Day 3: Victoria River to Timber Creek

July 22, 2022

Today was even slower getting going, and I didn’t roll out til 8:15. Then I played tourist. I would highly recommend Victoria River as a tourist destination. I went to look at the old river crossing.

Old river crossing downstream (judging by the direction the trees were pushed in, I actually have no idea where the Victoria river goes) of the roadhouse

Then I stopped to do the Nawalbinbin walk. It goes up into a lovely valley and takes you up to the bottom of the cliffs where there are lots of palm trees, some springs (or seeps?) and some Aboriginal art.

This area would have been rich living in the dry season at least. Apparently the story is that the dreaming beings left their “photograph” on the rock wall which people then traced over as paintings.

The road in was also dirt so my bike is starting to look like it’s in northern Australia.

All this meant it was half past ten by the time I set back out on the road for Timber Creek. The escarpments gave way to hills as the national park ended then to what I would uncharitably describe as busted arse cattle country and stony hills. Some of the hills were so stony it was quite impressive, but made a hot ride in the middle of the day. And there were no rest areas. I had to find a shady rock on the side of the road for lunch. As I was doing so a woman in a van did a u turn and came back to offer me cold water, it would have been rude to refuse. I sat there for a while until the shade shifted and it was less hot to get back on the road. The escarpments started up again around 20ks out of timber creek. I stopped to look at the Durack monument, which is a bronco panel, to tie calves to while being branded. The information panel acknowledges the role of Aboriginal stockmen, although skirted around the dispossession and unpaid labour issues.

I was thinking about continuing to a riverside national park campground but the lure of showers, pool and Internet was too great. I was pretty tired today after feeling quite energetic yesterday. I didn’t even go and explore Timber Creek or go up to the escarpment lookout. I got given a bottle of frozen water by another caravanner and generally lay about on the grass near my camp.

Today's ride: 95 km (59 miles)
Total: 300 km (186 miles)

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