The dribbleman at last travels his own country

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Colour is drained for the day - Thick darkness shadows itself over the land. Lying down in my tent, the wind picks up. Life surrounding me seems to be solely represented now by the rustling sound of gum tree leaves swaying into each other. This typically static Australian sound is what was needed after 11 months on the run. JP4 was coming to a close and at last after 4 Journeys I was giving my own country Australia a go.

So often you hear locals say, “You have seen more of my country than I have” - I’ve had enough of saying that. 6 months earlier I had just crossed the Tajikistan border and was sliding down a narrow slushy road along a cliff face in the mountainous valleys of Kyrgyzstan. I noticed a reddish earth in a valley between the normally snowy valleys. As I lacked communication with my driver and the 4 passengers in the back seat, my mind wondered. ‘Is that type of reddish earth the same as in the Northern Territory?’ In my time of solitude I had a craving to see a bit more of Australia.

A week later I was beaten up by the police - Drifting my thoughts to home once again. Within 2 weeks I booked my date with the heart of the Australian land. I would be coming home (in 6 months) in September and flying home to Sydney from London via Singapore, Darwin, Alice Springs, Melbourne and finally Sydney all for $450AUD including taxes!! How could I say no to that?

Arriving at 4am in Darwin I waited ages to get into the city. No early check in so I walked around the city. It didn’t take too long to realise that Darwin is not much and is as hot as. For months I had been drooling over some of Australia’s cuisines and the good ole hot Aussie meat pie could not wait until lunch, so I had it for breakfast. That is one of the great things about returning home, trying all kinds of food you have thought about for almost a year.

The Japanese in WWII bombed Darwin (the only time Australia has been hit in War) and there is a site where the bunkers were but with jetlag, timing was wrong and I never got there. Darwin holds a lot of pride, rebuilding has become a regular occurrence with hurricanes too wiping it out. Population is high on Navy and Army soldiers and the soldier’s partners. This is why rent and properties are quite expensive.

Nightlife is left for Mitchell Street, where each place offers the same deal. Drink, plasma screens showing the footy and an acoustics guitar player, playing the cliché pub songs. That’s followed by the cliché songs like Love Shack and Grease Lightning etc.

Compared to other places in the world Australia is an expensive place to travel. And in a way I think we take the piss out of our backpackers. It seems monopolised with a you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours set up between the companies - Travel here is a business - So the tour companies are affiliated with the hostels and they are all affiliated with the same Internet company. They are then affiliated with a certain pub. Backpacking from my understanding in Australia is kind of structured and encourages not to go outside the east coast. NT sees a different traveller of Australia. They are ones that have held onto a bit of drink money to see a special part of the world.

But the Internet setup is a disgrace. Global Gossip sells a rip off service and there is not an alternative option. Internet is something we are falling short on at the moment. Go to a lot of 3rd world countries and hostels sell Internet for free and in Australia you are paying $1 for 15mins. These little things to observe apart from the sights added interest for me whilst travelling here. As well as that just seeing how foreigners react to what I see as normal first hand.

I decided to do an Adventure tour from Darwin to Alice Springs (Red Rocket 7 days) I looked at doing NT solo but going by tour just made more sense in this part of the world. It’s around the same price, less hassle, safer, I didn’t know where to go and a chance to meet travellers of Australia. A small group joined me for the first 2 days in Kakadu.

Kakadu National Park is a world heritage listed Aboriginal owned land, 250km east of Darwin. First stop was a welcoming to the land by a native tribesman. He was wearing jeans and a polo shirt - there was no bullshit like in other parts of the world. You are seeing the natives how it is now. I did have one question mark through on the welcoming itself.

He said he would like to welcome us to his land and would like to give us a traditional welcome. He moves over to the billabong (small lake) rattles a stick in the water to make sure no crocodiles are around gets a can full of water and puts the contents in his mouth. Individually we take turns to walk over, tilt our head and wait for what he’ll do next. “Phhffffsssshhh!” He gushes out the water from his mouth to land on our heads. I thought what a perfect position this guy is in. He could do anything here and we’d accept it. He could take the complete piss out of the white fellow. What are you as a guest suppose to do? You don’t want to offend. Seeing raised eyebrows from my fellow travellers with acceptance was quite funny.

With welcome water drying in our scalps we were given a farewell song and dance. I walked to our 4WD bus after being called “brudda” (brother) by the male tribesman thinking yeah that was nice I suppose. You know I’ve experienced the Aborigine song and dance before than a Dutch guy says to me. “I feel really honoured right now.” This was when I thought the trip down from northern Australia would be different for me to an overseas guests.

The sight of crocodiles along the Adelaide River was just another sight after holidaying in Queensland my whole childhood - But not for the others. Weather wise the September heat is bearable enough and the rains haven’t arrived. This is what made Twin Falls and Jim Jim Falls less spectacular. Well… there was no water coming down the fall.

But Kakadu is more a spiritual place and the Obiri aboriginal rock art is where you can grab a slight attachment to the place. Important to Australia’s history they are still well preserved. They tell stories of their lives, the dos and dont's of life. Including telling pubescent girls to not swim in the water as it will contaminate the drinking water. (At least that’s what the guide said) Animals have a high attention to detail considering they are drawings on a rock. Kangaroos, fish and the now extinct Tasmanian Tiger. But 2 days is not enough to appreciate here properly. By the time you get there and back it basically takes a day off the trip and the sites are rushed. Had I had my time again I’d squeeze in an extra day and come in the wet season.

