19/8/2013 to 22/8/2013 Heading South - Devils Marbles

19/8/2013 Heading south - Mataranka

It is getting very hot and humid, even at night. We have decided that we don’t have time to do WA before October when we want to be home, so we will head south. As we were driving out of Kakadu we saw a tourist bus on the side of the road, blazing. It was engulfed in black smoke and flames, even the tyres were burning. Some dozen or so young people were standing, without luggage, watching. The driver was waving the traffic on and telling us to hurry and not stop, and my grab for the camera missed the mark entirely.
We spent the night at Mataranka in a powered site so we used the air conditioning to cool down.

20/8/2013 Heading south - Banka Banka Station

We stopped at Dunmarra for fuel for the car and us - Gerd was desirous of HOT CHIPS. They were very nice and fresh.
We spent the night camped at Banka Banka Station. It was unpowered but there was green grass to camp on and hot showers to refresh ourselves.

212/8/2103  to 22/8/2013 Devils Marbles

We camped at the Devils Marbles for two nights. They are a very interesting formation, said to be the result of the granite weathering away.  I got up and took photos of the predawn colours on the rocks, the sunrise and, in the opposite direction,  the almost simultaneous moonset. A dingo was hanging around waiting for scraps but also water to drink. The landscape had much less vegetation than when we saw it last time ... I don’t know whether that is the result of continuous burning off or the very dry seasons for the last two years.

Sunrise

Midday

Sunrise/ moonset

Sunrise

Midday

Moonset

Moonset

Splitting rocks 

Dingo

18/8/2013 to 19/8/2013 Jabiru in Kakadu National Park

18/8/2013 Nourlangie in Kakadu National Park

Today Gerd insisted that we pack up and shift on to Jabiru township. He'd had enough of fighting off the mosquitoes and stinging insects that inhabit the area around Ubirr. We took a unpowered site in the campground because I wanted to see if the caravan solar and battery system would stretch another night.
After setting up we drove to Anbangbang Billabong. While we ate our picnic lunch we looked at all the white water flowers covering the billabong and the thousands of water and wading birds flocking around. We walked/drove the length of the billabong. It is one of the prettiest areas in Kakadu.

Next we walked around the rock art sites and then up the hill to the lookout.

On the top of the lookout we met the grown-up-and-married son (and wife  and 2 children) of Andrew and Anna McLaine  who used to attend Wodonga church. It's a small world! 

Next we drove across to the other side of Anbangbang Billabong and walked to Nawurlandja lookout and its surrounding fascinating rock structures which obviously were once the bed of a stream but are now exposed natural concrete on the top of a hill.

15/8/2013 to 17/8/2013 Ubirr in Kakadu

15/8/2013 Darwin

When I woke up I felt really sick and faint so I had to lie down for a while. After I recovered we prepared for the long journey home. We did the washing, did the shopping and then put 4 new tyres on the car. We made our last trip to  Mindel Beach to buy our tea at the market and watch the  sunset.

16/8/2013 Merl Campground, Ubirr

We did the long drive from Darwin to Ubirr. On the way we stopped at Fogg Dam. There are lots of birds and lilies (as well as unseen crocodiles) on the wetlands.

At Adelaide River we looked at the crocodile cruise boats and then pulled in along the Mary River to eat a picnic lunch. In Jabiru we bought Kakadu National Park passes and also arranged to go across Cahill Crossing into Arnhem Land. We travelled on to Merl camp ground and found a place to leave the caravan ($20 pn). From there we quickly drove out to Ubirr to watch the sunset . The wet land at the bottom of the big rock where we sat to watch the sunset was being burnt off so there was a lot of smoke and it was already too late in the evening to get good pictures so we just enjoyed the view.  

On our return to the campground we set up 3 mosquito coils to burn outside the door of the caravan to repel the local inhabitants, but a few still managed to get in. I had to take a can of insect repellant to spray in the toilet and shower before visiting there. Gerd came back from the shower very excited because a snake had slithered across the path just in front of his feet.  

