02.06.2026

Contrary to what was said, today was supposed to be the last accommodation. Things turned out quite differently than planned ... We started at the usual time and turned on the indicator after 50 km in Jabiru. There, we were attracted only by the architecture of the 'Crocodile Hotel' of the Merkur chain. This large facility looks best from the air, but we could also see its shape well from the ground. It is a very large establishment, and one could have bought a lot of art there. After that, we headed onto the highway, passing through 'Arnhem Land'. This area has many tall trees but also wetlands with billabongs - waterholes where we saw many water birds. Overall, it was a very animal-filled day; along the way, we spotted eight living wallabies, several dingoes, and in one spot, hundreds of white cockatoos. It was the first road with such lively wildlife! 8.7 km from our destination, our direction was blocked. In the distance, we saw recovery operations. At the provider of our planned tour for today, we were able to move it from 1 PM to 3 PM, but that was also optimistic. So, we had to call again, and we could easily reschedule for tomorrow at 9 AM. Eventually, it leaked that the road would at the earliest be cleared in 2 to 4 hours, but we had already been baking in the sun for 3 hours. We turned around and drove to the Roadhouse - where we had refueled - to spend the night there. Here, some 'stranded' people gathered. We experienced the full program: we booked a simple room with air conditioning, enjoyed the afternoon sun in and by the pool. During a walk through the campground, we saw many wallabies grazing. The flying foxes were screeching in some trees. For dinner, we had a delicious pizza and beer! The pub was well filled, the slot machines were busy, and there would surely be more overnight guests than usual today. We heard that a truck fell off the bridge and now needs to be recovered. Hopefully, it will be done by tomorrow because you can't simply choose a detour here; this is THE road ...