Australia here we come!

21/4/12

Another lazy morning was spent at the caravan park. After lunch we all went to the shopping centre at Casaurina and stocked up on things, especially grog. Then it was back to the caravan park. Karen organised a caravan washing party and Mary-Anne and I were invited. After that I fired up the computer and updated our diary. This evening the girls craved something extra in their lives. God provided divine intervention and instead of chocolate they went to church while I received some inspiration from 6 cans of VB.

22/4/12

Today was one of those dreadful days that we all hate - an early wake up by the alarm. Today we planned to go to Litchfield National Park and see everything. We were on the road by 7.30am and our first stop was the town of Batchelor. We stopped at the Information Centre but no one was home. Our next stop after entering the park was the Magnetic Termite Mounds. These little creatures are busy up this way building earth mounds about 2 metres tall. It was fascinating to watch the overseas visitors going ape over these precious little buggers. They obviously haven't had their homes invaded by termites. But I suppose these termites aren't too bad as they eat grass not wood. I might take a mound home and put it in the back yard so I don't have to mow when I get home!!! Next it was a stop at the Buley Rockholes. A short walk alongside a spring fed stream brought us to a number of rockholes that were proving popular with young and old alike on such a hot day. The water was crystal clear and the sun reflected off the golden coloured rocks under the water. Our next stop was the Florence Falls. After walking down 135 steps to the creek floor we were greated by a wonderful waterfall surrounded by a dark green leafy curtain of rainforest plants. It would have been a great place for a swim after the steps but we forgot our togs again. Thanks to a Tour Guide we met at the bottom we made our way back up via a windy track that meandered its way alongside and across the creek until we eventually came out of the leafy canopy at the car park. (We weren't really looking forward to climbing the 135 steps back up again!) Next on the agenda was Tolmer Falls. We could not go to the bottom of the falls here because of the endangered Ghost and Orange Horseshoe bats. Instead, it was along a track to a vantage point above the falls to view the water cascading down into the creek below. Then it was onto Wangi Falls. Due to recent flooding and the possibility of salt water crocodiles sneaking into the waterhole at the bottom of the falls no swimming was allowed. We gazed at the falls for some time and I still can't get over how clear the water is up here. Karen was itching to go for a walk and, instead of the 3km loop track, Mary-Anne and I agreed to go on the SHORT Tree Top walk. Where are the tops of trees? That's right, way to buggery up in the air as we found out after climbing a never ending set of twisting steps that left us breathless and with wobbly legs. 'What's the view like?' a fit young lad asked as he vaulted up the last of the steps and lept onto the viewing platform. With my last remaining breath while lying postrate on a bench I said: 'I don't know. Hopefully I'll be able to tell you in about an hour.' After recouperating we all had a look at the view and wished we had bought a chainsaw with us. We were not quite at the tree tops and all we could see were branches and leaves. With regained strength and vitality we skipped down the stairs and enjoyed a hearty lunch in the picnic grounds while still sweating in the 95% humidity. It was a long and tiring drive home but I was kept awake by the snoring of my two travelling companions. At some point near Strauss Airfield one of them snorted so loud that they both woke up. Neither would admit to being the snorting culprit though.

23/4/12

Today we said farewell to Darwin as our destination for today is Kakadu. We left at 10am and drove to Humpty Doo. It is a neat little town and we had a quick drive around. One thing we did notice are the hugh mango farms that stretch from Humpty Doo to the start of the Kakadu National Park. The people in Darwin just love their mangoes. Our next stop was at the Window to the Wetlands. It is a building set on top of a small hill that overlooks extensive non-Kakadu wetlands. It also has information and displays on all types of plants and creatures that can be found in the Top End Wetlands. After leaving the Windows we had lunch in the carpark at Corroboree Park which is a roadhouse and pub on the Kakadu Highway. Our next stop was at the Mamukala Wetlands and Bird Hide. We had no need to hide, or for Mary-Anne to whisper, as the birds have not arrived yet. There were about 6 ducks and a Jesus bird to amuse us. I looked for crocodiles but they were hiding too. We stopped at the Bowali Visitor Centre at Jabiru and paid our park admission fee of $25.00 each. Then we drove to the Aurora Caravan Park in Jabiru and booked two powered sites preferably with mosquitoes. We were not disappointed as the mosquitoes came to visit as we set up in an idyllic green grassed oasis. We must be early in the season as there were only two other caravans and a small tent in the whole caravan park. No wonder the mosquitoes were so friendly - they must have been lonely.

