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Category Archives: Northern Territory
Australia day 35 – Keep River National Park, NT to Kununurra,WA
We are up at the crack of dawn and breakfasted in time to set out for our bushwalk at around 8am. This is a glorious time for walking, the sun is still low in the sky and its warm light casts a wonderful glow casting long shadows and highlighting the deep burnt red of the sandstone outcrops. This the most magical walk meandering round sandstone and conglomerate rocks that has been weathered over millions of years into impressive curves, deep crevices, caves and overhangs. The path, by turns is fine, soft sand or pebbles takes us through 8 foot tall yellow cane grass and mounds of sharp green spiniflex, between rocky outcrops shaded by eucalypts and up over the top of the escarpment. There are splendid views over the countryside and. only the bird calls can be heard resonating around the area. This is the beginning of the East Kimberley. Such a delightful and atmospheric hour’s walk.
On our way out of the park we stop for the short walk to Ginger’s Hill where there is a small stone structure typical of many built by Aboriginal groups through the area as hides from which to catch birds of prey. They would light a fire somewhere close by and wait in the hide with a lure. When the birds approach initially attracted by the smoke and then by the movement of the lure, the hunter would grab the bird through the branches of the roof. A technique that must have required considerable patience and skill..
The border crossing is uneventful. The quarantine officer makes a cursory inspection of the food we are carrying and checks we have no honey.. We’ve been unable to dispose of our organic waste from last night’s meal and I have to separate it from the non-organic and place it the designated bins – lovely job! And then we are on our way again.
The scenery changes almost as soon as we are over the border – the savannah is interrupted by ranges of hills many with horizontal sandstone escarpments protruding. The dry bush belies and bush fires belie the fact that this is still the tail-end of the wet and some roads are still closed.
Lake Argyle, about 45 km from the border, is our first stop in Western Australia. This 1000 sq km of water is the largest freshwater lake in Australia and was created when 1 million acres of pastoral land was flooded in 1971 after the damming of the Ord River. The reservoir supports a huge irrigation project in Kununurra 71 kms away. It is certainly spectacular nestled among the peaks of the surrounding hills which drop straight into the deep blue waters. But it’s hard not to wonder how much more beautiful this area must have been before the building of the dam and to feel regret for the loss of Aboriginal sacred sites and a way of life.
At this time of year there is little happening here; the unpowered camp pitches are closed, there are no tours running and the petrol is so expensive that the owners feel obliged to place a sign on the pumps apologising for the price! We stop to have lunch in the shady park overlooking the river gorge just beyond the dam and then head on for Kununurra and a welcome and refreshing dip in the camp pool.
Kununurra – pronounced Kananarra – was founded as recently as 1961 and is one of the youngest townships in Western Australia. The township was developed to service the Ord Irrigation Scheme which has created 17,000 hectares of arable land which produce sugar cane, melons, mangoes, pumpkins, sandalwood and seed crops. Despite its recency, Kununurra looks much like any other small north Australian township – wide roads, little traffic, one storey buildings many raised above ground level and lush vegetation. Like other places along our route there is a large Aboriginal community here many of whom seem to have little to do but hang around on street corners or sit on the grass under the shade of the trees. There is however, little sign of the drunkenness we were led to expect, nor is there any sense of hostility or tension.
Australia day 34 – Timber Creek to Keep River National Park, NT
There is not much to detain us in Timber Creek; there appears to be no ‘safe’ fishing spots within 2wd range. Just outside Timber Creek is Policeman’s Lookout which provides a superb view of the majestic Victoria River winding through rugged hills and untouched woodlands as far as the eye can see. The silence broken only by the raucous skwarking of white parakeets or some such similar bird.
