Uluru - Ayers Rock

Uluru - Ayers Rock 

Uluru, a large sandstone rock formation in the Northern Territory, (208 miles from Alice Springs, the nearest large town); is one of Australia's most recognisable natural landmarks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of its most important indigenous sites. In 1872, British surveyor William Gosse, was the first European to 'discover' the monolith – the largest rock of its kind in the world and named it Ayers Rock, after the former chief secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. In 1993, a dual naming policy was adopted that allowed both the traditional Aboriginal name (Uluru) and the English name (Ayers Rock) – but here I will just use Uluru. 

When I landed at its airport, at 9am, it was only 7 degrees — and felt really cold, although it did warm up throughout the day to about 20 degrees. A complimentary bus took me to the Desert Gardens Hotel, where I was able to book the trips I wanted to do whilst staying in this remote place for a short time. At the centre of the resort, which consisted of a several hotels, a takeaway and a few shops; was the lookout - a hill surrounded by red sand, shrubs and wildlife. The view from here was magnificent. Ayres Rock is so red, just like the postcards, blood red, scarlet red. The colour just hits you, all of the time, not at sunrise and sunset — it is so red! This gigantic red monolith, surrounded by savannah, in the middle of nowhere, is such as incredible sight. After a walk around the resort and up the lookout, my shoes and clothes were covered in dust – red dust; no wonder this place is called the Red Centre. There were more flowers and plants than I had expected to see, but that was because there has been an unusual amount of rainfall in the previous year. Apparently, a few years ago Uluru became an island when all the surrounding land was flooded. I was warned that there were supposed to be lots of desert mice about; and told to keep everything zipped up all the time! 

I was picked up at 3pm for my first trip out, to Kata Tjuta (also called Mount Olga or The Olgas), 36 giant red rocky domes spread over an area of more than 12 miles. The name means “many heads” – referring to the many domes in this group. The glorious red Kata Tjuta and Uluru rise from the earth just 18 miles from each other, an area which is home to not just desert, but of springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Both Uluru and Kata Tjuta have great spiritual and cultural significance for the local Aṉangu people; traditional inhabitants of this area for more than 22,000 years; now they lead walking tours to inform visitors about the bush, food, local flora and fauna, and Aboriginal dreamtime stories of the area. 

We were taken to a lookout in the desert (for a photo stop) and then for a walk through a gorge; it was very hard going; trekking over boulders and uneven ground. When we finally got to the end, the gorge was completely in the shade and it was freezing cold, so we didn’t stay there long before heading back to the coach. Next, was the highlight - we went to a lay-by, in the middle of nowhere to watch the sunsetting behind “The Rock”. Uluru (whose name means “island mountain”), is the largest sandstone monolith in the world (with most of its bulk lying underground), and measures 1140 feet high and has a circumference of 6 miles. 

It is famous for appearing to change colour at different times of the day and year, most notably, when it glows red at dawn and sunset. Before long, thousands of people had congregated in this lay-by from every nation on earth. They all wanted to see the glorious sun set over Uluru - they were even standing on car roofs to get a good view. It was the most spectacular sight ever; the sunset was incredible. 

The giant monolith really does change colour, just like they say. It gets redder and redder and then it is gone. In seconds it went from orange to brilliant scarlet and then a dark shadow. 

It was the most awesome sight; you just can't take your eyes off it. Now darkness was upon us, thousands of tourists were trying to get out of this lay-by - it was absolute chaos! Back at the resort, I had a takeaway supper and an early night, it had been a very long day; but a once in a lifetime sight that I would never forget. 

Next morning, I got up at 6.30am and put lots of clothes on (as it was minus 2 degrees!) and headed off into the desert to see the sunrise. This area has a hot desert climate with an average rainfall of 11 inches per year; and an average temperature range of 38 °C in the summer to 4°C in the winter. It was quite a terrifying experience, being alone in the dark with just the sounds of the desert - luckily no wild dingoes wanted me for breakfast! 

I hurried all the way to the lookout without seeing a soul, but when I arrived, there were 8 people already there (with their hats and scarves on — complaining that they were freezing to death). 

The sky was royal blue and pink over the Olgas and where the sun was coming up it was pale blue, yellow and orange. There wasn't a cloud in the sky —just like the postcards again! The glorious sun poked its head up at 7.32am and was totally visible within seconds; but unfortunately, my photographs were blurred (I blame the cold and condensation!).

