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Published: January 4th 2008
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Hi all, we have been a bit slack on our blog recently due to so much happening and little opportunity to access the net. Thanks to all for the Christmas wishes. A belated Happy Christmas to all and a Bonza New Year.
We arrived in Oz on the 10th Dec - back to reality, real prices and no bartering! We were really surprised at how quiet the place was - and it's supposed to be a city! We spent our first day mooching around and wondering how we were going to get to Alice Springs in the next week. After discounting group tours due to prices and not fitting in with what we wanted to do we booked ourselves a campervan for the trip - bonza! We set out on our trip on the 11/12 first heading into Kakadu National Park to take in it's many wonders. We pitched in that evening to our first campsite and bedded down for a night - then realised our van was absolutely covered in insects attracted to the lights, no leaving the van - was this a sign of things to come? As soon as we left the city all signs of civilisation
disappeared - it was great! Nothing for miles and the roads stretch on and on.
On the 12th we drove into central Kakadu - the area of Jabiru - where we got in depth information of what there was to do, where we could and couldn't go and even a suggested itinery for the 3 days, bonza stuff. After purchasing head nets and armed with new information we headed off into the unknown. First stop Mamukala wetlands where there's a view over the luscious wetland area full of wildlife and plants of every colour - not when we visited, due to it being the beginning of the wet season and no rain as yet all we saw was a Commodo dragon 4ft in length! We were also introduced to the fly population in Kakudu - they get everywhere - eyes, ears, nose, mouth! We then headed to Ubirr to take in the Aboriginal rock art, they're referred to as galleries but are essentially historic art sites out in the open that are now protected but open to the viewing public. We did a 2km circular walk to take in the various rock art sites - like cave paintings but
different! We also walked to the Nadab lookout which gave us amazing 360 degree views of the surrounding areas and was totally magnificent!
The following morning (13/12) we moved onto Nourlangie to take in some more rock are - it is also a site of archilogical interest. The walks were pretty tough due to the desert like conditions and temperatures between 40 - 45 C. In the afternoon we moved onto Cooinda and did a Yellow Water wetland boat cruise. We were really lucky (apparently) to see several crocodiles as well as several bird species we've only ever previouly seen on the TV amongst other wildlife and interesting trees and plants - their use explained to us on route. We visited an Aboriginal cultural centre close by where we stayed for the night which explains how they existed and there beliefs and ways of life before Europeans first settled. Only a few Aboriginal communities still practice life out in the bush, most forced into townships due to their areas being taken over by 'white man'.
On the 14th we made our way to the Yurmikmik walks - accessed by an unsealed road, the traditional red dirt that symbolises
Oz - along the walk we came accross a waterfall and beautifully secluded pool which was really surreal comapred to the sunburnt, dryness that surronded it. At this point we left the Kakudu NP and headed out onto the Stuart Highway where traffic really began to build up, we once saw 3 vehicles in an hour! We stopped off at Lake Copperfield which was an artificial lake, nice for a dip apparently, we took a pass due to being paranoid about Crocs! The Caravan site we pitched up in that night was a 2 minute walk to some thermal springs, at 32 C they actually had a cooling effect as the outside temperature was much higher! It was a really refreshing experience after being in the outback all day, the water was unbelievably clear.
The 15th took us into the Nitmiluk National Park where we visited Katherine Gorge. We did a 4km circuit walk that took us to the top of the gorge allowing us to see Kathering Gorge and 17 Mile Valley, again such dramatic scenery an awsome sight. On our way out of Katherine we stopped off at the local museum where we were able to find
out a little more about the area, view the first ever flying Doctor plane and read about the service and read about the flood history of the area. The last flood was in 2006, although it doesn't occur very regularly when it does the local river raises about 20m in height. Driving further south we stopped off at the Mataranka thermal pools another cooling experience, this time a constant 34 C. These springs were discovered during the war and widened for use by Military Officers only! Also at the location is a reconstruction of the Elsy Homestead which was used in the film "We of the Never Never". Further south and we stopped off at Daly Waters, home to the oldest pub in the territory - it's held a liquor licence since 1938 when only the RAAF inhabited the town. The pub is pretty wacky - we also witnessed Santa riding in a fire truck - our first taste of Christmas! We finally finished driving at 2200 in Renner Springs after covering 500km and visiting some great sites along the way.
Up early on the 16th and we travelled to Tennant Creek where there is lots to see, unfortunately
it was all closed, hey ho! Instead we headed straight to the Devils Marbles - "We passed through extrordinary shaped stones in the Davenport Range. The country was of granite formation and many of these stones were round like marbles. In fact they were called the Devils Marbles" - it's hard to explain them but they just appear out of a flat and barren landscape and are a great play ground giving and opportunity for funny fots! After the exhaustion of this we headed for a small town called Ti Tree that would be our base for the evening.
On the 17th we headed for Alice Springs that would be the end of our road trip. After finding a hostel and dumping our bags we handed our van that became our home back. In the afternoon we explored Alice Springs - which is essentially a town in the middle of a desert (albeit a semi arid desert for the geographers out there!) Whilst mooching about town the skies opened - the locals carried on what they were doing whilst we ran for cover, apparently it hadn't rained for 2 months, it's such a rarity that they treat it like
we do snow!
Total mileage 2130km.
Driving through the outback was an awsome experience, the roads stretch on as far as the eye can see, and it is totally unpopulated - no traffic jams just chilled out cruising! When we did come accross a town there was no one about anyway. Due to the lack of vehicles on the road when you did see one the etiquette was to give them a wave - very polite! Also... the Road Trains were beasts - upto 53.5m in length with 3 or 4 trailers, no stopping one of those bad boys!
And the scenery was out of this world, it could be anything from desert to bush to forest and then mountains would just pop up from no where with just a flat expanse surronding it - totally wierd but magnificent!
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