Day 77 / 2025 - Adelaide River to Dundee Beach

Leaving Adelaide River we headed North once again. We had booked into the Caravan Park at Dundee Beach on Friday so we had 2 nights to find somewhere else to stay. Now that peak season is in full swing it is harder to get into places and you need to book further ahead.

Dundee Beach is accessible via the Cox Peninsula Rd off the Stuart Hwy, we found a low cost camp area about 5 Km down Cox Peninsula Rd called Berry Springs Park & Stay. Cost was $15.00 per night which was very reasonable considering the location.We did miss the driveway in and had to do a three point turn in the next driveway along then back track a couple of metres. The area was very rustic but you could see the potential. There were gravel sites with water and there were 2 sites which had power. There was also a grassed area with sites at the end but they didn't have water. We picked two sites near the entrance and setup there for a couple of nights. The was one flushing toilet and a cold water shower to cater for non self contained campers.

 The campsite is not far from Berry Springs Nature Park. The park has lots of grassed areas, a kiosk and a natural spring which feeds into the main river system eventually ending up in Darwin Harbour. There are a number of pools developed along the rivers course. Starting at the waterfall you can drift down to the lower pool via the main pool, the water is reasonably warm and quite comfortable from the moment you get in. It was very popular with lots of people but there was still room for a quiet dip.

 After two days we packed up again and headed for Dundee Beach. It is mainly a fishing village but there is a tourist park run by Discovery/G'Day Parks as well as a tavern right down on the beach front. It was about a one hour drive from our last campsite, the road in was all bitumenised and in reasonable condition although there were a few rough spots. Arriving at the caravan park we were pleasantly surprised by how good the park looked. Checking in we were directed to our site where we setup camp. We originally planned to only stay for 3 days but decided to extend by another 3 days and were lucky enough they could accomodate us. We went for a walk around the park found there were two pools with one of them quite close to us. The park was quite full with many campers coming and going each day.

 Walking out to the beachfront we checked out the Tavern, the prices for food seem quite reasonable and the beer wasn't badly priced either considering the location and limited amount of competition. The view was quite nice overlooking the beach and no doubt the sunsets would be spectacular. Down on the waterfront was a large concrete jetty and boat ramp, all looking very new. you can easly fish from the jetty just have to be mindfull of the rocks when casting out and retrieving. The boat ramp had multi levels to accomodate for the large variation in sea level cause by the tides. It was interesting to watch people unload from and load back onto trailers. Generally one person would stay in the boat while the other would back the boat trailer down. Once the back of the trailer was in the water and the boat propeller submerged, the person on the boat would start the engine and put it into reverse driving off the trailer. To put the boat back on would be the reverse. There were Crocodiles in the area so I think this was so nobody was standing to deep in the water and for too long just in case.

 On Sunday the Sporting Club put on an undercover breakfast and small market, they also do a lunch then a roast for an evening meal. We took in the breakfast then made our way back again that evening for the roast dinner. They do this every Sunday and also do a pizza night on Friday's. In-between breakfast and dinner we visited the brother of one of Annes school friends who has been living in Dundee for the past 26 years. He has a nice rural block set quite a way back from the main road surrounded by rain forrest. 

 Monday we spent most of the day hanging around the park talking to other campers, swimming in the pool and just generally relaxing. During the evening we walked down to the beach and to see the sun sent watching the sky changing colours from bright orange to pink then dark grey until finally it was dark. Once the sun sets the sky gets dark quite quickly not like in the southern parts of Australia where you seem to have longer twilights in the mornings and evenings.

On our last night there we went to the tavern for an evening meal. We were originally going to share in a pizza but since it was schnitty night we opted for a schnitzel and chips with salad. We finished off afterwards with an Ice-cream for sweets.