Next, I returned to the hotel for a hot coffee; before my next adventure - a helicopter flight to see the area from a completely different perspective. 

We flew at 3000 feet and what a glorious sight it was from up there — Uluru and the Olgas were just as impressive from above. We saw the resort and the complex where the staff live - mainly underground, to keep them cool in the summer when the temperature can reach 60 degrees. 

The walks around the National Park are closed to the public when the temperate reaches 37 degrees because of the risk to people's health. The helicopter ride was brilliant, the pilot was very informative, the views spectacular and I enjoyed the experience tremendously. What a fascinating place this Red Centre is, so much more than just seeing a Red Rock. 

It was only discovered by Europeans in the 1870s; and fifty years later, part of Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park was declared an Aboriginal Reserve. The first tourists arrived in the Uluru area in 1936, with tour bus services starting in the 1950s, followed by the building of motels and an airstrip. On 26 October 1985, the Australian government returned ownership of Uluru to the local people, with one of the conditions being that the Aṉangu would lease it back to the National Parks and Wildlife agency for 99 years, and that it would be jointly managed. 

The Aṉangu request that visitors do not photograph certain sections of Uluru, for reasons related to ceremonies, rituals and traditional Dreaming beliefs. I hope you have enjoyed this short trip to the centre of Australia with me - it is such a fascinating place.

Thank you for taking time to follow my adventures,

Lynne

These are my other blogs :-

http://lynnejmorley.blogspot.com

http://lynnemorleys.blogspot.com

http://morleysjourneytoozandback.blogspot.com

Darwin and Katherine - NT Part 3

Darwin and Katherine - NT Part 3

Wednesday

New Years Day, I was feeling refreshed after a good nights sleep and ready to go out exploring Darwin. I headed out along the lovely esplanade towards the harbour, and couldn't believe how everyone I passed wished me a "Happy New Year". What a friendly start to 2014! Even at this early hour, it was so hot, the humidity was close to 100 per cent and by the time I reached Stokes wharf, I was soaked through. I spotted The Indo Pacific Marine building, which I had seen on TV the previous night and was so pleased that it was open on New Years Day. What a fascinating place!

The gentleman, who built it 30 years ago, took my entrance money and was also my personal guide. There were only 3 of us there that morning, and it was so relaxed as well as being informative - I loved it. After watching a film about marine life, we were shown to the display room with a huge pool filled with coral and fish; apparently this was set up 20 years ago and has no filters.

Whatever was put in all those years ago, feeds everything and the whole eco system is a cycle that even cleans it out too. Everything in the tanks was from Darwin's harbour, and it was so colourful - the Northern Territories very own Great Barrier Reef. There was a red, white and blue sea cucumber that reminded me of the union jack - it just didn't look real.

There were smaller tanks with different marine fish in them and some of the fronts had concave or convex glass that magnified everything so much, it was incredible. I just couldn't stop taking photos! There was a tank of barramundi, and the guide threw something in to show us how fiercely they fight for their food! After an hour or so, he made us all a pot of tea and a scone before resuming the tour. Now he explained how the world was created, how the continents all broke away from each other, and told us all about tectonic plates and fault lines.

I found it fascinating! Another unbelievable fact was what you would need to make a cubic kilometre of ocean. It was so unbelievable, there was the normal stuff you would expect, but you also need gold, silver, aluminium, arsenic, copper, nickel – the list was huge. I spent 3 hours there, and loved every minute of it. I thanked the owner for a great morning and bought a DVD to remind me of everything I had seen in this special place.

When I got outside, the temperature just hit me; it could have easily knocked me out if I hadn't been wearing my hat. As I was already down at the wharf, I had to have a walk along the pier where people were fishing; before walking around the specially built seawater lagoon, that is fairly safe for swimming (although stingers can still get in!) and passed by the lido and wave pool - that was packed with families enjoying their day together.

It was early afternoon by now, so I took a slow walk back to my hotel through the shopping area, even though most of it was closed. When I got back to my hotel, I had a lovely few hours in the pool cooling off and talking to some ladies from Sydney, getting ideas about other places to go visit, before catching up on my washing, diary and of course sleep.