Western Australia and the Kimberley beckons. But first, just a but further down the highway is a sealed road which serves no other purpose but to access three superb lookouts; two wonderful views of the Victoria river valley and one of Timber Creek and it’s nestled under a sandstone escarpment. At the latter there are a series of information boards about the Nakarous who were stationed out here from 1942 to patrol the coast and inland region in case of invasion by the Japanese. It turns out that the found the struggle to survive the harsh conditions of the tropical bush country left little time for defending Australias front line!
As we drive west the trees become more stunted and large boab trees often carved with the initials of previous travellers are more in evidence. The boab has to be one of the strangest looking trees with its, grey, bulbous trunk that grow up to 20 metres in diameter, toped by a crown of disproportionate branches. Plumes of smoke waft into the area across in the distance where small spontaneous fires have broken out.
We arrive at the border with Western Australia much sooner than we anticipate and decide to camp the Northern Territory tonight and cross tomorrow. This decision is entirely based on the strict quarantine regualtions which mean that we can’t take any fresh fruit or vegetables into WA and would mean dumping tonights dinner! We stop for a brew in the car park on the border and suddenly a huge fire breaksout across the road. Lots of smoke, flames dancing and crackling as it devours the grasses over a stretch on either side of the border.
The Keep River National Park is only3 km up the road. This small park is known for its striking landforms, similar in structure to the Bungle Bungles further west. There are excellent bushwalking tracks that run through the rugged terrain of sandstone formations. There is also a camping ground 18 km into the park along a red gravel road and despite the restrictions of our hire agreement which prohibits any travel on unsealed roads we spend the night in probably the remotest camp site of our trip so far.
Remote though it may be there are two 4wd campers on the site when we arrive. Both have neat arrangements involving tents that fold out and sit on top of the vehicles. This is basic camping; some bbq areas and two pit toilets one of which is infested with ants! It’s a beautiful spot though, so peaceful and a walk awaits us in the morning.
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Australia day 33 – Katherine to Timber Creek
Most of the country from Katherine along the Victoria Highway travelling west is mile after mile of savannah woodland – it’s not for nothing that this road is known as the Savannah Way. That is, until the area around Victoria Crossing where the flat gives way to the spectacular; angular red glat top sandstone escarpment ranges on both sides and the strangely shaped boab trees with their bulbous trunks start to make an appearance.. The Victoria River is the largest in the Territory and it sweeps through deep valleys and gorges and at some parts is over a kilometre wide. Unfortunately access to most of the Victoria region requires a 4wd and we are restricted to a brief glimpses of the river at Victoria Crossing and for a short distance alongside the road. A road house is the only settlement at Victoria Crossing consisting of a bar, diner camping ground and petrol station. We make a short stop to have an ice cream and top up with petrol. The road house is the first services stop since Katherine 194 km away and the last for another 90km. There is also a caravan park bar and restaurant here and that is all for the next 90 km.
There’s little traffic on the road, although we do see a Roller and a Bentley! There is a certain camaraderie amongst those travelling in camper vans particularly in Wicked vans, which usually manifests itself in energetic waving at one another. Whether this is from sheer excitement of seeing someone else on an otherwise empty stretch of road or out of empathy for some other poor sucker who ended up with a clapped out old rust bucket, I’m not sure.
There are many areas of charred earth along the road sides, the result of the small bush fires that seem to break out regularly and palls of smoke can be seen at intervals signalling several small fires are burning up the dry grass in the surrounding country.
Timber Creek is a tiny place on an eponymous tributory of the Victoria River at the foot of the rugged Newcastle range It is a tiny place consisting of a caravan park, motel, bar, mini mart, cemetery, a visitors centre and not much else. It is reknowned for its fishing in particular for barramudi and apparently people come from all over to fish here. The plan is for Andy to catch our dinner tomorrow!
The creek runs at the back of the caravan park and we arrive just in time to witness the daily feeding of several rather large and aggressive freshwater crocs. There are apparently 13 in this stretch. It’s quite an awesome experience standing only inches above these menacing creatures as they rise out of the water to snap their jaws with a mighty clap around pieces of meat dangled above their heads.
