Billy's Camp No.18, Roper Bar & Katherine

15/07/2012

I left King Ash Bay on Friday 29th June, looking forward to The Savannah Way, about 370 K's of varying dirt road . It varied from single lane corrigated with dust holes to many creek and river crossings. Most of them more picturesque than the one below. But about 2pm with 100 k's to go to Roper Bar, no power in the Hilux, it coasted to a standstill on the side of the road. Blowing 25amp fuses marked for the EFI.
It has taken two weeks for the country town of Katherine to repair it, and zero help from Katherine Toyota, oh what a feeling !
Many things happened of good fortune though, and especially the help offered by the owners of Roper Bar Store.
It was loaded onto the back of a truck that happened to be doing a delivery to a fledging new mine 20k's back towards Borroloola. It was transported to Katherine Toyota that night and Katherine Toyota instantly offloaded it to the local auto electrician across the road. It was diagnosed after one week and repaired one more week later. Oh what a feeling.
The camper was towed to Roper Bar camping grounds and then to Katherine a week later. I stayed in the camper at Roper Bar and also Katherine, with three nights at a motel in Katherine.
Diagnosis............faulty fuel pump due to about a heaped teaspoon of iron filings left in the long range fuel tank installed by a certain Belconnen mechanic. Oh what a feeling.
A couple of upsides, I have no schedule, so nothing lost in that respect, except the lead up to the wet season seems to be kicking in early, and it was not the vehicles reliability that caused the breakdown.
Many lessons have been learned and I now own a satelite phone and have comprehensive road side assistance insurance. The sat phone is also a near necessity when fishing the many arms and creeks of the estuaries.
I have had the ute back for 3 days and I am leaving for Kakadu tomorrow Monday 16th. I had a look at the Cutta Cutta caves and Katherine Gorge by a cruise.

A quad from the Borroloola Mines

Savannah Way. The Bar in Roper Bar is a natural rock bar across the Roper River, and no, there is no alcohol available at Roper Bar !

The corregations are caused by compression of the soil by damper action, it goes down meters. Its 20kph or about 90 to keep in synch.

Oh what a feeling............

And thar she sat for two weeks...fuel tank is on the ground

Un-

-believe-

-able,..... and throw in another couple of adjectives

Filings caused arcing in the fuel pump connector...at low fuel and with fumes available...whooska...

Cutta Cutta caves, rotate 90' and look, he's called Mr Smith

Katherine Gorge....a bit like Kings Canyon with water

Katherine Canyon

Katherine Woolies...flat out all day everyday

Did I tell ya's I caught a couple of Barra , lol.

Ooroo for now..
Billy.