Australia

After leaving Litchfield NP we spent another night at Katherine and this time stayed at a 'Rolls Royce' of caravan parks. Beautiful shady trees and even mango trees, huge bathrooms and shady swimming pool. The only downside was the amount of cane toads they have. We're surprised they don't have cane toad hunts. They could send them up to Darwin markets for purses and such things.

This blog has to be dedicated to 3 family members who are all special and have a birthday this month. Annie our sister-in-law, Nicholas our nephew and Jean - Mum. For other people we know, forgive us if we have forgotten your birthday but our Dutch (perennial) toilet calendar is in storage (Brisbane)!! We already have a hard time remembering the day and date each day.

The temperatures are a blistering 36-39 during the day and about 25 at night (yuk). I never would have believed that I would say that the temp. is cool when it is 34/35 but it's true. We have seen a few people getting around Australia in varying forms of transport. Mad I say but their idea of adventure is different I guess.

going around Australia?

bikie nomads

another nomad on the road

We had a long drive to WA. Along the way we saw amazing rock formations and again the red rock and soil. The colours/hues. It would be an artist's or photographer's dream. We are now officially 2 hours behind you in time and probably now in the same time zone as Dean in Hong Kong. So if you get a call at a weird time from us it's because we have forgotten that we are in the western time zone.

the border NT to WA

pioneer?

grasses suited to dry/hot conditions

I will put in a map of this part our journey here because I am sure like ourselves you will be wondering about the areas we are talking about (unless you have been there). We have already done about 11,000 kms in total.

Darwin to Broome map

Also boab trees started to appear in all sorts of shapes and sizes. They are 'characterful' trees. They have no leaves and appear to be dead but during 'the wet' they come to life with lots of leaves. They are pretty impressive and can live up to 1500 years or more. Artists love to create pictures of them.

boab tree 1

boab tree 2

boab 3

boab 4

boab art 1

boab art 2

At the border we had to throw out any fruit and veg. we had because of fruit fly and they check every vehicle coming through. Even our cane toads are unwelcome! They are supposedly not in WA but are fast approaching. Kununurra already has some but they are trying very hard to eradicate them. Unfortunately there are no shops over the border to buy new stuff fruit/veg. We had heard from one nomad that there is a guy living in a shanty on the border who gets to live off the fruit and veg. we throw out. Clever guy.

Our caravan park (Lake Argyle caravan park) was overlooking Lake Argyle. What a view. Even better was the 'waterhole' there. The water was really cold and beautiful. Geoff thought it was freezing. During the day it was perfect for both of us. Check it out.

Geoff in infinity!

Nicky in infinity - lake Argyle in background

catching up with nomads

The Ord river was dammed which created lake Argyle. Unfortunately (or fortunately for all the farmers) the Durack family who lived there, had to move their station called Argyle Downs further up. They owned millions of acres of land for cattle. I'm sure they made a fortune from it.

the dam wall and lake Argyle

Ord river up to the dam wall

boats on lake Argyle

The benefits for the whole area meant that the soils were really, really rich for crops such as fruit and veg. Now they produce most of the supplies for WA. It is a huge area and growing and benefits everyone here. You would do very well if you were a crop farmer here.

crop irrigation channels

irrigation canals

farmer Jones

This last photo was for you Murray!

We decided against cruising lake Argyle and opted to take a cruise on the Ord river (such decisions to make). So we went to our next destination which was Kununurra. There we took a 5 hour cruise on the Ord River. Spectacular.

a river somewhere - Ord River

a dead fresh water croc probably killed by a cane toad

years of erosion to create these layers

can you see the fresh water croc?

check out the bats

more red rocks

so many domes - Bungle Bungles maybe?

seeing double!

can you see the rock wallaby?

elephant rock

The Ord from behind our boat

ho hum another sunset!

sunset from our boat

There are so many beautiful photos I can't put them all in the blog but you can check out the photos on the right hand side which will show others. By the way we can't see the fresh water croc or the rock wallaby in the photos either.

We also checked out Kununurra lookout at sunset. Yes, we too have become worshippers of sunsets around here. Here's what we saw.