Thursday

I was up very early again - 5am. Before leaving home, I had booked to go on a tour to Edith Falls, Pine Creek and a cruise along Katherine Gorge. Whilst waiting to be collected from my hotel, I met a friendly English lady going to Kakadu, who was also travelling by herself and I told her of my experiences in Kakadu earlier in this trip. Just before she got off the transit bus she realized she had forgotten her water bottle, so I gave her my spare one - as our driver said he would refill our bottles with fresh iced water whenever we needed them filling. What a marvellous idea that is! Anyway, my long day trip began!

We headed south down the Stuart Highway (the same road that I had come up on only 36 hours before), and I wasn't feeling overly enthusiastic about this trip. After seeing Katherine Gorge from the helicopter and then having the long bus journey back to Darwin, I would have cancelled it, if I could have. The first stop we made was the Adelaide River War Cemetery, I was surprised to hear how Darwin was bombed in WW2 - more bombs actually fell on Darwin than on Pearl Harbour.

The Australian army laid temporary airstrips all along the Stuart Highway from Darwin to the Adelaide River because that was where they thought the Japanese might have reached. The cemetery was beautifully kept, but I have to confess to being more interested in the wallabies that were having breakfast nearby. All along the Adelaide River floodplains, the trees and grasses were similar to those in Kakadu; and there were also numerous Cathedral Termite mounds.

It is the grass-eating termites that build this type (the wood eating termites build their nests on their food source - such as on a tree) but there are other termites known as Terminus Darwinus, and at 12mm long, they are the longest termites in the world and can chew through concrete! We drove through the old mining town of Pine Creek; gold was first discovered there in 1872 when the first telegraph cables were being installed connecting south Australia with Darwin, and Australia to the rest of the world.

More up to date mining methods are used here now but the town hasn't grown at all and we drove through it in a few minutes. We stopped briefly at Emerald Springs for a quick toilet stop. I had stopped there when I was bused up to Darwin (when my Ghan journey was cut short), and the manager wasn’t happy at the unexpected stop and refused to give anyone anything to eat! Happily, he was expecting us this time, both this morning and later this evening for our dinner. By the time we reached Edith Falls we were all ready for a refreshing swim, but no such luck today - the water levels were too high after the past week's rains. And we all knew by now, that that means crocodiles! It was such a beautiful spot though, the water was cascading down the falls and there were palms and pandanas all around the lagoon - it was seriously idyllic! Quite close to these falls was where the train had derailed only 2 days before.

Unfortunately we only had time for a quick photo stop (I don't know how we would have had time to fit a swim in!) as we had a boat to catch at 2pm at Katherine, which was still about an hour away. I was disappointed we didn't stop there, the driver just drove through the town slowly, pointing a few interesting things out.

The main topic of conversation seemed to be the devastating floods that had occurred there in the past few years (which are marked on the railway bridge as well as on the clock in town). When I did the helicopter ride over this area 2 days before, it had given me a good perspective of how the gorges were gouged out through the plains, but the water flowing through them was a brown murky colour – not very picturesque at all.

I think that is why I wasn't enthusiastic about coming back here. After a lovely buffet lunch at the Gorge Visitor Centre, we boarded the flat-bottomed boat that unfortunately offered very little shade. The sun was right overhead, beating down on us. As much as they had iced water to refill our bottles, you could not drink the water quick enough - you were sweating so much.

I just wanted to tip the water over me. It was 45 degrees and quite unbearable. But as we cruised along the first gorge, the scenery kept us all enchanted - as did the freshwater crocodiles we spotted. There were also many interesting birds about, a kite, a peregrine falcon and a cluster of swallows in their nests, which were stuck to the roof of a cave. When we reached the end of the first gorge we had to get out of the boat and scramble over some rocks, along a path, to a different boat - to experience the second gorge.

We needed to change boats to avoid the rapids, which were fast flowing after the recent rainfall. The second gorge was even more beautiful, breathtaking and full of picture postcard shots - I loved it. The orange sandstone walls, with green and blue trees and bushes growing out of them were so gorgeous. There were white beaches, black caves and orange reflections on the water. You could see dramatic fault lines in the walls, and follow these lines, even around the sharp corners. This was where the amazing orange walls of The Escarpment that I climbed at Ubbir ended.

