Albert does Gregory

The title may have grabbed your attention but Gregory National Park definitely got ours. This was an extreme driving experience as the park can only be seen by 4wd. The tracks follow old stock routes from the 50s but I can't imagine cattle or drovers having much luck in these harsh conditions.

The tracks were rocky and dry with limestone sheets that cracked like glass when the truck (aka Albert the Grinch) rode over them. We had

creek crossings, mostly with no water, dirt runs, tall grasses, and steep jump ups. Our camps were proper bush camps on a water source of some sort - all croc murky. We LOVED it!

The markers to keep us on track were blue boab trees on periodic posts. And the real boabs were amazing! These trees have been around for hundreds of years. They grow up and then out with age. Some have carved markings from the drover days when they called them hotels which was appropriate as the stayed at them while tracking.

The only set back of our time in Gregory was my 'Kakadu tattoo' was starting to not look so good and be properly itchy and spreading. When I

finally showed to a few people one guy called it when he said it was a chemical burn from the caustic tree or blister bush - yep, the sap from a tree in Kakadu has left me with a good story to tell and a helluva scar.

After following the tracks through Bullita Stock Route, Humbert, Wickham to Gibbie tracks, we exited the park on day 4 very much in love with this special place. It was 1st of July which is NT Day but we had a mission to make Halls Creek by sunset as they had a hospital for my new and expanding tattoo.

Just as we thought it couldn't get better than Northern Territory, we started to cross into Western Australia and realised there was a hole lot more beautiful to come!

Story to be continued...Gregory won

the battle but not the war as Albert carried a 3-legged camper back to Halls.