KAKADU - TIMBER CREEK

DAY 36 – KAKADU TO TIMBER CREEK                                     Sunday, 7^th August

Hot!  As I am writing this, I am eating dessert – some hazelnut Cadbury’s chocolate – with a spoon.  Apparently that is how you do it in the north of Australia.  I cannot even put it in the fridge because the fridge isn’t cold enough!!

Just a car driving day today.  Was woken early by the barking owls, as usual, and then drove from Jabiru in Kakadu National Park to Pine Creek and then Katherine where we had lunch, and did some grocery shopping.  Necessary since 2lt of milk at the Jabiru supermarket was $5.60.  So good to see a Woolies!!  From there, we drove into and out of and back into Gregory National Park with enormous escarpments either side of the Victoria Highway which were beautiful. 

We decided to bypass Victoria River Roadhouse and push on to Timber Creek at the suggestion of the Parsons but missed the Crocodile feeding at 5pm by only 20mins.  We did, however, wander down to the bank to be greeted on the other side by a 2-3 metre freshwater croc – quite large for a freshwater – sleeping only 40 or 50 metres from the caravan!!

Big day – very tired.  Off to WA tomorrow!!!  Wow!!  Holiday into next stage.

KAKADU

DAY 35 – KAKADU                                                                     Saturday, 6^th August

Off early this morning for a ranger-guided tour of the woodlands in the Yellow Water region of Kakadu.  It was really interesting and the kids all commented afterwards that if they were ever stuck in the bush, they would not starve to death!  They would know exactly how to get lots of food!!  From there we went on a boardwalk at Yellow Water, near to where the cruises leave, which was absolutely beautiful.  Just the typical Kakadu scene – water lillies on the water, green lush surrounds and a huge crocodile in the water which Ben spotted!  Must have been 4 metres – just cruising up and down the river.  So beautiful to see them completely in their natural habitat.  After lunch we headed to Nourlangie Rock which was absolutely stunning.  Unfortunately, today was the first day Sarah has forgotten her camera (bugger it!).  Particularly on a day when there was so much beautiful scenery!!!  The Billabong around Nourlangie Rock was full of Magpie Geese and Egrets and Cockatoos (and probably the odd crocodile or two!).  But the rock art walk around the rock was just stunning.  We went into an enormous cave that apparently David Attenborough filmed in 1962 and where an archeological dig in 1981 produced a number of artefacts dating back at least 5,000 years, although they believe the Aborigines used the site up to 20,000 years ago.  Standing at one of the lookouts, behind you is Nourlangie Rock and in front of you 15 odd kilometres away is the Arnhem Land escarpment, which is just spectacular. 

I know tourists come here all the time, but as we stood there, listening to the ranger talk with perhaps 20 people (6 of whom were Hansens), it was so easy to think that we were in a group of select people who would stand where we were standing and look out to Arnhem Land.  The Northern Territory has that effect on you – on the one hand of making you believe that you are the only people who have or who will ever walk here. But on the other hand it makes you feel so very small when you think of the 1000 or so generations of Aborigines who have walked over and cared for this country before us, of the many white explorers who have traversed this country that was so different from theirs, and of our children who will hopefully one day bring THEIR children back here.

OK, I MAY have had a glass or two (husband’s note: or 6) with dinner …. Better go and help my husband start to pack up for our trip west tomorrow!

KAKADU

DAY 34 – KAKADU                                                                      Friday, 5^th August

Our FIRST DAY OF DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yay!  Mummy is a little bit excited.  Daddy / Camps Co-Ordinator has been running a tight ship and I am only now really understanding about David needing to “leave nothing undared”, no stone unturned, no final lookout unseen!!  It is exhausting.  But he has been wonderful in showing us all parts of Australia that not every tourist gets to see.  With only three more days left in the Northern Territory, whilst I could never say I have seen it all, I feel like I have given it a good go, and seen more than most would in four weeks.  He is a great tour guide.

Have spent the day wandering around, skyping, writing in the journals and lots of time in the pool.  My husband even washed two sides of the caravan!!!  Can’t do the other side because of annexe and kids doing journals!!  Played some pool and caught up my blogging!!  I realised the difference between our children and us today when I said to Beth that I could stay here for a week and just read and sleep and dip into the pool.  She was horrified.  It would be so boring with nothing to do!  Oh to have nothing to do for a week!!  How good that would be!  It has just been the best day and I could do this for ages!!  But, I am told, my husband has a big day planned for us tomorrow!!

The movie (and free popcorn) poolside tonight was Crocodile Dundee.  What fun for the kids!!  They were so funny to watch, especially at “the naughty bits”!!  It was amazing to see the sights of Ubirr Rock and remind the kids that we were actually there last night!!  They were just so cute!!

Surprisingly enough, there are some drops of rain as we are going to bed tonight – a sound we have not heard for quite some time!!  But going to bed listening to the barking owls talking to one another is just beautiful.  They are amazing and sound just like barking dogs – but quiet ones.  As we came back from Jim Jim Falls yesterday, we were stopped in the middle of the highway by a dingo which was very curious and would not get out of the middle of the road.  The kids are loving seeing so much wildlife. 

