El Rodeo

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Someone once told me that the 'top end' was full of two types of people, Alcoholics and born again Christians. The only thing I'll say about this is there are almost as many churches are there are pubs up in the top, make of that what you will.

I have been looking forward to Kakadu National Park for some time, it's the jewel of the Northern Territory and really is a must see if you ever make your way up to Darwin. It's full of Beautiful landscapes, thousands of years old aboriginal paintings, waterfalls and wildlife galore. On my first day there I visited Ubir which has some truly amazing paintings of which there are some pictures here, but the setting of this hill of paintings is amazing you get a view out over some of the landscapes of Kakadu, which can differ greatly. I felt blessed to be able to be there and while I perused some of the art I heard a blood curdling screaming coming from the bushes, it wasn't loud but it was truly horrific, under further investigation I found a frog in the midst of being devoured by a snake. It wasn't a huge snake probably half a metre at most and it was a beautiful burnt orange colour but I haven't been able to find out what kind of snake it is. There would be a picture of it if I hadn't told some people near me to which a small annoying child ran over making so much noise as to scare the snake into the bushes still slowly making a meal of the poor frog, it would have made such a good picture too.

There are various campsites in kakadu so I decided to go a long to one and sleep on the cheap for the night. So I pulled up had a look around and discovered a billabong, bit of water, right by the campsite, like right next to the campsite. Not a worry unless you're in Croc country, which we are in fact Kakadu is well known for it. The rule is you should only camp 50 Metres or more away from the edge of water when Crocs are about, well I'm nor sure this campsite was 50 metres from the edge. I asked around and the people in caravans thought I'd be fine apparently the bank would be too steep for any Crocs to climb out. Worse nights sleep I have had in a long time, any noise I heard had me up and looking out for anything about to try and replicate with me what I had seen the snake do earlier. Well the crocs didn't eat me that night but the Mozzies certainly did, in the time it took to leave my tent and walk thrity metres to the loo and back they had a feast for the next week my whole back was covered, I really mean covered, in bites. In the morning I decided to go to the visitors centre and while there thought I'd ask about my worries from the previous night. The following conversation did nothing to allay my fears. The information I was given was that the billabong would almost definitely have had a least one Croc in there and even as I tried to give the Ranger every opportunity to tell me that I would have been perfectly safe she wouldn't bite, no pun intended, 'Obviously you wouldn't put a campsite where I could be eaten by Crocs?' 'There is a danger of Experiencing Crocodiles anywhere in the park Sir' ' Yes but they couldn't climb the banks there surely?' ' You'd be surprised what they can do' she finished with the sad tale of the Irishman who had drowned at that very spot only the week before, I'll say nothing about this other than the fact that almost every Irish person I have ever met can't swim.

So petrified by the thought I could have been somethings dinner the previous evening I went on to Nourlangie Rock to see more Rock art unfortunately this is where my day started to go wrong. My camera wouldn't turn on decrying some kind of lens fault and however angry I got or however much I shook it or smacked it against things it refused to comply. Nourlangie was amazing and it was truly a shame to not take any pictures, although on the otherside it was nice not to be beholden to a camera for a while, you don't notice how much of your time is taken up by taking pictures of things you go to see rather than just enjoying where you are and what you are looking at.

There are lots of waterfalls in Kakadu unfortunately many of them are not accessible without 4WD so I knew I would miss most of them, I had, however, been assured that I would be able to see one and that the track to it was perfectly accessible to 2WD, when I started on the track however within a kilometre I knew it was impossible, it was 30KM in and so 30KM out and while a car would have been easily able to traverse the gravel roads for a bike it would have been painstaking and dangerous. The gravel road was really just a very dusty road even as I approached I could see the cars on it throwing up clouds of the stuff and when I got on it it was like bulldust, very fine a good couple of inches deep if not deeper and slippery as hell. So that ended my time in Kakadu it was a little infuriating but I guess people just have no idea about riding bikes in these situations unless they ride themselves. In a bad mood I left for Katherine needing a camera and a wind down, when I got half way I stopped to check my map, which is when I discovered I'd also lost my map, today just wasn't going to be my day. Looking back these things seem so trivial but at the time I was devastated, my camera broken, beaten by Gravel roads which hadn't happened in so long, and now my map gone. Anyway I got into Katherine booked into what can only be described as a bit of a shabby hostel and tried to calm down. Cocos Didj Backpackers despite its slightly dishevelled look is probably one of the best Hostels I have stayed in, there are Aborigines making Didjeridoos and painting in the courtyard, Coco was chasing one of the chickens round to kill and cook it the second day I was there and the manager is a laid back guy with rambling stories that go on for ever and then seem to just stop before been concluded five minutes later when everyone has moved on, they are great though. I didn't think I would like Katherine and so to stay in such a great place, with great people and have some very strange experiences was just what I needed. While there I went, unsuccessfully, hunting for Kangaroos with spears, its impossible they are far too quick, and went to the hot springs for a relax. We also went swimming in the river which, surprise, surprise, has Crocs in it. The trick to swimming in rivers up there so I'm told is to let the small aborigine kids swim first, as to why this is I'm not sure I think I'll go with the idea that they must have a good sense of if its safe, although afterwards I was unrelatedly told that Crocs will always go for the smallest thing in the water which adds a rather more sinister twist to that first piece of advice.

