Day 25 - The Rainbow Serpent

The Rainbow Serpent at Ubirr

Rock art depicting a Mullet at Ubirr

 Today there are lots of photos. A pictorial blog so to speak because we had the opportunity to view art galleries thousands of years old.

We started at Ubirr which is in the north and then headed our way to the south back to our camp at Gagjudu Lodge Cooinda.

Nadab lookout at Ubirr overlooking floodplains to the East
Arnhem escarpment

In some ways I felt like I was back in Year 4 Social Studies when Ross Sharpe would talk about Aboriginal Rock Art, the Alligator River and made us do a project on Oenpelli. Saw the sign to Oenpelli today today and went to Cahill's Crossing on the East Alligator River which leads to Oenpelli. I'm not sure if he had been up here but the last few days have really been about some of these fascinating places like Rum Jungle, Oenpelli, Arnhem Land and The East Alligator River which to me as a child almost seemed like they were in another country.

Namarrkan Sisters at Ubirr - they became crocodiles
according to legend

At the Nadab lookout we were able to see the flood plains of the East Alligator River and look out to the escarpment of Arnhem Land. It would be amazing in the wet season (not that they have really had one this year because Bundaberg stole it) to see the water cascading down the escarpment and then spreading out to form the Kakadu wetlands. 

Mabuyu hunting figure at Ubirr

Thylacine at Ubirr

 One of the fascinating pieces of rock art was the Thylacine. It's a bit hard to see
in the photo to the left but in real life the stripes at the  back are very clear.

We kept a look out in the East Alligator River and at the other billabongs and waterholes but did not see a croc in the wild today - can't say we are too disappointed, the less we see of them the better. Had to drive through water a few times on the roads and was half expecting to have to wait and let one across the road!

Cahill's Crossing to Arnhem Land

At Nourlangie lookout

Traipsing around the wet north over the last few days, we have noticed that the red dust is just about all gone from our boots now - bit of a shame really. It was actually a great reminder every time we put our boots on of the 'red centre'.

According to the Dale straw tourism poll that we have conducted on our way around we believe that the French, German and Dutch economies must be holding up best in the Eurozone crisis, as these make up almost exclusively the tourists we have come across in what is extremely big business in the 'red centre' and the 'green north'.

Namarrgon - Lightning Man on the right of the photo

 Tomorrow we head to Katherine Gorge as we start the southward journey.

Love to all
S & E

Day 24 - Kakadu dreaming

Water lillies at Fogg Dam

 A delayed departure from Darwin after Elizabeth found a doctor - nothing serious and she is fine now (well as good as she was before) - now you know who is writing this post and is risking his very well being by including that, meant only a little sight seeing was completed today.

On the way out to Kakadu we called in to Fogg Dam on the recommendation of Fred and saw the first glimpses of wetlands with water lillies and abundant bird life. The dam was originally constructed to provide water for an ill fated Australian-American Rice plantation. You certainly can't say we don't give things a go in this country and transport being better now it would probably work - apart from the issue of crocs! (I wouldn't be harvesting the rice. The dam wall was not open to pedestrian traffic due to the presence of a large croc according to the sign so we just stayed in the car. They are obviously trying to catch the villain by the photo below.

First croc trap we have seen at Fogg Dam

 On the way back we also saw some water buffalo in the paddock so Elizabeth wanted to get a photo as they are not the usual fauna we get to see. He studiously ignored our presence and just waited for us to be on our way.

Another of Elizabeth's exotic animals - water buffalo

The other thing we have seen plenty of are Mango plantations. It used to be known as the Bowen Mango and I know now why it is Kensington Pride because they would grow twice as many up here as in Queensland - it is amazing they are everywhere - from Katherine north.

Made camp at Gagjudu Lodge and a big day tomorrow exploring the wet lands. Just decided that people must save a fortune on hot water bills up this part of the world as we haven't needed any hot water in showers since before Mataranka.

Love to all
S & E

Day 23 - When the war came to Australia

One of the AA guns from the defense of Darwin

We headed in to St Mary's Star of the Sea Cathedral for mass this morning said by Bishop Eugene Hurley who it turns out is a good friend of Bishop Brian's. 