KAKADU

DAY 33 – KAKADU                                                                     Thursday, 4 August

You begin to really appreciate the days when you don’t have to move on…. Just lying in bed a little longer, cuddles from my babies, the more-than-occasional-unwanted-attention from my husband!

Off for a visit to the Bowali Visitor Centre this morning which was just so interesting and very well done.  It was great to learn just a little bit more each day about the Aboriginal culture and the importance they place on their responsibility for caring for the land.  There are over 200 Aboriginal languages, and about 100 of these are still used regularly. 40 languages are spoken by a significant number of people.

One interesting story was about a crocodile which was tracked and observed by one woman for a period of two weeks.  It had chosen a water hole that unfortunately had dried up during the dry season and it was now thrashing around in a pile of mud about 4 metres by 4 metres.  It had tried to put mud on its badly sunburned back and even went so far as to put a mud wrap around its head to protect its brain.  Eventually it crawled out, and whether it survived she did not know.  But with that amazing sense of survival it is no wonder they are one of the only animals to survive unchanged for almost 100 million years. 

We decided against driving into Twin Falls (much to my husband’s disgust) because they had only just opened it up to vehicles without snorkels and the water was still 65cm deep.   I am a bit protective of my Prado – it still has a long way to go to get us back home!  Anyway, still went 4WD driving into Jim Jim Falls which was great.  Everyone loves a bit of being thrown around the car!!! At the end there was still a 1km walk in to see the falls.  This was a bit of a challenging walk, climbing over boulders.  But the kids are amazing – just racing ahead and clambering over rocks much taller than they are.  Much better than their Mum!!  The plunge pool at the end was beautiful.  David took a dip and said the water was very cold.  If DAVID thought it was cold I cannot even imagine the words I would have used to describe it!!  But it is just so crystal clear and the sandy beaches – yes, sandy beaches in the middle of nowhere – have just the whitest sand!  Just that excursion was a 5 hour venture.

We came home for a quick sausage-in-bread dinner (which is unusual, we have been having very healthy meals generally), before heading out to Ubirr Rock in the north-eastern corner of the park.  David says that it is definitely the place to be at sunset.  There is a substantial amount of rock art on the walls there which the kids loved looking at and tried to understand what the paintings were trying to say.  There was even a painting of a Tasmanian Tiger which are thought to have been extinct on the mainland now for 2000 to 3000 years.  It is amazing to think these paintings are so old.

Climbing over enormous boulders to Jim Jim Falls

Jim Jim Falls

Tess and Mummy trekking together

Beth does it easily and waits for the rest of us

Together on a top of a rock at Jim Jim Falls

Watching Daddy in the plunge pool at Jim Jim Falls

The leader of the pack - always searching for the easy path for Mum!

A picture of innocence on top of Ubirr at sunset

David at sunset

Watching the world from the top of Ubirr

Just so special

Spectacular

Up to the top of the rock for sunset, which was absolutely stunning.  Words cannot adequately describe how it is to sit up there overlooking the green floodplains as wallaroos bound beneath you and an amazing number of birds fly overhead and the sun sets in the distance.  There is total silence up there, despite the number of tourists.  Everyone, it appears, is there for a peaceful, spiritual experience. I can only echo Tessie’s words:  “Dad, this is most beautiful place in the world”.

DARWIN TO KAKADU

At the Jumping Crocs cruise

We didn't even have to throw her in!

Truly amazing

DAY 32 – DARWIN – KAKADU                                                   Wednesday, 3^rd August

And so begins our second month of our trip … can’t believe how quickly that time has gone.  David keeps saying that it feels like we have just started.  But we have seen so much in that time.

Off early today to what Mummy thought was going to be SUCH a great place – Humpty Doo.  With a name like that, it HAD to be interesting.  Well, apparently not.  Anyway, onwards and upwards.  Stopped about 30 minutes down the road for the Jumping Crocodile Cruise.  The kids just loved it – and we didn’t even get around to throwing any of them overboard!!  We saw maybe 10 crocodiles and to see them jumping out of the water to eat from the pole was amazing (albeit a bit circus like).  But they are in the wild, and the captain was able to give a detailed description of each of the crocodiles.  Because they are so territorial, it is easy to know who is who because of their place along the river.  It was fascinating to see how they launch themselves out of the water and what their bodies look like.  There are about 20 crocodiles for each 1km of water in the Adelaide River – mainly one dominant male, probably a secondary male and up to 20 females.  They can live up to 80 or more years and several of the crocodiles we saw were very old.  But, as I said they are very territorial and also can be cannibalistic.  So the crocodiles do have extensive injuries sustained in fights.  One we saw only has one leg left!

We went to the Window on the Wetlands exhibition which was very interesting, showing all the native flora and fauna around the area.  Then off to Kakadu.  It is only about 220 kms from Darwin, so not a long trip.  The Jabiru caravan park is just gorgeous.  You can pick your site and we have a lovely shady site near to the pool.  AND the cheapest caravan park we have stayed in to date!  Although I did feel sorry for the people behind us, a middle-aged couple, as they sat outside their van in the cool afternoon with their Crownies and champagne cocktails (yes, she had a real champagne flute and strawberry at the bottom!) and saw us rock up with FOUR children!!  Poor loves!  A beautiful star-filled night, sitting outside with a wine – just perfect.