Geoff worshipping sunset

the thinker

sunset at Kununurra lookout

sunset at lookout Kununurra

Kununurra sunset

Geoff wanted to buy me an argyle diamond (pink) but nearly gagged when he saw the price of a spec. It was smaller than a pin prick and they wanted $380. You could hardly see it. Of course I would want something more substantial than that and the prices went up to the millions for 'earring size' diamonds. The only way now to see the argyle diamond mine is to fly there and not liking those little aircraft we opted not to. So not wanting to disappoint his wife he took me to a place on the Ord river where they sell zebra rocks. We had a lovely devonshire tea there, fed the fish - the photo of Geoff fish feeding is for you Murray. Geoff then purchased me some zebra rock. A huge rock at that which was big enough (and only good enough) to be used as a paper weight. The rocks are from a quarry and that is how they look once they have been cut and polished. Clever people then create art on them.

fish feeding on the Ord river

greedy fish of the Ord river

zebra rocks

artwork on zebra rock

birds painted on zebra rocks

We also had to take a photo of those adventurous people who 4wd across waters such as this landmark. Everyone takes a photo of this crossing. We would like to think our motorhome could handle some water but didn't want to risk it!! Sir Ivanhoe himself?

crossing Ivanhoe?

Ivanhoe crossing

Ivanhoe crossing

We left Kununurra saddened that we couldn't complete a Bungle Bungles trip. Not being a big fan of the small planes that are on offer to see a bird's eye view of them, the only other option was to take a 4wd trip to see them. It is expensive and a long drive to get into the Purnululu National Park and so hot, that taking the walks that are 'must see', was way too hot. It is a good excuse to come back in a cooler time. The hot weather has come too early and they are expecting a long, hot and wet summer. If we had left a month earlier we would probably have encountered a cooler temperature.

Heading for Broome was about 1000kms so we had to break the journey and stay at Fitzroy Crossing. Again very hot but a lovely caravan park so we spent time in the swimming pool. The following day we did yet another cruise on the Fitzroy River and saw Geike gorge. We did the early cruise at 8am and it was beautiful. The boat had no roof so after 1 hour that was enough sun for the day!

plenty of ochres here

Geike gorge

part of the devonian reef at Geike gorge

what colouring

fresh water croc on Fitzroy river

dragonfly

Next stop Broome but along the way we saw some brolgas and an interesting road sign that we are seeing around the top end. Haven't seen any frilly lizards yet (dead or alive) thankfully. We have also seen so many termite mounds of differing shapes and sizes. You would never build a wood house again!

brolgas

Mmmmm yummy???

termite city

That brings us up to date right now, we arrived in Broome yesterday.

We finally made it to Darwin and boy is it hot. Everyone here looks like they have got the measles on their legs and arms! They have had an early and unseasonal early summer! Great just what we needed! The temperatures have been around 34 to 36 degrees most days. This means that the mossies and midgees were about as well. When I arrived here I thought we would just do a quick look at the main landmarks, shop and get out. Luckily our neighbours put things into perspective for me and said just to take on one thing a day and then spend the rest of the day in the pool. We ended up staying 8 days and filled them in quite nicely. Either the temperatures went down or I acclimatised.

The first thing to tick off on our bucket list was the Mindil Beach night markets. We had arrived on Wed and they were on a Thurs. Great, I could spend the whole day in the pool or near it and then we would head off to these markets to see what that was all about.

the markets

They were fun and there was even a breeze coming from the beach which made it pleasant. Firstly the ritual is to sit on the beach and watch the sun go down.

sunset ritual at Mindil Beach night markets

sunset at Mindil Beach

sunset at Mindil Beach

Then it was into the markets. There was of course plenty of food and mostly Asian at that. I managed to find some roast and veg in a stall which was really delicious. Some of the more unusual food items on offer was this one.

some cuisine at markets

Other things we saw were live reptiles which Geoff had to photograph.

a biggish lizard - Geoff's mate

some more strange creatures from the territory

snake hat - Mindil Markets

Then I saw a stall with cane toads (stuffed) which is how they should all be. Check out the bottom row and see if you can see what they did with those cane toads. You may have to click on the photo to see it.

stuffed cane toads at markets

They also had Aboriginal didgeridoo player and dancers as part of the Darwin Festival which was closing this week.

didge player and dancers on Mindil Beach

Geoff and I were given a picnic rug each as part of the Darwin festival closing which we gratefully accepted. The highlight for me was the didge player and drummer in one tent. They were awesome. He had 4 didgeridoos and was playing them all at once. Even the locals were dancing to his music and they were really, really good. What an atmosphere. Wish I could bottle that.

didge player at Mindil Beach markets

Locals enjoying the didge music

There were also Aboriginal people doing their artwork and one of them had a stall painting and carving on the outside of the didges. Couldn't take a photo of that due to sensitivities. Did you know that the genuine didge is eucalyptus tree eaten out by termites. I have bought one and sent it home with the intention of learning to play like the guy at the markets!! Apparently, I was told that only men normally are allowed to play the didge but it was okay for infertile women (old, I think that means) to play.

