Day 60/62: 18th Daly Waters again, 19th Banka Banka again, 20th Devils Marbles – Travelling time.

They say familiarity breeds contempt, but it also brings a nice feeling of security that you know what you are doing. After continually rocking up at new place after new place, it was nice to know what to expect for a couple of nights as we back tracked down the Stuart Highway and revisited Daly Waters Inn and Banka Banka. We also knew about Bitter Springs that we loved floating down the river so much. An hour out of Katherine, it was the perfect stop for a dip and a spot of lunch. We could quickly detour, float down the river a few times, head back to Mataranka for a much vaunted pie before getting on our way again. This would have been a quick layover, except that Linda’s friends from Mindil Night Markets and Katherine, were right next to where we parked. So, we had lunch with them which was a pleasant surprise.

Daly Waters wasn’t anything special, but we knew where to go, knew where the amenities were and what facilities we had. We knew the pool was cool and we knew with the $35 booking fee for the powered site, you got two free beers. For an overnight stop to rest, perfect.

The pool appears to be our last swim on the trip. The nights had already started getting cold, but the days were still warm. As we get to Banka Banka, the days are now cooling off as well. However, the familiar feel and with nothing else to do but rest up, it was enjoyable again. What we did look forward to was another cracker Indian meal from the food van there, and this time, we didn’t miss it by a day – we got there in time for their last meal there for the season. With some beers next to the fire, a chat with some interesting people and a very hot Indian curry, it was another good layover for the night.

At the Devils Marbles Roadhouse however, nothing was familiar and the campground at the back of the pub\servo was windy, rocky, dusty and not too pleasant. Obviously a ploy to make sure you don’t stay out there to eat and you get into the pub. We fell into their trap, and spent a few hours having a chat and a very good dinner at the bar. The nights are getting cold though and we are moving to the phase of getting into bed early again. The thermals have been unpacked.

The Devil’s Marbles themselves were quite interesting. It only took an hour or so to walk around, but amazing to see this round rock formations in various forms of erosion providing very different effects. Some rocks hang in mid-air, and others look like they have been cleft in two with a very sharp knife. This is one site you hear about as a kid at school, so it is an experience to see what they actually are.