During mass we did notice what looked like security guards walking around the Cathedral and it turns out they were Serco personnel as Bishop Eugene near the end of mass made special mention of welcome to the people from detention and said they were very welcome at mass. We are not sure if we witnessed an international incident, however at the end of mass a Serco officer was seen sprinting up the street after appearing to have 'lost' at least one person. Haven't seen any news so not sure if there was a report of refugees going missing after attending mass at the Cathedral. Without making political comment it would have been much easier for the Serco people to position themselves outside the Cathedral on the three sides if they were concerned about people absconding. 

Part of display at Darwin Military Museum

The rest of the morning and part of the afternoon was spent at the Darwin Military Museum which was just fascinating and also extremely sobering. The interactive display in the building was extremely well done and outside were so many displays it was hard to take it all in. We were mainly interested in the bombing and defense of Darwin but there were certainly displays of items from other times also. The whole complex was set at East Point where anti-aircraft and anti-naval batteries were located. The recordings of people's recollections from the time of the bombing were particularly enthralling.

Fountain at Botanical Gardens

We had a leisurely stroll around the Botanical Gardens after a late lunch.  Not sure if it is because it is the end of the 'wet season' or not but they are in need of some TLC at the moment.

Sunset at Mindl beach

The Mindl Beach Sunset markets were the next item on the agenda and they were amazing. Only the second markets for the year - last Thursday was the first one and there were people everywhere. The markets were reasonably crowded as we walked around and then we went down to the beach for sunset and there were hundreds of people on the beach. Once sunset had occurred they all headed up to the markets and it was almost impossible to move. We watched an amazing artist create paintings of Uluru and other landscapes with spray cans, some newspaper, a scrubbing brush and a knife. We were so impressed we had to buy one which will go on the wall at home when I get around to framing it. Any number of delicious options for dinner and various street artists to entertain the crowds. All in all quite an amazing finish to the day.

Tomorrow we await to see what is in store for us at Kakadu. A number of the places are still closed from the wet but many are open and we are sure it will be as spectacular as the other places we have visited on the trip.

Love to all
S & E

Day 22 - The Last Capital

Arafura Sea from Bicentennial Park in Darwin

 Today we made it to our last capital city of Australia - the only one we had not previously visited - Darwin. And it took us quite some time to reach 21 days and about 7000kms. We decided to do some more gravel driving as the Finnis River was open and so we traveled from Litchfield to Darwin by Berry Springs. Once we got settled we went in search of what to do in Darwin.

Oil Storage Tunnels from WWII

 We spent the afternoon at the Museum with an excellent display on Cyclone Tracey but no photos of this unfortunately. The destruction was phenomenal but when you consider that most of the domestic buildings were constructed from fibro sheeting and corrugated iron with no cyclone rating, it is not surprising. After the museum it was in to the city centre for the Heritage Walk. There are some buildings that managed to survive WWII and cyclone Tracey. We also came across the oil storage tunnels shown above but the funny thing is that they were constructed after the bombing of Darwin and were never actually used. Another of the points of interest was the submarine telegraph cable from Java which then linked up with the Overland Telegraph Line which we have come across a number of times on our journey up from Alice Springs. It is quite amazing to think of the undersea cable being laid from Java to Darwin in 1871!

LNG ship at Wickham Point terminal - especially for Michael

As we were walking back we spotted the LNG ship at the Wickham point terminal so decided to include a photo for Michael - the competition. This gas comes from the Timor Sea.

Tomorrow we will head to the cathedral for mass and visit the military museum, the Botanical Gardens and the twilight Mindl Beach markets.

So far we have managed to find our way around quite successfully without a map - not something we would attempt in any of our other Capital cities. Darwin really doesn't feel like a capital - just a big country town.