There are also hundreds of what look like black towels hanging from the trees on the other side of the creek, which on closer inspection tturn out to be huge fruit bats. Apparently they don’t hang in the trees in the caravan park, thank goodness!
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Tagged Australia, Katherine, Northern Territory, Timber Creek
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Australia day 32 – Katherine NT
Katherine Gorge is situated in the Nitmiluk National Park 29km from Katherine. It is defined as a series of 13 gorges and there is a visitors centre and a commercial operation offering a huge range of different tours and cruises from a two-hour cruise taking in two of the gorges at $56pp to helicopter adventure trips through all 13 gorges with gourmet picnic and swimming in your own private rock pool at $300pp. There are also several walks of varying lengths from two hours to three days or more depending on how far up the series of gorges you want to trek. We opt for the two hour loop walk which takes us up the escarpment to a lookout which from where there is a good view of the first gorge and the surrounding countryside before looping back through the empty (of people) savannah. It’s not a particularly difficult walk and fortunately it’s cloudy so we are spared the direct sun and the temperature doesn’t reach the predicted 40 degrees. But we still feel exhausted by the time we get back to the van! The secret is do everything slowly, slowly; drink plenty of water and have frequent stops.
Frogs are everywhere on the campsite but particularly in the toilet block often sitting in the toilet bowl or under the toilet seat. Always a wise move to check before sitting down! There are also numerous wallabies which hop around the vans after everyone has gone to bed, which can be a bit of a shock when caught short in the middle of the night – as Andy discovered. Apparently, a 12 foot ’saltie’ has been removed from the billabong today, although it’s probably not a good idea to camp by the water’s edge even so.
Had a dip in the pool again which we discovered today is fed from a natural ‘hot’ spring although the water isn’t hot, just luke warm. We get talking to an older Australian couple who often drive up from Wollongong to holiday around the Daly River. She is originally from New Zealand and we get chatting about travelling and taking vitamin B1 to stop mozzie bites. We’ve been taking 2 x 100mg of B1 since we arrived in Darwin on the recommendation of the pharmacist friend of Helen and Adrian but it hasn’t stopped us getting bitten. We been advised variously to take 20 tablets a day which seems a bit over the top, by an Ozzie from Darwin, to 125mg, by the Kiwi today. We’ve upped our dose to 200 mg twice a day to see if that is more effective.
Andy met someone tonight who used to live in Sydenham and swim in Forest Hill Pools before he moved out here to live. Small world, eh?
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Tagged Australia, Katherine, Northern Territory
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Australia day 31 – Katherine NT
The saga of the van continues and not on a positive note. This morning the battery is flat again and this time we haven’t been running anything off it during the night. In fact it still had a charge just before we went to bed . There is no-one at the campsite to help jump start it until the owner returns from town about three-quarters of an hour later. Another call to Wicked, who are adamant that the van was fully serviced before it left the depot – because they always are and it seems inconceivable that our one wasn’t despite all the evidence to suggest the contrary. Another visit to a local garage ensues and it turns out that there is no water in any of the cells of the battery, consequently it isn’t holding a charge. Wicked agree that a new battery should be fitted (at their expense) by which point it’s lunch time and all the mechanics have disappeared for an hour. We are experiencing a very off-hand, if not downright rude, attitude from the receptionist in particular and wonder why.
The receptionist is looking after an indigenous child, a cute little girl of two, who is asleep on the sofa when we arrive. Like any two-year-old she’s inquisitive and lively when awake, but she has no toys and nothing to occupy her and is expected to sit still on a chair all day. This leads to a certain amount of tension between child and adult and the latter seems to have no compunction about threatening her with smacks and other punishments such as being sent to the toilet if she doesn’t remain seated. In fact smacks are administered in front of us – obviously corporal punishment is not disapproved of in this neck of the woods. There is an element of thinly disguised racism too, as the receptionist points out to us that this is an indigenous child and indigenous people let their children run wild.