17/8/2013 Kunbarlanja (Oenpelli), Ubirr

Sabbath morning. After looking at the crocodiles in the river close to where people were fishing we drove across the Cahill Crossing into Arnhem Land.  

There were a number of aboriginal people at the cultural centre. The women were sitting under the shade of a tree preparing pandanas leaves by tearing them into fine strips, colouring them with natural plant dyes and weaving baskets and one older lady was weaving a traditional net for catching fish. 

The men were on the other side of the building painting traditional aboriginal cross hatch designs on paper and bark. Other men were inside screen printing material with aboriginal style motifs. The workmanship was high quality. We spent the morning talking to the people. 

 Oenpelli is situated in a beautiful area. 

   

We returned to our caravan for a late lunch and then decided to do one of the walks among the tall sandstone blocks that dominate the landscape.

In the late afternoon we returned to Ubirr for the sunset. When we got there a film crew was in the process of making part of a commercial to encourage tourists to visit the Northern Territory.

12/08/2013 to 14/08/2013 Darwin - Again!

12/08/2013  Darwin

We returned to Darwin (Lee Point C.Van Park) and did all the necessary town things ... filling the gas bottle, getting a quote on new tyres, shopping for groceries, taking sunset pictures etc.

Every night we listen to curlews calling to each other. It is a weird sound. When we heard it on our first trip north we were frightened because we didn't know what on earth it was.

13/08/2013  Darwin

Gerd spent the whole morning fixing the left hand rear mudflap on the car which he damaged on Sunday at the Lost City when he backed against a large rock.

We went to Casuarina Shopping Town and both of us had hair cut. Mine is almost as short  as Gerd’s but I have a lot more on top!

We made a picnic lunch and went to East Point Reserve to eat. After lunch we visited Fanny Bay Gaol and then the refurbished War Museum. It has an excellent interactive display about the Japanese attack on Darwin and northern Australia’s defences in WW2.

14/08/2013  Darwin

Today we got up early and did a major wash (sheets and towels) then we headed out to Gunn Point again - our 3rd visit - to go fossil hunting.

I am intrigued by the hermit crabs. If you hang onto them they pop out of their borrowed shells and drop down onto the beach to scamper away and go house hunting.

We saw an egg in a depression in the sand. There were some curlews hanging around so we presume that it was their offspring.

Gerd had a very successful day fossil hunting.  He found several large ones, about 10 cm in length.

I found less and only smaller ones. I think that we should have swapped spectacles.  It was a good day. The tide was in when we arrived but was at least 120 metres off shore by the time we left.

11/08/2013 Litchfield National Park continued

11/08/2013 Litchfield National Park

We packed a picnic lunch and set off to explore the rest of the park. First stop was Tolmer Falls lookout. Tolmer is a very deep, spectacular water fall.

We walked the circuit trail which has views over the waterfall stream back towards the lookout.

Next stop was Florence Falls. It was wall-to-wall people including a girl in a bikini getting her pictures taken  posing on the rocks in front of the falls. The pouting and posturing was quite entertaining.

We walked the rainforest circuit track back to the car and headed to Buley Rock Hole. Again the water was crowded. This time the font stage stars of the waterfall spray were two very large, very ocker, very loud Aussie blokes. Eventually Gerd had to help lift these whales out of the water. I didn’t bother with photos this time. 

After lunch we drove to Lost City. It is a 4WD corrugated track for about 12 km which requires dropping the tyre pressure to about 24psi for reasonable comfort. We were amazed at the number of vehicles making the journey. Huge sandstone rocks are tumbled about over a large area vaguely resembling the walls and ramparts of an ancient city. I was more impressed this time than on a previous visit.

We returned to Wangi Falls campground. Gerd went in for a swim. I was tired so I just took pictures of the sunset colours on the rock walls, but there was no time when people weren’t in the view finder.