For me, seeing Katherine Gorge like this was so much better than from the helicopter (although that had still been an awesome experience). This was what the DVD says "There is nothing quite like Katherine Gorge in the wet - it is truly one of Australia's amazing natural wonders" - and it was! It was just too hot; it was the hottest I have ever been. It wasn’t just me; everyone couldn't wait to get back on the air-conditioned coach and to go to sleep. We headed back up Darwin, stopping for dinner at Emerald Springs. There wasn't much daylight left, and as the sun finally sank, through the windows, I watched my last wallabies feeding and saw my last billabongs. I would never be fed up of those amazing waterholes with so much life both around them and lurking below them. It was after 9pm when we finally arrived back to Darwin; it had been a very long but enjoyable day and I took no rocking to sleep.

Friday

This was my last day in Northern Territory; I had survived 2 weeks by myself and had, had a great time. There was just one more thing that I particularly wanted to do. I had been told me how good the Natural History Museum was - especially its display on cyclone Tracey that devastated Darwin in 1974. As I have a vested interest in cyclones, having been through one in Townsville in 1972, I just had to go. I decided to get a taxi there to save my legs and to save time - I didn't want to waste one minute!

The museum was free to get in and it was such a marvellous place. The cultural exhibitions, poisonous animals, shells, amphibians, sea creatures etc were brilliant. There was so much to take in, I wanted to remember it all, and so I took countless photos of notice boards. There was an unusual hanger full of dugout canoes and sailing boats. But the part that I had particularly come to see was the best bit. Apart from photographs showing what devastation the cyclone had caused to Darwin, there was a film by a reporter who went out the morning after the cyclone had struck, and the footage was totally unbelievable - everywhere was wrecked. I watched the film several times before I moved on to the area that had been made to look like the inside of various houses in 1974, and they had radio bulletins playing from that time too.

I remember the radio being on when cyclone Althea was heading for Townsville - it was a strange feeling; one I cannot describe other than to say that it took me back to somewhere I thought I could never have remembered. Then I went in a door, into a completely dark room, not a slither of daylight came through and the sounds began. It was actual recorded footage of the winds when cyclone Tracey hit Darwin. I had to go out the room and collect myself, it upset me - it was far too real. Anyway, not to be beaten, I went back in and listed to it all the way through - completely mesmerized! Then I went back in again and recorded it on my camera, so I could play it to my family when I got home. Then, totally hooked by now, I went in for one last listen. It was so real, I could not believe it - I was so glad that I had come to this museum. Apparently the average house price in Darwin in $750,000 and this includes $100,000 of reinforcement to make the house 'cyclone proof'! 

I had really enjoyed my trip out to the museum. Anyway, so that I didn't waste time, I rang another taxi to take me back to Darwin 's main centre. I wanted to do a bit of shopping; I had hardly done any all this trip, just to get some souvenirs. It was really hot again, well into the forties, just for a change! There was one last thing I felt that I needed to do before I went back to my hotel for my last dip in the pool. I went to the Australia Travel Tour office and told them what a great time I had, had and what a good and informative a tour guide Robbie had been. I had learnt so much those first three days; it had really helped for the rest of the trip. Well I am a believer in fate, so guess what happened next? In walked Robbie saying that they should give him a pay rise after all that praise! It was lovely to see a familiar face, someone that I knew. We had a lovely little chat; he wanted to know what I thought of Alice (he agreed that it wasn't a safe place to walk around - even in the daytime!) and then he needed to go off and pick some tourists up. It made my day meeting up with him again and being able to thank him for making Christmas so wonderful. I took myself off for some lunch and then back to the hotel, where I spent a couple of hours relaxing by the pool.