By the time we get away, it is too late to make a trip to Katherine Gorge as planned. So, after sending another email of complaint to Wicked, we visit the hot springs which are just outside the town centre, instead. The spring is not actually hot rather luke warm and flows through shady pools which are probably the only safe place to bathe around here. The water is a few degrees below the ambient temperature and very refreshing. There are some Ozzies and a couple of Aborigines sitting in the water chatting and we get talking about the alcohol restrictions which are pretty draconian in the Northern Territory. There are many areas where the sale and drinking of alcohol is restricted. In some areas it is an offense to be carrying alcohol In Katherine alcohol can’t be drunk in public places within two kilometers of the town, including the hot springs. Although this doesn’t deter some in the group we are sitting with who have a stash of beer with them and are drinking in the creek when we arrive. In certain circumstances there is a limit on the amount of alcohol that can be purchased in a bar or off license (bottle-o) without providing id. As we sitting chatting the police turn up, beer is hastily poured away and the empty bottles hidden under water. The police want to know if anyone is drinking and whilst they don’t catch anyone, they do find the stash of alcohol and pour it away. It seems that there is a very paternalistic attitude to drink and drinking which may be primarily designed to protect the Aborigines from themselves, but is applied to everyone in the name of even-handedness and seems to cause a certain amount of resentment in both communities.
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Australia day 30 – Katherine, NT
A do-nothing-much day. The morning spent pottering around, enjoying the surroundings, having a swim, wandering the homestead grounds and generally relaxing after covering 1300km over the last week. In the afternoon we make a quick stop at the Low Level Nature Park on the banks of the Katherine River. This is another beauty spot popular for picnicking and swimming and there are two very inviting pools just below the weir in the eddy of the fast flowing current. But we resist the temptation to take a dip. There has been another report today of a 10-year-old being attacked by a croc while fishing somewhere in the Northern Territory, saved only by the quick thinking of his father who whacked it on the snout.
We spend some time looking around Katherine which has a sizeable town centre with a small shopping mall, a Woolies and various other shops including a campin’ and fishin’ which we browse around. Andy bought a cheap fishing rod a week or so ago and now buys some lures – live bait isn’t allowed . But when and where it will be safe to fish we’re not sure! We visit the library hoping to find some travel books on India as a cheaper option than research on the internet which is $2 for 15 minutes, but the library is small and has a poor selection of books and no travel section at all.
Like the rest of the Northern Territory indigenous people make up a high percentage of the population in Katherine and they are much in evidence as they spend much of their time outdoors usually sitting under the shade of trees or standing around the streets. We haven’t been able to determine how they make a living, if indeed they do.
After last night’s experience, we have rigged up a mozzie net outside with the table and chairs under it and we have a peaceful dinner while the flies swarm around outside, many clinging to the net. The flies only appear as dinner is being served and disappear just as suddenly when the last forkful has been consumed. Very strange!
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Australia day 29 – Pine Creek to Katherine, NT
Katherine is the third largest town in the Northern Territory with a population of 9000. It is 320km south of Darwin at the junction of the Stuart Highway and the Savannah Way. To give some idea of scale the Katherine region is the size of the state of Victoria in southern Australia. It is most famous for its gorge which sits in the Nitmiluk National Park and consists of a system of 13 individual gorges. There are also some hot springs here which at 32 degrees are only a couple of degrees cooler than the ambient temperature. We intend to visit both of these attractions during our stay.
About half way between Pine Creek and Katherine is the popular picnic and swimming spot at Edith Falls. A torrent of water falls into a large pandanus-fringed pool. This is a glorious spot and there are several people swimming here, despite the signs which state that ‘freshies’ (fresh water crocs which are passive and don’t attack unless provoked) inhabit the pool and that ‘salties’ may also be here as well. Just like everyone else, we take a quick dip, straying more than a couple of feet from the edge (not that, that will protect us in the event of a croc attack); but unable to completely relax we don’t stay long. Nature’s way of saying, perhaps, look, but don’t touch!
