Wednesday 23rd at Katherine

Arrived in Katherine Northern Territory yesterday Tuesday 22nd and came to the Red Gum Caravan Park, where they managed to squeeze us in on a vacant section not intended to be a van site, as all designated sites were occupied. They issued us with a double adapter in lieu of a designated power outlet, and told us to share. There were others that came in after us, parked on any vacant piece of ground, and electric leads running in all directions. The previous night we attempted to find room in a rest stop North of Elliot, but with no suitable space had to keep going until South of Dunmarra we spotted a little track in off the road through some light scrub, and there were signs others had used the old gravel scrape before us, so we stayed there.
We are seeing more ordinary sedan cars towing large tandem vans than we have seen for years. The other aspect that has increased is the number of Ford F250s being used.
And the number of times we find fuel pumps out of order is now a talking point amongst those “on the track” with information being regularly sort over the UHF radio. Having filled with LPG at Camooweal we had received a text from another traveller a week before that Barkley homestead did still have supplies of LPG, but once again having travelled over 200km with more than another 200km to go to the next likely available fuel, the LPG pump had that now familiar “Out of Order” sign. In fact fuel pumps have the visible signs of sticky tape on the transparent covers were signs have been stuck on, and at Elliot, the four spots of “Blue Tack” remain on the pump to make easy fixing each time the “Out of Order” is needed!!!!!!!! The Barkley Highway is however in good condition apart from that.