Fitzroy Crossing

Almost back to derby before we turned east for Fitzroy crossing. Arrived just ahead of the mobilis geriontis (grey nomad) pack and staked out two spots. When paying $1.99.9 cents per ltr for fuel they toddle along at 80 - 90 km/h compared to Gordon's 120 plus which isn't a problem on the gun barrel bitumen, the termite mounds being the most prolific wildlife and they don't move too fast. The absence of wildlife since we left Katherine has been notable apparently because of the late rains they are all staying out around the Billabongs which if we get to do the Tannamai should prove spectacular. Just to keep you awake they throw in a single lane bridge on the main rivers (they just get washed away every couple of years so why build more than necessary) then they throw in a road train carrying a whole demountable or part of a gigantic mining truck. Passed one with part of a chassis on it and even with all our stuff on the roof we didn't make the central wheel hub. Up early AGAIN to go on a boat cruise up Geikie gorge which is the visible southern tip of the Devonian great barrier reef, Windjana gorge being the northern visible tip. Walked along it before sunset last night, pristine white limestone and quartz embedded with shell and ancient sea creature impressions for the lower 20 m topped with jagged peaks of Black and red stained rock. The white delineates the average wet season water level and is honeycombed in sections where small rocks get trapped in eddies and rub the limestone out. More crocs today though only freshies and mostly juvenile under one meter also spotted a wallaby pair living in a cave 15 -20 m up a sheer rock wall plus heaps of birds. Fitzroy crossing has proven the most prolific in animal life for a long time spying several pairs of Brolgas two groups of brumbies including a foal which Morgan was eager to chase down and brand as her own having been told that if you catch and brand them they are yours. Could not quite get across the degree of difficulty in this seemingly small task. Heaps of wallabies around too one of which hopped off with a rather large headache after reshaping our bash plate a little, thankfully we were only going about 30 at this stage being in a national park and all.