Blackheath
It was so very difficult to leave our Dexter. The only reason we did so was because of all the warnings about the brown tick problem in the NT. We wanted to see ULURU together and track back up to Mataranka and surrounds. We couldn’t risk his life. We hope he will relax after a day or two and enjoy the peace and quiet that I’m sure Valerie and Mimi will provide.
Blackheath Tourist Park was lovely as our first stop. It’s adjacent to the Blackheath Swimming Pool. I’d visited this pool when I was under 10. I have never forgotten this 50 meter pool, smack in the middle of a huge park. Glorious. Like nothing I’d seen in the suburbs as a kid.
The only glitch during our one night stay was that at about 9pm when all the staff had left and it was pitch black a ‘ Juicy’ van pulls up on our site (all sites beside ours were free) They wanted easy access to the Camp Kitchen (which was right next to our site) but obviously didn’t want to pay for the convenience. Cheeky cheapskates. I considered letting them stay if they shared the cost - but they got the drift and moved off back to their cheap dusty camp site.
A bonus at Blackheath was that I found a Fine China mug with a Willy Wagtail pictured on it. My favourite bird is the Willy. Cheeky, happy little characters with lots of gumption. Interestingly, I’m now seeing the little characters flitting around everywhere.