Saturday 11 June 2011

Vehicle breakdown, Umbrawarra Gorge & Pine Creek termite mounds

Getting away from Edith Falls camp ground (part of Katherine gorge national park) was a done differently - not many people drive away how we did......................................
We filled up with deisel several days earlier @ a woolies fuel outlet in Katherine. No issues driving the car until yesterday morning.
 The water in fuel light came on in the dashboard. On & off a couple of times & then stayed on for 100 mtrs. Better pull over  into car park or we could have a stuffed motor & expensive repair job. Rod couldn't get valve open to bleed the fuel filter.  Called RACQ with our 'ultimate care' card no*. Someone from Adelaide then organizes a breakdown service to come 60kms to us from Katherine.
2 hrs later a tow truck turns up........... to load car onto tray back & tow the van back to Katherine................
interesting concept, but can be done & did!!!
Now we just pile into the front with the driver for a slow hrs drive back to town!!! Fortunately there was only a small amount of water bled out of the filter & none through the system. We're on our way again after 4 hrs delay start to finish. Different start to the day I suppose, but sure hope none go this way again.


We aren't gorged out yet by a long shot. Have dozens more to see in the next 6 mths & this 1 didn't disappoint. 1/2 hr dirt road, & some slow & sometimes arduous rock hopping for 1 hr further into the gorge to see most of it was worth the effort.
This is Umbrawarra Gorge near Pine Creek.
The beautiful red cliffs were magnificent & quite jagged formations over millions yrs of erosion.
 There's a guy abseiling 1/2 way down this cliff with his wife keeping a watch.
 You can see the size of some of the rocks we had to hop over & across. Many had magnificent pinks & purple colourings. Set against the green paperbarks in the creek & high red cliffs, was certainly picturesque.
 We had to basically make our own path into the gorge, hopping over huge rocks & bolders, trying not to get our shoes wet.




 This rock shows some ripples probably left over when there was raging torrents flowing through 1000's to millions of yrs ago. I also loved the colours.
 The pic below shows just how erosion has made the cliff tops so jagged - really amazingly beautiful to the eye.

The camp area we are staying in @ Pine Creek  is quite different & thought I might share with you. Outside our van door is the finish line to the local Pine Creek race track. Inside the race track is a 9 hole golf course. Next to 1 of the 9 holes is the biggest of several  termite mound around the race track / golf course.


 I thought the name is different too

Another unusual feature around Pine Creek is the mumma of all of termite mounds...............
It's massive............... & it's in the middle of the cemetery!!! -we drove into & around the cemetery, like many others before have probably done.


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