Love to all
S & E

Day 21 – Water, water everywhere

Magnetic termite mounds in front with
Cathedral ones behind

More bushwalking today interspersed with swims in freshwater creeks as we explored the parts of Litchfield National Park that were open. We made sure that when we entered the water is was well and truly above a large waterfall that no crocodile unless he was crossed with Spiderman would get up. This did generally mean that we had to walk up to an appropriate swimming spot in the first place so quite a bit of climbing.

Florence Falls

We started the day by driving back to the edge of the park to the Magnetic Termite Mounds – doesn’t sound all that exciting but the clever little, blind critters that inhabit these mounds align them north-south to provide the coolest possible home. Compare these with the Cathedral Termite mounds – who just build them big (very big – up to 6m) to keep cool. 

Then on to Florence Falls and the walk to Buley Rockhole when we actually didn’t have a swim, mainly due to the number of people already there. These are the popular swimming places as the pools are close to the road. Someone did mention that a croc was trapped at Florence Falls last week which did not engender confidence, however we’re not sure if that was correct or just a rumour. We did get our first look at the amount of water that flows down the waterfalls and this is after they really haven’t had a wet season this year. 

Tolmer Falls - can just see the natural arch above the falls

We walked around the top of Tolmer Falls before heading to the lookout. Tolmer falls has the longest fall of the waterfalls and it was quite amazing to follow the creek above the falls. Apparently it is possible to cross over the creek and see the natural bridge that is formed but only with a ranger to guide you. Still quite an amazing opportunity not behind fences – not that I would be doing it. 

Elizabeth cooling off at the Cascades

Upper Cascades

 We had worked up an appetite so we headed to the Cascades for lunch and then a walk up to the Upper Cascades for a swim. The walk up was nearly 2km and very hot and dusty. Even though the lower Cascades were still closed after the wet season, we joined all the others in walking back down the creek to the car. This was certainly much shorter and cooler and we all charged across the creek together – safety in numbers a bit like all the small fish. Seriously the water was very clear and we could see everything around so no dramas.

Tjaeaba Falls hiding behind the trees

Stephen in the red shirt hiding at Tjaeaba falls

The final walk for the day was from Greenant creek up to Tjaeaba falls where again we cooled off in the crystal clear, cool water. Another great walk and waterfall. The pool was right at the edge of the waterfall with other cascades above it, but we were careful not to get too close to the edge of the waterfall.

Wangi Falls and plunge pool - still flowing strong

Our day concluded with a visit to Wangi falls which is the most popular venue at Litchfield – mainly because again it is a 2 minute walk from the car. Swimming is not allowed currently due to the height of the water. The water level needs to fall to such a degree that they are confident crocs won’t come upstream and last year it did not open until the end of June. It is a huge swimming hole also so anything could be in there at the moment and you would have no idea.

Tomorrow we head to Darwin and will be able to post the last couple of days.

Love to all

S&E

Day 20 – Headed north on a northern safari

Mataranka cenotaph dawn ANZAC Day

Look who joined us for breakfast must
been the Wallabies jersey

Today was another pre-dawn start (second one in a row) so that we could attend the Dawn Service for ANZAC Day in Mataranka. The RAAF guys from Tindal (Airforce base about an hour north) provided all the military personnel. There is something particularly moving about remembering ANZAC Day in the ‘top end’ where there are so many reminders of WWII. The Mataranka thermal pool in the National Park was actually dug out and built by American soldiers stationed there. One of the Americans then set up the homestead after the war and launched the idea of attracting tourists.

Much better in this water

Replica Elsey Homestead for the movie

Also at Mataranka Homestead was the replica Elsey Station house which was built for the movie. We had a quick look and have vowed to reread the book when we return having now been through the area. After packing up we had a dip in the thermal pool and eventually dragged ourselves away to head to Litchfield National Park. The water from the thermal pool flows out to the creek and on our walk down to the creek we saw our first ‘Don’t swim because of the crocodiles’ sign – you don’t need to tell us twice! We also realised at Mataranka that we are now further north than we have ever been before. Mataranka is just further north than Cooktown on the Queensland coast – quite deceptive really.  

