Whistleduck Creek to Old Police Station Waterhole: Iytwelepenty/Davenport Ranges National Park

52km Nick navigated us through spinifex and acacia country from Whistleduck Creek south and east (bearing of 120 degrees) to Old Police Station Waterhole.

NT Place names register: https://www.ntlis.nt.gov.au/placenames/view.jsp?id=24190

“Previously referred to as Davenport Range National Park, Iytwelepenty / Davenport Ranges National Park was officially dual named in 2011. Iytwelepenty (pronounced in-tul-a-punj) is an Alyawarr word meaning “where the Kwelharr or Rwaney (Black Footed Rock Wallaby) run” or “where the Kwelharr or Rwaney tracks are everywhere”. Unfortunately we didn’t see any. Davenport Ranges National Park takes its name from the Davenport Range, which was named by John McDouall Stuart. Stuart wrote in his report (South Australian Parliamentary Paper No 65 of 1861) “After crossing a number of rough sandhills, we arrived at the top of a range, which I have named Davenport Range”. Sir Samuel Davenport (1818-1906) was a member of the South Australian Legislative Council between 1846 and 1866 . He held the office of Commissioner of Public Works in 1857 and President of the Royal Geographical Society (SA).”

A dramatic but dry waterfall that runs into Frew River

 

More on the Davenport Ranges https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/travel/destinations/2017/02/davenport-ranges-northern-territory/

Park management plan: Iytwelepenty-JMP-operational

No-one has considered extended walking tracks.

Easter Saturday… continuing towards Old Police Station Waterhole

A great day’s walking. We got up early and covered 23km over amazingly diverse country. Rocky, stony, gravelly, sandy, ridges and plains… wet and dry… acacia, sandalwood, spinifex (both hard/ spiky and soft/ shiny types).

Enjoyed Saturday lunch at Julia Basin where Nick had intended we spend the first night. By evening we were optimistic that we could make the distance, but worrying about water. I didn’t believe Nick when he said that there may be no more water before Police Station Waterhole, so I didn’t carry enough.

Flies were another on-going bane. In your mouth eyes ears nose. Hard to do anything as they won’t let up. They’re not even interested in your food, but you can’t eat it because they get into your mouth before the spoon. The moment the flies leave you alone, mosquitoes are out. Are the mozzies a sign of water nearby?

Good Friday April 19th set off from Whistleduck Creek towards Old Police Station Waterhole

Crazy? I thought so when Nick suggested it. 52km off track through untracked terrain, way outside mobile phone range (probably nearest was at Ti Tree 200km south), and no satellite phone with us.

We announced our plan as we arrived at Whistleduck Creek, 7 hours north and east of Alice Springs. None of the friends with us discouraged it. On the contrary, Peter said there would be plenty of water in the waterways following the torrential downpour that came with Cyclone Trevor. So off we went, over loaded with careless packing. Our friend Paul drove our vehicle 200km to the end point of the walk, Old Police Station Waterhole, a highlight of the National Park with large waterhole and camping facilities. They were planning to go kayaking down the Frew River which was flowing into the Waterhole.Nice walking but no water the first day (a very short walk after 7 hours drive). We found a nice soft sandy campsite by a dry waterway.Flies were awful. In every orifice: mouth, eyes, ears, and on every patch of bare skin. Flynet merely separates those trying to get closer to your face from those trying to get away. You feel like a lump of faeces thick with flies. Hard to see or think. They don’t resist being picked off your face or out of your ear and squashed.

Day 2 we quite quickly found a small waterhole down a waterfall and were very reassured. Then as the day wore on we found many lovely waterholes of different sizes and geography. I had 5 swims!

Quite tiring. Once we were passed the burnt area we had to walk through tall spinifex, not making anywhere near the progress we anticipated. By evening on day 2 we had not yet seen the proposed lunch site but we came to a beautiful junction of waterways around 4:30pm and Nick decided it was too good to leave. So there we were at day two with only 16km behind us.

Farewell to Tarkine and our eye-opening visit

Leisurely start, then our final farewell at Tasmanian Food and Wine Conservatorium from where those headed to Launceston went east, while we headed to Hobart went south via the Central Highlands. 

We walked to Liffey Falls, skipped the Pine Lake Nature Trail as we felt short of time, lunched by the Great Lake, and were home to Hobart in time for me to run a final run behind the Cascade Park.

Tarkine at last: 10th April 2019

A long drive today, from Tullah to Corinna (where we did the Whyte River Walk), then on to Sumac protest camp, then on to Arthur River.

Wow!

Back in Hobart already 4th April 2019

Back to the books, with some memories of beautiful sites, and a busy tourist site struggling to deal with popularity while advertising for more.

Bennett’s Wallaby at Fortescue Bay. Plump and fluffy compared to my friends the black-footed wallaby which is lean and fast

Looking out to Cape Pillar at the end of the walk

The Totem Pole – a 65m rock climb

Farewelled new friends we’ll never see again.

Three Capes Walk 31st March to 3rd April 2019

National Rural Health Alliance and Doctors for the Environment Australia Conferences both in Hobart, a week apart. What else to do but Three Capes Walk?

First day a 4km stroll to Surveyors Hut, a delightful introduction to the Story Seats, providing geographical, historical, ecological, cultural and poetic information about the walk.

I was a little disappointed that the botanical information in the book was piecemeal and patchy, when I was looking for a more structured introduction to the plants we saw.

Day 2 was 11 km, to Munro. Half way there already.

Day 3 19km, mostly without an overnight pack as we headed to the Blade, then Cape Rauol. I was actually surprised that people didn’t get to each of the Capes.

Day 2 1st April 2019

Wonderful walking along ridges, up and down hills, through moorlands and grasslands, wet and dry and cloud forests. Great interpretive guide book but nothing on the Aboriginal owners and patchy information on the plants. I found it comprehensive plant book at the hut which enabled me to identify all my pictures.

Port Arthur penitentiary

The day was spoil by constant helicopter noises. From when we started to when we arrived at the hut a regular roar of chopper blades. So loud that it interfered with conversation. Ranger at Munro Hut said this is about once every 3 weeks. Mainly to stock the first class huts.

Ranger talk from ex-fisher described how fishing industry had collapsed with rising ocean temperatures. Now tourism is their occupation.

Melaleuca: Leptospermum lanigerum

Wombat droppings. Who was here?

Cape to Cape walk Dec 2018 to Jan 2019

Flying over Uluru on flight from Alice Springs to Perth

Day 2 walking from Deepdene campsite to Boyanup Forest

Looking back to Cape Leeuwin

Looking forward to Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse which is peeping over the hill

Dunsborough and home 4th Jan 2019

Sugarloaf rock, where the redtailed tropic bird nests – its only nesting site way out of the tropics. We didn’t see it despite peak nesting season

We did the amazing last day from Mt Duckworth to Sugarloaf Rock (where the redtailed tropicbird nests) up to Cape Naturaliste then around the corner then along the top of the Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge along a series of nature trails and into Dunsborough. Vegetation today was different, walking east with bays to our north, with clay soils protected from the wild seas of the west.

Gannet Rock lunch stop – what a relief to sit down

Delicious mushroom salad at Dunsborough and Nick drank locally brewed beer. On the bus soon. Our timing was perfect although we were tired and stressed along the way with no margin for error (even a drizzle of rain overnight made me think we couldn’t do it). Turned out a perfect day with even the beach walking on firm sand and a final dip near Kabbijup.

Toilet and tank at Mt Duckworth. Despite plenty of clean and well-maintained pit toilets there was paper at almost every campsite

Track marker