Katherine

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July 24th 2009

Published: July 24th 2009

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Cobb and Co 4

2 21-7-09 Our Helicopter ride

21/7/09 Up early & dropped the girls off at the vet for Doggy Day Care, Then off for our Helicopter Ride. We hopped on & I was holding onto to Den’s hand pretty tight, we took off & the view was amazing from the air. We were taken in a four seater helicopter & we saw all the 13 Gorges from the air, the Katherine river wound it’s way to the Gorges & you could see all the canoes paddling up the Gorge & the cruise boats as well. The helicopter swooped over the Gorge & then flew back .The pilots are very clever how they land the helicopters on such a small spaces. The flight was 15 mins long & informative & gave us a taste of things to come. We drove the rest of the way into the National Park & booked in for our 4 hour cruise. We did the first Gorge & the colours of the rocks, stones & the river were just great, at the end of the first Gorge you get off the boat & walk 600mt’s to the next boat as the water level is too low to get over the rocks. On the

3 21-7-09 Waiting for Our Helicopter ride I found a friend

way we saw aboriginal rock art on the wall. We all piled into the next boat & made our way up the 2nd gorge & we saw our first fresh water croc, sunning itself on a rock , they were a lot smaller than we thought they were. The guide pointed out all the croc tracks on the sand & the holes that they had dug to lay their eggs. there are signs to say “Don’t enter here” . The guide told us about the Fauna & wildlife & it was very interesting. We docked again & went on a short walk to the next boat & the 3rd Gorge. Canoes were paddling up & down & you could hire them for the day , but between the Gorges you have to carry the canoes over the rocks. In the wet season you can speed boat up to all the Gorges in a lot less time. On the way back we did the same but had a break at the 2nd Gorge for a swim & a snack, we were going to do the lookout but it was too hot, we enquired about a permit to put our kayak into

11 21-7-09 From Above Katherine Gorge on our Helicopter ride

the Gorge tomorrow & it was only $11 for the both of us, & we can fish as well, only lure not bait. So that’s what we are doing tomorrow. We stopped off at Knots Crossing on the way back, a beautiful spot that you can swim. We picked the girls up & back to the van to do the washing & get tea. We took the girls for a walk & watched TV & updated the blog & answered emails. Off to bed , ready for tomorrow.

22/7/09 We had the best day today, we were off to the Gorge & purchased our permit for the Kayak at the Parks & Wildlife office. We started off on our 7km return trip at 9am. The water was so calm & it was a different view from the Kayak, we were a lot lower in the water & we could get closer to the shore. We made it to the end of the first Gorge & decided to have a swim ( yes me ) in that cold water. It was very refreshing. After the swim we had a piece of fruit & a drink & got on our way

19 21-7-09 From Above Katherine Gorge on our Helicopter ride

again. All the way up & back we were dragging our fishing lines with a lure on it & guess what - not even a bite. On the way back we saw a croc on the edge of the shore , it was a bit creepy. We just took out time & enjoyed the view & the relaxing time on the water. It was a goog morning. We were going to walk up to the lookout but we were buggered. We will do it on the way back from Darwin as there are a few things we missed , the Cutta, Cutta Caves & the Edith falls among the things we want to do. We came back to camp as the girls were in the van & it was getting hot , it was 33 deg today. We packed a few things up, Den picked up a few groceries & we had tea & watched TV. We are off towards Darwin tomorrow, will probably get to Pine creek & free camp for a few days. Booked into Darwin from 28/7/09 , so might not have any phone or internet for a few days. Will catch up soon. Going to bed.