Thurs, 31st March, 2022 Bush camp on Springhill South Fossicking Area, near Emerald Creek to Bush camp by Reynolds River upper reaches, Daly River region, NT (Daly River)

The sun is hiding behind the hill so we took our detectors for a wander. I stayed on the cleared ground while Steve went in through the long grass to check out another cleared spot he spotted - he had his long pants and shirt on this time. I found a bit of metal then an ironstone rock so back to the camper for me to finish off my blog. Steve came back completely sweaty and itchy with a collection of junk - ring pulls, boot tacks etc.

We had a cuppa then packed up. Took some photos of crossing the little gully to get back onto the dirt road. One tyre lifted off.

Back to the highway then up past Emerald Springs which is just a roadhouse. Checked out the track into the next fossicking area which isn’t far off the road (Margaret Diggings) but it was all overgrown so we gave it a miss. Will have to do more research when we come again to find better places to detect.

Through Corkscrew Pass - windy section through some hills with an impressive quartz capped ironstone ridge.

Past Hayes Creek Roadhouse then turned onto the road towards Douglas Hot Springs etc. At the next turn off a big sign told us the springs and the Butterfly Gorge are both closed. There was phone service here (a new mine camp is nearby hence the phone service) so I rang the ranger to see when the park will open in case it is tomorrow being the beginning of April. Unfortunately there is a problem with water and they are trying to get the Traditional Owners to get it sorted out so no opening date at present. The road down to Oolloo Crossing (71km) on the upper reaches of the Daly River is open but we might wait till we head back down to check it out and hopefully the springs etc will be open again. 

Copper was first discovered in the Daly River area in 1883 and mining continued on and off for 26 years. 

Continued along Dorat Road then turned onto the Daly River Road. Stopped at the Info Board for lunch. Great info board. Barra only have to 55cm long here but no bigger than 90cm in NT compared to 58cm to 120cm in Qld.

78km to go. We reminisced about towing our home made camp trailer and tinnie behind our Toyota Sahara when we came 30 years ago. Steve had used the style side of the Ford Courier ute we had before (he had put a drop side on it for his work) and made a camp trailer out of it with the tinnie on top. Worked well. We slept in a tent back then. 

Crossed a small Adelaide River (upper reaches) with nice green grass by the road from the recent rain and the dry spear grass further over.

Up a rise then over and the view was all green. Lush tall grass that grows in clumps on Tipperary Station (will have to google it). The land must have been cleared too. 

Spotted a couple of wallabies as the road runs along the southern boundary of Litchfield National Park.

Back to normal scrub again. 

Across the flowing Reynolds River which travels along the west side of the national park then goes out to the coast.

The 4WD track up through the national park is closed at present.

Checked out all the accommodation options at the info board as we near Daly River ‘township’. A lot more than when we were here last. There was the Mango Farm and we camped on Browns Creek which is further downstream on the Daly River. The high tide would flow in like a wave and you had to be careful not to be anchored too tight in case it flooded your boat. We would watch the crocodiles sunning themselves on the mud banks getting washed around when the ‘wave’ rolled over them.

Drove down past the Inn and Police Station which has a couple of big mango trees out front. Around the corner we came to a road closed sign and another saying to go around the sign was a $2000 fine.

We turned around and parked then walked down the road to check out the crossing. Obviously the police are making a fortune if they are enforcing the fines as you can see tracks from vehicles up and down the dirt by the river which has receded nearly back to normal.

We walked down to the causeway - no crocs about. Very hot standing here in the sun but it would have been good to be able to drive down and camp here for the night and try to catch a barra.

Back to the truck and as I was writing a car towing a trailer came past and went around the sign and down to the river - go figure. 

Steve wanted to see if we could get to Browns Creek for the night so we headed back out and then turned off onto Wooliana Road where a lot of the camping places are along the river. Not that you can get to the river as it is very steep sided and bushy.

We have passed 3 ‘water over road’ signs but the road is bone dry. There are lots of huge mango trees about. We spotted one small spot to get down to the river for a fish but someone else was there already. Onto the dirt and more huge mango trees and another campground area. The boat ramp had a line of vehicles and trailers so we continued onto a smaller dirt track heading up to Browns Creek. Unfortunately the track gets smaller as we reach the last house. Steve stopped and a lady came out. She said that nobody uses the track any more and it is rutted etc so we won’t be able to get to the creek. What a shame.

We drove back to the boat ramp - long and steep down to the Daly River. We walked to the top and looked down on the wide river. A lot of water for the barra to hide in so we figured we won’t be eating barra for dinner tonight. We need a boat!!

Back out again and down the road to Port Keats which goes out to a lot of communities on the coast. There is a one lane bridge over the river so obviously no one needs to cross the causeway any more so why have the road closed sign - just put the gates across the causeway! Then we could have driven down and camped!!

Drove back and turned into Nauiyu Community to find the Daly River Mango Farm which had the ruins of the old Jesuit missionaries place between 1886 and 1899. Unfortunately we couldn’t find the road to it as there is now an airstrip where the road was.

We gave up, had a late cuppa by the air strip then headed off again. Spotted some more wallabies in the national park section sneaking out to nibble the green grass by the road but were good and jumped back into the bush again.

We also spotted a water buffalo and I managed to get a photo before he disappeared back into the national park.

Lots of wallabies by the road as we continued. Remembered to take a photo of all the green grass of Tipperary Station.

Checked out a track beside the upper reaches of the Adelaide River (that’s what the sign said) but when I looked at the map the Reynolds River does a u-turn so it could be that as on the Hema map the Adelaide River starts north of here in the national park. Anyway the water is flowing somewhere. We followed the track down - high grass but we could see the track then a couple of frames to hold rubbish bins. On Wikicamps it shows it as a picnic area. We made space for ourselves and settled in for the night. We can hear the water bubbling over some rapids but can’t get to the water.

I kept a watch for bugs while I was writing up my blog on the laptop as evening crept in. Just in case I needed to close up. I looked at the fishing map of the Daly Region and noticed they have the Reynolds River doing a loop so I think we are camped on that and that we will run alongside the upper reaches of the Adelaide River as we drive up Dorat Road and that it starts at the intersection of the Dorat and Daly River roads.

Luckily there was only a few so we were able to get out the cards and play games tonight for a change.

Very peaceful going to bed listening to the water tumbling down the rapid.