Paynter's Photos: LEAVING WESTERN AUSTRALIA for the NORTHERN TERRITORY

Chris & Kathy left us in Kununurra and travelled home by themselves while we waited for the air conditioner in the Scout to be repaired. We hadn’t needed it till now and when turned on refused to work.

After flying over Lake Argyle we decided to drive there too. This is the spillway on the North-western end which looked imposing.

Another view of the Lake.This is from the lookout and makes the cars and buses look so tiny.

This is Spillway Creek. The surrounding countryside is so rocky that explosives had to be used to create this man-made creek.

Ah! we leave Western Australia – welcome to the Northern Territory.

Augustus Gregory, an early explorer, passed through this area in 1855 looking for pastures to run cattle and sheep. The dates of his journey can still be seen engraved into the Boab tree.

This is the Victoria River looking downstream at Gregory’s Boab tree.

And this is the ’bridge to nowhere’ – to Bradshaw which was a pastoral lease but is now a Defence Area.

Our next stop was Timber Creek named by Augustus Gregory because he took timber from this area to repair his ship. This is the souvenir shop in town.

We went on the Vitoria River Cruise – and this is Bradshaw Bridge looking back upstream. The Victoria River is 800k. long and 40k wide when it enters Joseph Boneparte Gulf.

The tour guide threw bread with a small piece of meat pressed into it, and the Sea Eagles picked the meat out while others returned for the bread.

It is most unusual to see Hawks, Eagles and crows eating in the same area.

And the salt water crocodiles were lining the bank of the river sunning themselves.

This is sunset over the Victoria River with the Yambarran Range in the distance.

The next morning we went exploring the area and this is the same river at Policeman Point.

The bridge at the township of Victoria River is being replaced as it goes under water in the ‘Wet’. This old bridge and the Bradshaw bridge were supposed to be above flood level but they have both been submerged.

We bypassed Katherine – we’re not used to all the traffic, street lights and round-abouts so we travelled on to Mataranka.

Mataranka is the home of the famous thermal springs in Elsey National Park. The Rainbow Springs pool is crystal clear water at 34C. and is surrounded by a palm and paperbark forest.

This area was made famous in the novel ‘We of the Never Never’ by Jeannie Gunn written in 1908 about her life at nearby Elsey Station where her husband was the manager. This replica Homestead was created for the film.

During WWII Darwin was bombed by the Japanese and Australian Defence forces were moved into this area. This is Gorrie Airfield. Unfortunately this is where the Scout decided to break down!!!