The next day we went to Parliament House for morning tea and a look around the place.

talks on the grass outside Parliament House

the view from Parliament House

We were invited to have morning tea with the Speaker of the House - Jane Aargaard. She has a Dutch surname and I think that is why we were so generously invited (Geoff and Nicky van Dam). She recognises class!

the Speaker cutting cake at Parliament House

let them eat cake

let them eat cake 2

Later that day we went to Government house where we were invited for dinner. We couldn't believe our luck. Tom Pauling is the Chief Administrator of Darwin and his wife is named Tessa. Check out the beautiful tropical house. It was eaten by termites a while back which is not surprising but they have done it up since then. I could easily live in a place like this.

dinner at Government house

one of the dinner guests

Govt house

I even had some 'high tea'.

high tea at Govt house

After watching the sun go down over the harbour we had to select our spot at the dinner table! Sausage sizzle was on the menu!

sunset from Govt house

Geoff looking for his spot at the table

Then one evening we went to the deck chair cinema under the stars and had dinner on our laps. Watched a terrific arthouse movie.

under the stars deck chair cinema

I wanted to do a sunset cruise on Darwin harbour so Geoff said he would take me to a lovely spot by day called Mandorah. The catch was that it was by ferry for 30 mins. No sunset but I would get to see the sea. Check out the height of the jetty at Mandorah. This is how high the tides are there. We arrived in low tide and had to climb all those stairs to get to the top.

Darwin harbour from Cullen Bay

ferry to Mandorah

jetty at Mandorah

view of Darwin from Mandorah

There was only really a pub there but we had a lovely lunch and went back. Swimming in the ocean is also fraught with danger. Crocs are everywhere! We swam in their pool.
Then one day we went to see the fish feeding which is also tidal. The fish come all the way from the Phillipines to eat the Darwin bread at high tide only. We were too late for the high tide to feed them ourselves but watched the end of the feeding. They also had some beautiful statues there. One of them is my favourite.

fish feeding

3 wise monkeys at fish feeding

We had also been to the NT Art Gallery and Museum. Saw some fascinating stuff and I was particularly interested in the Cyclone Tracy displays as I was part of the evacuation process when I worked with Ansett. I remember seeing a whole car in the pool at the Darwin Travelodge. Darwin was of course much smaller then.
Then one day we thought it would be good to learn more about the war in Darwin and so we went off the see the Military museum. On the way we saw something else that was very appealing and so we never made it to the war museum.

wave pool at Darwin wharf precinct

Finally if any of the gym friends are still reading my blogs, we have found the perfect spot to join a gym overlooking the turquoise waters of Darwin.

our new gym overlooking Darwin harbour

Not wanting to feel left out we left with the measled look as well.

We left Darwin with our measled legs and arms and headed straight for the first waterhole. Everyone had recommended calling in to Berry Springs because it was so beautiful and it was a lovely swimming place. I did this with much trepidation because of the crocs. I don't care if they are fresh or salt water. They both look rather mean and I don't want a brush with either of them. Luckily I could see the bottom and I felt safe near the waterfalls.

Berry Springs waterholes

Berry Springs waterhole

where's Geoff?

there's Geoff

Believe it or not I did swim there even though we don't have the photos to prove it.

After that it was on to Litchfield National Park. A lot of nomads had been telling us to forget about Kakadu NP and go to Litchfield NP which is much nicer. Well we can now say that it's like comparing apples and oranges.

We called into a town called Batchelor on the way, where Geoff had to clean the cartridge. Guess what we saw there.

our taxes at work

where the economic stimulus goes

stimulating stuff!!

Had to hunt for a caravan park with lots of shade and a good pool and found a beautiful one called Litchfield Tourist and Caravan Park. We even had a carport to park under with lots of trees for shade. Fantastic. Beautiful amenities and the pool was one of my favourite waterholes.

