The Territory's most famous campfire storyteller and bush cook is gearing up to hang up his hat and his camp oven for good.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Geoff Mark, known around the region only as Marksie, is running the very last season of his Stockman's Camptucker Nights.
"I love what I do, and I have grave misfeelings about retirement," Marksie said.
"But while my mind is telling me that I'm only 25, my body thinks I'm 87."
Until October, the 70-year-old is going to continue to run his much-loved show three times a week - working from 5am to 11pm on show days to prepare meals and entertain his guests.
His retirement will be a loss for the Katherine region, where Marksie has been a tourist magnet for more than two decades.
"I travelled around Australia in the 70s and fell in love with Katherine," he said.
"In 2000 I came here with my son and three daughters, who were all educated here in Katherine."
And it was here where Mr Mark's dream of running a stockman's camp tucker night came true.
"In 1999 there were 120 people in this country who were running stockman's nights with stories and food. I went to 110 of them to see if I could do something similar."
It turned out he could.
Living adjacent to the Katherine Museum at the time, Mr Mark also had just the right location to start his venture.
The youngest ever national title winner at clay target shooting, who learned his initial cooking skills in his hometown of Rainbow in Victoria's Mallee, said when he started his business in Katherine in 2000 he wanted to give his recipes 'Territory flavour'.
"My grandfather would take me hunting and then cook a rabbit or quail or duck in the camp oven. Anything he cooked in the camp oven tasted fantastic.
"It was always my desire to build on those camp oven experiences, but also learn how to identify native herbs and fruits and combine them with Western cooking."
As part of his research, Mr Mark spent time with local Indigenous women who passed on their knowledge about traditionally-used plants.
"Some of the women took me under their wing and shared with me all their wisdom about the food that is out there to collect and eat.
"I am most grateful for the Aboriginal women who shared their knowledge of the bush and bush tucker with me.
"Knowledge is a wonderful thing. Sadly, whenever an Indigenous woman passes away, an encyclopedia of Indigenous knowledge dies with her."
Aiming to send his guests' taste buds 'on a wild ride', the camp cook now uses 16 native herbs, foods and spices in his NT-flavoured recipes, creating dishes like bush tomato cheese-top damper, crocodile rolls and beef with quandong sauce.
But his recipes, together with the yarns he spins while sitting around the campfire with his guests, will be lost when the season ends if Mr Marks can't find a buyer for the business.
"Sadly, we're selling," Marksie said. "I would really like to pass on my knowledge to someone who would like to take over.
"It would suit a local person who brings their own knowledge with them, or an Indigenous person, or someone who loves to cook."
Hoping to travel and see more of his family and grand-children, Mr Mark will be hanging up his hat and his camp oven for good in October.