Day 5 - Katherine

Four hours after leaving Darwin, we arrived at Katherine for the drive to the beautiful Nitmiluk Gorge.

I would like to thank the Jawoyn People - Traditional owners of the area known as the Nitmiluk National Park for sharing their land and their stories with us.

Nitmiluk (Pronounced Nit-me-look) Gorge is some 30 km North East of Katherine.

Once there it was back into a boat and off down the clear water of the Katherine River.

Smaller Fresh Water Crocks inhabit these waters.

That being said the large Saltwater Crocs can make their way inland during the wet season and have been found in the upper gorge waterholes.

The scenery is spectacular -
photographs cannot capture the size or Majesty of this place.

I was left in awe of the Centuries old Rock Art - colours still as fresh as the day it was painted.  Pigment a mixture of Ochre and Animal blood.

We cruised on Sacred Waters and heard the Jawoyn Dream-time stories.

And learnt how the Gorges were formed some 40,000 years ago

There are 9 Gorges in the Nitmiluk National Park - others from the Train opted for different tours for the two hours we were here.

Seems such an insignificant time compared to the age of this beautiful place.

How could we top off such a memorable day?

Simple!

Freshen up,
Pre-dinner drinks and then
the very hard task of Which Entree, Main and Dessert
Do I want?







Click this Link for -
More information about Nitmiluk Gorge and the Jawoyn People.

Day 5 - Heading Home

Time to say Goodbye to Darwin and its beautiful Waterside Precinct that we have called "Home" for the last few days.

We are however,
NOT going to the Airport -
We are taking the slower Scenic route home.

We are taking the Train!

She is not just 'any old train'

She is - THE GHAN

THE Iconic trans-continental rail crossing

2019 marks 90 years of Outback crossings.  Originally travelling from Adelaide to Alice Springs she now goes all the way to Darwin.

This is where our Adventure truly begins.

From the moment we were picked up at our Hotel we were treated like a mixture of VIP Guests and Family all rolled into one.

Never the need for a 'Selfie' when the staff  were always more than happy to take your photo for you.

Once aboard, 'Welcome packs' were waiting for us.

ID Lanyards with our Off Train excursion details and sunscreen.
Water - (as well as being given one every time we left the train.)
A Map, Booklet on the trip and Postcards to send home.

Then on to Brunch - we needn't have worried about the hasty breakfast at the hotel.

Entree, Main (Pictured) and Dessert with Juice, Coffee ...
The first of many beautiful meals served on-board in the Queen Adelaide Restaurant.

What a way to spend a morning while we roll out of Darwin

and on to today's excursion.....

Day 4 - Never Smile at a Crocodile

Just a Half Day excursion Today.

This time a visit to Windows on the Wetlands Visitor Centre as well as Fogg Dam Nature reserve.

But we were really only interested in having a relaxing boat trip up the Adelaide River.

The Birds that make the trees on the River bank their home were beautiful and put on quite the show for us with their aerial acrobatics.

We were of course given the standard Pre-launch Safety talk.
Nice to be shown where the Life Jackets were.

Not that they would be much use to us should the boat sink

Because we had come to see...
These Beautiful Creatures!

And apparently (according to our guide) Australian Saltwater Crocodiles just LOVE the colour Orange!

The Adelaide River is home to some 1600 Saltwater Crocodiles who naturally launch themselves out of the water to catch passing birds or other creatures from low lying tree branches.

And the occasional treat of Buffalo Bones from the tour operators who are very careful to not overfeed them so they still have to hunt.

The tour operators are passionate about "their Crocs" - they know their regulars by name and are committed to their conservation.
In Australia, it is illegal to kill a wild Crocodile - any that are trapped (for 'not playing nice with others') are taken to Crocodile farms for breeding.

Once the 'show' was over they turned the boat and beat a hasty retreat to the safety of the shore -

all the while keeping a careful eye on the banks as 'our friends' here are certainly NOT smiling for the Camera!

Day 3 - Exploring Darwin City

Today we toured a City that has been defined and shaped by TWO events in its short History - The WW2 Bombing Raids which started on the 19th February 1942 and the early morning of Christmas Day 1974.

Officially a Category 4 Tropical Cyclone, they are not sure exactly how ferocious Tracy was.

The anemometer at Darwin Airport recorded a gust of 217 km/h before the instrument and most of Darwin was destroyed.

49 People perished in the City that day
and a further 16 were lost at Sea.

We have a free day and have decided that the only way to see as much as possible was on the Hop-on/Hop-off Bus. So - we hopped on and off we went.

