The Tropics

I neglected to mention in yesterdays post that Daly Waters was also an important base during World War II. The old airfield and related buildings can still be seen. Indeed some sources claim that Daly Waters was the first international airport in Australia as planes from Asia set down here on their way into Australia.

The forlorn tree imprisoned by the white fence is claimed to have once had the letter "S" carved into its trunk by explorer John Stuart. However there appears to be no evidence there today.

Mid morning we stopped at a very "rustic" tea house called Fran's run by a very excentric old lady where Rob had coffe and a "cake plate".

Nina is a great fan of "We of the Never Never" a novel by Jeannie Gunn (and in 1982 a film) that depicts her life on Elsie Station in the period 1903-4. Today we passed by Elsie Station so we took a detour to visit the station cemetery where many of the characters from the novel are burried.

Today signalled our escape from The Red Center and our arrival in The Tropics. Throughout the day the vegetation became greener and denser and by the time we got to the town of Mataranka the air was noticeably more humid, the rivers had water, and the vegetation included large fig trees and palms. I should also mention that today we saw our first crocodile warning signs.

Mataranka offers some pristine swimming holes, great fishing on the Roper River, and many places to stay. We spent the afternoon lazing in the waters of Bitter Springs before spending the night at the nearby campground.