# 61 & 62 - # 63 & 64 - Kakadu - Two Stops

First stop - Gagudju Lodge - Cooinda

It's almost cool our last morning in Katherine - nice temperature for the pack up to leave…

We head to Edith Falls on the road to Kakadu.  It's a lovely waterfall and lake and a couple of brave souls venture into the water - the rest of us bask on the banks

  - enjoying the sun for a change -

Nice toilets!

Incase you can't tell!

Then we stay to meet up with Maika and Miguel for one last time and the Canadians head on to our next stop.

M&M arrive and we have a quick lunch and quick update on all that has happened to both of us and then it's a sad goodbye as they leave to drive back to Cairns (and eventually Spain). It was a special friendship made in such a short time but I'm glad we had that extra five minutes with them.

(for some unknown reason we didn't take a picture - too much talking I suspect!)

The Canadians made it successfully to the next campground, on the banks of the Yellow Water Billabong without us - well done Canadians.  They have even managed to get the ideal 2 x 2 setup so we have a nice space in the middle for our screened-eating tent.  

Screened-eating tent

The weather is still delightful and so we enjoy the evening with just a touch of mosquito repellant for those of us who want/need it and the others brave the few that do appear - then it's off to bed for a very early morning.

We are booked on the 6.45 a.m. boat cruise of the Yellow Waters Boat Cruise - which means we have to catch the bus from the campground at 5.15 a.m. which means it was very dark ! 

It's early

still dark ...

It was still dark at the boat and then the driver zipped (as much as you can zip in those boats) so that we could see the sunrise over the water 

Sunrise!

!

Then he drove us up and down and around and along into the flood plains, looking at the different birds, the odd croc and even a water buffalo!  

odd croc! (female = small)

Spectacular scenery!

The birders missed their "Little Kingfisher" but everybody enjoyed the guide and the cruise.  

Back at the lodge breakfast is included with the cruise ( my kind of cruise) and it's so much more than the instant-coffee and muffin we thought it would be - it's a full hot-buffet with good coffee.  I'm so hungry  - I haven't eaten in 12 hours (well except for the banana and granola bar), so when the buffet runs out of plates I go into panic mode and annoy the waitress/hostess by taking plates from another section because she just isn't moving fast enough for me.  

Remnants of the buffet breakfast!

After my tummy if full and my blood sugar returns to almost normal - it seems as though the day is almost over but of course it's really just beginning - a phenomena that those who wake early everyday, already know - so there's lots of time to rest and visit the culture centre and swim and, if you are a birder, go on three more birding walks!   I should also mention that the humidity is returning as we head off to bed …

Next morning we witness one of nature's miracles … as day breaks and the heat and humidity begin … a million little baby mosquitoes hatch and there they are; in our van, outside the van, in my face on my arms, on my legs - urgh!  they are everywhere! 

We are of course camped next to one of Australia's eminent swamps and the edge of it is just past the next row of caravans. So we pack up and move out as fast as we can.  Sadly the mosquitoes that were in the van are still there for the next day and night (even with a.c. they are biting) and even a few left the day after!  I hate mosquitoes.

Jabiru - Kakadu stop #2.

There are a few stops - one to make sure we didn't run over a snake! and a lot for birding - along the road to Jabiru but when we finally arrive the reward is sweet … we have an ensuite toilet/shower for each van!! 

En-stuite site!

...aaahhhh! our own bathroom!

There is no pool at this park (we have no idea why) and not a lot of shade, but there is a tree near our van so that is chosen as the sight to setup the screened-eating tent where we gather at night - we don't want any mosquitoes here!  There didn't seem to be many mosquitoes but there were bats!  

There were one or two hanging in the tree that hung over our van and over the tent. These are Australian Fruit Bats - or Flying Foxes as they are commonly called. They don't look like foxes flying - they look like small stealth aircraft.  They are the size of crows but when they just hang in the tree they aren't too much of a problem.  When they fly out of the tree and almost run into you they are a bit more of a problem but "we" are OK with that -it's when the other 300 return to their roost via a flight path the includes our tree and the sky right over our heads that "we" have a bit more concern.  The sight is like something out of a (horror) movie. 

Each black spec is a bat - a HUGE bat!

Can you tell how BIG it is?

Even though there are a few arguments, only one or two get to stay the night in our tree … and I was very much aware of that each time I left the van during the night - it almost spoiled the luxury of having an ensuite … almost.

This was on my seat next morning ...! Spiders and bats! urgh!

Kakadu is older and more well-known that some of the other parks we have been to, so there are some must-see stops:

• Bardedjilidi Walk

 - some parts are not accessible yet but it's a nice (easy) walk

oh oh!

A "deposit" that proves that there IS a water buffalo nearby!

Ants!

It's an easy walk!

• Manngarre Walk

 - rainforest walk (= mosquitoes = jill stays in van=no photos)

• Cahill's Crossing 

- the road crosses the East Alligator River (the river is full of barramundi, catfish and crocodiles!) and it's the only way to drive into Arnhem land from Kakadu. Nice cool spot to watch the river cascade over the road just enough to make a nice small waterfall

This is the "cascade" over the road

• Ubirr

 - this has great rock paintings and a view to die for!

-  after a bit of a climb - an amazing panorama of the area looking out towards Arnhem Land (permits needed to go there) and the surrounds of Kakadu.  

We find the rock from Mischa's photo  and the scene from Corcodile Dundee

Mischa's rock behind us?

... back to Fitzroy Crossing for lunch.

