Day 39 –Mataranka to Katherine 111 K / 68 Miles

Another early start got us on the road in the cool of the day. Our destination was Katherine at about 105 kilometers. Out of Mataranka, the road proceeded on a pronounced northwest course that we will follow all the way into Darwin. While the sun was now to our backs, the winds out of the east were so light that they helped very little if any. Not that we are complaining, we know well that no wind is better than a headwind.

The heat started to build and by 10:00 we had removed our gloves, fleece and jackets. The last 8 kilometers into Katherine was on a parallel cycle track (path) which was welcome as traffic had begun to build the last 20 kilometers. We sat down for lunch in Katherine at 12:30 PM. The afternoon temperature was in the low 90s.

Coco’s backpacker hotel is stop for the night.   It is very much like the YHA Hostels at which we have stayed in Apollo Bay and Alice Springs. The next 3 days we will be starting early and hopefully finishing early. Though dry, the heat is still oppressive.