Not far out of Darwin you pass over a number of WWII Airstrips. Attack aircraft was hidden along the roadside and using the highway as their runway they helped defend the city of Darwin as it withstood 64 bombings by the Japanese.

There are many memorials along the way commemorating those who fought including a cemetery in Adelaide River.

Now I've not been on the road that long and while it's hot I've been in hotter BUT somewhere south of Adelaide River a dog ran across the road. I of course hit the breaks and before the bike really got too unsettled it had been and good. One might think ah yes well we've probably all seen dogs run across the road at sometime in our life, however.... this dog sure looked like a dingo to me! Yes I'm talkin a 'Dingo ate my baby'.., Dingo!

I was only about 250 KLM out of Darwin and frankly it seemed a bit close to civilisation to be a Dingo. I don't know really know enough about them or their habitat but I'll do some research and let you know. If anyone out there is up on their 'Dingo-ology' then please add a comment. I'd be interested in learning if what I saw was a Dingo or not!

Back to the road...

There are things you forget between trips that come back to you in quick reminders. The flying retreads that litter the roadside is one of them. They zip off and bounce along like dancing pigs along the highway providing the occasional challenge for me to duck and weave... just to keep me awake in the heat.

I passed what would have been the longest and largest bunch of sheep I have ever seen. Unfortunately for them they were in trucks heading to our dinner tables. There would have been at least 15 road Trains filled with sheep, each train had 3 or more payloads on it! It was an intersting site. I caught them on the high def camera so I'll upload the pics as soon as I get to a conventional computer. At the moment I'm eMailing my posts from my mobile phone/computer and there's just not enough bandwidth in Katherine to upload fat photo's.

I'm sleeping in Katherine tonight...

Every time I've been to Katherine I get the same vibe. Lovely place to visit, incredible scenery and sites to marvel but the population is so polarised. White Australia and aboriginal Australia may both live here but at least on the surface the Aboriginals you see are a drunken, screaming, fighting wreck of a people. Not allot of Didgeridoo playing okra painted dancing happening around this place.

I walked into a pub and found I was the only non aboriginal in there. There were no lights on other than at the bar and the room was so thick with cigarette smoke I thought for sure the pub was on fire!

On the other hand there are some great restaurants and motels here. The natural sites include the incredible Katherine Gorge (of which there are actually 13 gorges, guess they couldn't call them Katherine 13 Gorges). Last year I did the helicopter trip into the gorgeous gorges. Go to www.twowheeltouring.com.au/gallery.html to see the pics.

Well that's it for tonight. I just booked a water front cabin on Lake Argyle in WA. It's about 400 KLM's from here. I'll also stop at Victoria River Road House which, in my opinion has the best hamburgers in the world!

I'm taking to go orders so just let me know.

Adios.