All the hotel staff had been brilliant the whole trip, but the manager was the best, when I asked him about a late check out, he sorted things out so that I didn't have to pay at all! It was being my lucky day! Once I had checked out, I wandered over the esplanade to have my last look at the sea in the daytime. It was going to be the lowest tide of 2014, so it was quite a sight. It made me think of when a tsunami happens and the ocean recedes so much that it leaves so much of the mud flap, beach and rock pools. Then I went to the cinema, to see The Railway Man, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The only downside was that the air conditioning was so powerful in the cinema; I sat there shivering all the way through the movie. There seems to be no pleasing me where the heat was concerned. It was nice to get back outside in the warmth and as I still had an hour of daylight left I headed back up to town – as I really fancied a smoothie from the Boost Bar. I was disappointed that it had already closed, but my luck was in today, and I ran into Robbie again and he asked me to join him for a drink. It was good to be able to buy him drink to say thank you for being a great guide, cook, driver etc, and he did appreciate my gesture. I only had the one drink and wanted to get back before it was really dark, so we said our goodbyes again. Now as you can imagine, I was feeling pretty good! I got back to the hotel, a three-hour wait for my airport pick-up ahead of me; I settled down to catch up with my diary - I was 3 days behind! And what should happen? Vicky, who had just got back from Kakadu came into the bar looking for me; the hotel manager had given her a complimentary bottle of wine because there was a problem with her room, and she wanted to share it with me! Oh my, how nice is that! Well, we both discussed the adventures that we had, had the last 2 days, got rather tipsy and my three-hour wait seemed to fly by! We felt like old friends after that short space of time and found that we had so much in common. What a last day I had, had! So much kindness, I felt truly blessed and so happy and content. I had been a bit apprehensive about going to the other side of the world, just me on my own; but I had, had the best time of my life and I felt fabulous about myself. I got on that plane heading home and had lots of writing to catch up with – so I suppose that says it all. I hadn't been lonely and miserable staying in with my diary, although I do like to do it so that I can look back and relive my trip - especially one as fantastic as this had been! This one had been my trip, for me and with me! And as always, I couldn’t wait to plan the next one!

The beautiful beaches of Darwin that have so many dangers lurking closeby!!!

In the meantime, please check out my other blogs ..............

http://lynnemorleys.blogspot.com

http://lynnejmorley.blogspot.com

http://morleysjourneytoozandback.blogspot.com

Camping the the Kakadu - NT Part 1

Camping in the Kakadu

I left home early Saturday 21^st December, heading for a Christmas adventure in Australia. It was more of an adventure than a holiday as I had planned it all myself, I wasn't going on a guided tour this time. When I arrived at Darwin I caught the local bus to my hotel and was surprised how green and immaculately kept everywhere was; I was expecting burnt, dried grass, but it was the opposite! It was the most picturesque journey I have ever had from an airport! As there was an hour of daylight left, I didn't bother unpacking; I went out to get my bearings! My hotel was directly opposite the esplanade park overlooking the ocean - the views were wonderful! I found a supermarket and bought provisions for my camping trip tomorrow and as I headed back, I was caught in a torrential rainstorm. Once I got out of my wet clothes, I re-arranged my luggage, as I was only allowed to take my rucksack with me tomorrow. It took a great deal of organizing to get three days’ worth of snacks, water bottles, hat, first aid, swimming stuff, toiletries, camera, essential camping stuff and a few clothes packed in it! I couldn't wait to get to bed - it seemed forever since I had been to sleep.

Monday

I was picked up at 7am in a four-wheel drive vehicle for the "Kakadu Litchfield Safari". There were only 4 of us in the group, another English girl, two Japanese girls and Robbie our typical surfer Aussi guide. The Japanese girls had paid extra to upgrade to better tents, Robbie decided that it would be easier if we were all the same – so he upgraded me too! That meant we would have an electric light bulb in our tent, a fan and a mattress! I was happy that it was such a small group, we all got on really well from the word go, and it really was go! Robbie was very informative and reassured us that there were more deadly things in the sea than in the rain forest here. (In the sea, apart from the obvious sharks and crocodiles, there were cone fish and rockfish with a hypodermic poisonous needle, box jellyfish and Irraganji, a miniature jellyfish that was more deadly than its big brother). We followed the railway track out of Darwin, heading south and soon reached Litchfield National Park; it is only 1400 square kilometres, small compared with Kakadu (which is over 20,000), but what it lacks in size, it is supposed to make up in beauty! It is known as “the area of hills and lakes”, and the scenery began as a "tree savannah", although all the trees were burnt half way up their trunks.

