Wednesday 8^th October

Another leisurely 8am start and a longer drive (about 30mins) and then we had a longish walk (about 2Km) to the most amazing rock outcrops we have seen yet that contain the ‘Major Art Site’. They call them the catacombs and it is a massive cave system with numerous rock pillars or columns.

Wherever you scramble through the rocks one finds evidence of living quarters with blackened roofs and grinding holes and then areas covered with paintings that are more or, in many cases, less decipherable. There were many paintings in white and yellow ochre so they are more recent. We also saw some ‘contact art’ – some firearms and a man smoking a pipe.

This afternoon we enjoyed another sunset cruise watching the bird life on the creek.

Tuesday 7^th October

Today we had an 8am start (a lie in!) and joined four other guests (a Belgian couple and two German ladies) for a short drive before arriving at a boat to take a route through a different part of the creek system. We disembarked and had a hot walk over rocks (very humid) to discover some wonderful aboriginal art. Our guide was very good at pointing out the various figures, many of which are painted at different times on top of each other. The art we saw today was mostly around two to three thousand years old. The white and yellow ochre only lasts for this length of time and the red remains, as it leaches in and combines with the sandstone.

We returned to camp for another excellent lunch (rissoles and salad) and then went out again at 3.30pm. After half an hour’s drive and a short walk we arrived at a place they call ‘The Left Hand Cave’- an enormous cave with living quarters at one end and art at the other, which is quite unusual. The main, or most famous picture here was the rainbow serpent from the aboriginal creation mythology – it was very impressive. There was also a good depiction of a sailing ship as well as figures, wallabies and fish.

Monday 6^th October

Today we had the bumpy drive back to Oenpelli for four hours and then we left the group to return to Darwin and caught a six seater Cessna for the short flight to Mount Borradaille where we spend the next three nights. We had good views of the fires on the Oenpelli flood plains before landing after 15 minutes at our destination. This is a lovely place that has been established for many years and has comfortable airy cabins as well as a small pool.

We were in time for lunch which was way better than anything we have eaten recently. We then relaxed for the afternoon before going on a sunset cruise along Coopers Creek which runs through the property. We saw lots of crocs and birds of various kinds and enjoyed a glass of white wine and delicious nibbles as well! We also had a good view of Mount Borroadaille which Max Davidson has permission to take people around the base of but not up onto the mount itself as it has special sacred significance for the local aboriginals. As there are many great art sites scattered around the 700 Km² property that Davidson leases from the aboriginal ‘owners’ this is no great hardship.

We had an excellent dinner – the food here is of a very high standard – amazing really seeing their isolated situation.

Sunday 5^th October

Today we had a leisurely breakfast at 8am and drove up the peninsular to the Ranger station where one of the rangers spent her spare time making jewellery. I was hard put to choose only a couple of necklaces! We looked around a small cultural exhibition on the Cobourg NP and then drove to the most northerly tip of the Northern Territory and to a couple of beaches where I found a few beautiful shells. The water looked so inviting but it would have been foolhardy to swim because this paradise contains lots of crocodiles, box jelly fish and sharks. It is still not that unheard of for people to be taken and killed by crocodiles in the Northern Territories.

After a drive through paperbarks (Melaleuca) and small wattle and eucalypt trees on the peninsula we arrived back at camp with time to relax and have a read or a practice with the didgeridoo before dinner.

Saturday 4^th October

Today we boarded a small boat to sail on the still calm waters of the bay and crossed about 8Km of water to visit the Victoria Settlement ruins. Established prior to Darwin as a military outpost by the British, this site represents the third failed attempt at settlement in Northern Australia. After surviving for 11 years between 1838 and 1849 it was abandoned. The walk was around 4Km but it was very hot and humid so I didn’t enjoy it too much.

Once back at the boat we spent an hour or so fishing and I caught a bit of reef, some seaweed, a small rock cod and a yellow banded snapper. Julia caught something large but it was taken by two sharks before she had time to reel it in!

It was very hot in the afternoon so we all just caught up with our diaries and relaxed until nibbles on the cliff top at 5.45pm before an excellent dinner of seafood pasta. Iain and some of the others had been down to the rocks at low tide later in the afternoon and collected clams which went very well with the pasta!

NB Small red crab’s eye beads = abortifacient and can be fatal

            Termite mounds = scrape some and make paste = electrolyte replacement if ill

Ipomoea = pink flowers = decocotion of flowers for box jelly stings, from leaves for stings and wounds.

Friday 3^rd October

After breakfast at 7am we travelled from Jabiru to the northern region of Kakadu National Park to Cahill’s Crossing on the East Alligator River and entered Arnhem Land.

Upon arrival at Gunbalanya, at the Injalak Arts and Craft Centre, we picked up our Aboriginal guide, Roland, to be shown around the Injalak Hill art sites. After an initial climb we spent three hours scrambling up and over rocks looking at some of the best Aboriginal rock art in Australia.

We had lunch up on the hill and then returned to the Art and Craft Centre before setting off again for our 450Km drive over rutted mud road and track to Venture North’s Cobourg Coastal Camp where we arrived around 5pm.

It is in a stunning location atop thirty foot cliffs of red sandstone where we sat to watch the sunset eating nibbles and supping a glass of champagne. Also watching us from the shallow water was Dennis, the local 5 metre estuarine (the correct term for a salty) crocodile. 

Thursday 2^nd October

Today we were picked up by Venture north for our five day Top End safari to the Cobourg Peninsula.

We travelled through the Adelaide River Wetlands and visited the Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve where some Americans had tried to commercially grow wild rice, which failed due to the predations of the Magpie Geese. We then joined a morning cruise on the picturesque Corroboree Billabong in the Mary River wetlands where we saw variety of birdlife as well as a couple of 4-5metres long salt water crocodiles. 

We stopped at the historical Bark Hut Inn to buy a final bottle of wine to take with us (BYO at the Cobourg Camp) before entering Kakadu and travelled along the old Jim Jim Road before visiting Maguk (Barramundi Gorge).  We enjoyed a scenic but very hot and sweaty kilometre or two walk along the edge of Barramundi Creek It was very hot and humid and the at the base of the Barramundi Falls where we had a great swim.

We had lunch in the shade by the South Alligator River crossing. A beautiful spot but with too many flies!

We then drove to the Nawurlandja Lookout where a short climb took us up the sloping sandstone to provide views across Anbangbang Billabong, Nourlangie Rock and the Arnhem Land escarpment. We then walked across to the Billabong (only about 300m) where we saw Black necked stork (or Jabaroo), whistling ducks, a pelican and a couple of Brolgas.

We then drove into our accommodation in Jabiru shortly before nightfall where we have bush bungalows (metal and mesh cabins on stilts) with a nearby toilet/bathroom which was open to the stars.