A Town like Alice

Here briefly in Alice Springs and trying to do a very quick update from another very SLOOOOOW dial-up connection. It seems like every web site and every bit of software (including Windows Vista) assumes that you have a fast broadband link.

Not enough time to catch up on everything since the last post. Suffice it to say that we're continuing to have superb times, weather and experiences - and now starting to contemplate our (relatively imminent) return to the real workaday world.

We've had four nights staying with our friends Ann and David in Darwin, a day trip to the Tiwi Islands, a couple of nights in Litchfield National Park, one night each in Victoria River Crossing, Dunmarra, Devis Marbles, and now three nights here in Alice Springs.

Some selected highlights:

• John Butler Trio concert in the Darwin Botanic Gardens
• winning (big time!) at our first-ever trip to the racetrack
  
• fine meals at the Hanuman restaurants (one each in both Darwin and Alice)
• swimming holes, waterfalls and bushwalks at Litchfield
• sunset walk on the Vistoria River escarpment
• 400 km drive on the Buchanan Highway (all gravel, only saw a dozen other vehicles all day)
• Devils Marbles at sunset and dawn
• Desert Park in Alice Springs
• learning a little about contemporary Aboriginal art in Darwin, Ti Tree and Alice.

Off today into the West MacDonnell Ranges to do a few days of hiking and touring, including a planned climb of Mount Sonder), then to Palm Valley, Kings Canyon and Uluru. And then home...

Kakadu

Prior to arriving here we had met a number of people who said they were disappointed by their experience of Kakadu. Can’t understand why, because we had a great time here – it’s just been way too short to see much of what the Park has to offer.

We camped near Yellow Water, one of the best wetland areas in the Park, with absurd numbers of birds around at this time of year. As the Dry continues, a lot of the billabongs disappear, which leads to the birds (and other wildlife) congregating in huge numbers around the remaining sources of water. Magpie geese, egrets, herons, white sea eagles, black bitterns, darters, pelicans, brolgas, jabiru, whistling ducks etc etc. And LOTS of saltwater crocodiles.

We walked down along the water’s edge each evening (but not too close to the water’s edge!), and one morning we went on a dawn cruise in the Billabong and along the Jim Jim and South Alligator Rivers. The cruise was brilliant, beginning a little before dawn with with the full moon setting over the wetlands (after the previous night’s full lunar eclipse). Then out through channels amongst the water lilies and water grasses, a few big old (800 years+) paperbark trees – and masses of wildlife which seemed almost completely oblivious to our presence. Apart from the birds there were about a dozen crocs of various sizes, including a couple basking in the early sunlight with jaws wide open (apparently it stops their brains from getting overheated!) I took 292 photos over the the two hours, and Karen took nearly as many again.

The next day we did the Barrk walk at Nourlangie rock, an enormous and spectacular sandstone massif which includes two of the best (and best-known) rock art sites in Kakadu. The walk takes in both sites at Nourlangie, and in between takes you on a 6-8 hour walk over the top of the Rock. Beautiful walk with a large area of eroded red sandstone pillars on top of the Rock called (a little kitschly) the ‘Enchanted castles’. Whatever the name, it certainly was wonderful walking amongst them, and great views across Kakadu in all directions. The only other hikers we met were Geoff and Cathy, two Park Rangers who were putting up additional track markers due to the number of tourists getting lost along the trail.

Another day we spent about four hours at the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre, learning how to prepare pandanus leaves to weave baskets and mats in the traditional style. Hard work stripping the leaves, preparing yellow, brown, red and pink dyes and doing the actual weaving. I didn’t actually get past the leaf preparation myself (at which I failed miserably) but the experience was really interesting and enjoyable. The class was led by Violet Lawson, an elder of the Murrunbur clan – and a most delightful and knowledgeable person. While I was shredding my fingers on the pandanus Violet prepared billy tea and damper, and cooked up a couple of barramundi on the coals of the fire. Delicious.

