Unperturbed by the fast moving traffic on the Stuart then Victoria Highway, we comfortably travelled the 300 km from Mataranka to Victoria River Roadhouse.  We didn't  stop in Katherine because of its recent status as a Covid hotspot. Despite having plenty of range, we continued with our cruising speed of around 60-70 kph to keep up our good record of around 135 Watt hours per km. We enjoy the slow pace, especially coupled with auto steer, because the car is comfortable and we can take in more of the scenery. Other vehicles had plenty of visibility to pass and, when we can, we pull over for passing large trucks, especially road trains (counted 72 wheels on a prime mover pulling 4 trailers). Because we have ample power to spare, we can position ourselves quickly to where we want to be in the line of traffic.

The scenery and topography became more interesting the whole way (magnificent towering red rocky escarpments studded with ghost gums and flowering bracychitons, hosting flocks of budgies, finches, great bowerbirds, and honeyeaters as well as black cockatoos, corella and the odd rock wallaby and now and then a water lily bedecked waterhole lined with melaleuca and pandanus) and without making a conscious decision we started to sit back and enjoy a viewing session that was to continue for four days. We were to experience bush TV. This process was helped by getting a room for the night (lacking a functional TV) at the Victoria River Roadhouse. We figured a room was okay because we had spent the past six nights in the tent. A little snooping around the extensive grounds of the caravan park revealed a 20 amp 3-phase outlet in the workshop. Just as well because the power point in our room would not hold up the amps we needed to charge without the voltage dropping well below 200V. Friendly staff allowed us use of the 3-phase and I could ramp back the amps but still get enough power overnight to charge up the car. This establishment is suffering from age and some neglect. Furthermore, it was very hot that afternoon and most caravan owners were running their air cons using park power, causing the geriatric diesel generator to struggle.

During a predawn wakening and trek up the local escarpment, we continued our leisurely viewing amidst flaming red rocky crags and ledges clothed in iridescent, shimmering spinifex as the rising sun unleashed extraordinary ripple changes in the colour of the landscape. A very curious Small-eared Rock-wallaby turned up on our way down! A little later that morning we also climbed the Nawilbinbin track, treading where people for millennia have climbed to take time out and paint on protected rock faces and express their existence, their thoughts and create community. It is a humbling experience to witness this rock art.

We soon arrived in Timber Creek and decided we would settle in for three days to bide our time, submit online COVID entry forms (G2G) and prepare for our arrival in WA. That couldn’t happen for another 5 nights, Keep River NP being our jump off point. In Timber Creek, we took the simple option of visiting local places of interest and not to venture out in the rough terrain of the nearby Judbarra/Gregory NP.  As it turns out, local visits were a good choice of Bush TV and we stayed with the idea of air conditioned sleeping to offset the potentially 38 deg daytime temperatures. Nevertheless, the fortuitous meeting with Euan Fothergill (https://www.thebirdsites.com) set up a few challenges, namely sighting the Gouldian Finch and Black-tailed Treecreeper, both achieved without too much frustration.

The few moments of a clear, bright and full face view of a wild female Gouldian will always linger in my mind. The bird was most obliging and Stephanie took over my binoculars in time for perhaps an even longer clear view of 10-15 seconds. Another dreamy interlude at a tropical billabong at Hickeys Beach, including more new birds, convinced us that Timber Creek was not at all a boring place. Most visitors pass straight on by between Kununurra and Katherine or perhaps see a less impressive landscape compared with the Victoria River Crossing, but we know differently! We have just learnt from an enquirer about our Tesla that Timber Creek daytime power comes from a local solar installation. The informant, Stephen from Darwin, has just bought his third EV, a Model 3 Tesla, following an Hyundai Ioniq and electric Commodore!

The photo list (continued below):

1. Victoria R Roadhouse Escarpment Walk predawn moon and first light
2. Escarpment Walk predawn rock face and river
3. Escarpment Walk dawn spinifex at top
4. Escarpment Walk predawn distant rock face
5. Escarpment Walk dawn on top
6. Escarpment Walk Brachychiton sp.
7. Escarpment - Short-eared Rock Wallaby - (possible unique species to the Kimberley and western NT)
8. Nawilbinbin rockart escarpment ledge walk near Vic. R roadhouse, Livistona and rockface (H1 & H2
9. Nawilbinbin - Tibouchina were prolific in the cool, moist shelter
10. Nawilbinbin -  Turkey Bush nearbly
11. Nawilbinbin -  rock art - just one example of many many paintings in the shelter of the overhang
12. Timber Creek - near lookouts on top of the escarpment above the town
13. Timber Creek lookout road where we sighted Gouldian Finch 3 times on two visits, once really well
14. Timber Creek Policeman's Point - Victoria River (White-gaped Honeyeater)
15. Timber Creek Hickeys Beach - resting Tesla, its getting accustomed to rocky dirt tracks
16. Timber Creek Hickeys Beach - at your leisure, 6 spp. of honeyeater, Shining Flycatcher and more.