DAY 33 – Timber Creek

Good Morning Timber Creek!
 
Low 16°c (61°F) – High 31°c (88°F)
45km
What a beautiful warm morning and a pretty sunrise although thanks to the escarpment at the back of the park the sun rose about an hour before it peeked over the top to bath us in light.  It was a perfect morning to sit in the sun for a little while and read.
 
We headed out though just after 11.00am for a drive around the area which took good four or so hours in between meeting a few people and having a chat.  Our first stop was the Police Museum where Bazza was the information guy and let me say Bazza loved a chat.  At least in that chat he did have some interesting history about the place to share.  From the museum it was a drive around town before heading to Policeman Point, a spot on the Victoria River with a very pretty view and equally pretty wildflowers along the track.
 
From there a drive up to Nackeroo Lookout which as a monument commemorating those who served in Northern Australia Observation Unit (NAOU) during World War II and is also in memory of Aboriginal trackers who assisted the unit.  The NAOU was set up in June 1942 and consisted of over 400 men. The unit`s role was to provide early warning of a Japanese invasion and to form a guerilla force in the event of such an attack. The unit was dispersed in a series of small bases (including several along the Victoria River, one being at Bradshaw Station) and the men carried out horseback reconnaissance patrols and other work. The men made use of the knowledge of local Aboriginals and maintained coast watch outposts. As the threat of invasion passed, the unit was reduced in strength and disbanded in March 1945.
 
The view from the lookout takes in the surrounding escarpments, an overview of the township of Timber Creek and a view of the Victoria River.  We met a couple also heading to Broome and had a chat about all things travel and caravanning before heading off to our next stop at Bradshaw Bridge.  The bridge, while capable of taking vehicles, is a pedestrian only bridge for unauthorized people and crosses the Victoria River into the Bradshaw Field Training Area, a military defence training area.  It is from the bridge that you get some perspective on just how wide the Victoria River is.  The only disappointment – no crocodiles….
 
The Bradshaw Field Training Area (BFTA) is used for training by the Australian Army as well as an Australia-US Joint Combined Training Centre. The training area is the former Bradshaw Cattle Station of approximately 870,000 hectares, purchased by the Australian Government for military training in 1996.  A large dirt airstrip capable of operating C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft was built by Australian Defence Force and United States Military engineers in less than four weeks during Exercise Talisman Sabre in 2007.  A red flag at the gate indicated that there are currently training maneuvers taking place and we also saw signs and military vehicles and staff while on the lookout earlier in the day.
 
Heading west we arrived at our final point of interest for the day – the Gregory Tree.  Gregory's Tree is a Boab tree (one of many in the area) on the banks of the Victoria River 15km north-west of Timber Creek. Gregory`s Tree has historical and social significance as it is a living monument to the exploration of the North of Australia, in particular the North Australia Expedition led Gregory in 1855-56. You can clearly read the dates inscribed into the tree trunk. The tree was to serve as a marker should the expedition run into trouble.  The inscription was carved by the expedition artist, Thomas Baines, with the arrival and departure dates of the party which was common practice for the time.
 
Pulling back onto the highway after a car towing a van and halfway back to Timber Creek he started to go very slow.  Eventually we saw what was holding him up – a guy on a motorbike towing a trailer at 60km/hr along the highway.  We eventually passed him as well and later noticed he had booked into the caravan park.
 
Back to the caravan park for a rest before dinner and so I took a stroll down to the creek to see if our friendly croc was still around.  Amazingly there were two of them sunning themselves on the bank of the river – within the camping ground.  Being Freshwater Crocs they were no threat to those of us viewing them but it was surreal standing so close to these amazing creatures that truly are prehistoric both in their look and their history.
 
We decided to have a meal at the pub tonight – quite a small dining area and all hard surfaces, tiled floor, brick wall, so it was difficult to hear as the voices were very loud and echoey.  Still a very filling meal, somewhat expensive, but it all added to the experience.  And of course we couldn’t go back to the van empty handed so leftovers were wrapped in a napkin and very warmly received.