Next we headed out to the NP. Firstly there were the magnetic termite mounds. These ants are unbelievable and plentiful. They even have different mounds depending on the weather and conditions they live in. The magnetic ones have thin edges facing north and south. The east and west faces are flat and larger because they like dry and warmth. So when it is morning they stay on the western side and move on to the eastern side as the day progresses. During night they stay in the middle. These mounds are not underground because they are built on swamp area.

clever termites - magnetic mound

magnetic termite mounds - looks like a cemetery

The cathedral mounds are much taller but what we see is only a third of it. Two thirds are underground because they are built on the dry land. These mounds provide shelter for snakes, lizards and other such nasties when there is fire. They are that well made they don't burn down. However, during the rains the ants go underground because the mounds can collapse.

cathedral termite mound with Minister termite

We have also enjoyed the Wicked camper slogans. Don't know how they get away with some of them but this was another one.

Wicked camper slogan

Wicked camper slogan

Our first port of call was Buleys rockhole. Beautiful and so clear. There were deep pools to enjoy all the way down the rock face.

Buleys waterhole at Litchfield NP

I loved sitting near the falls.

croc free

Next was Florence Falls. We had to walk down 135 stairs so that was our gym session for the day because we also had to go up again. It looked so nice and clear in parts again. Plenty of fish there called grunters. The fish seemed to like my mossie bites on my legs because they were nipping me all the time. Didn't like that waterhole at all but Geoff did!

Florence Falls at Litchfield NP

swimming at Florence Falls

On the way up the stairs we saw this cute little rock wallaby sleeping on the rocks. Don't they blend in well with their environment. He/she looked really human the way it sat.

a sleepy rock wallaby

The final waterhole was Wangi Falls. For you kiwis it is pronounced 'Won guy' falls. These signs were a little ominous.

signage at Wangi Falls waterhole

another sign at Wangi Falls swimming hole

Again it wasn't always clear waters so I headed straight for the sandy see-through bit and stayed there with fellow swimmers. Geoff was brave and swam up to the falls.

Wangi Falls waterhole

We were finally watered-out but had to call in to our favourite rockhole for a final swim. That was Buleys rockhole. On the way home we saw this fellow.

Crocodile Dundee buffalo

It really is a beautiful place with amazing natural beauty. We definitely love apples and oranges and recommend you experience both.

We had heard on bush radio 'Kakadon't' so we didn't know what to expect. People had been telling us that it wasn't worth the round trip of 350 kms just to see it. Apparently the scenery was very ordinary and just travelling past a whole lot of bush. This was true. We had seen and heard so much about Kakadu on TV and seen it in brochures we had to see it. What a disappointment if bush radio was correct. We stayed the first night at a place called Cooinda (Gagadju Resort) where we were planning to take the early morning cruise the next morning on Yellow water. They transfer you to there which is about 3kms away. After that breakfast was also included which is always a winner with me.

The wetlands were amazing. I guess we love birdlife (even if we don't know all the bird names) together with the tranquility and coolness of the early morning. Sunrise had not happened yet which was a blessing because it was really hot around here. Not only that, the crocs were also plentiful which made it more exciting. We also love nature. It's a photographers paradise. I will let the photos do the talking for us.

it was still dark when we left on the early morning cruise

the early morning before sunrise

Yellow water cruise

more beauty

early birds!

early bird

azure kingfisher

ducks that don't particularly like swimming!

brumbies??

wetlands

a local resident in Yellow water

mirror images - egrets

Yellow water reflections in the morning

pandanus palms everywhere

lotus lily

lurking in the lillies

fishing for barra

jabiru x2

jacana

wetlands and birds

We were also able to enjoy another 2 hours on the wetlands for a sunset cruise for an extra $10. Geoff immediately saw the bargain in this. We were not disappointed. We actually stayed the extra night because of this. The hot weather has come too early so the mossies and midgees were really bad and just about carried us away. Geoff was equally happy to be paying a small fee for a powered site whereas the Lodge people had to pay $300 a night using the same facilities.