The Aboriginal people carry out controlled burning, on a rotation system, to keep the undergrowth clear, so if the bush catches fire in a lightning strike - it wouldn't get out of control. A third of all Aboriginal people in Australia live at the Top End, mostly in Darwin and around Lichfield and Kakadu. As we approached Lichfield, we saw huge termite mounds, in different colours, dependant on the soil colour of that area, and surrounding theses were a variety of palm trees, pandanas, eucalyptus, and ferns. Where an area had recently been burnt, the new growth of grass was the brightest, purest shade of green - only a few days after it had been blackened. Against the black tree trunks, it was a beautiful scene and one that we saw for the whole of our trip. The cattle we passed were not the prettiest - they were pale and looked terribly thin. This breed had been brought in from India, as they were the only strain that could cope with the Tick that had killed every other variety of cows that had been introduced to this area. We were told that we wouldn't see any koalas or kangaroos here, but there would be plenty of wallabies and wallaroos; also there were almost 300 species of birds in this park, a third of all Australia's bird life. The "Wet" had come early this year and everything was looking especially vibrant and refreshed.

After stopping at Bachelor for a coffee we headed for our first adventure, a hike down to Florence Falls. This was absolutely amazing, walking through the jungle – aka a tropical rain forest. It was nothing like anyone imagines the Northern Territory to be like, the desert; but this was why I had decided to come in December, in the wet, to see it like this. The monsoon rains change the landscape for 3 or 4 months every year, to a beautiful expanse of wetland - full of plants, flowers, birds, animals and unbelievably sharks too! Can you believe that with the high river tides, sharks have been known to swim 40 kilometres inland!

What with the sharks and saltwater crocodiles, that have been known to travel 300 kilometres to Katherine, in floodwaters – it wasn’t safe to be near any water up here! But apparently, Florence Falls was a safe place to bathe. We had to walk for about half an hour in the blazing heat, passing several wallabies sheltering among the rocks. When we arrived, we were so pleased to be able to have a refreshing swim in the clear, dark water, which was quite cold, full of fish, and took some getting into.

It was very isolated and incredibly picturesque with its 2 cascading waterfalls surrounded by boulders and overhanging trees, making it shady and private. We followed Robbie, who took us behind one of the gushing waterfalls – that was hard going! I am not the strongest swimmer. We stayed by the falls for about an hour, before walking back through the beautiful tropical rain forest again, still in our bathers, over several creeks, through shaded gorges and eventually reaching our vehicle and a temperature of about 40 degrees!

Our next stop was at Buley Rock Hole – or Nature's Spa. This was a popular bathing spot for families and we saw more people there, than we saw for the rest of the day. There were a series of plunge pools carved out of the sandstone rocks and you could slide down (not too comfortably) from one to another until you reached the rainforest at the bottom.

These refreshing waters came from a freshwater spring, where it was possible to refill your water bottles - providing you did it upstream! It was really hot now and it was delightful to get back into the cold water again. 

After this, Robbie made us hot dogs for lunch, which we ate enroute - as we were booked on a boat trip on the Adelaide River. We made it with 10 minutes to spare, and guess how I spent those 10 minutes? 

With a Carpet Python around my neck! Robbie volunteered me! It was quite an experience and one that I didn't enjoy it that much! I could feel the snake getting tighter and heavier around my neck, and I was paranoid about where its head was going! I had hold of its tail, but when it disappeared over my shoulder and down my back - I had, had enough! After that excitement, we boarded the cruise boat and when we were all safely on it, a rope was put up to keep people on their respective sides of the boat. 

The captain did not want people moving from one side of the boat to the other, taking photos, in case it tipped over and we all ended up as dinner for the crocodiles. Within a few minutes of setting off, the crocs started emerging. The first one we saw up close was an albino nicknamed Michael Jackson. The crew, held meat over the side of the boat, and we photographed the crocs jumping out of the water for it. Even though they are so huge, they can jump up out of the water three quarters of their body length.

There were lots of crocs about that day and it was really eerie to see their green eyes looking up out of the water at you. The largest one called Hannibal was almost seven metres long - a real monster. Crocs have survived from before the ice age and are akin to dinosaurs; they have exceptional survival skills and can go 12 months without food. Half way through the cruise, we had a tremendous storm, thunder, lightning and monsoonal rain. The hills of Arnhem Land in the distance generate their own weather system; it is 5 degrees hotter up there and every afternoon, they create torrential storms.

As much as we all got soaked through, after the intense heat, it was very welcoming! As we drove to the campsite, at Bark Hut, we saw wallabies feeding alongside the road, kingfishers and parrots in the trees and the occasional dingo! When we had unloaded the truck and had all been allocated a tent, we prepared tea and went to have a shower whilst Robbie cooked it. Thai green curry, rice and stir fried vegetables - it was delicious! We all mucked in to get cleared up and then went to the campsite bar for a drink.