Ok - we get the message

We made a quick stop in Katherine to pick up some supplies and also scope out Cutta Cutta Caves and Edith Falls which we will visit on our way back down next week before we had lunch at Pine Creek. Pine Creek and then Adelaide River both had the obligatory WWII relics, with a War Cemetery at Adelaide River. Every single settlement must have been used as a military base and then the number of WWII airstrips would have created havoc in the skies. It really is a part of Australian history which I should know more about.

After a couple of false starts we made it to Litchfield Safari Park within the Litchfield Tourist Precinct which makes it sound much more prestigious than it is. All it really means is that there is a small section within the National Park where fairly basic amenities have been set up. The advantage is that we are right in the National Park and will get out walking early tomorrow.

We have swapped the flies of the Central Australian desert for the mosquitoes of the tropical north so the Bushman’s and the Mozzie coils have come out in force tonight. We were almost carried away there were so many but we have managed to keep them out of the tent so are typing this in peace. Yet again we are off the grid, so this will be posted when we reach Darwin.

Love to all

S & E 

Day 19 - We of the never never

Drovers memorial Newcastle Waters

Jones' Store Newcastle Waters

  Today started in Alice Springs and ended in Mataranka - 1069km in 11 and a half hours. You have to love NT roads and we kept well under the speed limit all the way. Speed limit is 130km/hr and we didn't get above 120. We didn't mean to go that far, but we reached Daly Waters at 2.30 pm and it was hot and dry and the thought of the oasis  that is Mataranka was just too inviting so we kept going. On the way we had a brief stop in Tennant Creek to catch up with Al and refuel, the fuel light had been on for the last 60 km and the DTE disappeared so the Challenger was pretty thirsty when we rolled into the servo! Headed north on the Stuart Highway, stopping at Newcastle Waters for lunch and a final view of the Barkley.We decided to detour a few  km's off the highway down to the remains of what once was the township of Newcastle Waters when it was the junction for three major stock routes. The Jones Store  was built it 1934 and has been listed by the National Trust.
Only a few km's down the highway and the landscape dramatically changed from the Barkley plains of Mitchell grass to woodlands and forests that look very much like home. We passed through Daly Waters and Larrimah, both significant WW2 staging posts and from the look of Larrimah, it's best days probably  occurred around then! It did have a very pink pub/ caravan park and zoo of all things!

Mataranka thermal pool

 So tonight we are at Mataranka, a little weary, but  happy to have got this far on our now Northern odyssey. Elsey Station  is  near here and was the home of Aeneas and Jeannie Gunn, who wrote We of The Never Never in 1908. The campgound is on the banks of the creek with the thermal springs, and it is a lush oasis. We plan to swim in the pool tomorrow after the dawn service at the cenotaph in town. After that it is just a little trip into Litchfield National Park to spend a couple of days exploring there.
Take Care
Love to all S&E

Day 18 - Beverley Hills 90210

Cycad Gorge at Palm Valley

Road out of Cycad Gorge

Today we ventured out of Alice Springs to Hermannsburg to look through the history of the Lutheran Mission where Albert Namatjira was born. Hermannsburg itself was a very confronting community which is what we expected to a degree. Going through the historical precinct was very interesting and showed just what a tough life it was for the missionaries and also the indigenous people. The mission was handed back to the indigenous community by the Lutheran church in about 1992 and there is still a strong indigenous art community at Hermannsburg.

Looking back up the valley - especially for Neil

After Hermannsburg we headed to the Finke Gorge for some 4 wheel driving to go to Palm Valley. Both the Challenger and Elizabeth handled themselves very well. We included the photo above just for Neil - although we didn't need any recovery gear so it obviously wasn't real 4 wheel driving.

Top of Simpsons Gap - no wallabies

Simpsons Gap

On the way back to Alice we called in to Simpsons Gap to get in one more Gorge before we head north. We were also on the look out for more Black Footed Rock Wallabies - we saw one on the way into Palm Valley but were not quick enough with the camera. Our chances of spying the elusive wallaby due to the fact that the students from Lillyvale High turned up at the same time we did, and despite the fact they were fairly quiet there was still a lot of noise. We have been stalked by this school group - Kings Canyon, Uluru and Simpsons Gap - hence the title of this post from the Graeme Connors' song "Great Australian Dream" where a busload of students from the city keep turning up when he is looking at the sights in the outback.