   

8/08/2013 to 10/08/2013 Litchfield National Park

8/08/2013 Litchfield National Park

We drove to Litchfield NP, arriving about 1:30pm. The Wangi Falls campground was already full so we went up the road to the Safari Caravan Camp area - which charges c.van rates - and booked in for one night.
After setting up we drove to the Cascades and did the up-stream walk. The scenery was beautiful. Gerd had a dip in one of the rock holes.

We drove to Wangi Falls and took some pictures and then walked around the campground to find a site where someone was planning to leave in the morning. We left our camping chairs with these people so that when they left they could leave them in the middle of the site to show that it was “taken”. 

  

9/08/2013 Litchfield National Park

We shifted back to the NP. The previous campers had left and our chairs were guarding the site. After setting up we did the steep walk up to the top of the falls and along the escarpment.

After lunch we drove to the old, abandoned Bamboo Creek Tin Mine. All the miners eventually died from lung disease.

On returning to Wangi Falls we both had a swim. I tried out my new pool noodle-with-seat that I bought at Clarke Rubber. It was great, but the water was cold so I didn’t stay in very long.  

In the evening the sunset sky was crowded with thousands of bats settling out on their nightly foraging trip.

10/08/2013 Litchfield National Park - Sabbath

Today we drove did the 4 WD track into Blyth Homestead. We had to do 2 significant creek crossings to get in. I hate driving through water!

The pioneer family who lived there raised 14 children in very primitive conditions. One son died after cutting himself with an axe and then having to be swum across the flooded creek crossings to get medical help.

Back on the main track we were impressed by the large termite mounds beside the road.

  We continued on to Sandy Creek Falls. We took our lunch into the falls and sat on the bank listening to the water and watching the fish and even a tortoise in the water. Gerd stripped off and swam over to the falls.

I contented myself taking pictures of the Golden Orb Spiders around the bank

 It was very hot so when we got back to the campground we both had a quick dip in Wangi Falls before our shower.

  

4/08/2013 to 7/08/2013 Darwin

4/08/2013 to 7/08/2013 Darwin

We spent most of this week in Darwin. We visited the Post Office every day, waiting for our mail to arrive. It took just on two weeks to travel from Cooranbong to Darwin.

We spent time at the harbour so Gerd could watch the sailing boats.

We walked around the Dripstone Cliffs, but they were much dustier than last time and the coloured clays weren’t so luminous.

The city is blanketed by smoke from the burning off with high flames going right up to back yard fences.

We visited the Indo-Pacific Marine coral and aquatic life display near the harbour. It was very informative about the marine environment in the local area

On Wednesday 7/8 our mail finally arrived so we packed up ready to head out to Litchfield National Park

27/7/2013 to 3/8/2013 Darwin

I haven’t taken many pictures this week.

27/7/2013 Darwin Friday

Without being aware of it we arrived in Darwin on the long weekend for the Show.
After searching we found a parking place amidst the thousands of other cars set off to enjoy the show.
We inspected the pavilions. There were for small animals - sheep, goats, birds, poultry in many sizes with fancy feathers, dogs, and cats. The cattle - huge farms cows ands bulls, and miniature breeds were in covered enclosures outside. In other pavilions there was cooking - cakes and iced cakes, sewing and all sorts of handcrafts. There was a large side show section with its calorie-rich, nutrient-deficient food - we indulged in chips and a soft drink for lunch.  The pavilions for knick-nack sellers were packed wall-to-wall with people. A lot of boarding schools were also promoting their institutions.  We watched some of the ring events and parades and side events. It was a larger version of the country town shows of my childhood.

28/7/2013 Darwin Saturday

Darwin Seventh-day Adventist church reflects the community in its ethnic mix. People varied in skin colour from very black to very blonde, and all shades in between. English was the lingua franca but there were many other languages being spoken.  A baptism was followed by a pot luck lunch. The meeting had a very happy atmosphere.

In the afternoon we walked on the beach and enjoyed the millions of crab balls on the low tide mudflats.

