Days 48, 49 & 50. Back at Katherine 28 -30/06/2015

Another great morning but a heavy dew made the packing up very hard work. We left steamy Kakadu  with it's mozzies behind making for a special spot that Rod was keen to visit called Pussy Cat Flats where we thought we would stay. On arrival we were in for a shock. Camping was around an old horse training track and the only sites we could get were on the track in the hot sun. A group decision saw us leaving in a cloud of dust.

Our destination was then a return visit to Katherine at the Big4 where we stayed some 2 weeks ago.

On the way we called in to Pine Creek. Well that was a surprise packet. A pretty little place that had been home to workers on the local iron ore and gold mines. These activities have closed but the locals survive on the grey nomads calling in. The little Caravan Park was full and vans were parked everywhere in town. We had a delightful lunch at the "Train Station" Cafe and Accommodation, where the owners had built a complex that included a lovely restaurant meal area and and an outside pool that the patrons of the motel units could enjoy. 

We then travelled another 100kms down the Stuart Highway to Katherine.

Luckily all three of us were able to get sites at the Big4 for 3 nights. This park is right near the Victoria Highway that will take us on to our primary destination, Broome. Still two weeks away and we are going to enjoy the Kimberlies along the way.

The next two days will be relaxing, stocking the fridge, washing the vehicles and vans and generally taking it easy. The days are still expected to be around the low 30's so the pool will certainly get some use. Again we have another great site, this time with lots of shade. Mind you, the air conditioner is getting a bashing. We expect the nights to be a lot cooler here than Kakadu. 

The Prado is nearing a service so John has made booking in Kununurra for the "works". Up until now she has been running smooth but we still have another ten or twelve thousand kms to go, so some new oils and filters are essential.

The pool at the Pine Creek "Train Station Cafe".

Hey kids, is that a Croc creeping up on Pa.

Another huge site with grass. Will our luck continue.

Day 46. Kakadu National Park. Jabiru - Yellow Water Region. 26/06/2015

A late start today as we only had some 60 kms to travel from Kakadu Lodge in Jabiru to the Gagudju Lodge, Cooinda in the Yellow Water Region (aboriginal name "Ngurrungurrudjba" ) of the National Park. Some of the local names are hard to understand.

The weather here is just so good. Clear heat, no humidity and temperatures between 16 and 31 deg every day. Weather reports from Dingley are cold, windy but with little or no rain - how lucky are we.

Early lunch then a cool off in the pool before readying for another highlight of the trip - a sunset boat cruise on the Yellow Waters Billabong.
We arrived at the wharf and boarded for our two hour trip and cruised up the billabong. Our first encounter was a Darter Cormorant drying out on a branch after eating a small fish. The Darter has a needle like beak that spears the prey, it then leaves the water and swallows the catch head first.
On turning the next bend we came upon a crocodile sunning on the bank. This was one of many crocs that we saw. Our guide  and boat captain Adam explained that a large croc skin could fetch up to $20,000 or $30,000.
The Yellow Waters are surrounded by mangrove swamps, Pandanus Palms and other vegetation that is home to over 200 species of birds and the Asian Lotus Ponds dotted around the waters are very pretty and particularly interesting as they are inhabited by a very small bird called a Jacana or Lily Hopper. Some of the birds that were pointed out to us were Night Herons, King Fishers, Spoonbills, Whistling Ducks, Willie Wagtails, Brolgas, White Bellied Sea Eagles, Rainbow Bee Eaters Magpie Geese and others.  Cruising further down the waters we came across a Jabiru feeding in the mangroves, and whilst we were observing him at close quarters he ate a fish and a small water snake.  He must have had a very full belly. Very close nearby, we spotted a Croc that would have been about 2 metres, with only his eyes and snout visible above the water line, eyeing off the Jabiru.  We had to move on at this point because it was nearing the time of sunset, and Adam wanted to move our boat to a special spot on the water to capture the best photos of the sunset, so we do not know if the Croc attacked the Jabiru.
There are over 50 species of fish in the Yellow Waters along with Pythons, Pig Nosed Turtles and other creatures, and as we were returning to the wharf  the fish were jumping out of the water and we passed a small boat with two fishermen heading off to do some fishing. John was extremely jealous as it looked like they would be very successful.
We saw a beautiful sunset and came back to camp feeling quite elated after a wonderful afternoon.

The welcome mat at Cooinda.

Another large and grassed site- feels like we are in the bush.

The Pool at Gagudju Lodge - very refreshing after setting up.

Ready to start our cruise on the Yellow Water billabong.

The boats are so quiet - driven by 2 x 40 hp Honda outboards.

The billabong and wetlands.

A 4m croc sunning on the bank.

A rare Night Heron. Lucky to see.

A Darter Cormorant drying out after a kill.

