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Devils Marbles...
And to think I thought there were only two marbles...The trip from Alice Springs to Darwin included going to some really beautiful places. The Devils Marbles was not what I expected though in the slightest! You always see the one picture of someone in between the two huge rocks, so I had always thought that that was it, two marbles...but no...there are 'heaps' covering a really huge area...so yes that was a very pleasant suprise...
My favourite part travelling up to Darwin was Katherine Gorge. Unfortunately I wasn't able to canoe there due to the recent cyclone, so instead I went on a boat for a few hours...when I return I shall most definately canoe though, even though there are crocodiles! It was amazing to see trees growing out the side of the gorge and water seeping out of it creating such delicate waterfalls...
As for Kakadu, all I can say is stunning. Such a beautiful and massive area. I'm so glad how my arrival into Darwin timed with the start of the dry season, but with the lushness of the wet season still very much there. On the way to Kakadu we stopped at Adelaide River to go on a crocodile boat ride. You got to see
Gorgeous Katherine Gorge...
I so can't wait to canoe down here. You can do it for several days too with camping inbetween which sounds excellent... them jump to try and catch the meat which someone was dangling. I felt really bad though as I found out that naturally, they only ever have to go for their prey once as they are that precise. So for someone to dangle meat and make them jump a few times, on both sides of the boat, it must really frustrate them and really isn't very nice...
Within Kakadu National Park I spent my time between swimming and walking during the day. It was incredibly hot and after kilometres of hiking through monsoon rainforests it was just so refreshing to jump into such cold fresh water, then do the same thing over again, hike, swim, hike, swim... I was abit paranoid at first though about the crocodiles, but 3 out of the 4 places we swam in, crocs couldn't reach. But the last one, the Garden of Eden (and my favourite) there was a possibility for freshwater crocs to end up there, but they are more scared of us. Still, it is very much a crocodile which I would rather not swim into...
The last day we went on a really long hike and did a fair bit
Cold and crystal clear...
One of the smaller places that we went swimming, and where I cut my foot whilst exploring over slippery rocks...scars I believe are memories... of climbing too. We went to explore this area called The Castle, which our guide hadn't even explored yet. So it was new for everyone! We ended up finding heaps of aboriginal rock at, all being so detailed and in really strong colours. The journey back down though gave me a fair few cuts and grazes but it was so worth it. The view from the top was unforgettable...
We camped for both nights in Kakadu but in tents. I was so hoping to be in a swag again, I really miss sleeping that way. It is just so great how you can literally roll it out and that's it, your bed for the night under the stars. Instead we had tents, so I shared with Mel, and despite them being mosquito proof and me smothering repellent over my body, I still got heaps of bites. I think there must have been some in the tent, that obviously then couldn't escape due to it being mosquito proof, which worked really well but the wrong way around! So yes, I now have some really attractive bites on my legs, with the addition of this anti itching spray which turns a
Aboriginal art...
So much more detailed up here in Kakadu, a way to express dreamtime stories as no aboriginal community had a written language... nice crusty white when it dries...nice...
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nigelonius
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snappy
this trip sounds good, especially the hot and sweaty walk then the cool dip in the fresh water...make sure you come back with all limbs if you do canoe! pib xxx