The next part of the journey had been plaguing me for some time, the trip down the centre all the way to Uluru and then back up and across to Townsville would be the last of the difficult riding, the last of the outback riding. It would be a distance of over 3000 KM's including a lot of KM's that I would cover twice. Alice Springs is not, as people seem to think, close to Uluru. Once there you still have 500Km's until that big rock. Alice has a bad reputation,firstly for being dangerous and secondly for not having much to do, let me clear it up for you the first doesn't seem true anymore the second still is though. I didn't want to stay there long so moved on quickly to Uluru, I'd have to go again on the way back anyway. There are three things to go see further on from Alice, Uluru, the Olgas and KingsCanyon and there is bugger all else around that area for quite a distance so accommodation isn't cheap, with my YHA discount it was still 35 bucks to stay the night at Uluru and 40 bucks to stay at Kings Canyon. So Uluru, Ayers Rock the thing in Australia everyone knows, the symbol of that great Nation/continent well...It's OK. It doesn't look like you think it will at least not close up the surface has more dimples, divots and generally more goingon than you would think, the sides are less steep than they look in the pictures too. It does look great form far away and if you are lucky enough to see the colours change I'm sure its great, it was mostly raining when I was there, incidentally in the rain it takes on a silver hue so I guess it wasn't all bad being there in the rain. The Olga are 20KM's away and are basically the same kind of thing but there are more of them and some are taller than Uluru but none as big. I think I preferred the Olgas there is something about them that is a little more mystical and a little more asthetically pleasing, but maybe thats just me. The one thing I did really like about Uluru is the fact that some area are sacred and so cannot be photographed when close up which I think in this information heavy world is refreshing, there are parts of Uluru that cannot be seen by anyone unless they actually take the time to go and see it, its nice to think I have seen something that cannot be seen just by using google image search.

Kings Canyon is about 200 odd KM's from Uluru so not to bad a days travel, unless its pissing with rain. I put the journey off for as long as I could but in the end I had to bite the bullet and go for it what I didn't plan on was the state of the roads leading to it. I was able to travel quite quickly to the turn off, at least 100KM/h but then after the turn off the roads just got bumpier and then potholes appeared and finally I started to reach areas where water was already starting to creep over the roads. As I got closer and closer it felt I was getting further and further away at 70KM's away I was able to travel no quicker than 70KM/h at 50 KM away I was down to under 50KM/h as I travelled closer and closer I was still always about an hour away. Finally I pulled in and checked into my 40 buck room which I have to admit was quite nice, four beds, a TV, free tea and coffee. In retaliation for the exhorbitant cost I stole all the tea, sugar, cartons of long life milk and coffee oh and the free bars of soap too, terrible I know but come on 40 bucks! Next was the need to dry all my stuff so my poor room mate had to put up with various motorbike paraphenalia hanging off every available hook, chair or flat surface. Kings Canyon the next morning was, thankfully rain free and so I was able to actually see what I came for and take an early morning walk around, wow. Take a look at the pictures of the 'Garden of Eden', biblical perfection, yeah I'll buy that.

Back in Alice as I get ready to leave the bike decides to not start. So now I check the tyres and decide I really need to change them they ain't bald yet but hell there are some parts that are pretty close. Bad timing means that I am in Alice over the long weekend as monday is Picnic day, not that anyone uses it to picnic anymore, so the motorbike shops aren't open til tuesday. On tuesday I discover that no one has my tyres in stock and it'll take a least a week to get anything delivered. I solve the problem of the none starting bike by borrowing a battery charger but have to spend a whole day organising for tyres to be sent along to Mount Isa 1000KM's away but at least it gave me something to do in Alice! All I need to do now is get to Mount Isa without getting pulled by the cops, which is why I was not happy when at one of the roadhouses a copper decides to come over and have a chat to me about motorbikes and then proceeds to walk around the bike as we chat about my trip, I'm trying desperately to keep him from walking round to the back tyre but without being obvious about it, he did anyway but luckily for me the almost bald bit wasn't on show, so wiping the nervous sweat from my brow I get back on and carry on towards my new tyres.

Mount Isa is very much like Alice Springs, they have roughly the same amount of people and roughly the same amount of nothing to do. Unfortunately for me my credit card was refused so my tyres aren't on there way and I am going to be stuck in a place just like Alice springs for the foreseeable future. Mount Isa only has one Hostel which is enough for most of the year except for when the town almost doubles in size once a year for the rodeo, guess what weekend I turn up in Mount Isa, yup you guessed it YEEEEHAAAA. I can however camp in the hostel gardens,which is lucky because every other place in town is full. I'll tell you all about my advetures with tyres and rodeos next time.

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Photos

Kakadu
A Jabiru

Kakadu
Rainbow Serpent

Kakadu
A real live Crocodile in the wild!

Ayers Rock
From a distance

Uluru
Uluru silver in the rain.

Kings Canyon
Garden of Eden

Kings Canyon
Garden of Eden

MIddle of Nowhere
These are spotted about all over the place, some are themed the same, some just have random stuff on.