The next day after 2 days of swimming in the pool at our resort we left for Jabiru. On the way we called in to Nourlangie rock which shows a lot of Aboriginal rock art paintings. Fascinating and so were the views. At this stage I was sweating big time but it was worth it. Luckily the walk was not a long one and the art work was definitely worth it. Check it out.

in amongst the rockery

scary stuff

Nar-bull-win-bull-win himself

We then went to Jabiru where we enjoyed another resort style caravan park. Even though both resorts are in a National Park where you would usually get basic facilities, one can enjoy a whole lot more than that when Aboriginal people have part-ownership. We could have done another wetlands cruise but had already done one. Geoff wasn't about to open the purse strings again! This time it was recommended that we see sunset at Ubirr. So we did.

the ochres and the rock formations

the climb at Ubirr and the view

sunset ritual at Ubirr

wetlands sunset at Ubirr

nearly set

and then it was over for another day

We were definitely not disappointed with our side trip to Kakadu NP. It was a must see. So we say Kakadu!

We have gone from seeing the Ghan coming through the Heavitree gap in Alice Springs and lovely cold weather to semi warm at Tennant Creek. Stayed at a caravan park with a bush poet who supplied bush tea and damper around a campfire. Mmmm delicious.

The Ghan coming into Alice Springs

Next call was Daly Waters pub where we were told that the show is really funny. A must stop and see destination. Unfortunately the entertainer there called 'The Chicken Man' had left 2 days earlier so we can't check it off our bucket list. Will have to come back to see it again. What we did do however was eat the barra there but made the wrong choice apparently because the steak was 'melt in the mouth' and the barra was not as good as it should be! Oh well missed out this time on both counts! I forgot to take photos of all the underpants/panties, bras, money, thongs etc on the walls of the pub. Geoff however took video of it all so that will have to be part of our movie. The pub had a lot of quirky stuff so will put some photos in for you.

stop sign at Daly Waters pub

quirky building at Daly Waters pub

what's this?

parking sign at Daly Waters pub

We then moved on to Mataranka. The place where you 'never never leave' or you 'never never come back to'. I am of course referring to the book 'We of the Never Never'. I have never read the book or seen the movie. It is based on a cattle station in Mataranka. We finally watched the movie at a lovely old pub at Mataranka Homestead where there are also the naturally heated, crystal clear pools. This one was my favourite pool because they had cleared the debris from the bottom and put sand and seating all around the pool. I could see the bottom and talk to a lot of people there! Of course we didn't need much heating up because it was bloody hot there already. Fortunately the water was luke warm. A popular water hole for the tour buses as well.

Mataranka thermal pool

wallaby in the debris

Geoff's favourite swimming hole was called Bitter Springs. It was left naturally and you could float gently downstream to a bridge with a ladder. You get off there and walk around to start the process again. Our caravan park was near there so we could walk to this one. We got up one morning early to swim in there and see the steam rising before it got too hot. The water in both swimming holes is really clear. Only thing is the algae (slime) around the sides but it is all part of the nature cycle.

early morning Bitter Springs

early morning at Bitter Springs

floating downstream at Bitter Springs

snorkelling at Bitter Springs

We also couldn't resist taking some photos of the termite mounds near our caravan park. They are of course everywhere outback and I dare say they will get larger as we travel to WA.

smallish termite mounds!

king termite found his mound!

There was also a beautiful tree at Mataranka but I don't know the name of it. Does anyone know?

beautiful tree at Mataranka

After that we arrived in Katherine and stayed at the National park caravan park there. It's now really, really hot and up to 36 by day. It is not your usual facilities for National Park because there was a lovely, cold tropical swimming pool there with a bistro and entertainment. We needed it because the weather has been really hot and very hard to sleep. Luckily we have air con but it is a bit noisy when on and we will have to get used to it. We are now at the stage where it is important to have a swimming pool at each caravan park. Have been in the pool every hour or less and of course a lot of catch up talk with other nomads.

We took the early morning cruise on Katherine Gorge including breakfast. Fortunately we did because it was really hot during the day and only a swimming pool could cool you off. The gorge was beautiful in the early morning but can't say the same about the breakfast. We did 2 gorges. There are about 13 but most trips do 2-4 gorges. You have to get off and walk between each gorge because of the rocks and the water levels which are not the same. The boats are waiting for you in each gorge and the only time they can get boats in and out of there is in the wet season when the Katherine river rises.

walking between gorges to next boat

Katherine gorge

Enjoy the photos. So much beauty!

reflections 2 on Katherine gorge

early morning on Katherine gorge

amazing reflections 2

amazing reflections Katherine gorge

beautiful scenery Katherine gorge

Katherine gorge cliffs