Darwin - Kakadu - Cairns

Monday (14th) -

After the hassle of finding a room in Darwin, at least I managed to get free internet access, a decent shower, and a good nights sleep. That's assuming you consider getting up at 6am good, I suppose.

Got picked up at 6:30am, outside my Motel.

The first thing I noticed was that the kangaroo obsessed spanish family were on this trip as well.

As we picked up the other passengers, the next thing I noticed was the other passengers - they were nearly all Aussies, and all over 50.

I thought we might be calling at the crematorium to drop a couple of them off, along the way...

Our guide was called Andrew. He seemed a stoic chap, especially compared to Jess from the previous tour.

Driving through Darwin, it seems almost Carribean (the climate, the palm trees, the wooden houses). We finally drove out of Darwin when the last Chelsea Pensioner was picked up, and hit the Stuart Highway, and headed towards the Litchfield National Park.

Our first port of call was Florence Falls and Buley Rockholes (both virtually in the same place).

Florence Falls was pretty nice, but nothing spectacular. Had a bit of a swim in the pool at the base of the falls, but it was too busy to be relaxing.

Buley Rockholes is a series of small pools, linked by waterfalls. It's also quite pretty, but far too busy.

We stopped for lunch at about 1pm. The food was very simple (hotdog sausages, bread rolls, tomato slices), but tasted OK. Things always taste better outside, even the flies.

At this point, I'm not impressed with my tour. I suppose it does give me a chance to talk to a few genuine Aussies. Probably about the war.

Forour afternoon entertainment, we are off to the Mary River, for a wildlife cruise. We should get to see a few crocs, and lots of birdlife. Perhaps there's a glimmer of hope ?

On the way, we pass through an area of bush that really is on fire. Apparently, this is a managed fire, started by the rangers or the aboriginies. They do this to clear the grass, and scrub, before the lightning storms begin in October. The tree canopies don't get affected by this burning, as they're still too green to catch light.

The cruise down the river is actually pretty cool. We get to see lots of crocs (freshwater, and saltwater). The freshwater ones are relatively small (4") and timid. The salties get upto 15", and are pretty dangerous. The biggest one we see is about 10" long.

We camp in pre-erected 2 man hut/tents. I'm sharing with a guy called Mike. He isn't ginger, but he is 70. He also snores. There's also a loud generator on the campsite. Needless to say, I get zero sleep.

Before bed, I have a drink with Tony and Lucy, who are an English couple living in Melbourne. They're only in their mid 40's - this is the hip and trendy gang of our tour...

Kangaroo update : no sightings all day.

Tuesday (15th) -

Up at 5:30am.

Andrew goes up a notch in my estimation, as he cooks bacon, sausages eggs, and toast on the BBQ.

I try to get some sleep on the bus, but I keep imagining the sound of Mikes snoring.

It's quite a long drive to our next stop, which is right in the most North Eastern corner of the Kakadu National Park.

The place is called Ubirr, and has some extensive (and well preserved) aboriginal rock paintings.

They mainly show the animals they hunt in the region (especially barramundi, which are fish), but they also show white men, buffalo, spirits, and ancestors.

There's also a really good lookout point at Ubirr, which we climb up to. The views over the floodplains are really good, and you can see smoke from various bushfires in the distance.

After lunch at new campsite near Yellow Water, we switch to a 4WD truck, and head to Barramundi Gorge (Maguk is it's aboriginal name).

There's a pretty rough track leading to the gorge, followed by a scramble over rocks to get to the waterfall/pool at it's head.

Once you get there, it's a really nice spot. There's virtually no-one else around, because it's difficult to get to, the pool is nice, and deep enough to dive into from the edge.

I'm getting the impression that there are lots of waterfalls/pools/swimming on this tour ! I really should buy some swimming gear - at the minute I'm just using a pair of boxers ...

We get back to our camp in time to catch the sunset over Yellow Water, which is very colourful. Completely unexpectedly, I bump into Sarah, who was on the trip from Melbourne to Adelaide. She's on a different tour, but they all visit the same sites... We catch up, I complain about the oldies in my group, she loves her group. Bitch. We compare dates, and figure we should be able to meet up in Cairns for a beer, in a few days.

After dinner, went for a couple of G&T's with Tony/Lucy/Mike and a guy called Kim.
Some random, drunk, aborigine called Aggie sits herself down with us, totally uninvited.

I ignore her. Kim spends the next hour failing miserably in his attempt to not talk to her.

In the end, she realises no-one will buy her any alcohol, and goes away.

Have to share tent/hut with Tony/Lucy/Mike this evening. Gin does the trick, and I fall asleep before any snoring can get started.

Kangaroo update : there was a small rock wallaby at Ubirr, but the Spanish guys missed it. Shame.