We are staying at Springvale Homestead in Katherine. It is the oldest original homestead in the Top End and is located 8 km south west of Katherine. The station was established in 1879 and managed by Alfred Giles, the ex-Overland Telegraph linesman. Giles brought sheep and cattle up from Adelaide to stock the station. Near the homestead are four huge South American Raintrees which Giles’ wife planted one for each of their children. In the area around the homestead there is a camp ground and caravan park as well as some cabins, a beautiful, tree-fringed billabong (no mozzies apparently as there are seven ‘freshies’ in it that eat all the larvae) and a deep freshwater swimming pool. It also has too other important benefits not always found on campsites in Australia – a fridge and iron! This is a delightful spot made even better when we are allocated a pitch on the edge of the billabong. Perfect! We are just settling in with a cup of tea, when the owner strolls over to say that a ‘saltie’ has just been spotted in the billabong and would we like to move back from the bank to one of the powered sites? Apparently this is the first time a ‘saltie’ had been sighted in the billabong. We don’t need to be asked twice, and sadly we move to a spot out of range of the potential predator. The authorities have been called and at some point, perhaps even today, someone will come and remove the croc.
There is quite a bit of wild life on the homestead including wallabies, green frogs and cane toads (the latter are poisonous and are considered a pest to be reported to the authorities), numerous types of birds, geckos and every bug you can think of, even one or two mosquitos. This evening we count eleven wallabies grazing in the grass just behind the van, quite unperturbed by our presence; frogs hop around everywhere and Andy came across two cane toads flat out on their backs in the showers!
But tonight the flies are in abundance. They seem to be particularly attracted by the seafood mix that I’m cooking in our little camp kitchen. We are using the camp stools provided with the van as legs and one of the lids from the storage compartments which forms part of the bed base, as a food preparation and cooking area and the flies are beginning to gather as soon as I start to cook. The numbers seem to increase as we sit down to eat and become so overwhelming that we have to resort to waving a plate above our heads while we eat! It’s with some relief that that the flies disappear completely once we finish our meal. Flies must find fish particularly yummy.
As soon as darkness falls all manner of insects appear to make life a misery – huge flying bugs and large grasshopper-like creatures as well as moths and little jumping insects that get inside our clothes. Another early night in retreat under the mozzie net for a bit of peace!
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Tagged Australia, Katherine, Northern Territory, Pine Creek
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Australia day 28 – Jabiru to Pine Creek, NT
How timely! Just as we are about to write a letter of complaint, Wicked have sent an email following up on the problems we have experienced with the van; offering us either a refund or an extension of our hire period as compensation for the down days. They have also invited feedback. We have obliged and now wait their response! Meanwhile the v an continues to chug on, although it doesn’t like to start first time.
Our first stop on the way back to Pine Creek is at Nawurlandja (Now-oo-larn-ja) lookout in the Nourlangie region – a 600m climb up and across a sandstone slope for wonderful views of the Arnhem Land escarpment, Nourlangie and the `Anbangbang (Arn-barng-barng) billabong just below us. From this vantage point the billabong appears covered in green and a mass of white flowers; and oasis amongst the trees which stretch on in every direction. Unsurprisingly the billabong walk is closed and we have to satisfy ourselves with this view from a distance. We prepare lunch in the car park, only to discover that we have left one of our chairs back at the campsite 40kms down the road! How you might ask, after all it’s hard to overlook a chair, right? Ah, not so simple; we had taken the chair to the camp kitchen to blog and recharge batteries and left it there. Fortunately it is still there when we return to collect it!
Most of the other walks around Nourlangie are closed and we are running out of time to get to Pine Creek to cook and eat before dark we forgo the Nanguluwur (Narng-oo-loo-war) art walk and kick on to The Lazy Lizard, a refreshing dip and the cool of the late afternoon shade. There are several small bush fires along the way.
