Another sunny, crisp morning. I was off the Barkly Hwy and on the Stuart Hwy heading due north. Today had a bit of a planned destination which was to reach Daly Waters for a stop and maybe stay there. It’s about 270k’s up the road and 5 or so k’s off to the left. I remember it from last visit as a quiet little place with very few permanent residents to speak of but an interesting pub, a quiet camping ground and some accommodation rooms and cabins. There is a bit more traffic on this road, including the road trains. They seemed aware of me being around and acknowledged me when coming up to them and overtaking. I was probably all over their radios like the previous truckie said at 3 ways.
There are few tourist attractions here in Daly Waters which I believe fit in the category of ‘different’.
I turned off the Stuart Hwy and came up to a traffic jam. I had to manoeuvre my way past a 500mtr long line of caravans and Winnebago’s trying to get in. School holiday’s apparently. The place was packed. The camping ground was humming with the sound of generators. It was a long wait for my meal, which was a a really nice Barra, and the pub was not at all a cosy place. Lots of character but just too busy. I decided after eating that I would continue to Katherine to stay the night.
It was a nearly 700k day. The temperature in the day had increased by about 10 degrees from yesterday at 3 Ways, and I really knew that I was in the Northern Territory. The thermometer on my bike said it was 32 degrees here. It was 19 when I left Sydney and low 20’s every day since. I reached Katherine just after mid afternoon and did the sus’ out blockie. The pubs didn’t seem to have any inviting accommodation signs and I asked the guy in the servo for any recommendations. He wasn’t too talkative but mumbled in few words that I should look for a motel. The Katherine Motel was my pick. Seemed quite secure with coded security gates. My impression of the area was that these gates as well as high secure fencing were probably a good idea. It was $155 which is a bit more than other places I had stayed at but bike security and sleep are always worth the extra cost.
I had a quick wander around, worked out that there wasn’t much here in Katherine to see, found a noodle bar for a feed and then back to the Motel for what I was hoping to be a quiet sleepy night. A bit of telly and I was on my way to la la land … THEN … bloody builders in the 3 rooms next door started getting louder and were on the piss ’till 4 am !!! at one point punching on, yes, outside my room. Made for one cranky bike rider the next morning. Although they weren’t around, they were nice enough though, to avail me of a shirt from the back of one of their trucks, to wipe down my bike.
Motorbike Touring 