Ah, faithful readers of the blog, how goes the blog sphere? Sorry for my prolonged inactivity I was having crazy mis-adventures in the wilderness, as you are about to hear. When I last left you I was in Alice. You may want to split the reading of this post into a few sessions so it stays interesting.
I got my marks in Alice and I did better than I expected. Stoked city. We went to the cemetry and saw the graves of Albert Namajera and the origial afgan camelears. Then we watched the sunset over alice springs and the surrounding ranges and then dropped in on these 2 girls we met at the East Macdonnel ranges. They said we could sleep in their driveway and we obliged. We pulled up and had to explain to their housemate and her friend who we were and what we were dong. There housemate was a girl (20 something) who had imigrated from South Africa to Alice springs (a white women). She offered us many beer and a pasta feast and I played CATHEDRAL with her and her mate (Bet ya didn't see that comming JOHNNY), after some UNO to come down off the cathedral high we went to bed.
The next morning we headed off to the Alice springs cultural precinct. We saw displays on Geology etc but the best two things were an display of photos taken by indigioneous children at outstation with disposable cameras and the other was an exhibition of local artists work. It was some of the best art I had seen in a long time. Albert Namagera's stuff was there too and also fantastic.
We then crossed the tropic of capricorn after lunch at the precinct cafe and a brief visit to "School of the Air". We traveled another 300km and we were still in the desert, not the tropics. We camped at the devil's marbels (which were numerous and covered a huge region, not the 4 or 5 I had in mind) and lounged around the next day in a shelter, rigging up fly and mossquito screen for the windows of the van and kicking the footy with some Gaelic guy. We drove and as evening set we arrived at DALY WATERS... we had reached the tropics.
Cane toad and puddles covered the ground and we went in to the pub that ran the campground. Daly water has 17 citizens and 10 were at the pub. We got veggie burgers (times have changed for veggos) and chips and salad and veggies and 3 pints and a cigar to celebrate the end of the second week. Jess took night photos and I rambled crap to the barmaid (the daughter of the owners who had studdied for 2.5 years in canberra doing science communication but had decided it was crap, couldn't stand another 6 months of Canberra and was going to Coloundra in January to get a helicopter and aeroplane licence.
We left in the morning and stopped at Materanka. Everyone knows 2 things about Mataranka: Firstly, the thermal hot springs are fantastic and secondly, that "We of the Never Never" was set there and filmed there. If you have no clue what "We of the NEver Never" is neither did we. Luckily they show the movie daily at the pud in the caravan park adjacent to the springs. We missed out both days becuase we were swimming but managed to see the homestead replica and museum. The pools are built up around natural thermal springs in the heart (40 seconds stroll) of a tropical rainforest. We spent nearly 16 hours in the water on the first day, taking breaks for happy hour at the pub where we had chips and salad for dinner and drank many a schooner of XXXX. We watched oprah about some 9/11 widow, Entertainment Tonight, The biggest loser and House. I think that explains Jess and mt state of affairs. We swam the next morning and also went to the roper river water holes and the bitter springs. We started listening to Paul Simon and driving to Kathrine george national park.
As we were about 15km out of Kathrine town we saw looming black clouds above the town (pop 7500 approx). The rain and wind kicked in and was raging as we got to Katherne mall. We were going to get groceries and some shorts but the mall lost power due to the storm and we had no solid cash (only estpos). Well thats not true, we stopped at the drive in bottle shop (on foot) and I spent my last $12 on Tall-ies (longnecks) of XXXX gold and bitter. We drove as the rain eased (but didn't stop) to Kathrine george national park.
As we pulled in we were 1 of 3 cars in the campground. We pollished off a tall-y each and went and swam in the george in the rain with the fruit bats (So many its unbelivable, especially to a tried and true fruit bat fanatic. We returned and cooked in the laundry with some dutch and germans that had arrived. They wouldn't shut up about regional chritmas belifes of Holland and snow (but who can blame them, a tropical or desert christmas is a far cry from the christmas they know).
The next morning we walked 8.5 km return to a secluded water hole and lounged about diving off rocks, reading and playing UNO. As we walked back we was clouds gather and a downpour began. From the road we got a lift to the car and sat inside it listening to Johnny Cash covers and eating SAO and ricecrackers with vegemite and peanut butter and devouring fruit cake. This was also when we realised the van leaked in 3 spots when the rain was heavy. We plugged the leaks (or caused the water to run off to the floor with sponges and toilet paper). We put Mia Dyson on the stereo and started off in the storm back to town to reach Edith Falls. In town we got the groceries and shorts and then we drove 70km to Edith Falls.