Kakadu is a place of inspiring landscapes and incredible views of this vast country. Had we done our research more thoroughly we would have done this road trip in reverse, starting in Perth and ending in Darwin, arriving in Kakadu in May when all the wetlands and rivers would have been accessible and many cleared of crocs. Ah well, hindsight is a wonderful thing! A 4wd go-anywhere-van is is also advisable as at least 50% of the attractions are not accessible to 2wds. That involves booking ahead particularly in Darwin where the number of vehicles for hire is limited by its remote location (something else we didn’t appreciate). Perth as a starting point would seem to be a better bet all round.
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Tagged Australia, Jabiru, Northern Territory, Pine Creek
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Australia day 27 – Cooinda to Jabiru, NT
Cooinda, in the Yellow Water region of Kakadu National Park, is famed for its wetlands. But as we are fast beginning to discover anything near water is closed at this time of year. This is the run off season; the tail end of the wet season but not quite into the dry. Although the flood waters of the wet are generally subsiding, many roads and footpaths remain impassable and this seriously limits access to much of the highlights of the park particularly the billabongs and wetlands. It means that the only walk open in this region is between the campsite and the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre an since this can easily be reached by road, we take the latter option.
The circular design of the centre represents a warradjan (pig-nosed turtle). The centre has a large and impressive display developed by the Bininj (local aborigines) which provide a detailed picture of the aboriginal culture and history in Kakadu including their relations with the Balinda (European settlers). It is a heart-rending but ultimately optimistic portrayal.
With none of the wetland walks open we leave Cooinda by late morning heading for Jabiru which is the main township in Kakadu with such delights as a supermarket, post office, library, swimming pool and a few other shops, but offers little by way of other attractions other than a visitors centre an an Aboriginal arts and crafts gallery.
We stop enroute to Jabiru to climb up to the Murrai Lookout on the top of Mount Cahill. There is fabulous 360 panorama over the woodland as far west as the Arnhem Land escarpment and the vast unspoilt reaches of this land. Three English people are following behind; two are living in Melbourne and are from Gloucestershire and Essex. They are about to embark on a road trip to Melbourne; having flown up to Darwin they are collecting a car from friends who have done the trip in the opposite direction.
After organising a pitch for the night we drive on to Ubirr to see the rock art and watch the sunset from the rocky lookout there. But first, we take a look at the East Alligator River.- a misnomer if ever there was one, as there are no alligators here. This is the habitat of the estuarine crocodile or ‘saltie’ which can grow up to 2m long and have been known to attack those careless enough to stand too close to the water’s edge as well as the even more foolhardy who venture in to swim. There have been a couple of news stories since we arrive of people being attacked and killed. But that doesn’t stop a half-a-dozen or so young aborigines from have a fun time splashing about in the water upstream. Obviously there are none about today!
The ‘saltie’ is becoming a major problem in the Darwin area; numbers are increasing and are making their way further and further inland. There are very few places in Kakadu where it’s possible to swim safely and even these depend on the park authorities clearing them, which means they are not completely safe.. There is government proposal to cull all crocs within a 50 mile radius of Darwin and this is the subject of some debate at the moment.
Ubirr is on the edge of a magnificent sandstone escarpment and is the gateway to Arnhem Land and 91,000 sq km of undeveloped natural landscapes located in the middle of Australia’s northern coast. It is one of the last great unspoiled areas in the world and its small population is predominantly Aborginal. Access to Arnhem Land is strictly controlled and requires a permit to enter as well as 4wd. So it’s off the itinerary for us. But from the outcrop at Ubirr we can enjoy the most stunning 360 views of this vast and ruggedly beautiful landscape. To the east the stone country of the Arnhem Land sandstone escarpment and plateau and to the west the vibrant, lush green of the Nadab flood plains; all the more special for being bathed in the warm glow of the evening sunlight
It is swelteringly hot, still around 33 degrees or so. A man was heard to complain that the cold showers weren’t cold enough; and it’s true they are luke warm – there is no need for hot water to have a decent shower.
