In Darwin, we walked along the Esplanade and visited Parliament House and the Supreme Court, both of which are architecturally interesting and full of art works. In the evening, we went to Aquascene and fed the fish that come in on the tide.

Marge feeds the fish	Fish at Aquascene	Fish at Aquascene	Fish at Aquascene

    After spending some time with the fish we joined our friends to watch the sunset from a seafood buffet restaurant on Cullen Bay named Seafood on Cullen. 

    The next day it was off to famous Kakadu National Park. On the way, we decided not to go to Fogg Dam because we would miss the ranger talk at Window on the Wetlands. This was a big mistake, as the others said it was incredibly beautiful and alive with hundreds of birds.  Window on the Wetlands was good, with great views and exhibits. The Mamukala Wetlands were also worthwhile with Greg and a friend watching a crocodile swim through tasty ducks and water birds with never a sideways glance.  At lunchtime, we did the walk at Gungarre, a pretty boring stop.

The croc	The aboriginal art seems quite recent at Gungarre	Aboriginal Art

    Our first camp in Kakadu was at Merle, a place we had been warned about. The campground was spacious and well serviced, but it was surrounded by swamp and at nightfall, millions of insects and mossies of every species descended upon us. Attracted by our lights, they made mealtime hell and a meal of us. After the first few thousand had descended on us and had a meal they went off and told their friends, relatives and neighbours who all came for a meal. To top it off, our tent zipper broke. Luckily Marge had brought along a piece of screen that she proceeded to sew onto the pole over our tent opening. Unluckily she only had bits of thread from one of those travel-sewing kits and started with those, but luckily, Herb, one of our group, had some fishing line style thread. There she was, standing on a stool, in the gathering dark, sewing. Marge said that at that point she would’ve given her soul for a pair of “ruby slippers”.   Marge finally had the bright idea of safety pinning the thing and at bedtime we managed to get the zipper closed. Several times during the journey, the zipper failed, but we always managed to get it to work at bedtime.

On the plus side, Merle, in the far north east of Kakadu was very close to some fantastic walks and the fabulous Ubirr Rock Art.

Aboriginal Art	Aboriginal Art	Aboriginal Art	Aboriginal Art

    We also took a cultural boat trip, run by Aboriginal guides, down the East Alligator River. While waiting for our boat ride some of us took a walk along the river. We had been warned not to walk too close to the water and to keep an eye out for crocodiles. There were four of us walking. Marge was out in front with a female friend when there was a thrashing about in the long grass right next to them. Marge's friend took of at a great rate of knots and Marge just stood there and screamed. I was walking with Herb. We ran up and fell about laughing as they had startled a wallaby who in its hurry to get away had fallen over a log laying on the ground. Eventually it got up and rushed off towards the river. We saw lots of crocodiles, one with a wallaby in its mouth, was it the one that Marge startled?) and spent a little time in Arnhem Land on the other side of the river from Kakadu, where the guide gave us a talk and demonstration of spear throwing.

Croc with wallaby	Croc	Croc	Greg & Marge on the boat

    Now Caryll, who is very knowledgeable about rock art, organised a special trip for us into Arnhem Land. We needed special permits and had to drive through the East Alligator River at low tide (and return before the tide came in). We arrived at Oenppelli and picked up an Aboriginal guide who led us up a mountain, pointing out some impressive ancient rock art on the way. One of the paintings was the original of the art on the old one-dollar note. One of the caves he took us through was an old burial site and he showed us a skeleton of one of the ancients which had been laid out behind a rock. Some paintings and relics are sacred and so we were not allowed to photograph them. The skeleton was considered to be sacred.  We ended this tour at the Injalak Art Centre, where we purchased original bark paintings and pandanus leaf baskets.

Our Aboriginal Guide	Aboriginal Art	Aboriginal Art	Aboriginal Guide

    We couldn’t wait to get out of Merle and so we pulled up stakes to settle at Kakadu Lodge in Jabiru. There was a swimming pool filled with lovely cold water, fewer mossies and a population of resident curlews who cried all night. We used this at a base to enjoy the Bowali Visitor Centre, and other attractions South. We drove in a convoy over the 60km dirt road to Jim Jim Falls. Again only the last 15km were actually 4WD. There was also a lovely camping area just where the 4WD track began. Anyway, we drove narrow gaps between trees, through sand and creeks to emerge at the parking area, which looked like Westfield on pension day. There were even 4x4 buses. A nice path that deteriorated into a clamber over huge boulders took us to the pool under the falls, a pleasant swim for some. I managed to drop my camera into the pool, but the pictures were saved. The camera is sadly dead. We couldn’t go to Twin Falls as the road was closed. On the way out a dingo stood and watched as we passed along the track.

Jim Jim Falls	Jim Jim Falls	Below Jim Jim Falls	An inquisitive Dingo

    The next day we made for Nourlangie Rock. Caryll, Herbie and the others did a long, difficult walk over the top and down the other side, while Greg and I explored the rock art sites at the bottom and attended two ranger talks. Some of the best paintings were done in living memory by an elder named Barramundi Charlie and they know what those paintings mean because he told them. Much of it is not ancient at all. The modern x-ray art which so often depicts a barramundi is relatively recent only becoming popular within the last 1500 years.

