Day 30 – Katherine

After rising early, I dressed, had breakfast and then took ARTIE down to Katherine Smash Repairs to get the rear moulding flange and associated parts fitted. I arrived about 7:50 and before 8 I was walking back to the caravan park. Then I got the magazines and commenced doing the puzzles so I could send then back home. Effectively, after chatting, that took up the whole morning. Lynn went soaking in the hot springs, not far from the rear of the caravan park. I got a call by just before 12 saying ARTIE was ready. By 1 I had paid for the repair and picked him up. Back at the park we had lunch (Lynn was back from her trip to the hot springs and had chatted to a semi-local while in the water there). We then went into town – I shopped for a few things for the tent (a lantern to hang, a tarp for when things are dusty, a tow rope just in case and Bars Bugs, as the dirt on the windscreen was hard to move). Then I took ARTIE through the car wash at the Caltex servo – probably the best wash in the country – and he looked really clean after, so I took a few photos. Suddenly I became critical of those with any dirt on their car! I met Lynn, who had been doing some shopping, and we went back to the caravan park. Around 3 we leisurely headed off to the gorge via the station (the Gahn was in again), had an ice cream and then made our way down to the boat departure area. It looked like a good, small and quiet tour until a 6/7 class from Darwin on an excursion showed up just before we left. The cruise was good, with enough banter and information to keep most entertained. When we crossed into the second gorge, I noticed many improvements had been made since I last visited in 2006 – hand rails and concrete filling in gaps between the rocks. I found myself admonishing children, but not too loudly. The second gorge was very good and I remembered some of the features and the associated spiel. It was getting darker by the time we returned and we saw a number of wallabies while walking and then driving back to Katherine. We decided to get McDonalds on the way home (no Hungry Jacks – Katherine really must move into the 21st century!). Back at the park our neighbour was not playing his radio loudly, nor talking to himself loudly, but a transport over the road valiantly stood in and idled his diesel engine most of the night.