Tomorrow is a big driving day as we head to Daly Waters to get up to the tropical north and the sights of Litchfield, Darwin and Kakadu. Given our desire to get on the road early tomorrow morning, we have shouted ourselves the luxury of a cabin so that we don't need pack up the camper early in the morning. Therefore we are doing this post sitting at a kitchen table and we have had opportunity to soak the red dirt out of our feet in the bath tub.

Love to all
S & E

Day 16 & 17 - Sounds of Silence at Uluru

The rock climb at Uluru

North eastern face of Uluru on the base walk

 Wow - Day 16 was a huge one. A day that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. So big in fact that we did not have time to blog - hence 2 days today. We started early - with breakfast at the base of Uluru waiting to see what would happen with the Rock climb. We were still undecided and thought we would see what happened. In the end it was taken out of our hands and decided by fate. The rock climb was closed due to strong winds so we decided to take off on the base walk. After walking around in awe of this magnificent phenomenon, when we returned the climb was still closed so we headed off to see The Olgas (Kata Tjuta), rather than wait around to see what may happen.  

Mutitjulu waterhole on the southern side of  Uluru

Rock art at Mutitjulu waterhole

After walking Walpa Gorge and to Karingana Lookout in the Valley of the Winds at Kata Tjuta, we were in no state to tackle a rock climb so it didn't happen. We were not really disappointed, as we were happy to go with whatever happened. A day with almost 20km of walking had started to take its toll so a quick dip in the pool at the campground revived dropping spirits ready for the "Sounds of Silence" dining experience. Thanks to Fr Matthew for his advice about the dinner - it was truly remarkable and a way to make up for anniversary dinner at the Blue Heeler Pub at Kynuna.

The Olgas at sunset - featuring Homer Simpson

 Champagne and canapes while waiting for the sun to set at a sight between the Olgas and Uluru, before a three course meal of fine dining inspired by local bush ingredients - all out under the stars. Amazing food, amazing company and completed by information on constellations and viewing of Saturn through the telescope.

On the way to dinner - Tony (a worker at the Resort who was going on the dinner for the fourth time with his wife) pointed out that the Olgas look like Homer Simpson lying down. I looked and sure enough - see for yourself Homer's forehead and lips on the right hand end of the Olgas. Thanks Tony - I will never think of the Olgas the same way again and for the rest of the night that was all I could see as the sun was setting.

Uluru at sunset

 Day 17 saw us travel back to Alice Springs for a relatively quiet afternoon before we visit Hermannsburg and also Palm Valley in the  Finke Gorge national park tomorrow.

Love to all
S & E

Day 15 - Sunrise - she bring in the morning

Sunrise at Kings Canyon

Sunrise at Kings Canyon 7:16am

 After a night spent listening to the Dingoes howl at Kings Canyon we packed up around making sure that we were able to watch the sunrise over the Canyon.
As you can see this did not happen until 7:16am which is why we keep sleeping in.

In the car again for the trip to Uluru and the next part of the Odyssey. On the way Mount Connor loomed large out of the surrounding plains and we wondered how many people would mistake it for Uluru.

Mount Connor

 Some time later we glimpsed the Olgas in front of us and knew that Uluru must be hidden behind some of the hills we were travelling through. Finally it came in sight on the left hand side and it was  very emotional. We both travelled in silence for a while just thinking that we had finally made it to this place we had imagined for so long. The wait was certainly worth it.

Stephen at the base of Uluru

The Rock from the campground

The afternoon was spent at the Cultural centre before getting up close in the walk to Kantju Gorge at the base of Uluru. The sheer majesty of the place is awe inspiring and the only way Elizabeth could photograph it up close was to lie on the ground and look up. Even that does not capture it - we really need Meaghan with her camera to try to capture some of the enormity of place.

Tomorrow we will be up early to see what the day brings in our adventures at Uluru.

Love to all
S & E