Robbie was telling us about cyclone Tracey that flattened Darwin 39 years ago tomorrow - on Christmas day, and I told him about the cyclone that I was in, in Townsville exactly 2 years before that one. Mega Cyclones are supposed to happen in 40 year cycles, so we decided that it would be a miracle if we got through this Christmas in one piece! When I went to the toilet, there were many Cane toads about, they are poisonous to any animal that tries to eat them and the locals kill them because they are such a threat to the wildlife.

Back in the upgraded tent, I switched the light on, but the tent had mesh sides, so with the light on, everyone could see everything I was doing, that wasn’t good! So I fumbled around in the dark. I was told that I would be sharing a tent, but I was given one for myself, I don't know if that was a good thing or not! I put the torch back on to check my bed for anything that shouldn't be there, tried to ignore the gecko above my head, and with my torch under my pillow I fell to sleep. What an exhausting day it had been.

Tuesday

I only slept until 3am, and once awake, I kept hearing all sorts of noises and there was no way I could get back to sleep. The worst thing I could possibly have done was get everything out ready for the morning - the morning dew soaked everything through and all my clothes were wet when I put them on! But it was not nearly as horrendous as the sight in the toilet block! Without exaggerating, there were millions and millions of dead termites. Their wings and bodies had clogged up every sink, and you just couldn't look down the toilet - it was the worst sight ever. I ended up washing my face and cleaning my teeth in the kitchen tent. 

After a quick breakfast, we packed the truck and headed off to Kakadu National Park. The park is 49 per cent owned by the local Aboriginal people who have lived here for over 50,000 years. We stopped at the entrance for a quick photograph and I spotted both white and black cockatoos in the nearby grass, happily eating fallen fruit.

The next stop was the Mamuka Wetlands, a huge expanse of water covered in water lilies and a haven for bird life. The flies there were awful, so I ended up putting a fly net over my head, I though everyone would laugh at me, but they all wanted one.

Next stop was at Cahill's crossing, a tidal river full of saltwater, man-eating crocodiles, and the boundary to Arnhem Land. We didn't see any crocs this morning, but Robbie told us such horrific tales about them, that we were never going near any water again.

In the wet season, the reason so much of this park is closed off, isn't because of flooding, its because the floodwaters have enabled the crocs to get into places that they wouldn't otherwise have got into, and are lying in wait for unsuspecting humans!

Next, armed with extra drinking water, we hiked through Ubirr to see ancient Aboriginal rock art that has survived for thousands of years. It was far more interesting than I expected, and once we had been told about the different styles of paintings, the images made far more sense.

One style was of animals showing their skeletons whilst a different style showed them filled in. You could actually see up to four different paintings superimposed over each other, like a blackboard that hasn't been wiped clean properly. The colours were so well preserved too; it was quite remarkable that these are the oldest paintings, done by the oldest known people in the world.

There were drawings of animals that are now extinct, such as the Tasmanian tiger and they told stories about the Namarrgarn sisters, the Mabuyu and Rainbow Serpent as well as expected behavior and laws. Many of them could be up to 30,000 years old, showing a culture that has stood the test of time. It will be such a shame if it cannot survive now when there is so much that can be done to help preserve it.

Then we clambered up a rocky lookout to view the Nardab Floodplain and the East Alligator River - it was astonishing. I could not believe what a lush green the tropical grassland below was, it was nothing like the green grass back home - it was so bright, nearly luminescence, swaying gently in the breeze. Every so often there were clumps of palm trees making an oasis; and you could see gigantic granite rocks that looked like they had been precisely positioned.

These vast wetlands really were an awesome sight! There were many birds of prey just hovering above us on the hot air currents and swooping down for their prey. But the vista from the top, looking along at the 300 metre high escarpment as far as you could see, really was quite breath taking, and to think that this was once coastal cliffs (now about 50 kilometres from the sea) and that they stretch 300 kilometres inland, all the way to Katherine. We tried some bush tucker, aren't I brave! A desert plum, a wild apple, a type of nut, and wait for it - a green ant that tasted of lime!

