Darwin

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I decided to fly to Darwin as just to show how vast Australia is the bus journey from Cairns to Darwin takes two days. I was pretty excited to go to the national parks here as I was looking forward to seeing another side of Australia which would be very different from what I have seen so far. I arrived at my hostel Cavenaghs in the late afternoon to discover it filled with Aussies here on holiday as Darwin is one of the few large towns/cities in Australia that stays warm all year round. The hostel/hotel was different from all the others I had stayed in before as it had dorms on the bottom floor but the rest of the place was more like a holiday hotel with nice rooms and a pool. However I was given quite a shock when I entered the dorm as it was by far the worst I had seen on my travels. It was clear that most of the people in there were living in the room as there was stuff everywhere it took me a while to locate a free bed and even then I was not sure if it was not someone's. I had no pillow or duvet just one dirty sheet. I was exhausted and only had one night there so just decided to suck it up and get some sleep as my bus to Kakadu left at 6am.

When my bus came I was met by our guide also called Mark who typical of all guides was full of energy even at 6am. My group was a nice mix of people with ages ranging from 18-60 which I found nice as it promised something different from the east coast 18-25 conversation! We headed towards the Kakadu National Park unique for being the only world heritage site with an active Uranium mine in it. The park was a good 3-4 hour drive away with stops to pick up any beers or soft drinks we may want as they would not easily available once we entered - no one bought any alcohol another clear sign I was no longer in Cairns. Our first stop took us on a trek through quite a barren area up to a rock plateau on the way we were able to admire aboriginal art work which depicted every day life actions or were used as teaching methods for young children. The guide explained we were very lucky to see even these sites as nothing was more important to the aboriginal people as their culture and it had taken much negotiate with the local tribes to allow tourists to see the 7 areas open to the public out of a possible 1500. There was little way of knowing how old some of the drawings were but he explained that some of the animals depicted were now extinct and had been for hundreds if not thousands of years. Once we reached the top of the plateau we were given a panoramic view of the surrounding area which from the bottom had seemed quite barren but from up top was quite breathtaking.

We then headed to see a series of waterfalls the walk to get there took an hour and was a lot of fun fighting our way through the "bush", clambering over rocks or climbing steep paths however when we reached the waterfall it had definitely been worth it as it was an incredible sight with water cascading over 50 metres down into a large pool of water. We swam through the calmer lower pool and over more rocks and then we started our swim to the bottom of the waterfall the swim was further than we thought and by the time we approached the bottom of the fall it became tougher as the force of the water tried to push us away. When we reached the bottom we were able to clamber onto a ledge and then feel the full force of the fall as it crashed down right in front of us. It was an amazing experience definitely one of the best of my trip so far.

We then headed for our camp stopping along the way to pick up a load of wood from the roadside which would considering the amount would make an epic fire. It was an all pitch in and help out attitude so some set up the food and others the camp, tables and chairs I set to the fire, With a few helpful tips from the guide I was able to get a pretty decent blaze going which definitely helped boost my man points anyway. The dinner was awesome with kangaroo steaks and buffalo sausages with potatoes and salad real bush tucker as the guide called it. It had been a long day so as the light faded we headed for our beds. Most had chosen to sleep in the tents but as the guide was sleeping outside on just a 'mattress´ I and two other girls decided to join him and do the camping experience properly - it was a big mistake, I had heard that the mosquitoes in Darwin are tougher than your average mossy but I had no idea as they chewed through the bug spray I had covered myself in with ease and happily had a good much on any exposed part of my body - it ended up being a pretty terrible night sleep!

The next morning I woke pretty tired and with a few bites however I did not feel so bad when I saw one of the girls who had also slept outside as she was literally covered in bites and was clearly having a bad reaction to them!

That morning we headed for another long trek up into the hills it was yet again tough going but this walk took us above a small waterfall where there were several calm pools below a series of gentle rapids and drops. It was a very fun place with small water falls to sit under and a swim through about a 2 metres under the water which took you into a small pool at the bottom of a straight tunnel. We spent the rest of the morning there some relaxing in the warm waters and others climbing higher into the hills.

We then stopped for a well earned lunch which like all the meals on the trip was plentiful and really good considering everything came from a trailer attached to our truck. Our next stop was a series of small falls and a pool high up which offered a nice swim and ledge with a great view of the area. It was a very tough up hill trek and after the excursions in the morning many chose not to do it but I felt it was worth it as it was a pretty idyllic spot and the view from top was not too shabby either.

Our final stop on the day was to a series of walkways set into the marsh where we were able to see some of the local wildlife an incredible sunset which went down over the backdrop of the distant hills and water all around us. We thought our sites for the day had ended as we headed back along the walkway towards our truck when suddenly we heard a huge splash in the water not far from us that could only have been caused by a crocodile. As it was now pretty dark we could not see the croc until someone spotted these two red dots staring at us from no more than 10 metres away it was pretty creepy and so after a few quick snaps we quickly headed back.

After the previous nights mosquito ridden delights our accommodation for the second night was practically 5 star with metal cabins, bunk beds and even a kitchen. Our dinner for the night was beef fajitas yet again fantastic but like before the long day had worn us out so another early night beckoned.

On the last day we went to the park rangers centre where they gave us a firstly a talk about the traditional work of the Aboriginal women who would weave baskets and other useful items, catch eels or fish and do the cooking which was all done by digging a hole and creating the fire in it and then cooking the food amongst the fire. We were then given a firstly an explanation of how a didjeridoo is chosen/made - it is a task only for a man who has to go out into the bus in search of a certain kind of wood which has been hollowed out by termites once this has been done he smokes the didjeridoo to remove the termites and then paints it in a design of his choosing. The ranger then demonstrated how the didjeridoo works - it is a strange instrument unique to Australia which makes a noise like nothing else I have heard. We were all given a chance to try and play them but as hard as I tried I could not making any noise. Our final activity for the morning was to try the traditional spear throwing. This involves using a flat wooden throwing stick with a hole at one end where you placed the blunt end of the spear and then holding the spear in one hand and the throwing stick in the other. We were given opportunities to throw the spear at metal representations of the local animals with the rangers offering prizes to anyone who hit one. When my go came I got some fair distance on the spear but it was so wayward I was more likely to have hit a real animal than the metal ones.

After this we headed back to Darwin it had been an amazing three days some of the best of my time in Australia especially as it had given me a chance to see another side of Australia from the beaches and the beer!

I had 2 more nights in Darwin my first back in the lovely Cavenagh where yet again I struggled to find a bed and was woken at 7am as 4 people were evicted for not paying there rent only for the same 4 to return 2 hours later! It turns out that most of the people in the hostel live there but generally do not pay as the hostel is so disorganised at working out who is staying there and who has paid - madness. Fortunately a guy named Chris who I had met on Fraser Island was in Darwin at the same time so we went out for a few beers and the next day set out to explore Darwin which did not seem to have to much to do other than relax by the pool or drink.

On my last night I was able to meet up with all the people from my tour and said my goodbyes to them and Chris before heading to the airport at 1pm for my long journey to Fiji!

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