On our last night in Kakadu we camped at Ubirr to check some more rock art (in the ‘X-ray’style) and a beautiful sunset viewing spot looking out over the rocky escarpment and the wetlands. The ranger did brief talks on aboriginal kinship structures, rock art styles and the five main habitats of Kakadu. Really interesting. Prior to that we got permits from the Northern Land Council and had a brief foray into Arnhem Land to visit an indigenous art centre at Gunbalunya (Oenpelli).

Now off to Darwin for a few nights. After 28 days, we’re both well and truly into the rhythm of travelling - and looking forward to everything that is to come.

Jatbula Trail

Back to Katherine after five days hiking the length of the wonderful Jatbula Trail, a wilderness track which goes through the Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park from Katherine Gorge to Leliyn (Edith Falls).

We saw the full varied range of landscapes in the Park, which include gorges and waterfalls, rocky cliffs (part of the Arnhem Escarpment), riverside forests of pandanus, tree grevillias and melaleucas, small patches of rainforest, grasslands and savannah woodland on top of the plateaus. About 100,000 termite mounds. Fantastic country.

There are also rock art sites along the trail, where the local Jawoyn people had drawn and painted images of animals, fish, and ancestor spirits from the Dreamtime.

We saw no other people (none!) until the last day of the walk, and only heard a distant aeroplane on one occasion. You are only allowed to walk the trail in one direction so as to reduce the chance of encountering any other people. At this time of year (late in the dry season) it’s starting to get a bit hot, with daily temperatures in the mid-thirties, so not too many people are silly enough to go out walking anyway!

To counter the heat, which did get pretty intense at times with full packs on, we got up well before dawn (and before the numerous birds!) each day to get the bulk of the day’s walk over before the late afternoon heat. It also helped that each day’s walk included two or three truly BEAUTIFUL swimming holes, at which we’d drop packs (and clothes) and plunge in to cool off. Some of the most wonderful places we’ve ever swum, with sweet clear cool water, frolicking birds all around – and importantly, no crocs…

Our campsites were all beside waterholes which even had names to evoke the landscape – names like Biddlecombe Cascades, Crystal Falls, and Sweetwater Camp Pool. Plentiful smokeless firewood, (mostly) no mozzies, soft soil to plant the tent pegs in – in short, we were the original ‘happy campers’.

Returning to civilisation was a bit tough, though I must say that we have enjoyed little luxuries like ice cream, fine wines, air conditioning, laundry facilities and food cooked and served by someone else!

Borroloola

Now settled (briefly) in Katherine, after four nights in Borroloola, and a night at a bush campsite on the Towns River equidistant (300km) from the two nearest towns (Borroloola and Katherine). After nine nights in our tent, we’ve lashed out on a motel and a restaurant meal – and it’s rather nice.

Borroloola was a wonderful experience. It’s a really interesting town – somewhere about 1000 people, more than 80% of whom are from the four aboriginal clans or the Gulf region. Most of the town is spread out along the one long main street, though a lot of houses are on the other side of the causeway across the river, which means that they can be isolated for weeks at a time during the wet. We brought two days of light rain to the town – the first time any locals can remember it raining in August for more than a decade.

Since last year the pub no longer has a liquor licence – and apparently the town has improved markedly a result. Even the amusingly named ‘Bulk Discount Store’ (which sells small amounts of groceries at wildly inflated prices) only sells cartons of mid-strength beer (and no wine or spirits) – and then only for three hours a day.

The white community are mostly either connected with the huge pastoral stations around the area, the McArthur River zinc mine, government services or the big community of feral fishermen who frequent the estuaries all around the Gulf.

We managed to time our visit to coincide with the Borroloola Show, the Borroloola Rodeo, and a first-ever performance by the Darwin Symphony Orchestra in Borroloola. We met a number of really interesting people, each of whom taught us something of value:

• Bob and Beryl taught us the virtue of patience, having been stranded in Borroloola for three weeks while a problem with their car was diagnosed. By the time we left the car was still not roadworthy, and had been shipped to Mt Isa (about 1000km away!) for more repairs. Through all of this they’ve been calmly philosophical, befriending and helping everyone who passed through the camping ground.
• Daryl, Fred and Sharyn taught us about the subtle art of rodeo, horses and bush friendliness. Daryl now deals horses at Ipswich, after a career in rodeo, horse-breaking and droving all around the country (including the Tumbarumba Rodeo!) Daryl ended up taking charge of the chutes at the Borroloola Rodeo – which he describes as the most disorganised bush rodeo ever – and one of the most enjoyable.
  
