Tuesday 30^th September

Simon took me down to see his son’s medical centre this morning and if ever I wanted to do a locum there I think I would be welcomed with open arms as they seem desperate for more doctors. It was interesting to see how they manage a fully private health care system, with fifteen minute appointments and very few DNAs. We don’t intend to do much for this next couple of days – read and catch up on washing etc!

Monday 29^th September

Today we drove around Darwin which was almost completely destroyed by Cyclone Tracey in 1974 so is mostly of modern construction. We drove around Darwin harbour and saw the remains of the anti submarine boom that protected the harbour from enemy subs although Darwin was badly hit by the Japanese air force.

We also visited the Darwin museum which had some interesting displays based around Cyclone Tracey, the natural flora and wildlife of the region and some more modern aboriginal art which displayed an interesting meld of cultures.

Having returned to the hotel we said our farewells and Martin dropped off some of the group at the airport and ourselves at our B&B.

It is the most beautiful place you can imagine – a fully self contained flat set in amongst the supporting pillars of the main house upstairs with a covered verandah ad a washing machine! The gardens and pool area that we can sit in are lovely and we were given a tour around the different plants and met the chickens, cats and bees. Simon and Joan are lovely and very friendly and gave us a lift down to the local supermarket to do our shopping. Joan is an artist of great talent and the house and flat are decorated by pictures she has painted. Joan used to be a nurse and their son is a doctor and owns a busy medical practice locally.

Sunday 28^th September

Today we drove along the Old Jim Jim road which is a dirt road and quite bumpy but shorter and more interesting than the highway. A little way from Darwin we diverted down to Batchelor and Lichfield NP. We visited the magnetic termite mounds that featured in one of David Attenborough’s programmes and are all aligned north south so as to kep as cool as possible. We then visited Florence Falls where lots of people were enjoying themselves in the water. We stayed at the top and admired the falls from a distance! We then drove to Wangi Falls where we parked near the bottom of the falls. We had lunch under a shady tree and then a refreshing swim in the large pool at the base of the falls. Despite there being lots of people there (a Sunday so the locals drive out) the central part of the pool was relatively empty and we had a pleasant swim.

We arrived in Darwin around 4.30pm and had an upgrade to a very fancy suite with a lovely balcony overlooking the harbour. The downside is that we have no internet as we refuse to pay 25AUD for one evening’s access.

We had our final dinner together as a group, reflecting on an excellent trip as we thanked Martin and Tina for all their care and attention. 

Saturday 27^th September

Today we drove to Jabiru to pick up a guide, John, who is an expert on Kakadu. We then visited Ubirr which is a massive sandstone outcrop with lots of aboriginal art in various places on the rock faces. It is often difficult to interpret what figures have been drawn as they often draw over earlier artwork.

From Ubirr we forded the East alligator river (misnamed as there are crocs not alligators) and drove into Arnhem Land. The terrain is mainly floodplain but even here there is often fresh smoke and evidence of recent fires which because they are being set in the dry season burn too hot and are destroying the very habitat the aboriginals seek to protect. The aboriginals used to set fires at the end of the wet season when they burn slowly and do less damage but still clear the vegetation that could feed a lightening strike fire later on. Another problem are the kites which pick up smouldering sticks and then drop them to start fires elsewhere so that they can scavange on the insects and rodents that then try to escape.

We visited the Injalak Art Association where we watched aboriginals painting on clay mosaic tiles and bark and screen printing their traditional designs as well as weaving. We then returned towards Cooinda and enjoyed a two hour boat cruise on the Yellow Water Billabong. We really enjoyed seeing and trying to photograph loads of different birds as well as several salt water crocodiles (the dangerous ones).

Friday 26^th September

Today we had breakfast at 6.30am and left at 7.15am to get to the Katherine Gorge for a boat trip at 8am. Its proper name is Nimbilik meaning place of the crickets and although the walls of the gorge are less steep and high than some we have seen, it was still quite impressive. Because we are at the end of the dry season the water level has fallen such that the boat could only go up the first of the thirteen gorges and then we had to walk to the second gorge to board another boat for a short trip to the end of that particular stretch where it then became too shallow again. As the boats could not get up as far as usual we were allowed time to swim in one of the waterholes which was lovely. We then returned to Katherine for Tina and Martin to refuel and restock the bus whilst we had a wander in the local shopping centre and bought a couple of books.

An hours drive brought us to Pine Creek where we parked up and had a picnic lunch under a shady tree. We then drove into Kakadu NP and checked in at Cooinda lodge in time for a swim before dinner.

Thursday 25^th September

Yesterday the air conditioning in the bus broke down so Martin took it in to get it fixed while we went shopping in Kununurra and had a coffee. We had lunch back at the Country Club and set off for Katherine about 2pm; with the 90 minute time shift we are liable to get there quite late this evening as it takes about six hours.

We arrived about 9pm at the motel but the owner very kindly had made us soup and salad with cold meats and prawns and kept the bar open so we could have a drink.

Wednesday 24^th September

Today we had a relatively leisurely start and after a couple of hours on the bumpy road out of the Bungle Bungles we hit the Great Northern Highway and drove up past Kununurra to where they have re-sited the old Durack homestead when they built the Argyle Dam and created Lake Argyle. We had a picnic lunch there and then drove down to the Argyle Dam where we boarded a boat for a three hour trip down the River Ord to the Diversion Dam at Kununurra. The River Ord was dammed at Kununurra in 1963 to provide gravity fed irrigation to the area north of Kununurra. This dam has twenty huge gates that can be lifted to allow through massive flow when necessary in the wet season. Later the Argyle Dam was built to provide the massive reservoir of the lake. There is now a hydroelectric power plant that provides power for Argyle Diamond mine, Wyndham and Kununurra and the regulation of the flow between the two dams provides a stable environment that has been taken advantage of by a lot of wildlife.

We saw several of the thousands of fresh water crocs living on the river and many birds, including a couple of sea eagles and some jacana and terns of various varieties. We also spotted a couple of rock wallabies which are hard to see as they are so well camouflaged. It was a great trip and we even stopped part way to have afternoon tea (smoko) at a place on the bank where they have erected some tables and chairs under shadow sails.

We arrived around 6pm at Kununurra Country Club which was very well appointed and had great food – its only downside is the high prevalence of theft there – but we were okay, thankfully.