All the way to the Marina with its ferocious looking Street Art

and on to the Free Museum and Art Gallery - (A donation bucket was available if you felt inclined to unload some change).
When we had seen everything there was to see - enjoyed a Coffee at the Cafe

before heading off to the Mindil Beach Night Market.

Lots of Food Trucks
Buskers
and Local Handcrafts to tempt us.

One Stallholder told us that we should not leave Darwin before experiencing

"Our Iconic Sunset" 

Who am I to argue with that?

Day 2 - Litchfield National Park

Up and Out early, we climbed aboard a Tour Bus along with 54 total Strangers for a day packed full of Sightseeing..

Our morning made more mysterious as we drove through a thick layer of Fog and Smoke that had settled over a large area of the Top End.

Our first stop, a mere 109 km and 90 minutes of constant narration by the Driver. We stretched our legs and grabbed a Cuppa at the Banyan Tree Tourist Park and "Cafe".

Not much more than an Urn and a Tea Bag.
A good little source of income at "$5 for a Mug with A free refill".

And as many photos you wanted of the (rather underwhelming) Banyan Tree.

Next stop - Florence Falls.

We chose to walk the 1 km track along the crystal clear waters of Shady Creek

Climbing the 160 stairs to the lookout and view of the triple cascades.

While others took the easier 3 minute walk from the car park and an opportunity to cool off in the Plunge Pool at the base of the Falls.

20 km down the road and another Photo Op.
This time Tolmer Falls.

Being the Dry season (with an unusually dry wet season last year) there wasn't much water cascading over what is one of the Top End's most spectacular waterfalls.

(Swimming is not allowed here.)

35 deg C and a Total Fire Ban.  Someone lights yet another Fire.
This one jumped the road just up from where we stopped for lunch.  These fires never reach our news service 'down south' but they can be devastating with some grasses burning at 1000 deg C - you DO NOT want to get caught in that!

Turning our bus away from the smoke the next stop, and another chance to Cool down was at Wangi Falls with it's large pool and beautiful surrounds.

The Bus driver, very keen to give us LOTS of Photo ops also stopped so we could see the magnificent 50 year old Cathedral Termite Mounds.
These particular termites only eat Grass and rotting vegetation.

Magnetic termites who have totally different architecture  built their mounds across the road. All aligning North/South to minimise the exposure to the Sun during the hottest time of day.

The day is not quite over yet, as we turn and head back.  Our driver advises us that he will give us some Peace for an hour or so as he returns us to Darwin with just one more stop.

Howard Springs Nature Park has a healthy population of very large Barramundi (Fish) as well as a couple of Water Monitor Lizards, all with a taste for Whitebait and are well aware of when the Tour Bus arrives!

11 Hours and 384 km later, we were deposited safely back where we started.

To finish off the day - A beautiful meal, Ice cream in a Cone and a stroll through fragrant Frangipani Trees at Darwin Waterfront.





Tomorrow - another adventure awaits.

Another Adventure - Day 1

Time for a New Adventure

I always seem to end up sitting behind the Wing - a noisy seat to have but with Noise Cancelling Headphones clamped on my ears, it is not too bad - You can get some awesome Photographs.

Taking to the Skies, this time in Australia's very own "Flying Kangaroo"


How many International Readers know that QANTAS actually stands for Queensland And Northern Territory Air Service?

We flew across our Mighty Outback.
Which wasn't as arid and barren as I thought it would be.

There are Rivers and Lakes and IF they actually had water in them, our country would be a different place.

It takes a special type of person to call the Outback "Home".

Four and a Half hours in the Air saw the scenery change dramatically.

We were touching down in Australia's Top End.

I have grown up with my Father's stories of "When I was Up Darwin", so I was unsure how I felt.

Looking out onto Darwin Harbour - knowing that he was here on the 19th February 1942

The Smoke today is from Bushfires - back then it was the First and most devastating of the Japanese Air raids.

 - The Bombing of Darwin.

My Father has now gone and his stories will never be forgotten, but the Sun has set on that chapter of our History.

I  am here to write my own "When I was Up Darwin" stories.

Temperature Quilt Conundrum

So, I am making a Temperature Quilt for this year.
Fairly simple Get the Highs and Lows for each day and make blocks to correspond with the temperature range.

What happens if I am NOT actually IN my place of residence for say..... a week or so?
Do I continue with my Suburb's weather or use the Local weather?

Decisions - Decisions!


At the moment, with the assistance of DS#2 who stayed Home in Chilly Melbourne. I have the records of BOTH places and a suggestion that I use the Holiday Temps in the border of the Quilt or as a Special Section on the Back.

I am interested to know what others have done - Or do you just stay home for the year?

* * * * *

If you are curious as to where we went and what we did when we got there.

Call back tomorrow!