• Alison, who has spent a number of years working first in health and then in education services in remote NT communities. She reckons she’s now visited pretty much every community and outstation in the Territory, and has some pretty amazing and strong insights into how much variety there is between communities, and what life is really like in the most remote parts of the NT.
• Warren Snowdon (local MHR for the electorate of Lingiari) and his staffer Vince, who explained why their NT electorate, which takes in all of the NT except for Darwin, and also the Christmas and Cocos Islands, is very different to every other electorate in the country.
• Bob from Bushfires NT, who explained why almost all of the country we’d seen around the Gulf has been recently burnt, and what ‘mosaic burning’ is all about. (Near Wollogorang Station we had passed through a large out-of-control blaze, with no-one but us there to witness it. It turned out that Bob knew about this fire, which he said had been started by a party of drunken blokes at a bush camp somewhere, and all that he could do was to monitor it from satellite imagery as it burnt itself out.)

After leaving Borroloola we visited Caranbirini, which is a beautiful little park with ‘bee-hive’ formations of red sandstone like a mini-Bungle Bungle, and then another few hundred km of dirt up to the Towns River, where we camped beside the river and saw our first croc! At Roper Bar we bought petrol at $1.98 per litre. Astro Boy has done 4,500km so far, including over 1000km on some occasionally challenging dirt – and we’re yet to get a puncture… (famous last words?)

Today we’re doing a cruise at Katherine Gorge, and preparing to start a long walk tomorrow through the Nitmiluk National Park (we may do the five days of the full Jatbula Trail). Life is good.

Into the NT

Left Lawn Hill yesterday after four nights, a little sorry to leave as we’d had such a good time there. A bit late getting away, as people came to say goodbye to us, have a chat and exchange contact details etc. Very friendly place.

Karen got know a lot of other people in the camping ground, partly because our campsite was by the river, 200 metres from the amenities block, and there was a confusingly large number of passage ways through the trees, only one of which led to the amenities, and all of which looked pretty the same at night time. One night she was gone for a VERY LONG TIME. When she returned she had met most everyone in the camping ground, as well as many in the caravan park next door, crashed through trees and bushes, walked into the low fence that stops people falling into the river, and finally [I claim the fading light on my headlamp and a few glasses of fine white Riesling as contributing factors – KM] got a complete stranger to walk her home. Next day we set up the GPS with waypoints for “TENT” and “AMEN” to help with navigation. The designers of GPS system probably hadn’t anticipated this application of the technology, but it proved very effective. (If it hadn’t worked, she planned to set out the next night with the EPIRB as well).

Writing this from a bush campsite beside the Calvert River, about halfway around the Gulf of Carpentaria, about 300km from Burketown and 200km from Borroloola, the two nearest towns. There’s palm trees, red-tailed black cockatoos, lorikeets, blue-winged kookaburras, and a menagerie of other birds we haven’t yet identified. Warning signs about estuarine crocodiles, but we haven’t seen one yet…

We’re really roughing it out here. Last night after a sunset walk to photograph the birds we had a rustic dinner of scotch fillet, potatoes mashed with crème fraiche, snow peas, fresh mushrooms and onions, washed down with a bottle of aged Hunter Valley Semillon. A hot shower using our new little 12volt water pump (thank you, Scott!), and retired to bed, feeling very pleased with ourselves.

Lawn Hill National Park

Sitting in the mid-afternoon shade under palm trees at Lawn Hill, a national park in the far north-west of Qld. Hopefully I will be able to load this to our little blog this afternoon, as to our surprise the Adel’s Grove camping area where we’re staying offers Internet access (computer not provided) via a satellite phone connection at a ‘flat rate’of $5, with apparently no time limit…

It got up to 38 degrees this morning, which we spent paddling a canoe up the beautiful Lawn Hill Gorge, having lunch at the permanent spring at the source of the gorge. Big red cliffs over the narrow gorge, rainforest along the edges and masses of birds. It’s very beautiful, and quite an oasis in the midst of some fairly remote and arid country around. There’s even crocodiles (just the innocuous fresh-water variety) – but we haven’t seen any yet.