Once we had descended, we visited the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre, where it was interesting to see many of the characters and dreamtime legends that we had been told about earlier in the day, they made more sense now. We left Robbie outside getting lunch ready, but the inevitable happened and the heavens opened. The storm lasted quite a while but we were driving to our next campsite for most of it, and managed to unpack when it had stopped raining. We all went and had a beer before getting supper ready, at a lovely bar next to a swimming pool that I would have loved to gone in, but it was getting dark and the mosquitoes were about. As much as I put lots of repellant on, I was still worried that they would be going to make a meal of me! We had kangaroo and buffalo steaks for supper with fries, salad etc and it was so tasty. But it was a bit late for me to eat though, and I knew that I wouldn't sleep well!

Wednesday

It wasn't the excitement of Santa coming that woke me at 3am, it was being eaten alive by mosquitoes and hearing a pack of dingoes howling close by - scary!!! I couldn't just lay there, so I got up and was all ready and packed before 6am, teeth cleaned in the kitchen again. There was no way that I was going to face the dead termites again. I had learnt from the previous night, and kept all of my clothes in plastic bags, so at least they weren't damp. 

We left camp early and we drove out to see the Uranium mine, a massive hole that has been carved out of Kakadu's landscape by huge bulldozers. There was a brilliant view of the escarpment from the mine area though. 

Then we went to another cultural area called Nourlangie, which has been occupied by Aboriginal people for over 20,000 years. I loved this place even more than yesterday's; the rock art was wonderful and we saw more colourful flowers. There were wild orchids growing everywhere; red, blue, yellow and white flowers. We saw more wallabies hiding under the rocks, lizards and many birds; as well as millions of annoying flies again.

The rocky outcrops in the distance were so many shades of orange with black lines travelling down them - I couldn't take enough photos! This is where Namarrgon, lightning man, would watch for the first lightning storms. It was an amazing view all around, and so different from the day before.

As we climbed higher up the rocky outcrop, we came to a flat area that was surrounded by boulders, flowering bushes and trees; it could have been an area in a local park just without benches and rubbish bins. This area fascinated me, it felt very special and the view from every corner of it was just breathtaking!

It probably was where ceremonies and tribal gatherings used to take place. When we got back to the truck, the heat was quite unbearable, again, and we were happy to be in the air-conditioned vehicle animal spotting for a few hours.

We headed back towards Darwin and stopped at Butt Hut again, to use their kitchen to do our lunch, so that we didn't get flies in it! Robbie was very good, stopping whenever we saw anything that we wanted to photograph and we saw so many birds. I got a great photo of a Cockatoo eating a Kakadu plum, more black Cockatoos, kites, a blue falcon and several kingfishers that were too quick to photograph.

We stopped at some huge Cathedral termite mounds before the afternoon monsoonal rain was upon us again. We had to keep reminding ourselves that it was Christmas Day, and nowhere was open, only one cafe/bar on the main highway where locals there enjoying a drink; and we all ran through the torrential rain and treated ourselves to an ice cream.

We called in at a couple of places by the river looking for more crocs, but we didn't see anymore. We also saw some different termite mounds, these were black and always built north to south - they were known as Magnetic termite mounds! By now, I was feeling a bit worn out; whether it was all the mosquito bites affecting me or the fact that I had climbed in and out of that truck about a hundred times in the last few days, I don't know.

Our final place to visit was Fogg Dam; this area was a reserve that was full of more animals per square kilometre than anywhere else in the world. There are 800 water pythons and 100,000 rats in every square kilometre - not counting crocs etc! There was a sign saying you weren't allowed to get out of your vehicle - well with all of the things that could kill you, who would want to get out? 

The vastness of the water went on as far as the eye could see, and much of it was covered in pink and crimson water lilies. We saw the most colourful birds of our day here too, small finch-like birds in red, yellow and green, and the water-loving jabaroo. 

It wasn't far back to Darwin from here, only half an hour and I was first drop - everyone gave me a big hug and we swapped email addresses. 

I had, had a brilliant adventure and would consider doing it again "in the dry", to see how different it would be. I had an hour of daylight left and as it wasn't raining, so I went for a walk; I couldn't believe how quiet everywhere was, I had expected it to be livelier - especially as it was still Christmas Day. What a Christmas I had experienced, tomorrow I would be flying south to Alice Springs for some more wild encounters.

Watch this space!

Lynne

Please check out my other blogs ..............

http://lynnemorleys.blogspot.com

http://lynnejmorley.blogspot.com

http://morleysjourneytoozandback.blogspot.com