Back in Darwin it was time to join the next tour down to Alice Springs. Gav our guide confirmed within the first stop Australia’s fascination with the dunny (toilet). Without fail for all tours the guides would say before explaining where we are. “Okay so the toilet is over there…”

It would take 3 days to get down passing land that had surprisingly quite a bit of vegetation. I was expecting desert almost the whole way but it wasn’t until a few hours before Alice - the red centre was really desert. It also supported my assumption that I really didn’t know too much about my own country.

The 3 days would incorporate a lot of sitting down on a bus with stopovers every so often and even with that it was the best part of the trip. It is a special part of the world such a shame it was briefly explored.

The group I travelled with made the most of the first night by making a XXXX (beer brand) man out of the empty cans. Just prior we did an Aboriginal art class - it was like going back to primary school. After we did boomerang throwing which was a bit better than my spear throwing effort in Kakadu. I almost knocked out Miguel the Spaniard in the return fire after a few unreturnables.

The feeling of you in the middle of nowhere is constant. Daly Waters is the most remote pub in Australia. And is also the sight of Australia’s first international airport, without here no plane could have refuelled to reach the east coast. Also along the way is the Telegraph station at Barrow Creek, which was one of numerous stations to relay messages to and from the UK back in the day. So this part of the trip shows how Northern Territory was a key area to connect Australia with the world and gives an insight into early pioneering life.

Before crossing the Tropic of Capricorn we visited the boulders of Devils Marbles where millions of years of erosion have created some boulders to slice in half. It’s got numerous stories like it’s the Rainbow Serpents fossilised eggs and other devilish type stories.

Getting closer to Alice Springs it was a final stop at one of the numerous outback pubs. One thing that’s sad to see along the way is the sight of a culture that seems to be in an identity crises. The aboriginal community seem to be be affected by the way they should handle their culture.

Going to a pub and drinking or just sitting under a tree with drink in their hand puffing a cigarette. I knew Australia had to do something about it but seeing it first hand it is really a big problem. A few aboriginals complained that they are not happy about tehir people because they are taking the easier option and heading towards the cities. That’s a human thing to do though. But they must feel what’s the point. Why keep the hunting techniques when you can just go to the shop. Probably not the best example but you know what I mean.

As the token Australian I was also put under pressure with questions of Australiana. So to conclude this tour I took the group out to a pub in Alice Springs and watched my team Parramatta win in the finals over a schooner or two. As I thought the guide didn’t have many Aussie tourist to get pissed with every day at the pub I got absolutely hammered with him and arrived in my ensuite dorm room with a bang. Causing a French accent women to tell me off and asked “Where are you from?” numerous times to my reply (in the appropriate accept.) “I’m from Manchester in the UK! What’s the difference?”

Next day I joined the 3rd and last tour for two days around Ularu area (Ayres Rock) First stop was a long day to Kings Canyon but with all the driving it was slightly rushed. Seeing millions of year old fossils embedded in the rock and old streams where water once was, was interesting.

Ularu was combined with Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and it was disappointing. Because of the rushed two days I was expecting to see sunrise from a distance then get up close but instead we saw it close up at the start and walked around. Heading towards “the rock” in the dark before sunrise I put on Xavier Rudd from my ipod and throughout the tours I played other Australian music from my ipod. Like Jake the Peg from Ralf Harris - An Australian icon in itself.

I enjoyed my Northern Territory trip finishing it off with at Sunset on Anzac Hill in Alice Springs. But it’s such a shame Australia is so expensive to travel. I suppose I could work and travel to see it but expense is the reason why I haven’t seen more than I should have. If I did come here again I would like to take my car and take my time. The outback experience is not that TV made “outback” unless you go it alone. The roads are brilliant (apart from Kakadu 4WD needed there) it is an experience but I think it would be more of an experience to a foreigner. As an Australian we get drilled about our pub culture and experience the basics of old school aboriginal life. As well as seeing the sights, for an Australian though I think it is more a chance to understand where this country is from. It also is an eye opener of a sensitive problem that doesn’t get more recognition than it should.

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Photos

Kings Canyon
There is wildlife here...

Kakadu NP
Termite home

Twin Falls
September is dry season

Jim Jim Falls
Yep September again

Thermal pool
Used by WWII soldiers

Daly Waters Outback Hotel
Territory's Oldest Pub

Comments

[thedribbleman]

$450AUD London to Sydney
How'd I get that? Well I boked well in advance but went from: London to KL with Air Asia KL to Singapore Air Asia again Singapore to Darwin Jetstar Alice Springs to Melbourne Tigerair Melbourne to Sydney Virgin Blue.

[Phil Mann]

Awesome stuff Drew, visiting my home town, when were you there, I coulda toured you around!

[Aboriginal Art]

Aboriginal Art
Boomerang was the one of the advance tool in the aboriginal art history. It is curved shape weapon mostly made of wood or bones. And aboriginal people used it during some terrible situation like during hunting or for their defense. So playing with boomerang will give you a historical experience. Thanks!!!!!