Edith Falls is in the same national park but it is part of a different river system. The plunge pool of the falls was 150m by 400m and we stood naked under the torrential flow of the fall in the rain (we were the only people in the park except for some BRITZ campers [britz campers never leave the vehicals, they just watch TV in the van]). We invaded the abandoned kiosk and prepared a goumet pasta using canned mushrooms. Canned mushrooms are the ultimate food. So wrong but also so right. The Goo inside is indescribably fantasticly weird. I recomend home brand.As a luxury we opened a tin of apricot halves and then went to bed.
The next day we walked 6km to sweet water pools and swam upstream from the falls. Jess and myself were starting to show the wear of the road as we were covered bites and wounds. We got a drink and swam and then did sweet FA until sunset and we drank tea, ate beans and rice and watched the lightning storm.
With Kathrine george national park viewed, walked and swum, Jess and I were heading to Litchfield National Park for about 4 nights. On the highway we passed the turn off to Kakadu National Park. Try as we might we could not resist its pull and we hung and unexpected right. We drove on unsealed road that becomes undrivable in the wet to a campground and waterfall. The heat was getting to me and I hiked up the escarpment of the gunlom water fall to cool off in the top pools. The issue was the top pools (crocless) had been in the sun as long as me and were just as bloody hot as I was. I returned to the van, found a crow and stolen out rice cakes (an omen?) and napped in the shade. Jess and I then walked to a Billabong and then hiked to the top pool which had cooled off and let us watch our first Kakadu sunset over the savannah woodland.
The next morning (tuesday 6th of Dec) we drove to the Yurmik mick walks on the road back to the highway. The storm of the night before had wet the causeways and we had to go through water. As we crossed one area I peered out of the window to see the depth and then we hit a dip. I chipped my left cannine fang. Not badly but it is subtly reshaped. We treked 3.5 km to motor car falls and escaped the heat in the croc-less plunge pool (fantasticly more enjoyable after the bus load of tourist from the UK buggered off. We did a few more walks and lookouts and got to merdudal campground. I was so hot and humid that I wanted to escape more than anything. I would have traded my soul for a block of ice. I got weird needles and pins down my neck and nearly set my face alight with the barbeque. We mixed up some tang with the hot water that had been in the car all day. We used our card table for the first time, it is significantly warped.
We woke and went to Yellow Waters Wetlands. We spontaeously joined a boat tour and spent the next hour and a half spotting crocs, brolga, sea eagles and Jabiru with Americans and a crazy Dutch Guy. After the tour we got gas and ate petrol station veggie pasties. We checked out the cultural centre for an introduction into ancient kakadu and modern kakadu aboriginal (bininj) history and insight into their foods and traditions. We saw the homes and art of years of living on the land at nourgeer rock. Rock paintings from over 20,000 years ago. This area of land is so productive and plentiful and this in turn influenced every aspect of the indigenous people. We stopped at the town Jabiru (which services the Ranger Uranium Mine (surrounded by national park)and made some calls and then drove to see the uranium mine. After that we drove to an area in the park called UBIR which has fantastic cultural and natural beauty. After the events of the night before we were going to stay at the Youth Hostel with its fans and pool and cold beverages but as we drove through pouring rain to get there a sign told us the youth hostel was closed for renevations. We drove to a campground and continued roughing it. I had a throbbing pain in my ear (now diagnosed to be tropical ear) and drifted off to the steady thump of my tympanic membrane.
In the morning we walked in some billabongs and monsoon rainforests and during the storm we hiked to more rock art and a fantastic look out that lets you Kakadu from 360* and accros into Arnhem land. I had always assumed Arnhem land was a desert becuase they colour it orange on the maps (all aboriginal land reserves are this colour) but it too is a mystical plentiful landscape. I felt like I was in a prehistoric valley. We saw the storms disapate, kangaroos fight and the sun set.
The next morning we got ear medicine from the medical centre in Jabiru and took photos of the Ranger mine. We went to the visitor's centre and learned the science of the land (species and interconnectedness of everything) and then toured the wetland. We then decided to move on from Kakadu.
From here on in things are getting pretty crazy and has been every since the purple electrical storm that greeted us as we pulled into our secret location. Everything is to weird and insane crazy to articulate until I get some removal from the situation. This is so fucking awsome and unreal. I'll let you in on it next update. To set the scene I will tell you I started today by filling my enamal mug with 150gms of coffe and filling it 7 times with boiling water. Caffine and tropical heat - its a winning combination.
Stay strong all, keep enjoying everything, everyday.
Riding the rainbow serpent, DHP