Whistling Ducks by the 1000's lined the banks.

The prized Jabiru - about to swallow a small fish.

Sunset over the wetlands.

On the way back to the wharf. Fantastic cruise.

Day 47. Kakadu National Park - Yellow Water Region. 27/06/2015

Had a sleep in this morning and it was about 10am before we set off the retrace our journey into Kakadu a little, as we wanted to go to Nourlangle Rock to see the rock art and climb to the lookout.  We were not disappointed as the climb was quite gentle.  It was a beautiful morning and we were lucky enough to have a gentle breeze to keep us cool on this hike.

The scenery from the lookout was magnificent and well worth the climb and the rock art along the return track was as good as anything we have seen. Well worth the effort.

We then decided to visit Jim Jim Billabong but after travelling a short distance off the bitumen decided to turn back as the road was just too corrugated for our liking. Continued on to the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre where we spent quite some time viewing the excellent exhibits, story boards and artefacts. We found it very interesting to read how the Aboriginals have survived here for thousands and thousands of years and also how they arrange their marriages between the tribes after the elders decide what colour skin and what language they must both speak. It is strictly forbidden to marry into what may be considered the wrong tribe.

The stories behind the rock art were clearly explained and those stories have been told to many generations of Aborigines and they are most sacred in their culture.

Lunch, then a swim. Schoolies week in Cooinda

On the road again tomorrow, to Pussy Cat Flats or back to Katherine, then out west towards Kununnara then Broome. Still got 2 weeks to get there.

Viewing the expansive Kakadu tree plains from the Gunwarrhwarrde Lookout.

Massive rock formations at the lookout

Keep away from these hills. Very important to Aboriginal history.

Read all about it.

The walk to the rock art was very pleasant.

Some information on the land.

Our welcome and layout of this area of the park.

Obviously a kangaroo.

This one is special see below.

This will explain the art painting above.

A man cave where the tribes would shelter from the monsoon rains and lightning.

Very detailed artwork.

Every artwork tells a story to the younger generations.

Day 45. Darwin to Kakadu National Park - Jabiru Region - 25/06/2015

Had to pack up and leave Howard Springs this morning and we were on the road by 9 o'clock.  Our journey to Kakadu was expected to take about two and a half hours. We left the Stuart Highway to turn  on to the Arnhem Highway and immediately noticed the change in scenery. On both sides of the highway were massive Mango plantations that were flourishing and obviously would supply many markets here and overseas. Our first large river crossing was the Mary River. We continued for some time before coming across the croc infected Adelaide River. We looked closely but did not see any crocs. A bridge took us across the South Alligator River where again the vegetation and scenery changed.

Our arrival at the Kakadu National Park saw us continue through to Jabiru where we plan to spend a night at the Kakadu Lodge and were so surprised with the caravan park. It is very lovely with plenty of lush trees and palms and great grassy sites, not at all as we had imagined it to be. After setting up and having some lunch, we drove the short distance to the Jabiru township that is quite small but surprisingly there are a number of residential homes.  We saw the iconic Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel which is the shape of a huge crocodile and very popular with overseas tourists. 

We then drove back out of town to find the road to take us Ubirr where we were to see Aboriginal rock art that is said to be the best in the world. The actual site of the rock art is Heritage Listed and has been preserved beautifully.  It represents one of the longest historical records of any group of people in the world. Before reaching Ubirr, we stopped off at the Guluyambi boat ramp where it is possible to take a river cruise up the East Alligator River. The river looks as though it would be full of crocs!  We didn't see any but were afraid to venture to close to the rivers edge.

We arrived at Ubirr where we walked the 1 km circular track that took us past many fascinating Aboriginal rock art sites. We then climbed a moderately steep track that took us to the Ubirr Lookout  that had superb views over the Nadab flood plain and Arhnem land.  We were amazed at the magnificent 360 degree view we had at the lookout and spent some time there just taking it all in.

We were thrilled we made the effort as it will be a very special memory for us both.

Back to camp for Happy Hour then dinner under the stars tonight because it was a beautiful balmy night.

Another great site at Kakadu Lodge.

Details of the Ubirr dreamtime area.

Guide Marcus with Wendy.

Great to meet Marcus.

Friendships start here.

Wendy has found some rock art.

Some amazing rock formations and caves where the following finest rock art collections in the world are found.

A Creation Ancestor  

Amazing rock formations.

More rock art. So much detail.

A Tale passed on to aboriginal children about crocodiles.

On the border with Arnhem Land

The Nadab Floodplain in Arnhem land

On  the Ubirr Lookout. 360 Deg views across Arnhem land and the Nadab Floodplain. 

