2008 Trip Part 4 - Point Stuart to Crab Claw Island

It was after lunch when we arrived at Point Stuart and we spent the afternoon swimming in the pool then taking a drive to Shady Camp where we watched the big crocs swimming around the fishing boats who seemed to be oblivious of their presence.
The main reason to come to Point Stuart was to go to the place where John McDouall Stuart had finally completed his journey of expedition. Today was the day and we drove north to Point Stuart Coastal Reserve.
It was a hot morning and the walk was about 2kms across open country to the cairn amongst the coastal trees.









When we arrived we took the photos, wondered about the emotions of the explorers when they reached this point and then started off to do the 500 metres to the coast at Finke Bay.

The trees were quite thick here and the track was covered in layers of leaves. It twisted and turned as we strode out on a mission to get to the coast.
As I rounded a corner with one foot mid air, I saw a snake lying immediately across the path in front of me. If they had a section for backward leaps in the Olympics I would’ve won gold for sure. I pivoted mid stride, leapt backwards and if Ray had his arms out I would’ve landed there for safety. He took a video of the snake but no way was I going any closer and any thoughts of emulating Stuart and reaching the sea just there were definitely off the table. We drove back to Stuarts Tree Fishing Camp and went in and met and chatted to the owner for a while and asked if we could go to the boat ramp. As it turned out Stuart’s cairn can be accessed from a track at the ramp and we would’ve been only about a km from it so the mission was accomplished.

That afternoon we decided to go on the Mary River Rockhole cruise which is run by Point Stuart. It was a bit of fun and we got some good photos.

The boat was much smaller than the ones at Yellow Waters and we had a group of international tourists on the first day of their trip with the tour group who have a base camp at Point Stuart.
We got in really close to the bank near a big croc with its mouth open wide. They all wanted a photo of themselves at the front of the boat with the croc in the background. When the croc suddenly decided to slide into the water there was a mad rush to the back of the boat!

At the end of the cruise it was sunset and we waited to take the photos before heading back to Point Stuart where we thought we’d try their restaurant and we both declared their barra was the best we’d tasted so far.

The perfect finish to the day was going to be a cup of coffee back at camp but when we turned our light on, every insect within a 20km radius descended upon us in swarms. We gave up, they were everywhere and as we spat them out of our teeth, we escaped to the safety of the camper.

It was time to leave Point Stuart now and make our way to Darwin for the next four nights. On the way we stopped at Annaburroo Billabong for a cuppa and a look around and called in at Windows on the Wetlands.

We needed to get the fridge checked over and we decided that we would have the luxury of a cabin for our time in Darwin. We booked in to Howard Springs and they gave us directions to where we could find someone to look at the fridge. I have never seen so many fridges,of every denomination and in such stages of dilapidation. They were stacked from floor to ceiling and all through the building. When we told the woman in the office what we wanted, she rolled her eyes and told us they were so busy and we’d be lucky to get it looked at any time soon. However, when she rang the boss who spoke to Ray it turned out that we were lucky indeed, because he agreed to check it out the next day. When we picked the fridge up he had fixed it so that it would work on 12v but would need checking when we got home. He didn’t charge anything at all for his services which we thought was extremely generous and we really appreciated his kindness.

Our time in Darwin went quickly. We walked along the esplanade, through the mall and walked around the streets looking at some of the historic buildings.
We went to the Museum and wandered through the various sections including the Cyclone Tracey display which is so realistic you almost feel you were in the middle of the cyclone. We went to Mindil Beach Markets, and my favourite, Parap Saturday morning markets where we ate delicious food and bought gifts for the kids. We walked along Casaurina Beach, had a drink at Rapid Creek Hotel, lunch at Cullen Bay Marina and went to Stokes Wharf one evening for fish and chips and we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Darwin.

The highlight though was our trip out to the Tiwi Islands. We flew over in two little single engined Cessna’s with Ray and I in different planes. Once on Bathurst Island we were met by Steve our guide and driver and two Tiwi guides Malius and Romo. As we drove from the airport to the museum Malius began to tell us the history of the Tiwi Islands and ended with the statement “and then the white man brought our new religion…..Aussie Rules”! At the museum both Malius and Romo told us the creation and live and death beliefs of the Tiwi people and the modern day history of the islands. From the museum we went to meet the famous “Tiwi Island Tea Ladies” and have billy tea and damper. We met some more Tiwi guides, the oldest one being called Tea Bag. When he found out that Ray and I barrack for his team Carlton, he gripped my hand and we both agreed that next year would be the year! It was here on the Tiwi Islands that the Tea Ladies and Tea Bag gave us a re- enactment and detailed account of how Brendan Fevola was denied his 100th goal.

Once we’d had tea and damper with honey or jam, it was time for some stories and dancing. Romo told us about the system of skin relationships and how there are four different skins - Pandanus, Fish, Sun and Rock. Fish and Pandanus cannot marry Sun or Rock and vice versa. He also told us that once young boys reach about 12 -13 they can never again speak or directly look at their sisters and when they marry they can never speak to their Mother in Law. This last rule brought a great cheer from the men on the tour. It seems a complicated system and a harsh one but obviously it is just normal life for them.
Before the dancing we were invited to take photos as they painted their faces and then we were welcomed with a smoking ceremony where they wished us a safe return to our homes and loved ones. They did several different dances and then it was time for us to get on the bus and say goodbye.

Our Tiwi Guides had to leave us now because there was a funeral in the town and they were all required to attend. In fact, the main part of town was closed to traffic as the whole community poured in.

We were fortunate that we could still be shown around and we stopped to look at the old Catholic Church with beautiful altar and bullet holes from Japanese fighter planes during the war. We moved on then to the Tiwi Art places and were shown wooden carvings of birds and mask like faces, woven bags, screen printing with scarves, bags and cushion covers as well as paintings.
When we’d finished with these it was time for our lunch and Steve drove us out in the bush to a little billabong where we could have a swim.
The lunch was superb, with three different kinds of cold meat, cheeses, a selection of salads and two different types of bread as well as salad dressings. It was a real feast.

Because the funeral had stopped the normal procedure of the tour, Steve decided to take us to a pristine beach with endless stretches of sand and small pools of sea water that we could paddle in.
Sadly our day on Bathurst Island was coming to a close and after a last drive back in to Nguiu, we were taken to the airport and boarded the planes to return to Darwin.

We left Darwin on a Sunday morning to visit the Territory Wild Life Park and have lunch at Berry Springs. The Wild Life Park was very good and we wandered around, took the little train and thoroughly enjoyed our morning there, especially the bird aviary. Back at Berry Springs we couldn’t get over the crowd. It took a while to find somewhere to park and I’m sure that half of Darwin were out there having picnic lunches and swimming. We gave up on lunch, had a quick swim and left.

Our plan for the day was to go out and camp at Crab Claw Island, a place I’d seen on the internet but really didn’t have much idea of what to expect. The road was bitumen until the junction with the Mandorah road. After that it was a pretty good dirt road for about 35kms to the turn off and 15kms in to the resort. Crab Claw Island Resort is a great little place.
There are about six apartments that front the water and another six in the gardens behind. The front apartments are linked by a walkway to the main building which is a large area with shutter windows that were opened wide. Fans keep cool air circulating over the bar and the eating area. Below is another open air area with tables and benches. All this overlooks the sea and is surrounded by palms. All apartments are on stilts with car parking underneath. The amenities block is built in the same way and the camp ground is behind the garden apartments with a few trees and more have been planted. There are two pools set amongst the palm trees and you can hire boats to take out fishing.

We arrived mid afternoon and spent the rest of the day with the fans whirring overhead, watching the footy in the restaurant area. It would have been a shame not to have sampled the food so we had a meal at a window table while we watched the sun set over the sea. I don’t know how much the apartments cost but it was $28 for our campsite which we thought was ok having paid more for some less lovely places.


Ray had been bitten by insects over the past week and they were starting to be really itchy and he was feeling miserable. We’d got some Telfast and cream in Darwin but that didn’t seem to be making any difference.

For our time in Litchfield Park we thought that it would be enjoyable to stay at Labelle Downs Station which is about 17kms away. The idea was that we could set up camp and do the four wheel drive tracks to the Lost City etc. On the way to Litchfield we stopped at Bamboo Creek old tin mine, stopped for Devonshire Tea at the Monsoon Tea Rooms and then because it was still before lunch we decided to do the waterfall circuit. before going out to Labelle.

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