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Northern Territory

I left Three Ways and arrived at the Daly Waters pub in time for lunch. They are famous for having the most remote traffic light in Australia, and their food isn't bad either. I arrived in Katherine at 4pm and booked a tour for Katherine Gorge the next morning.

Katherine Gorge is also known as Nitmiluk National Park and is the traditional home of the Jawoyn and Dagoman Aboriginal people. They received title to the park in 1989 following a successful land claim. There are 13 gorges in all; the tour I took in the morning went for 2 hours and took in the first 2 gorges. The only problem is that you can't stop taking photos! As you can see, it is truly spectacular!

There are hanging gardens, some Aboriginal rock art, Jedda's Rock (where Jedda jumped to her death in the film), it's all so beautiful. There are longer tours available and you can also hire canoes, go for bushwalks or take a scenic flight over the Gorge in a small plane or helicopter. After shopping for souvenirs at the Nitmiluk tourist centre I went to see the Katherine Museum. They have a fascinating collection of photographs and relics including the medical instruments belonging to Dr Clyde Fenton, the Flying Doctor. They also have the Fenton Memorial Hangar with one of the Dr's restored Gypsy Moths inside. I bought a copy of the good doctor's autobiography and found it immensely enjoyable. He was a great character and would have been a delight to know - although I'm glad I wasn't involved with the administration that had to deal with him!

After lunch, it was on to Darwin.

Darwin

I arrived in Darwin just before 5pm and met, for the first time, the friend with whom I was to stay. We both belong to the same book collecting club, the Abbey Girls of Australia. Within 5 minutes it was as though Elaine and I had always known each other. We went to the house and I met Elaine's husband, David. I had seen and heard on the news that a wonderful ship was in Darwin port, the MV Doulos, the oldest passenger ship still afloat with 500,000 books on board. It is a Christian initiative to take good books all around the world so they are available to everyone. There are about 30 young people from different countries who pay their fare to go around the world and sell books. There are all kinds of books, classics such as Dickens and Bronte, hobby and art books, children's books and, of course, christian books, CDs, posters etc.

We went for a drive around Darwin to see all the sights and I witnessed a beautiful sunset over the Arafura Sea. The Darwin hospital was pointed out to me, copied from the Canberra Hospital right down to the heating system (never used) and the snow shutters!!! We had dinner on the wharf, my first taste of barramundi, (delicious!) and a bottle of wine and then feeling ready to face anything we went on board the Doulos and proceeded to spend lots of money on books. When we had seen all there was to see it was time to go back to the car. David and Elaine treated me to a lovely night-time drive around Darwin and it was beautiful with everything lit up.

The next morning David took me to Aquascene at Doctors Gully where each day at high tide all kinds of fish come to be hand fed (see photo above). It was amazing. People of all ages were there feeding mullet, milkfish and stingrays with bread. Afterwards we went souvenir shopping and then met Elaine at Crocodylus Park.

Crocodylus Park is an incredible place. They have hundreds of crocodiles and a few alligators. They are consultants to the NT government and helped set up the NT crocodile conservation program. They specialise in wildlife conservation, management, sustainable use, research and public education. There is a fabulous museum and education centre, you see crocodiles being fed, you can have your photo taken holding a baby crocodile (their mouths are closed with elastic bands), and walk around the animal park where they have rheas, emus, cassowaries, ostriches and 5 species of primates.

Elaine is the CEO of the NT Multiple Sclerosis Society and she took me to see one of their op shops. They have done a great job there and their 2 op shops have raised a lot of money for research. After lunch at home Elaine and I went to see the Darwin Museum and Art Gallery. There was a particularly grumpy old crocodile called Sweetheart that had killed a few people and animals. They finally caught him and having seen his stomach contents (!!!) in the Crocodylus Museum, we saw his hide (stuffed) in the Natural History section of Darwin Museum. There was also a wonderful exhibition - National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award - in the Art Gallery. I also saw a little of the Cyclone Tracy and WW2 sections; Darwin has triumphed over incredible odds!

That evening we went out to Cullen Bay and, after seeing the lock in action (Darwin can have up to 8 metre tides), we had dinner with some of Elaine and Davids' friends at the Buzz Cafe on the water. The food was delicious, the champagne cold and the company lots of fun. A perfect end to the day.

Sunday was a quiet day with a late brunch then off to see the other MS op shop, check out the markets and a snack at the Stockman's Cafe. Late afternoon saw us on the enormous stretch of lawn behind the MGM Grand Casino for Sunset Jazz. Dinner and drinks were served there and we saw parachuting and another spectacular sunset over the sea. The music was great and the guest artists for the evening came from the Sydney Conservatorium - there is plenty of young talent! We tried and lost in the Casino and another day was over. Monday was a rest day although I did go to see Parliament House and "the other" Northern Territory Abbey Girl, Elke, came over after dinner for a visit. You can guess that we had plenty to talk about - and we did!

