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Week 6, Day 36
Yellow Water sunrise and Nanguluwur Rock Art
Total: 6257kms, Today: 125km
Back at the shuttle bus before dawn to have our second cruise on Yellow Water (with many thanks to CCHM&Z). While you might think that two cruises on the same bit of water inside 24 hours might be a bit pointless, nothing could be further from the truth. They were both terrific, but in their own ways.
Again, the guide motored out into the middle of the billabong and shut down, letting us just take in the beautiful sunrise.
(Above) A lone Magpie Goose perches on a tree. Trivia: Magpie Geese are the only geese that can roost in a tree as they don't have fully webbed feet.
(Below) An Intermediate Egret
(Above) An Azure Kingfisher looking for breakfast from a Paperbark tree
(Below) More gregarious Magpie Geese
(Lt) A Whistling Kite
(Rt) A baby Jacana - all feet!
(Above) Today's first crocodile
(Lt) We have a bit of a problem here. We were told that these birds are migratory and had just arrived from Siberia, but we can't really identify them. Something 'tern-ish'?
(Above) Today's second croc less than 1m away from the boat and swimming so effortlessly. This one was about 3.3m/11' long. The piece of weed over the nose is fooling no one.
(Lt) A pair of Green Pygmy-Geese (they're really ducks with an up-market name)
So we did see some of the same things on the second cruise, but the experiences were still terrific. We're really glad we did both. More crocs the previous day, more birds this morning (although some were a fair way away).
After breakfast, we set out to see if we could find what is called 'Contact Art'. This is Aboriginal rock art that illustrates contact with the outside world (not just Europeans). After a near-false start, we found the correct track and started walking. We were the only ones on this track and subsequently found that the sign saying 1.7km return should actually have said 1.7km each way. Good thing we had water and something to nibble as it was still in the mid-30s and quite sticky.
What we had come to see - Aboriginal art depicting European contact. Ships like this were seen in the area from 1880 to about 1950 when they brought supplies to water buffalo hunting camps on the Alligator Rivers flood plains. Many Aboriginal people worked in these camps which were seasonal, allowing them to return to their country for cultural activities.
Hand stencils have been part of Aboriginal art for perhaps 50,000 years. Notice the hands where the three middle fingers are held together (good examples in the middle and bottom right). This form is believed to go back 20,000 years.
The figure 3rd from the right is Algaihgo, the Fire Woman. She has four arms and has banksia branches coming out of her head. She hunts rock possums with the help of her dingoes.
The Nayuhyunggi created the world and gave the Aboriginal peoples laws to live by. Some took on human form while others became animals.
This Nayuhyunggi is called Namarnde and is invisible to ordinary people. It entices people into caves by calling to them, then eats them. They have 6 fingers on each hand and carry a dilly bag for their victim's heart, liver, lungs and kidneys.
(Lt) Shade was certainly welcome
(Rt) Part of the main gallery.
While there were boardwalks at the site, the track in was a bit rough in places and a bit of climbing was needed at the end.
Week 6, Day 37
Jim Jim and Twin Falls, South Alligator River Wetlands
Total: 6257kms, Today: 0km
One of the reasons for coming to Kakadu early in the season was to see the waterfalls. As mentioned previously, while Litchfield's water falls don't dry up, Kakadu's do as their water supply is dependant on what rain has fallen on the escarpment in the preceding Wet. Once this has drained off the escarpment, there's no more water available until the next Wet.
We knew that the road into Jim Jim and Twin Falls was shut when we arrived in Kakadu and were hoping it might open as the park maintenance team were working on it (and checking for big crocs) before opening it to the public. We finally decided it wasn't going to open before we left, so we decided that this was going to be our 'splurge' for the trip and booked a flight. Take no notice of the map details supplied by Google in the link above. That's just to give an indication of where we went, not which way we went!
No Jim Jim Falls by road for us!
A lot of Kakadu is savannah and looks like this. The two main highways and most roads to popular sites are sealed and are accessible by 2WD vehicles.
You can see part of the burn-off regime in the distance. Roadside burn-offs are started by 2 rangers tossing fire bombs out of a slow-moving vehicle. More remote areas are attacked by using the same fire bombs and throwing them out of helicopters.
Twin Falls
140 million years ago it was a sea cliff above a shallow sea.
(Lt) Jim Jim Falls. Not really apparent is that had we driven into Jim Jim Falls, the last kilometre is on foot and hopping over boulders, so I think Sue was very happy we saw it from the air!
(Below) The top of the escarpment. Not something I'd like to have to walk over.
The Western edge of the Arnhem Land escarpment. These were also sea cliffs 140 million years ago.
(Above) Approaching the South Alligator River. Most of what is in view here would be classed as wetlands.
(Below) A couple of happy fliers.
For the aviation tragics, VH-KNE is a GippsAero GA8 Airvan 8 seater (pilot + 7) powered by a Lycoming O-540, 8.8lt (540 cu in), 6 cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled engine and is built in Victoria, Australia.
(Above) Left base for Cooinda. The Yellow Water jetty (centre right) and Cooinda strip (top right)
Week 6, Day 38
Total: 6347kms, Today: 90km
Today's our last full day in Kakadu, and we feel we've made a reasonable go at seeing what it has to offer. It's a remarkable and diverse place and not somewhere that you can do justice to in a day trip from Darwin.
