Newcastle Waters 17 July 2006

After picking up the mail (thanks Julie) we set off for the long drive north. Stopped at Elliott for lunch and bought some local artefacts. Elliott was a staging area for Australian troops during WWII and Peter believed that his father probably transferred through Elliot whilst in Darwin, after the Japanese bombing. Surprising how green these little towns keep themselves plus big shady trees. Most watered with water from the Artesian Basin. Car washing is still a normal sight too. Cry Sydneysiders! Stopped at Newcastle Waters Rest Area for the night for a free camp. It ended up being crowded with about 20 groups staying for the night. We noticed that the official Rest Areas in NT are becoming more crowded the further we go north. We’ve meet caravanners who have not free camped before who are also liking it - used to be mostly motorhomers before. Caravan park owners are not happy. They prefer to fence you in to collect $20 - $30 a night, but we don’t want to be fenced in!