Fritzroy crossing is a lot different than when we left … the tide is coming in and the water has reversed and the "cascade" over the road is now fairly fast-running and is getting deeper as we watch. It's such  a pleasant place to stop if only the chairs were down where the action is.  A truck and jeep pull up to cross so now it's getting really interesting!  

Water now rushing into the river ... across the road!

Started at 0.4 now at 0.7

The truck driver straps on the jeep to his truck and away they go … the jeep is being pulled but the truck has a heavy enough load  so that they all make it safely across.

Truck pulling jeep!

  Man - if we had chairs down here we (I at least) could sit here all day!)

Nice to see my name mentioned here - and I think Jacob says it completely!

One more night of our en-suite … and the bats … and then we are off to Dawin!

# 58, 59,60 - Katherine - & the RSL ...

The Big4 Caravan park is out of town but in a nice setting and we find our sites and it's almost in our little "circle".  It's been a long day and nobody wants to cook so it's off to the "Bara Cafe" -  for dinner ... it's at the Esso Service station!! 

 Inside it's simple table & chairs but the walls have been painted with murals of the area's attractions and it is very impressive...

No - we aren't eating outside!  - we are inside in front of the murals

 In the middle of eating our wonderful dinner, the chef comes over to tell us not to leave by the side door because they just found an eight-foot long BROWN snake and it slid away before they could kill it.  She said she didn't know what was going on because just lately they had gone crazy and they were everywhere!!!   (note: brown snakes are very dangerous).  We said we would be happy to leave by the front door and thanked her for her great cooking and we left  - no snakes!

That's Jill our waitress from ... Connecticut!

We are booked on the 9.00 a.m. tour of the Katherine Gorge 36kms away in the Nitmiluk National Park. 

So it's an early(ish) morning but well worth it. It's the two-gorge tour and the scenery is pretty spectacular with aboriginal artwork in one spot. 

We even have a chance to exercise with a short walk between gorges. 

 Our driver/guide/deckhand is called Tyrus and he looks after us and keeps us entertained all by himself for two hours and he was very funny (you had to listen hard to get his dry sense of humour).  He belongs to the Jawoyn people who are the original owners of the park and now jointly manage it with Parks & Wildlife.  

You can tell how much fun he was just from looking at him!

Tyrus tell us that his grandfather was at the ceremony in 1989 when ownership of the park was returned to the Jawoyn people and his grandfather said that even though it was just a piece of paper it was going to be worth a lot. I think his grandfather was right- we are impressed with the tiny bit we see during our 2.5hr visit. 

Tyrus teaches us to say Bor Bor (au revoir, hasta la vista etc.) because they don't like to say goodbye - then he tells us to get off of his boat.

Next day each couple entertains themselves and we visit the Katherine Museum.  

The walls are filled with the history of Katherine and the Aboriginal people and in the middle I find a photo of my great uncle -  Jack McLeod!!  

Some of the wires in my head connect when I see the name and I remember my 
grandmother pointing him out in an old photo and telling me that he was written about in the famous Australian novel "We of the Never Never" ...woah!  bit of a crazy moment for me!  

It's pretty obvious I'm not related to Jeannie
"...She braved the heat, flies, snakes, downpours ..."
no - I'm related to Jack McLeod!

Then in the tiny outdoor cafe we share a lunch of sausage rolls made of beef and crocodile!!  Luckily there was enough veggies and spices included that I could (hardly) taste the crocodile and I gobbled down my devonshire tea right after (with the bottomless pot) and enjoyed all of it - so civilized!  

There's those yummy crocodile sausage rolls with the quandong sauce.

The "bottomless" tespots - we used to have a larger version just like these!

On the way back to camp we stopped off at the Hot Springs for a "swim".  They weren't really hot - just warm enough to make it very (very) pleasant and because it was the first day in four weeks without humidity it was even cool when we left the water!!  It has been a long time since I have been cool!

When I'm not hiking a million kilometres - I go "swimming" for exercise!

...This is the HOT SPRINGS... it really is a little piece of paradise!
(no slimy bottom, no bugs - you can even wheel a wheelchair right in there!)

I think it's important that the Canadians experience as much as possible of what Australia has to offer - so we make use of a free bus from the campsite to the local

 RSL (Returned Soldiers League) Club for dinner.  

They're' getting excited - waiting for the free bus!

Some of the locals behind us!

In the bar of the Katherine RSL Club.

No room for us in the dining room so it's into the bar area to mix with the locals.

... more locals!  They are happy because they won
steaks in the Chook Raffle!

There is the usual "chook raffle" - tonight it's seafood - so we buy our tickets and with 20 draws we figure we are pretty sure to win something but alas! it is rigged - nothingl  

"Chook Raffle"   - so many tickets - how could we lose!
(Chook is Australian for Chicken
 - they used to raffle a chicken on Friday nights! -

No table service here -you order your meal at the counter and when it arrives you can fill up your plate at the salad & hot veggie bar. Good food and lots of it makes our group very happy.  
We play the pokies - 1c bets!!  Urgh - it's exhausting trying to go through your $5.00!!  Of course Joseph wins - he always wins!!   He had to spend $25 to win his $50 - but he always wins.  

Then the live band plays and only one couple get up to dance and for some reason the man decides that his partner isn't enough to dance with so he pulls me up to join them. 

Sadly from this pic you can't see
 how many teeth he really had
or smell his aftershave (that lingered and lingered!)
... but you can tell how excited he was!

 What else can I do except to pretend that i can jive - so I swing him around a bit and he gets pretty excited and then I leave him to finish off (the dance) with the other woman!  

Luckily the bus arrives to take us back "home" so I don't have to dance anymore! 

Yep - that's an Aussie experience for sure -  and the group seems grateful for it.