Today's trip is near the site of the 'Croc Picnic' at Anbangbang Billabong which is the light green cleared area centre right in the photo below.
Nourlangie Rock from Nawurlandja Lookout
After climbing down from the lookout, we retraced our steps back to the billabong to have a cuppa and found (from the safety of our car) that our crocodile friend wasn't there.
Week 6, Day 39
Kakadu Nat Pk (Cooinda) - Bitter Springs
Total: 6709kms, Today: 362km
So the journey home begins. Mostly this will be just driving but with a few stops on the way.
We planned a resupply stop at Katherine where there was a huge RV carpark behind the Visitors' Centre.
(Lt) No room at the inn parking area.
We'd seen a significant increase in the number of caravans, camper-trailers and motor homes over the last few weeks whiule we'd been in the Top End, however we weren't prepared for the huge number we were encountering as we headed south.
As an exercise in amusement (and to offset the sameness of the landscape), we started counted RVs heading north. South of Katherine, in a 60 minute period, we counted 70 going the other way.
Having found that most of the people from the vehicles in the car park were also shopping in Woolworths, we headed out of town and on towards Bitter Springs. These are a set of natural thermal springs that flow into the Roper River. There are also a set of springs at Mataranka (see below) but we'd been told that these were better. We could only concur.
We took our pool noodles that we'd purchased in Mt Isa and set off to walk the 500m from the caravan park. It feels a bit strange walking through the bush wearing swimming trunks and thongs and carrying a metre-long brightly coloured noodle and a towel. At least others were doing the same! The idea is that you park your towel on the bank and hop into the 34°C water with your noodle. Make sure your thongs are secured to the noodle, then let the current waft you gently downstream for about 500m. Exit, and repeat as required.
Why take your thongs? At the exit point, you're going to have to walk back about 200m over a stony path! Unfortunately, no photos, as I wasn't going to take the camera or phone in the water, nor leave it unattended while I blissfully floated downstream. Very refreshing and only a hint of Hydrogen Sulphide. The springs put out about 30 Megalitres per day (say 7,000,000 Imp Gals or 8,000,000 US Gals).
Thongs: For the non-Australians out there, these are also known as flip-flops, jandals, shower sandals, etc. Nothing to do with G-strings!
Week 6, Day 40
Bitter Springs - Mataranka - Gravel Pit
Total: 7012kms, Today: 303km
Sue has always had a fascination with pioneering women in the Australian outback and we were right next to one location. This was Mataranka Homestead. This was the setting for Jeannie Gunn's 1908 novel, "We of the Never Never" which was an account of life on Elsie Station in 1902. It was subsequently made into a movie in 1980.
The original station homestead is long gone, but an accurate replica was built for the movie and now stands at Mataranka where it is open for inspection. It gives you a glimpse into the hardships of our pioneers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
(Lt) Elsie Station Homestead - it has 2 rooms
(Above) The bedroom. The kitchen and bathroom were in a separate building. For ventilation, the walls didn't extend to the roof. Likewise, there was no glass in the windows, just a blind over a metal grid.
On our way north, we had made an overnight stop at Newcastle Waters Rest Area. When we went passed it on our way south at 2pm, it was already full, such was the volume of tourists heading the other way. Thanks to WikiCamps, we found a gravel pit only a few kilometres further south and had a far better night quite away from the highway and the noise of the road trains.
Our own little off-highway campsite for the night.
Off south again to the Threeways where we refuelled at premium prices.
The Apostrophe Police have been informed.
What can you see in this photo?
Well, there is a long, very straight road that seemingly goes all the way to the horizon, and a closer look will reveal a number of suicidal insects have left their mark on the windscreen.
What can't you see in this photo?
The 20+kt cross wind that we had while driving south has turned into a 20+kt headwind now that we're heading east. This is doing nasty things to our fuel consumption which is why we had to refuel at Threeways instead of going into Tennant Creek as we did on the way over.
Week 6, Day 42
41 Mile Bore Camp - Camooweal Billabong
Total: 7709kms, Today: 378km
After a reasonably restful night at our favourite spot at 41 Mile Bore, we awoke and found...
I could have sworn I only had 1 glass of wine with dinner last night!
It's not every day that you find a 1930's hot rod towing a 1970's Viscount caravan in Middle-of-Nowhere, NT. It turns out there was going to be a rally for hot rods in Katherine.
Subsequently we found this one and a few more at Barkly Homestead as we waited to refuel.
(Lt) With the amount of road kill (mainly 'roos and wallabies, but also the occasional feral pig), there was an associated rise in the number of crows and kites feeding on the carcasses. These aren't too bad as they get out of the way pretty quickly. (Old joke: Crows know when vehicles approach and send out a warning by calling, "Car, car...". Yes, I know...)
The main problem from our point of view are the enormous Wedge-tailed Eagles. A female can weigh up to 5.5kg (12+lbs) with a wing span of up to 2.3m (7'6"). They are very slow to take off and are not something you want through your windscreen at 100kph.
Back in our home state!! Only another 2032kms until we get home.
You may recall that on our northbound leg in this area, we stayed at a place called Camooweal Billabong. It turned out we missed the 'real' Camooweal Billabong, so this time we headed further off the highway to the second of two billabongs (the first having about 60+ RVs parked there) to find that there were only about a dozen others here. Below is the view after we parked the van.
(LT) Sunset / Moonrise at Camooweal Billabong
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