Kakadu National Park

Our last day in Darwin was spent visiting the Aviation Museum (which houses a B52 Bomber!) and a quick trip into town to have a look at the wave pool (all of the swimming beaches were closed due to massive E. Coli counts - Darwin still has raw sewerage outfalls into the harbour!) We left Darwin early morning just as the RAAF Operation Pitch Black commenced – as of 9:00am on the dot, we were buzzed by numerous different fighter jets, including F-111’s and FA18 Hornets. Operation Pitch Black includes 130 fighter jets from Australia, Singapore, Thailand and New Zealand, taking off from the RAAF bases at Darwin and Tindal to go play war games over the Territory....earth shatteringly noisy! Happily, we said goodbye to the noise and all the Carnival Folk setting up for the Darwin Royal Show.
We were surprised upon arriving at Kakadu to find the Merl campground relatively empty, in what is meant to be the busy season! So we found a nice shady spot, set up camp and kicked back for a couple of hours reading and playing a couple of games. Maybe it was the $25 entry fee per person that they just introduced...

The campsite is near the Ubirr rock art sites, which we headed out to explore just prior to sunset. We saw images depicting the larder of food the surrounding area supplied, including detailed x-ray art demonstrating which part of the turtle is best to eat. Buried amongst the various images, there are figures they believe to be recent images of white buffalo hunters. There was also a very ancient image of a thylacine! We timed our walk to hear the three free Ranger talks given every evening throughout winter. The final talk was given from the top of Ubirr at sunset, with a spectacular view of vast floodplains.

When we returned to camp for dinner we were greeted by the most intense mosquito swarms either of us had ever experienced! We had to cover every inch of skin we could bar our eyes, and decided to cook dinner from what we had in the back of the ute, as we didn’t want to risk opening the camper for fear of letting the little buggers in! After a quick meal and storing the dishes until morning, we turned off all lights, unzipping the smallest opening we could and quickly dove inside. We also stuffed any small gap in the canvas with clothing and lay listening to an army of buzzing trying to infiltrate our fortress! It’s amazing how noisy hundreds of mosquitoes can be! No wonder the campground was empty!!

The next day we packed up thankful we only paid for one night in Mosquito Hell. We dropped by the Bowali Visitor Centre and spent an hour or two reading up on the history of Kakadu, before continuing on to the Muirella Campsite further south. We had the afternoon off, as we decided that the following day we would do the longer 12km hike up and over Nourlangie Rock, rather than the shorter drive/walk options. It was great to get out and stretch our legs on a longer walk, given the hours we spend driving. The art sites were really good, and the views from the top of the ridge back towards the escarpment were pretty good, even though there was a bit of haze around from all the burning off.

That night we sat in on a Ranger talk about the history of the campground, which turned out to be built on the airstrip of an old Buffalo Hunting Safari Camp. The old safari camp was mostly used by rich Americans out to ‘bag a buffalo!’

Our last day in Kakadu was at Jim Jim Falls, which is at the end of a fairly physical 1km walk over large fallen boulders to the 150m high waterfall. Another beautiful spot with crystal clear water (although it was freezing, Stuart still jumped straight in!). It was beautiful and cool just at the base of the falls, and we sat and for some time chatting to another young Australian travelling the country.

The next morning we got up early and packed up, heading towards Yellow Water and the Warradjan Cultural Centre. We only did the short boardwalk at the Yellow Water wetland, seeing a variety of birdlife! The cultural centre was interesting, as it pulled together all the little snippets of information we had read around the park into a bigger picture.

Although we had originally planned to stay another night in Kakadu, after visiting Yellow Water and the cultural centre, we changed our minds and decided to start heading for Alice Springs and some desert country. Although Kakadu is unique and spectacular in it’s own right, both Stuart and I didn’t feel it really stood out any more from the other beautiful places that we have visited. Our thoughts aren’t in the minority either, as we regularly hear conversations in the caravan parks about ‘Kaka-don’t’ rather than ‘Kakadu’! Most people are now heading for Litchfield National Park instead.

As we were driving along and talking, I excitedly realised that I might still be able to make it to a cross cultural arts gathering I knew about in Katherine called Barthula Web. A quick phone call and the organisers said I could register for the following day! YAY! I attended three workshops learning traditional weaving techniques and coil basket making using dyed pandanus leaves. I also learnt how to use natural plant dyes and dyed a silk scarf. It was interesting to see how the basket making methods varied between Aboriginal communities, and also to see the amazing skills these women have. Their hands weave so quickly and produce such neat and artistic designs. I loved it!

Since we have been on the road I have also been doing some embroidery, practising watercolour painting and hand sewing. I have purchased 2 metres of hand printed fabric from Maningrida, another Aboriginal community in Arnhem Land. I have started making a dress with this, which will be hand sewn! (things you do when you have the time!)

Here are some pictures of my projects and Barthula Web workshops: