My night on Pandora was not quite what I expected. Two big thunderstorms full of lightening coalesced over Elsey Creek at about 10 pm. I had been watching them approach, blinded by the long forks that penetrated the sheet lightening, and deafened by the sound, so I was prepared. I had everything except the tent and my mattress packed up in case it got too wet and I had to leave - the road in to my campsite was black clay soil, and if it rained too much I was worried about getting out again. I jumped in the car in case one of the many tall palms came down on me in the strong winds, and hoped there was no rain in the storm. Turns out there was a lot of rain in it, and it didn't look like it was going to stop quickly so I packed up in the pouring rain, and slipped and slid my way down the track back to the road. I slept in the car for 2 hours until I was certain the rain had stopped, then set up my other tent in a truck rest area and got in a few hours good sleep!
Today I have driven down onto the gulf lowlands, and along the side of the Roper River. It is a strange ecosystem with a mix of sea birds and riverine ones, including Sea Eagles and Terns flying down the river. But I am quite close to the coast now, only 40 or 50 km away. The floodplain has lots of billabongs along it, though not much bird life when I went past. I am camped further around the gulf next to the Limmen Bight River in sandstone country, remants of a range that once ran north through into Arnhem land.
Tomorrow I will visit the my first 'Lost City' and the most spectacular of the publicly accessible ones apparently.
Wild Buffalo near Roper Bar
A thunderstorm approaching my camp at the Limmen Bight River - I could hear the thunder while I took the picture.
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