Kakadu to Home
24th July, 2003
25th July, 2003
26th July, 2003
27th July, 2003
Thursday 24th July, 2003
Postcard, Gagadju Crocodile Hotel
to a very good night in the Croc. Mattress too hard. I have not actually described the Gagadju Hotel. It really is shaped like a crocodile. We entered through the jaws, which are open with tooth shaped pillars. They even have yellow eyes at the top of the head with red spotlights to glow in the dark. Reception and restaurants take up the head and stomach, rooms are on two levels around the body, which incorporates the pool as the heart. The legs form staircases on four sides up to the upper floor. It is a crazy gimmick, but fun.
Lunchtime at East Alligator River
oday we went out at 08:00 to have a cruise on the East Alligator River with aboriginal guides. They all warned about leaning arms or heads out from the boat, or even pointing. Although we did not expect to (rather like whale watching) we did actually see quite a lot of crocs, the salt water type. None really big, about 2/3 metres, I guess, but it was great to see them.
Cruising the East Alligator River
he river was lovely and we had a very interesting cruise, stopping to let us off at a rock in Arnhem Land to get the view and a talk and demonstration of spear throwing, which was illuminating, to say the least, by the young man who was driving our boat. The lady who took the other boat showed how to make fibres from natural leaves etc and weave them into dilly bags and platters etc. Very interesting.
Aboriginal Art, Ubirr (Long Necked Turtle)
hen we reached land again we went to Ubirr, where there are rock faces covered in centuries worth of layers of paintings. There were several styles, including the characteristic X-Ray style. They had a picture of a thylacine, extinct for thousands of years up here, among many more recent, including two white men smoking pipes with their hands in their pockets. These are known as "contact art".
Aboriginal Art, Ubirr, Man Hunting
e had a meagre lunch at the Cultural Centre (they had run out of food) then had a look at the exhibits. There was a pool with examples of local fish including a really incredible archer fish. They are called archer because they shoot a jet of water into the air to knock down insects for food. One of our tour members, Ross, held up a crumb over the pool and the fish swam up and spat it out of his fingers. It was absolutely amazing!
e came back to the hotel for a rest afternoon. Decided to have dinner a la carte at the restaurant, as a change from buffets. We both decided on curry, I had butter chicken and Mac had lamb korma, complete with jasmine rice, naan bread and chutney etc. Quite tasty and very filling. Tomorrow is a very long day before we get to Darwin.
Friday, 25th July, 2003
Tempting the Jumping Crocs
eft Jabiru at crack of dawn today so we could get to the Adelaide River for the 09:00 Jumping Croc cruise. We had seats upstairs in the open, I always prefer being outside on a boat. Before we even got on board we saw our first croc, swimming on top then it dived as I was watching through binoculars.
Here, Crocky Crocky
he crocs have learned that the boat motors mean food, so they come up to the boat but the operators don't give them food unless they jump for it.
Jumping Croc, Adelaide River
ome did, some didn't, but they come really close to the boat, some of them quite big. The smaller ones can jump better, of course.
Aggro (their heads are only one seventh of their length, so we didn't see all of him)
n the way back we came upon a huge old bull lying on a sandbar. He showed no interest in coming out, but they threw him a "packed lunch" - meat in a paper bag - and he clambered up the bank to get it. He was enormous! They have named him Aggro (which speaks for itself, really) and said he was old and big enough to have been around in the hunting times, which ended in the early 70s. We also fed sea eagles and kites. Today we have seen the icon birds jabiru, brolgas, sea eagles and magpie geese. To say nothing of the millions of corellas and kites. As well as crocs.
hen we headed off for Litchfield National Park. On the way we passed through Humpty Doo, which in our day was a failed rice paddy turning to wetlands, and today is just another small community, like any other. Then we hit Batchelor. Lou took us a long way round but the only thing recognisable was St. Barnabas' Church and the Rum Jungle Recreation Club. Batchelor is now a centre for Indigenous Studies at University level and has lots of new buildings, motels, service stations etc.
Wangi Falls, Litchfield National Park
e passed through and went on to our lunch stop, Wangi Falls. Here we got some lunch at the kiosk and went for a walk to the Falls and pool. This looked lovely and inviting, some of the group went for a swim. It was tempting but I didn't bring my cozzie. (Interestingly, the following day they found the body of a U.S Marine who had drowned there.) We saw quite a large goanna, strolling across the picnic area.
At Wangi Falls, Litchfield National Park
Florence Falls, Litchfield National Park
e headed off again, this time to Florence Falls. This is a double fall and is perfectly lovely. It drops to a deep pool, where young people were swimming and jumping off the rocks. The pool is at the bottom of a long flight of steps (or a short jump off a cliff - not recommended) so none of us were tempted.
"Magnetic" Termite Mounds, Litchfield National Park
n again, we stopped to look at the "magnetic" termite mounds, which are all aligned on a north/south axis. Quite weird. The experts think it is about exposing the least area to the midday sun.
Our Room, Novotel Atrium, Darwin
ack through Batchelor again, by the other road which runs beside the airstrip, and into Darwin. This place has changed so radically that we have decided to treat it like a completely foreign city. The Novotel Atrium is a lovely hotel on the Esplanade, overlooking the ocean. Our room has a lovely view of the Bicentennial Park opposite and the sea.
Foyer, Novotel Atrium, Darwin
he foyer area is decorated as an indoor rain forest with palms and ferns and hanging vines from each floor and a stream running through it. (The foyer rises the full five floors and has a glass roof.) The lifts are also glass with a view of the foyer. It reminded us of the Burswood Dome in Perth. Our room is lovely, a bed, couch, coffee table, breakfast bar. Great.
e had a farewell barbecue dinner in the outdoor patio near the pool and it was very good. Tomorrow we have a half day tour of Darwin and a dinner cruise on the harbour. Then home.
