Day 24 – Mataranka to Tennant Creek
Difficult to drag oneself away from Mataranka but there was a lot of Australia still to see.
Our focus for the next 2000 kilometres was south. Lots to see in-between but still south. We hit the Stuart Highway again – a 2800 kilometre strip of bitumen that runs from Darwin at the Top End of the Northern Territory to Port Augusta at the head of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia.
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- Small termite mounds.
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- At the Forrest memorial, 40 km south of Larrimah.
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- The plaque at the Forrest memorial, 40 km south of Larrimah.
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- On Stuart Highway.
After travelling in The Outback for a while one gets get inured to long distances. “Ah, it’s only 200 km down the road”. “It’s just 150 km”.
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- Part of the 2834 kilometre long Stuart Highway.
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- The start of a sandal tree.
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- Sandal tree.
No drive along the Stuart Highway is complete without a stop at Daly Waters.
During his third attempt to cross Australia from south to north John McDouall Stuart came across these natural springs in 1862. He named them after the new Governor of South Australia, Sir Dominick Daly.
Today the main attraction for tourists at Daly Waters is the pub, decorated extensively with banknotes, bras and other memorabilia left by visitors from all over the world.
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- Daly Waters Pub
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- Banknotes from all over the world.
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- Inside the Daly Water pub.
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- More banknotes.
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- Anything goes.
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- The Daly Waters Donkey.
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- Not a junkyard but a display of memorabilia.
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- Rego plates from everywhere.
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- The Thong Collection.
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- Thongs are different for Tammy.
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- The Thong Tree
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- The Bra Bar
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- Say it fast.
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- Tammy took time out for a beer.
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- Tammy and Kim at the Daly Waters Pub.
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- Beer and BS Corner.
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- Rugby wall
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- Ladies outhouse
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- Shielas and Blokes
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- Gerry and Tammy.
For the more historically minded it is interesting to note that Daly Waters was an important airfield during World War II. It also served as a refuelling point for early Qantas flights to Singapore. And a visit to the ‘the Stuart Tree’ is a must.
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- At the Stuart Tree.
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- Plaque at Stuart Tree.
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- On the way to Elliot.
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- Two road trains heading north on Stuart Highway.
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- Lunch stop.
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- Churchill’s Head Rock on the old Stuart Highway 78 km south of Renner Springs. The rock, on the east of the old highway, looks vaguely like a profile of Winston Churchill. In order to make the image more persuasive, someone has stuck a piece of piping where the mouth should be so that the profile appears to be smoking a rather large cigar.
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- At the junction of the Stuart and Barkly Highways about twenty kilometres north of Tennant Creek.
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- John Flynn Memorial at the intersection of Stuart and Barkly highways.
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- Plaque at the John Flynn memorial, intersection of the Stuart and Barkly Highway.
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- At the junction of the Stuart and Barkly Highways about twenty kilometres north of Tennant Creek.
Bush poet Jimmy Hooker conducts a nightly show at the Tennant Creek Caravan Park. Very popular with ‘grey nomads’. Tammy was captivated.
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- Tammy at Jimmy’s show.
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- Kim at Jimmy’s show.
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- Bush poet, Jimmy Hooker.
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- Jimmy telling a story.
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- Jimmy making a point.
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- Jimmy regales his audience with another story.
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- Cooking a damper using a Bedourie Oven.
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- Jimmy Hooker with his audience.
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- Jimmy relating a story.
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- Jimmy shows off his damper.
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- Sharing damper.
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- Jimmy shares out the billy tea.
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- Sharing damper
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- Jimmy takes up a collection.
It was a pity we didn’t try more of Jimmy’s damper because on returning to our camp we discovered that a dog or other animal had taken our steaks that I had left on the table to thaw for dinner!
Go to Part 10 – Tennant Creek to Alice Springs