Leaving Wangi it was a quick ride along the bottom of the scarp on the western edge of the NP until re-entering the NP and climbing back onto the top of the tableland. Then down and out of the Litchfield NP.

Then the bitumen stopped. There is only 12 kms of dirt road left between Litchfield NP and the Stuart Highway at Berry Springs. But this 12 kms has been regraded so often to level the corrugations that has become very dusty and unpleasant.

At the end of the dusty dirt was a lovely river crossing, looking a bit croccy but good enough to fill a water bottle.

Then even more dirt due to the road crews having ripped up the existing road to realign and improve the road to a major highway. My theory is that it is the army wanting a more direct route from the bases in Darwin through Daley River township to the Bradshaw training area at Timber Creek.

It was getting hot when I turned onto the road to Berry Springs. By midday I had had enough and pulled in to the Tumbling Waters caravan park for a drink. I bought a drink and a snack and the proprietor shouted me a couple of bottles of cold water. Good on you mate!

Through Berry Springs (didn’t call in for a swim in the hot springs as Brian and Christine had done), restock at the IGA and then to the caravan park where the prices were oddly reversed – here the barramundi dinner was cheap ($10) but the camping was expensive ($25). I picked a tent site near the showers which was a bad idea due to the smells from the leach drain. Don’t do that again.