Saturday, 26th July, 2003
oday we went on a half day exploration of Darwin. This only went to show how little there was now to recognise. I have to remember that we only visited Darwin weekly or so to shop, we didn't live there. I don't really remember even noticing that Darwin is on the sea front. We drove around, seeing the few buildings that remain from pre-Tracey, old government buildings and colonial service housing made of stone, unfortunately slated for "redevelopment". I think developers should make a bid for Fannie Bay Gaol, it is prime ocean view property and the houses around it cost millions.
Shade Walk, Botanic Gardens, Darwin
e visited the waterfront, now being redeveloped into a "Fisherman's Wharf" type concept, then East Point with fabulous views of Darwin Harbour. From there we went to the Botanical Gardens, one of the few places we have been before. It is still an oasis of shady green in the warmth of the Top End.
Fountain at the Entrance, Botanic Gardens, Darwin
Some of the Group outside Darwin Museum
rom the Gardens we went to the Museum of the Northern Territory. This was a lovely cool modern building with some interesting exhibits. The "Cyclone Tracey" Gallery was very interesting, with video footage of the morning after and sounds of the cyclone in a darkened room. We had coffee here then went back to the hotel, where we got rid of binoculars and camera and went out on foot to see if there was anything recognisable (and do some shopping for souvenirs).
Lyons House, Darwin
he only thing still there that I recognised was the old CWA Building in Peel Street, although now it is a Red Cross Op Shop. I remember that it was the first place I would make for after getting off the bus in Cavenagh Street, have a cool drink and a rest, then do the shopping. Smith Street is now a pedestrian mall, or some of it is, with lots of arcades leading off, one of them called Anthony's Plaza, obviously where Anthony's Homewares used to be (the place we bought most of our household goods).
Straw-necked Ibis in Bicentennial Park (opp. our Hotel)
e bought Neil a Darwin T-shirt and a couple of badges for my hat, then had lunch and walked back to the hotel. Room hadn't been serviced and it was after 14:00. Oh, well.
Approaching Darwin Lock
fter the room was serviced I had a shower and we got ready for our last excursion, dinner cruise at sunset on an old pearling lugger in Darwin Harbour. This was a delightful experience. Just our group and perhaps a dozen others. We arrived on board and were given a free drink (champagne, beer, wine or soft) and headed off for the lock which regulates the flow from the tidal harbour (eight metre tides) and the marina basin inside. Millionaire's Row, with a boat moored outside every huge house. Lots of restaurants as well.
Entering the Lock
nce through the lock and out into the harbour they raised the sails and cut the engine. It was a glorious evening, the sun went down in splendour caused by smoke from fires (Hrs and I think some that weren't intentional) and we had a meal of nibbles (cheese, biscuits, dips, olives, etc) followed by large platters of oysters and prawns. Then salads and barbecued barramundi, beef and chicken kebabs. Very nice too. There is a lot of shipping in the harbour, a couple of American "research" vessels with Commonwealth police keeping a 100 metre exclusion zone around them, a cruise liner, the "SuperStar Leo", heading for Hong Kong, military vessels, small craft and an oil drilling platform all lit up like Christmas trees.
e had a really good time and it was a fitting end to the tour. As it was an optional tour, included in the price, it didn't cost any extra either. Great stuff.
omorrow we get picked up at 11:30 and taken to the airport. Home, via Adelaide.
Sunday 27th July, 2003
Rosemary and Lou, Tour Director and Driver
e arrived at the airport at about noon and to our horror, we realised that our tickets were for the 12:55 flight, not the 2:55 as we had thought. If we had known that we were cutting it so fine we would have been panicking. As it happened, however, we went straight through boarding, getting our bags through and our boarding passes. Then no problems at all with security. I put my hat through the x-ray because it has a wire rim, to say nothing of a kilo of badges! So we had a very short wait instead of rather a long one, all to the good. The plane to Adelaide was quite full and I had a kid in the seat in front who kept reclining his seat. The tray table would not go down, of course, so I kept the tray on my knees and it worked.
t Adelaide we had an hour before our flight to Sydney and when it came it was fairly empty. We were in the second back row with just us, nobody in the seats across the aisle either. So we moved apart and put the tray on the middle table.
hen we arrived at Sydney we were met efficiently by the lady from Anchor Minibuses and got home about 21:30 to the welcome from Geoff and Carrot.
It was a good tour, the high spots were very high and the GABA went by relentlessly in between. Rosemary and Lou tried to liven up the long open spaces and, although my feet were their usual nuisances, we managed to keep up with the energetic bits. The mix of people was good as well, only one irritating me and another irritating Mac. We were mostly Aussies, with one American girl, one girl from Ireland, I think by her accent, and a couple from Hong Kong, originally from New Zealand. We enjoyed it very much.
here was only one sour note. The "Sails in the Desert" Hotel at Yulara, which is five star and horrendously expensive (having stayed there one night and day at our own expense, we can say that) seems to indulge in bill padding, to put it mildly. We were warned that they are in the habit of charging for minibars used by the previous guests so we should check our bills carefully. We checked out the previous evening as we had an early start, and the couple in front of us were charged for in house movies they had not had (because the video system was non functional during the stay). We checked our bill carefully and were not charged for anything else. However, our next Visa statement contained an item of $66 from Sails which was dated well after we had left the hotel. In fact we were home. We knew we had not incurred it so wrote to the hotel asking them to investigate. They telephoned us to apologise. "They had charged us for breakfast but now realised it was included in the room rate"!!
However that was the only bad one. We had very good experiences in the other hotels, even the strange modular motel in Tennant Creek.