Wednesday (16th) -

Back in the 4WD this morning, and off to Twin Falls and Jim-Jim falls.

There are some seriously rough tracks here, and a 1 metre deep creek to cross.

To get to the base of Twin Falls, you have to take a short boat ride through a gorge, and then clamber over a rocky path. It's worth it though, because the falls are really nice. You can't swim in the pool, because of the (slight) risk of crocs, but it's very peaceful here.

Jim-Jim is about a 30 minute drive from Twin Falls, along more rough tracks. Although the actual falls are dry at this time of year, the gorge leading up to them is very nice. The water is clear, and there are lots of fish. You still can't swim because of the croc risk, though.

Back at camp, we have lunch, switch back to the normal 2WD bus, and head off for Gunlom Falls, to catch sunset.

On the way we stop at the biggest termite mound I've ever seen. It's got to be 4m high, at least.

Gunlom Falls are quite picturesque at the bottom. There's a nice pool, that you can swim in, and a (gravelly) beach.

The best views, though, are from the top. It's quite a steep rocky path (with a few climbing bits) to get there, but it's worth it. There are a couple of pools at the top, and not many people (3 others made the effort). You can walk right to the edge, and look down to the pool 80m below. Sunset at the top was pretty nice, too.

Camping was in swags, outdoors, this evening. Best nights sleep on the trip.

Kangaroo update : not a one.

Thurs (17th) -

Sleeping bag was suspiciously damp when I woke up.

Fortunately, it wasn't me (or a dingo mistaking me for a tree). It was just some early morning dew, whew.

We headed off to Katherine after breakfast.

Our first stop was to collect some firewood, for the evenings campfire. During the process I was brutally savaged by a dead tree. God damn trees have got it in for me, <mutters>.

We made a quick stop in Katherine to see the hot springs. They were lukewarm at best.

It's a pretty hot day today (35c), so when we got to Katherine Gorge, I chose the sensible option. A 7km walk, with no shade, to get to the lookout point over the gorge.

This was seriously sweaty work ! I must've gone through 2 litres of sweat in 2 hours. The view from the top was pretty good though.

The Spanish guys did the walk (probably hoping to see mountain kangaroos), as well as Bill (a 59 year old Kiwi from Brisbane).

Once you get to the top, you can also go down to a rock pool for a swim. I got about halfway, and decided to give up. If I went for a swim, I'd only have to climb back up, and then walk down from the lookout again. I'm sure I'd be just as sweaty by the end.

Instead, I walked back down to the visitor centre, and had a dip in the river, near where we would get picked up. How sensible.

Back at camp, we got a tent each - pure luxury !

A local digeridoo maker (an Aussie guy) came to the camp, and played some music. We also got to have a go ourselves. I sounded rather like a flatulent elephant who'd taken up suicide bombing.

Kangaroo update : no mountain kangaroos seen - they're quite shy you know.

Friday (18th) -

Our last moring on the tour. I won't say 'hooray', I've enjoyed most of it so far, and the crinklies are decent company. Kim, in particular, is very funny.

First off, we visit the digeridoo shop run by our friend from the night before.

His mate Eddie (an aborigine guy) is in the shop, painting a digeridoo. He also does paintings on canvas that are sold in the shop.

A few people buy things, but I'm cynical (what, me?) and think it's all a big tourist scam.

Our last stop is Edith Falls. These are pretty underwhelming, IMHO. I just spend the hour reading.

After lunch, it's the 4 hour drive back to Darwin. The only thing keeping me sane at this point are the Killers and Lush on my MP3 player. Bibble.

This time in Darwin, I've pre-booked a hostel! It seems pretty nice, but is quite noisy (there's a bar downstairs).

I manage to get my smelly clothes washed in time to go for dinner with some of the guys.

Kangaroo update : there was some on the menu in the restaurant.

Sat (19th) -

Up at 4am, to go to the airport
Arrive Cairns 10am.

I'm staying in the YHA Central, which is really nice. I have to wait until 12 to check in, but I use the time to upload a few piccies onto the internet. I'll do the rest tommorrow.

I've decided to plan ahead a couple of weeks, so I book a few bits and bobs -

- Skydiving on the 23rd Aug (about £120 to jump from 14,000 feet - gives you 60 seconds free fall)
- 5 Day diving lessons/reef diving
- 11 day trip from Cairns to Brisbane (starts on 30th)

That should keep me occupied for a while !

I think James should be in Cairns on the 21st, and Sabina on the 21st/22nd, so might have someone to play with in a couple of days.

In the evening, I go to the pub to watch Liverpool vs Sheffield Utd with my room mate, Chris. He's a Scot, and likes beer and rugby above all other things.

I'm now going to do nothing for 2 days. Fab.