It was a 420 km drive up here from Cloncurry, through Quamby, the Burke and Wills Roadhouse and the settlement of Gregory. Gregory has a population of 25, which makes it the biggest town between here and Cloncurry, and the 2^nd largest town in the entire 40,000 sq km Burke Shire (total population: 400).

We were in Gregory for five minutes when a Land Cruiser pulled over and Brendan asked us: “Would youse two be looking for a coupla days’work?” Brendan (plus Sally and children) are fencing contractors up here for a few months – and he must be pretty desperate for help! We politely declined and then had a good long conversation about everything. He was pretty scathing about Canberra and public servants, so I told him I worked for the Tax Office and asked if he’d been audited lately. Two days later after coming back after a bushwalk we found the words “Tax Man!” written in the dust on the side window of our car!

Meeting lots of interesting and friendly people as we travel, all sharing advice, information and stories about where they’ve been and asking for information about places down the road. Most of them are older than us, and most are travelling much more elaborately than us, with big 4WDs, campervans, trailer-campers and caravans. It’s been funny seeing little Astro Boy sitting in some parking areas, with every other vehicle looking much bigger than him.

A couple, Keith and Linda, from Mareeba that we met while hiking yesterday – he is a retired entomologist, and they both have a great knowledge about the flora and fauna of this area. Tomorrow we’re going to share a vehicle with them on a tour down to the Riversleigh fossil site, 50km south of here.

Then we’re off on Wednesday on the road up through the Aboriginal settlement of Doomadgee, and west around the Gulf to Borroloola. It’s a long drive so we’ll take two days with an overnight camp beside the road somewhere. No settlements after Doomadgee, no petrol, lots of creek crossings all rough dirt between them, so hopefully with out one spare tire we’ll get through OK. We have heard of people last week coming through there with two tires stuffed full of spinifex!

Day Six: Longreach – Cloncurry

We’ve quickly realised that it won’t be feasible to do daily updates on our travels. Too many things happening, not always got the time, electricity, light or energy to write up highlights. Not to mention VERY little access to the Internet i.e. this is the first time…

So, with the blog, we hope to just sketch out an outline of where we’ve been, and put in a few highlights and observations – and maybe a few photos as well…

Staying overnight in the Leichhardt Hotel in Cloncurry after three nights camping at Longreach. Travelled over 2000km already, and seen a LOT of country. Much of it flat flat flat, with subtly changing vegetation. It has actually got better as we’ve travelled north.

Camels alongside the road between Nyngan and Bourke. In Charleville we saw bilbies and yellow-footed rock wallabies at the national park HQ, and our first Major Mitchell Cockatoo outside of town. We must have seen a thousand dead roos alongside the road so far (no exaggeration).

In Longreach we did the obligatory visit to the Stockmen’s Hall of Fame, but didn’t get inducted. It was actually a little disappointing (not sure what we expected) apart from a very entertaining demonstration of skills by ‘Rusty’ the drover.

Visited the Qantas Founders Museum, and did the full 747 tour, including climbing down into the cargo bays and out onto the wing.

Shared Longreach with the Variety Club’s Sydney to Darwin Bash, with 105 very old and outrageously decorated cars travelling up the dirt to Darwin. They closed the main street of Longreach for a street party to mark the occasion, and we met some very interesting people…

Planned to go the Mt Isa Rodeo, but no accommodation (even campsites) to be had. Instead we’re going north towards the Gulf today, and planning to stay four nights at the Lawn Hill National Park – gorges, birds, bushwalks, and the famous Riversleigh fossil site. Then (if Astro Boy is up to it and we can get enough petrol), up through Burketown and west around the Gulf into the NT and to Borroloola in time for their annual show and rodeo on the 17^th.

All is well, having an excellent time so far, and (almost) getting into the relaxed holiday state we have anticipated.