The campsite at Jabiru is huge and almost empty. There appear to be no camp ‘rules’ in Australia or at least none that are observed; loud music accompanied by bongos blarts from a group of tents close by from 10 pm and a family Easter egg hunt is underway by 6am. Quite a different kettle of fish from NZ where lights are out by 10 and everyone is a quiet as mice! In contrast the bar closes at 10pm (which probably accounts for the timing of the music) and there is no indoor kitchen; the flying insects and mozzies are a nuisance and bed seems comparatively attractive. Our body clocks are starting to shift as we turn in about 9.30pm and rise just after dawn! There is a lot to be said for this as the early morning is the best time of day, with its dappled light, lack of insects and cool air.
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Tagged Australia, Cooinda, Jabiru, Northern Territory
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Australia day 26 – Pine Creek to Cooinda, NT
A fairly uneventful day. Last night we stayed at the Lazy Lizard caravan park and had it almost to ourselves. Until, that is, three guys pitch up and park right alongside us. I’m sure that there must be some herding instinct that makes humans huddle together. It happens too frequently to be just an aberration; people just seem to be drawn together no matter how much space there is to spread out. Nonetheless, it’s been a pleasant stay here, made even more enjoyable by the fact there is a pool and a bar. Although Pine Creek itself has nothing much to offer.
We are entering Kakadu National Park from the south along the Kakadu Highway; our first overnight stop is Cooinda about 165km away. Kakadu National Park is a dual listed World Heritage site covering 20,000 sq km and comprising a wide variety of landscapes and habitats including lush wetlands, savannah woodland, monsoon forest, towering escarpments and coastal mangroves, only some of which we will get to see on this trip. We are planning to travel as far as Ubirr on the eastern border with Arnhem Land and then double back to make our way to Katherine and onwards to Broome.
Aboriginal people have lived in this area and Arnhem Land for more than 50,000 years and continue to make up the majority of the population today. The Park is steeped in their cultural history and one of the major highlights is the rock art as Nourangie and Ubirr. Kakadu is owned by the traditional owners (Aborigines) and leased back to the government as a national park and managed jointly.
Most of the journey from Pine Creek has been through savannah woodland; sparsely spread eucalypt and pandanus palms and dense tall grass, with some wetland here and there. Most of Kakadu is covered in woodland and here the grass is brown and we pass the occasional small bush fire. These fires are important for the regeneration of the land and we pass areas of scorched earth where lush green shoots of new grass are beginning to come through.
We stop overnight at the main caravan park a Cooinda which has a shaded pool offering welcome relief from the overwhelming heat. Despite the long Easter weekend, the camp grounds have plenty of space and we are able to pick an out-of-the-way pitch under the trees. But it isn’t quiet for long; someone has pop music blaring and a somewhat dysfunctional family attempt to pitch their tents alongside us. After a while it is clear that this is their first foray into camping, and as night falls they are still struggling with one of the tents which they eventually abandon for lack of light. Long after we’ve gone to bed, they decide to light an open fire to ward off the deluge of mosquitoes, despite the fact that, as everyone knows, open fires are banned because of the high risk of bush fires. But it doesn’t burn for long before a camp warden is on the case and the fire is extinguished.
Mozzies! There is a plague of the little buggers tonight. We have never seen anything like it and we have to resort to setting up a mozzie net inside the van. There are so many, the air is filled with their constant whine. We have two coils burning and have double-dosed on the repellant, but all to no avail and we retreat early to bed to escape being eaten alive!
We are beginning to realise that Kakadu is not the most hospitable place at this time of year.
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Tagged Australia, Cooinda, Northern Territory, Pine Creek
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