Katherine...10th - 14th of June

Back to Katherine for a few nights to gather ourselves before we head west.  We stopped in at the Low Level river and met the lovely Rodney King (that is really his name). Rodney liked to paint whilst looking out on the Low Level river.

Rodney was a very friendly fellow and we soon were chatting happily to him as he worked. Toli told him about his didj so it was pulled from the camper and plans were made to add some of Rodneys distinctive art to it.

 Taking a break from painting, Rodney took the kids croc spotting....for fresh water crocs only.

The only one we found was way out in the middle of Katherine river....a little bump in the water in front of the sand bar in the pic above left.  Little were we to know we would see many more!

Rodney suggested we take a look at Katherine Hot Springs as they have been hiding out at the river over the back due to a Salty amongst their ranks.  We were only too happy with this idea as it was pretty hot by this stage.

Hanging out at Rodneys camp.....a very relaxing way to spend a day.

Oh, I forgot to mention Toli had us all visit Katherine hospital after he stepped up into Big Betty (our camper) without fully opening the screen door and gashed his leg.  Four hours in emergency and four stitches later and we were back at Low Level....he however, very unhappy he couldn't swim.

                         

 Rodney assured me their were no crocs here....he has been swimming in this same spot since he was a boy.  He also stated that they don't like the rocky bottom or the fast rapids. Even still, I kept a very close vigil on Bells as she swam...quick to say "alright, that's enough, out you get" when I saw a log floating down stream.

Rodney discovered little tiny leeches on his hands after this head dunking.  Very funny watching Bells reaction - may as well have been a croc in the water with how fast she got out!

Funny thing about Katherine Hospital - it's right next door to the cemetery.  Makes logistical sense I suppose.  The museum was across the road from these two places so we visited that lovely building as well.  It was a truly historic place, a lot of history here.  We were absorbed by a half hour video of the 1998 floods in Katherine. Wow, the entire main street was under water!

Katherine Museum....on the way out..quick snap

We also visited the Katherine School of the Air.  Made the kids realise how big the Northern Territory is and how remotely some kids live.  Some of the kids in the school only see other children maybe once or twice a year!

Nitmiluk National Park is our next stop!