Days 42, 43 and 44. Resting in Darwin 22 - 24 06/2015

Our days here in Darwin have been very relaxing. We have been out every afternoon sightseeing every nook and corner of this very pretty city. Our park at Howard Springs is some 24 kms south of the Darwin city centre so we have a quite a drive to get to the main tourist attractions.

We visited the Howard Springs Nature Park that is just up the road from our caravan park.  On our arrival John chose a lovely tree under which to park so that we would be out of the sun. Just as we stepped out of the car a large bird decided to leave a huge deposit on the bonnet of the car. Well, I'm sure anyone within a 50 km radius could have heard John abusing the bird.

The area was developed in 1939 because of the continual problem for the township of Darwin with a water supply that depended upon wells, rainwater tanks and bores, A reticulation system from Howard Springs was developed, but was only intended as a short term solution whilst Manton Dam was being completed.  The American Army were camped at Howard Springs for a short time and after they left it was developed as one of a series of rest camps that could accommodate 120 service personnel at one time.  The Australian Army and Airforce were involved in construction works from 1942 to 1944 and in 1944 the Australian Field Company of Royal Australian Engineers constructed the present weir at Howard Springs. After the war the weir created a recreation swimming pool for Darwin civilians.

It now is a very popular area for family picnics because of great facilities for children. Whilst we were at the weir we saw a number of huge Barramundi just beneath a viewing platform that were being enticed to come to the surface to eat the Pilchards that were being offered. Not only are there Barra, but a number of varieties of other fish and turtles. At the waters edge a very large Water Monitor was patrolling the area.

The City of Palmerston is the local hub for shopping and also has over 100 suburban parks and recreation areas. We visited the very popular Marlow Lagoon Recreation Centre that contained a beautiful lake, bbq facilities and playgrounds.

We also travelled a distance out of town to investigate the L.P.G storage tanks that are used in the export of huge volumes of gas to China. We had to cross the huge Elizabeth River, a beautiful Azure blue in colour, that had mangrove swamps all around it. It was obvious that it would be croc infested so didn't investigate too closely. We also passed a Housing Immigration Centre and an enormous housing accommodation facility that houses 3000 people that work on the pipeline construction. We were told that both these facilities are owned by one man in Darwin who obviously is extremely rich and makes his fortune by leasing them to the Northern Territory Government.

Our last day in Darwin saw us heading to Cullen Bay Marina where we intended to catch the ferry to Mandorah, but after making some enquiries, we found that although the ferry continues to cross over, there is no longer a Hotel there and the area is now just for the Aboriginals. So we didn't go. John looked everywhere for the window walled toilet that Ian Bull told us of but without success. We decided to spend a little time at the Marina and enjoy the surroundings. A very attractive precinct with Cafes, Restaurants etc. and across the water we could see some very lovely homes with water frontages and private boat moorings. We then drove around the residential area of Cullen Bay that also had beautiful homes with more of those magnificent tropical gardens.

A short stop to check out the Star City Casino. As with most casinos, no expense has been spared in furnishing this casino and we were very impressed with interior and gardens outside. Dale you would have been very happy to spend some time here. The Casino and the Hotel both have wonderful views of Fannie Bay.

John of course wanted to see the Port of Darwin Wharf to check out the fishing boats. It is a very large wharf with many fishing trawlers, boats etc and in dock was the very large Customs and Border Patrol Ship. Not much was going on down there so we decided to go to Stokes Wharf downtown at the Waterfront. Stokes Wharf was the first area that the Japanese dropped their bombs on in Feb. 1942 completely destroying it, andkilling many waterside workers.The bombing also destroyed a number of ships that were in dock.  It of course has been rebuilt and is a very important wharf for overseas cruise ships to dock. 

While we where there a large boat carrying cattle to overseas destinations steamed out of the bay.  Don witnessed the cattle actually being loaded onto this ship earlier in the day. 

We took our last look at the city before heading to the Darwin Sailing Club for dinner tonight. The Sailing Club is in a superb setting on the beach.  Magnificent views of the Darwin harbour and in a setting of lush lawns, palms, frangipani, tamarind trees and multi coloured tropical plants and shrubs.

A very enjoyable meal with Rod, Jude, Don and Heather as we celebrated our last day in this very lovely city.
Tomorrow we head for Kakadu.

The kids pools at Howard Springs.

Some history on Howard Springs

Huge Baras were taking the splashed pilchard.

This Water Monitor was not happy with us.

The boat harbour at Cullen Bay.

Very popular Cullen bay Marina

An enjoyable coffee break at the Marina.

Wendy found this beauty.

A walk along the waterfront.

Some details.

Cattle at the wharf ready for loading on to sip.

The ship leaving The harbour for indonesia.

The beautiful entrance to the Marlow Lagoon Recreation Area.

A shady spot at the Marlow Lagoon.

Just like Hayman Island in 1966.

A very enjoyable dinner and a magnificent sunset.