02-Aug-2009 -- This was the Top End 4WD Club's second attempt to visit this site. The last attempt ended with many flat tyres and little progression towards the confluence. This year conditions were better; wild fires had cleared much of the grass which had previously obscured obstacles, tracks leading into the area where already noted and marked on maps and a professional navigator (Athina) was set with maps, GPS and various waypoints.

The trip began from Katherine in the Northern Territory. It was a relatively short drive to the community of Manyallaluk to the South East. From here we travelled just over an hour North East along previously explored tracks, over one moderately sandy creek crossing and to our camp site along Fanny Creek. The camp site was extremely picturesque with a long deep water hole, plenty of fish, some crocodiles for company and shady trees to set our tents under.

The next day we set off for the confluence site which if we took the correct course would take us through 18km of relatively level ground. The start was a bit tricky and we had to back track about 500m after taking a wrong turn and ending in a gully but once we reached higher ground we were soon travelling smoothly in a general northerly direction. the terrain still took us through some interesting country, open woodland mainly, rocky outcrops, a couple of dried up black soil plains and through small drainage lines.

Around lunch time we had reached as far north as we needed to travel so we stopped to eat before continuing the journey in an easterly direction, we were just 8km from the confluence point at this stage.

Soon after we had reached the most difficult terrain to negotiate. It varied greatly and to get where we wanted to be we had to travel through gullies and rocky terrain and then we arrived at Fanny Creek again which was possibly passable but was as far as the vehicles would take us anyway. We were within 1.2km of the confluence site, so it was all out and walk from here.

We got to the confluence site shortly after and it was a particularly pretty site on the very corner of Kakadu National Park. It felt great to make it this time!

The drive back took only 2 hours compared to the 4 hours it took us to get there, so we were fortunately back at camp by 6:30pm cooking dinner and relaxing.

Special thanks goes to the Jawoyn People and Jawoyn Association for permitting us access to their beautiful country.