24/4/12

Today was a day for sightseeing and we visited the township of Jabiru first. The first thing we saw was the Bakery and we all had an authentic Kakadu sausage roll for breakfast. What a life!!! We headed north towards Ubirr. On the way we were confronted by a flooded section of the road. The indicators showed the depth was 400mm and after checking for crocodiles and making sure the windows were up and all doors were locked we slowly drove through the water without incident. A short distance further on there was another lot of water accross the road. This time there was a bend in the road and it was almost impossible to see where the road was under the 400mm deep water. With Karen securely roped to the bull bar we entered the water and followed her directions safely to the other side. On the way we diverted and had a look at the Merl Camping grounds where we were initially going to camp. Thank god we changed our minds. There were crocodile signs everywhere and the water had only recently receded. If we were crocodile hunters it would have been a great place to camp. We left Merl, and not long after, came to the East Alligator River with a crossing (Cahills Crossing) and boat ramp. The crossing was 800mm underwater and the road to Oenpelli was cut. The water again was crystal clear but there were no crocodiles in sight. We continued on to Ubirr and put our walking shoes on again so the girls could view some ancient graffitti. It was hot and humid as we negoiated the track to a large rock that had some drawings on it. Mary-Anne was over the moon with delight to see graffitti on a rock instead of on a railway carriage. The walk continued to the base of a sandstone escarpment. To my horror there were arrows pointing up the sheer walls to a lookout at the top. With the aid of my trusty hiking pole the ascent was a breeze and the 360 degree view was unbelievable. We were looking down over vast neverending wetlands in one direction then onto other large sandstone outcrops and in the distance to the east was the Arnem Land plateau. We were saturated from perspiration when we eventually arrived back at the car park and couldn't wait to turn the engine on and feel the cool air conditioning. We drove back to Jabiru and had lunch in the park land at Lake Jabiru. Then we drove to Nourlangie Rock so Mary-Anne and Karen could see more art sites. It was still hot and humid but we went on a 1.5km walk anyway to make sure our sweat glands were still working. To our delight, there was another lookout on the track that required gut busting effort over fallen rocks to reach. On the climb our minds were occupied by attempts to pronounce the name of the lookout. It is GUNWARRDEHWARRDE. Mary-Anne said the person who named it had probably drunk a couple of flaggons. The view again was spectacular and worth the effort. After trekking back to the car park we drove back to the caravan park. The girls had a swim to cool off and I had 6 cans of VB.

25/4/12

Today we leave Jabiru and move onto Cooinda which is only 54kms down the highway towards Pine Creek. We booked into the Cooinda Lodge Caravan Park and again there were not many other caravans or campers there. The grounds are filled with green grass and large shady trees. We enjoyed a lazy day and booked a 4.30pm sunset cruise on the Yellow Water Wetlands. We boarded a bus at 4.15pm and were driven to the cruise terminal. Most of the road to the terminal is still under water and there is evidence of how deep the water there was a couple of weeks ago. We were let off on dry land and walked along crocodile proof walkways to our cruise boat. The cruise lasted 2 hours and we sailed along the South Alligator River and through flooded wet lands. To our delight it was only a few minutes into the cruise when we saw our first live wild crocodile. It was a large male who did not want to be disturbed and submerged quickly. It was not long before another was sighted and the Captain nudged the boat up slowly for all to have a close look at the monster. There were not many birds in the wetlands and we were told it was too early in the season. But when there are crocodiles around who wants to look at birds? We sighted a large male crocodile slowly swimming near the water's edge and the Captain positioned the boat a short distance away from him and kept pace with him for about a hundred metres. What a thrill to be so close to a man eater and to be able to watch him swim along effortlessly. The boat slowed and the crocodile drew ahead of us. We watched as a smaller male crocodile came racing from the other side of the waterway to challenge the large one. I was amazed to discover that even crocodiles have some sense. As soon as the small crocodile got close enough to see how big the other was he pulled up quickly and backed off in a hurry. Unfortunatley, all good things must come to an end and we were back at the terminal. This was a highlight of our trip so far. Mary-Anne and I have wanted to see a live crocodile in the wild all our lives and today we saw about 8.

26/4/12

Today is a nothing day. We decided to stay another day at Cooinda and visit all the sights within driving distance. However we were told that all the places of interest are still closed due to flooding or flood damage. Not to worry - it gives us a chance to relax and catch up on things. Mary-Anne cooked a chocolate cake in her Weber Baby Q and we had a BBQ lunch. Late in the afternoon we all went for a walk to the home billabong at the resort. This is where the boats for the Yellow Water cruises leave during the wet season. We looked hard but could not see any crocodiles.