Back to Darwin

We left Brissie and headed north up the coast to Rockhampton.

From there we went west through Emerald to Barcaldine.

On the drive through one of the ranges we stopped off to check out the view.

We hit Barcadine and went to see the Tree of Knowledge. It was poisoned some years ago but the tree itself has been preserved and remains as part of a monument.

Barcaldine itself is also noteworthy for having six pubs in a 200 metre length of street!

Longreach - we decided to stay there for a couple of nights and to visit the QANTAS museum and the Stockman's Hall of Fame.

I will have to edit this picture a little, but I think it has the makings of a decent image. What do you think?

After a few hours driving we arrived at McKinley where they have the pub from the first Crocodile Dundee movie installed on site. Yeah - we stayed the night and had a few beers!

We drove on again, this time going through Cloncurry (holder of the title of the hottest temperature ever recorded in Australia) and headed north through the Burke & Wills Roadhouse and Gregory Downs and on to Lawn Hill National Park.

Wow! Lawn Hill was a special place indeed and we stayed there for four days, walking through the park and canoeing up the gorge.

In the outer reaches of the park the spinifex was everywhere.

But the gorge was, well, gorgeous!

We headed up to "Harry's Hill" for sunset while sipping a wine and nibbling cheese and biccies. Magic views!

Termite mounds . .

An old meteorite crater. . .

From Lawn Hill we headed south to Camooweal and then across the Barkly Highway to the Barkly Homestead Roadhouse as people advised we would not get the van through the Savannah Way - it is in disrepair.

Travelled up the Tablelands Highway to Cape Crawford and stayed at the Heartbreak Hotel.

Drove across the Carpentaria Highway to Daly Waters and spent the night at the pub,

North from there to Katherine.,

Then Darwin via Mayse's at Pine Creek and the Adelaide River pub.

Heading back to Darwin

Well, after visiting my brothers (one from the UK and one from Brisbane) down in Brissie for the past few weeks we are heading north west to Darwin. Karen has picked up a role with the Red Cross and I will be looking for work in the area.

We stayed some of the time in Brissie at the home of friends (thanks Joan and Rob) and although we found SE QLD to be damned cold we enjoyed our stay there.

Here is a pic of all three of the brothers with my son James - the royal family would never allow this to occur though - all four McDermott tadgers in one place!  What a loss to the world if a terrorist had gained word of this!

The reprobates are, from left to right as you view the pic, me (Joe), Fint, James (the brother) and James (the son).

I had to post this picture too - yes, in Brissie they sell firewood at $3 a piece!

While we were there we took Fint away for a few days down to Evans Head in NSW. It was cool enough, but the sun shone and the days were glorious and we had a ball.

This is Fint relaxing at our camp near the river.

We spotted a Falcon XR8 with his initials too - I think he'd have driven it away quite happily.  :)

Karen and Fint next to the Richmond river at Evans Head.

And some beach photos!

Fint and I decided to walk to the next headland.