Thurs, 9th June, 2022 Saddle Creek Rest Area, 117km west of Timber Creek to Jarnem Campground, Keep River National Park, near the NT/WA border, NT (exploring NP)

Cool morning, 21 degrees! Clear blue sky. Packed up and continued west with the rocky escarpment slowly getting lower into the rocky ridge. Huge boabs beside the road and grassy flat land on the other side.

We turned away from the ridge and the boabs stopped.

Across a dry Keep River.

Big hill in the distance is all bare.

Passed the turn off for the Duncan Highway that does down back and forth across NT/WA borders to Halls Creek. Phone reception here with the aerial.

Four kilometres from the border we turned north into the Keep River National Park. Everything is open here. Checked the FB and text messages. Got a email from Kylie & Phil who we met on the Canning Stock Route. They have bought are van and were headed to Darwin. What a shame we missed them. The phone automatically changed the time to WA so we were just getting ready for a cuppa at 9.30am and now it only 8am!!

Continued on to Cockatoo Lagoon - going to stay with NT time today so made a cuppa and walked down to the lagoon.

Zoomed in on some birds - looked like spoon-billed storks. They weren’t mentioned on the info board. Lots of corellas here squawking as we walked along over the rocky ledge for a view further down the lagoon.

The pretty yellow flowers that I have been trying to photograph.

Big boab which still has its leaves at the back of the NP quarters.

Checked out the info boards in the hut. Found out the yellow flowers are from the Kapok tree.

A chap came in looking for the ranger has he was trying to get phone reception. I offered ours but he decided to just drive back to the border where it is good. He has a 6x6 truck towing a camper trailer and said the road into the park was very good.

Headed up the track and stopped to do the walk up Gingers Hill. Nice view and a different item from aboriginal culture we haven’t heard of before.

A few vehicles coming out as we head up. Light corrugation but otherwise a great road.

Turned onto the track into Goorrandalng Campground. Big hills as we enter.

On with the hats to do the walk. Lovely breeze blowing so you don’t feel the sun beating down.

Found a hole in the rock and climbed up for a selfie. The wind was blowing so hard through the hole it blew out hat and shirts up!! Got a better photo in between the gusts.

Walked around to the front of it.

Continued on enjoying the views - mini Bungle Bungles. Startled some Black Cockatoos. Down to the flat sandy area. We hear a tweet or two but haven’t seen any other birds.

Found one but it wasn’t on the board we just passed. A willy-wagtail too. They are both chasing the bugs off the ledge.

Easy walking except in some of the soft sandy sections. Flat slabs of rock here. Amazing where the plants manage to grow. A great rock to finish the walk.

Got back at 11.30 and chatted with a lady from Melbourne. They had just come up the Duncan Highway towing a van. She said it was good though some sections it was just a 2 wheel track. They had come up the Tanami Highway to Halls Creek first and she said that was more corrugated.

Had lunch then headed back out to the main track. An escarpment hill on the right.

Turned off into the track to Jenemoom Walk. Nice walk along the edge of the Keep River though you had too keep your eyes down to not fall over the rocks. Hence I stopped a lot to take photos. Just a few more photos of boabs too.

At the end was a large area under the overhang and we found a grinding rock and a few paintings.

No access further along the gorge - sacred site so just took photos.

Found some more paintings, some were underneath the ledge.

Steve spotted some further up too - they would have had to climb up onto the ledge to do it as it is over Steve’ head.

Just love these plants and how they just hang on to life.

Headed back listening to the Black Cockatoos squawking in the valley area on the other side. Must be water down in the river as it is full of lush green trees.

Back to the main track and north to Jarnem Campground where we are booking in for two nights. Big rock hill behind some old buildings as we get close - sign saying ‘Sacred Site’. On the Hema it shows it as Nyawana Dawang.

Two brolgas wandered across the track - just like the two we read about in the Dreaming story.

Into the campground where the sacred area ends with a fence and more signs. Parked in our bay which are a good size for campers and vans etc. Nice view of the end of the hill I took a photo of before.

First time we haven’t had to put the fan on as the cool wind is still blowing. No flies either which is lovely. No phone reception here not that we need it. Got out our books and relaxed in the shade of the camper. There are a few other campers here.

Went for a walk and chatted to the older chaps having a boys trip - we saw them at Timber Creek too.

Drinks as the sun disappeared behind the hill then Steve got the fire going in the fireplace to cook our snags and baked potatoes. So nice outside and it is cool enough to enjoy the fire for a change. There is a half moon and thin mackerel clouds over it which make a brown circle around the moon. Mum would say ’rain coming’ when she sees the ring around the moon.

Lovely dinner outside in the quiet after the birds had finished their sunset choruses. Spotted a satellite then Steve saw the Space Station. One more satellite went through the Southern Cross then we headed inside.