The next day I did a full day tour to Kakadu National Park with Triple RRR Tours. I was picked up from the house at 6.30am. We drove through Humpty Doo passing the "boxing crocodile" and the "Hard Croc Cafe" and stopped at the Bark Hut Inn about 8.30 for breakfast. Next stop was at the giant termite mounds. You can see just how huge they are - that's me standing next to one. There are thousands of termite mounds scattered around the Territory but these giants are really impressive.

We were taken to Ubirr, a large rock formation, which we climbed. The view was spectacular. Due to an excessive rainy season there were more waterholes, marshes and waterfowl than were usual at this time of year. In the movie, Crocodile Dundee, Mick Dundee describes the view from here as his "back yard".
We were able to admire more aboriginal rock paintings on the way down Ubirr and we then made our way to another unusual rock formation called Nourlangie. After viewing the scenery around (fortunately we didn't have to climb to the top here!) and appreciating more rock paintings we adjourned to the Jabiru Visitors Centre and lunched at Jabiru swimming pool to cool off.

After lunch we were booked for a 90 minute Yellow Waters cruise. Gliding slowly through the water on the lookout for crocodiles, birds and beautiful plants was a highlight of my trip. When we approached the jetty I had to look at my watch - I couldn't believe the time had gone by so quickly! I can't adequately describe this time - I can only urge you to experience this for yourself!
It was finally time to get on the bus again and turn back to Darwin. We stopped again at the Bark Hut Inn for a quick evening meal and I was dropped back at Elaine and Davids house at 8pm. It was certainly a very full and exhausting day, but one I would repeat again if given the chance!

After a rest the next morning I left Darwin about lunchtime and headed south to Mataranka. I was early enough to spend some time (and money) at the Stockyard Galley before booking in to Mataranka Homestead for the night. Up early the next morning and walked around the thermal pools (yes, there are more than one). In the large, deep pool I could see small turtles and fish. It was very beautiful and peaceful except for the thousands of small red flying foxes who were screeching in the trees overhead. I made my way to the smaller pool where there were a few people enjoying the water. The water temperature is a steady 34 degrees C - amazingly it was cooler in the water than out! I chatted to some of the other tourists there but eventually had to drag myself out of the water as this was to be my longest travelling day.

 

After tearing myself away from Mataranka about 9am I drove a little way south and stopped to see the Elsey Cemetary where Aeneas and Jeannie Gunn (from "We of the Never Never") are buried. The cemetary had to be moved further south during World War II for fear that it would be bombed. I stopped at Renner Springs for lunch and fuel. It was the most I had paid for petrol on the trip - 99.9 cents per litre. Mid afternoon I had a brief stop in Tennant Creek and later an awesome wander around the Devils Marbles.

 

 

 

No one quite knows how these stones came to be piled so haphazardly, but I guess you could say they are Australia's Stonehenge! I finally arrived in Alice Springs at about 9pm.

Alice Springs

I was ready for a rest by now so, thankfully, I was able to stay with my sisters here and be looked after! On Sunday I attended the Flynn Memorial Uniting Church service - this is a lovely church in the centre of town dedicated to John Flynn - known as the Apostle to the Inland. There was some refreshing rain on Monday - perfect to go to the movies.

On the Tuesday evening my sister Sue, and friends Bea and Han, took me to Quandong Homestead. This was fascinating beginning with a walkabout to indentify various plants and wildlife tracks. We were then treated to bush tomato salsa snacks and wine while waiting for dinner which consisted of kangaroo and camel meat (with chicken for the chickens!), wattleseed bread and other foods provided from local bush tucker. Delicious!

After dinner we were taken outside for some stargazing. We were entertained by some interesting astronomical information and had the opportunity to see the stars close up from an excellent telescope. Then back to the house for coffee and port. Altogether a most satisfying evening.

My last day in the Alice and my other sister, Beth, and her son Trevor, took me to see the Desert Park - new since the last time I was in Alice Springs. Trevor was particularly keen for me to see his school class project which was on display there. The tour begins with a film inside the main auditorium outlining the changes in this land over the centuries and the people who have inhabited it.

Many dedicated people have worked very hard here and the results have paid off. The landscaping shows many different desert and outback habitats with many different wildflowers, a salt lake (pictured) and others too numerous to mention. Information boards are placed strategically and any of the workers are happy to answer questions as you walk around. We walked through several aviaries. The birds are only kept in the aviaries a short time; they are then released and others are brought in. The nocturnal house is the best I have seen with a wide variety of native creatures.
There is a small open air auditorium where you are introduced to various birds of prey. Again, the birds are not kept captive indefinitely. The public are told about, and introduced to, barn owls, buzzards (pictured) and eagles, and treated to a display of the birds' abilities and flight. If you make it to Alice Springs the Desert Park is a must!

After a morning spent shopping I left the Alice after lunch. It was exciting to see the solar powered bicycles heading into town having travelled up from Adelaide. I arrived in Cooberpedie at 8.30 to stay the night before heading to Adelaide and the Abbey Girls Camp.

 

 

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