed!

The photo I almost lost my lunch over