Wed 30th March, 2022 Pussycat Flats campground, Pine Creek to Bush camp on Springhill South Fossicking Area, near Emerald Creek, NT (explored Umbrawarra Gorge)

Got up with the sun to read the email from the Cruise company without thousands of bugs zooming around. No doctor appointment needed now so will ring up and cancel that. All good to go on the 15^th. Just need to have a PCR test first then a RAT test before we board so we will be very careful from now on to avoid getting it - back to wearing masks in servos etc.

Cleaned up all the bugs again then packed up. Waved bye to Bruce then headed back to Pine Creek and south a bit to the turn off to Umbrawarra Gorge Nature Park (22km). Bitumen to the first ‘farm’ then onto rutted, corrugated dirt with a lot of little streams to cross. The last one was quite full so that might be the creek for the gorge. 

There are dark clouds ahead so I hope they just keep moving on. There is a small campground - under the National Parks now so you have to book online but of course there is no phone service so it makes it hard to check it out then decide if you want to camp at places.

Parked in the ‘day use’ area - just a turning circle before the causeway that continues on to a station. From the info book this was the site of a tin mine in the early 1900s. Looking at the map it looks like this flows into the Daly River. We put on our new sandals in case we have to walk through the water.

Lots of birds chirping happily. Had a cuppa then checked out the sign for the walk along the river to the gorge. It doesn’t say the name of the creek so presuming it is Umbrawarra too.

As we walked along the first paved area we heard parrots and I managed to get a couple of photos before they all flew off creating a pretty display with all their colours.

Continued along the path with the creek beside us then onto the dirt track.

Climbed over a few obstacles and avoided the green ants and sharp blades of the pandanus.

Out onto the boulders with the smaller rocks embedded into them.

Continued over the rocks. A few interesting spots for a cool off along the way.

I said to Steve that he looks like he is on a boat so he started paddling.

Kept going - lucky I have Steve to guide me otherwise I would have given up with the first boulders we climbed over.

Very pretty. There a lots of little fish and a nice sandy area on the other side of the boulder.

Lovely pool area with big flat rocks at the top on the other side. Then looking back from where we came.

I put my feet in then decided it was cool enough to splash myself so as we are one with nature - off with the gear for a cool off. Steve joined me and went in a bit further to a nice section where we could float and cool off. Steve then got hold of the camera and wouldn’t let me delete the second one - he wanted to show off that he is living the good life in the bush. I did delete the other ones he took.

There is rock art further around that we can’t take photos of etc but I found two bits here on the underside of the overhanging rock - near wasp nests.

Nice and refreshed we headed back. You can see how high the water came recently.

Lots of the little black and white butterflies flittering about in the green leaves. 

Back to the camper by 11.30 so we read for a bit then had lunch. We both commented that our legs felt good after the big walk yesterday. They were tired after the Katherine Gorge walks so we might have them up to hiking speed now.

Drove back to Pine Creek to ring Coral Expeditions to confirm things and then I rang the Darwin Doctors and cancelled our appointment for the 6^th. I have the PCR booked for the 12^th.

Rebecca rang to wish me a happy birthday for the 2^nd in case I didn’t have phone reception. She timed it well to get me. We drove around the streets of Pine Creek - a few more houses here than we first thought. Found the ‘Leaping Lena’ (my Mum's name is Lena) - I took a photo of the original one in the Mataranka Museum.

Back to the highway and headed north again through hillier country. Two big mine vehicles are heading south.

We turned onto a good dirt road which will take us to a Fossicking Area about 7.5km in on Springhill Road. Tall grass everywhere so not looking too promising. There are three small leases within the fossicking area to watch out for. We pulled up by the road for a cuppa. A car went by. Unfortunately the tracks off to the leases are just marked by where they have pushed the tall grass down so we aren’t going to chance that. We spotted a cleared area but it might only be for road base. We marked it and kept driving till we found a good road but it had a big “Keep out - mining lease’ sign so we didn’t go down there. We came to the railway line then followed the road down the other side of the fossicking area but it is all tall grass and no tracks anywhere. Crossed a nice creek.

Back to the cleared spot as it is nearly 5pm and set up camp.

You never know there might be a ‘surprise’ here for us.

We sat outside under the clear blue sky for our drinks as the sun set. One chap stopped to say hi - he has a goat farm further on and didn’t know anything about detecting here.

Had dinner outside with just a few mozzies buzzing. I went in to start writing my blog keeping an eye out for bugs. As a few arrived I zipped up the poptop windows and closed the wind-in windows. I had the fans on so it was only 29 degrees so comfortable. It worked so will keep doing that till the bugs go away.

Steve wandered around outside with his detector and headlamp and found three targets that were metal off the dozer.

Had our showers then turned off the lights and opened up the camper. All good.