I took sunset pictures.

29/7/2013 Darwin Sunday

For tourists in Darwin, Sunday is market day.  In the morning we went to the Rapid Creek market to buy some vegetables. (I wish I knew more about the Asian greens!) We indulged in vegetable patties, samosas and mango smoothies.  Next it was to the Nightcliff market to look at the craft and knick-nacks and try some more "strange" food.  Finally in the evening it was into Mindil Beach for the sunset market. Again it is the difficult matter of choosing whether to eat Asian (Thai, Philippine, Chinese, etc), Mexican,  Indian, potatoes or pasta, or rice. Then of course there is dessert which could be dutch pancakes, pavlova,  fruit salad and ice-cream, sticky rice pudding or a number of other tempting, colourful options.

There are hundreds of people on the beach eating this take away food and watching the sunset - and the beach is left very clean.

30/ 7/2013 Monday

Today we took a picnic lunch and set off for Gunn Point,  about 100 km north of our campsite to look for lobster fossils (Thalassina - look it up on the internet) which are said to be 6000 years old.

At the time of our first visit the beach was edged at the high and middle tide marks with great mounds of shells. Now these have all been crushed and the beach flattened so that quad bikers and cars  can race along it.  There was hardly a complete shell in sight. Also a great deal of rubbish and empty bottles and cans have been left behind. It is a huge shame.

When we were a Gunn Point 2 years ago there was a ute caught in the ocean. This time all that was visible was a bit of rusty engine block.

At the far end of the beach there was a small section where a sign says that driving on the sand is not permitted (although observably it still does occur) which was still somewhat in tact.  I found some fossils there and also we came across two sets of turtle tracks where a female had come up to lay eggs.

  
 
 30/7/2013 Tuesday

Today we went hunting for new sandals for Gerd. We shared a Subway Vegidelight for lunch and then we looked around the Darwin Wharf area.

31/7/2013 Wednesday

A clean-the-car-and-camper exercise first thing this morning and then into the shops again to look for sandals for Gerd. We found a pair at the same shop where we were yesterday. Yesterday the assistant couldn’t find a pair in the right size but today (with the help of a different shop assistant) a pair in the right size was found.

In the afternoon we visited the Darwin Museum/Art Gallery - free entrance - which we haven’t inspected on previous trips.  It is a great display which kept us looking and thoroughly absorbed for several hours.

1/8/2013 Thursday

Today we visited the Indo Pacific Marine Coral Reef Centre near the wharf. Again this was a new attraction for us. It is a self sustaining “aquarium” displaying the reef environment and its animal and plant inhabitants around Darwin. Again, an attraction which was well worth visiting. The presenter was  very informative. Afterwards we sat and watch a video about the reef that they were showing inteir waiting room. We enjoyed it so much that later I went to Dymocks and bought it.

2/8/2013 Friday

We are waiting for our mail. Every day we visit the post office but it still hasn’t arrived.

We visited the Chinese Mueseum and Temple complex in central Darwin. It was very interesting. In the early history of Darwin the chinese population out numbered the european population by 6 : 1. In the temple the middle “idol” represented the Almighty God,  the supreme ruler of Heaven and Earth and all humans. There is some vestage of truth remaining in all religions.

After a picnic lunch we to Crocosaurus Cove in central Darwin. We have visisted before but I had forgotten how large some of the crocs are. The biggest one was about 5.5 metres. These salties have enormous heads. It is a very attractive display for the tourist market and we enjoyed it. The reptile display is particularly attractive and has the opportunity to handle a Childrens python, blue tongue lizard and bearded dragon and then, on the floor just at our feet, while we watched, a death adder was fed a rat.

3/7/2013 Saturday (Sabbath)

Today a special program for the 3 or 4 churches in the area was held in the grounds of what used to be the church school at Malak. The Northern Australian Conference president (Pr Brett Towend) was the guest speaker. Again another very multicultural day ending with an Australiana program in the evening.