    At Nourlangie Rock the art was quite different to what we had seen elsewhere and the ranger talks were extremely interesting, giving us some of the stories of the area.

Nourlangie Art	Namarrgon The Lightning Man	Nabulwinjbulwinj	Aljurr or Leichhardts Grasshoppers

    We had our packed lunch at lovely Anbangbang billabong and visited the interesting Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre near Cooinda. At sunset, we did the award winning Yellow Waters cruise on the wetlands of the same name, which are part of the South Alligator River. There were tons of birds, heaps of flowering water lilies and several very large crocodiles. And the scenery!

A large croc	Swamp brumbies (Wild horses)	Water lily's	Sea Eagle nest

Yellow Waters	Yellow Waters	Water lily's	Sunset from the boat.

    Before we left Jabiru, Marge had her birthday dinner at the restaurant next to the pool. It was very nice, but a bit pricey like most of Kakadu.

    The next day we were supposed to meet Caryll, Dennis and the others at the beginning of the road to Maguk (Barramundi Gorge). It was 12 Km of 4WD track.

    We were a bit late and rushing to catch up when we saw our party ahead. Dennis had his Subaru stuck in the middle of a sandy creek crossing with water lapping in under the doors. By the time they got him out and dried out his car, we decided that the road was too rough for the vehicles in the party and so we gave Maguk a miss. So it was on to Gunlom, the loveliest place of all. A stunning falls drops into a clear pool with sandy beaches on which to sun yourself. All this a 5-minute walk from a shady camping area with all the mod cons. An easy track up to the top of the falls takes you to more beautiful rock pools. We joined the ranger for this walk and a talk by one of the traditional owners that night. All in all we spent eight days in Kakadu.

    After Gunlom Falls,the group was heading south again so we left them and headed back to Darwin just in time for the free ballet in the Botanic Gardens.  It was the Australian Ballet up from Melbourne. They danced “Giselle” accompanied by the Darwin Symphony Orchestra. The conductor from the ballet held the baton. It was a most beautiful and enjoyable production. The tropic gardens added to the atmosphere of the second act.

    We had parked the car in a reserve across from the Gardens, following the locals. As we manoeuvred into a spot, I ran over some branches. When we began pulling out after the ballet, the car made a horrible noise. We thought a branch was caught, but we couldn’t find anything. Others who were parked there told us the number for roadside assistance. It was the same as the NRMA number at home! So we waited from 11pm to after midnight in a strange park in a strange city. When the truck arrived, the young mechanic discovered the problem. A flange over the muffler was bent over by the branch and rubbing on the tail shaft. So he got us going. Thank goodness for our NRMA membership!

    We spent 4 more days in Darwin, sightseeing and witnessing some brilliant sunsets over the water.

Sunset	Sunset	Sunset	Sunset

    Personally I like the desert sunsets better. We hit all the high spots: the pretty uninteresting WWII oil storage tunnels, the fascinating and beautiful indoor coral reef displays at Indo Pacific Marine and the Pearling Museum which was an advert for a particular brand of cultured pearls. We did the obligatory lunch at the Stokes Hill Wharf. Next day we walked through the lovely Botanical Gardens and visited the Museum and Art Gallery. This was chock-a-block and expensive for lunch, so we headed across the road for the beer garden of the Water Ski Club. It had the views and the booze. We also saw the views and WWII huts at Charles Darwin National Park, Fanny Bay Goal and, near Cullen bay, some old style tropical houses that survived Cyclone Tracey. On Thursday night, the famous Mindil Beach markets were a bit of a disappointment, shopping-wise. Most of it was the “same old, same old” you can get at any market here.  However, the food was varied and we grazed our way through. Sunset was grand! On two nights, we grabbed our wine and headed to East Point, to sit and relax and capture the sunset.

    Using Darwin as a base, we stopped for a swim at Berry Springs. This spot was a delight: a warm spring that tumbled down into a series of pools. I ensconced myself under a rapid for some back therapy and we both enjoyed a bit of a paddle and a picnic. Howard Springs was similar except there were no rapids.  Marge swam among some huge barramundi while I looked for more fish. However there was a resident population of mosquitoes that attacked in the daylight hours. We bore the itches from that visit for many days to come. There is a kiddies pool there, too, so how the locals protect their littlies, I’ll never know.

Howard Springs	Barramundi	Barramundi	Barramundi

    As we left Darwin, a small disaster struck again. Because we had a portable awning on our car, which took 2 minutes to put up, we rarely used the annex on the camper. However, due to the layout of the ensuite campsite in Hidden Valley, we had to park our car on the opposite side of the tent to the door. For a four-day stay, we went to the trouble of erecting the annex. But when Greg went to take it down, he took down the pole on the wrong side. The weight of the annex pulled the zipper open the wrong way. In his struggle to pull the zipper back over its track, he broke one of the teeth on the zipper on the camper side. So no more annex until we get it fixed.

    That day we turned our noses south again.   Our next camping spot was at Edith Falls, which is part of Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge). It was a beautiful camping area. A lot must be said for those grounds that don’t squeeze you into neat parallel lines, next to one another. Many places we stayed had circular gravel roads with private bays off to the side. At this one we even had a little lawn in case we had a tent. The falls at the base are small and lovely with a big pool at the bottom. The water was very cold, but inviting. However, a short climb brings you over the cascade where there is a larger falls and more pools for swimming. Although it was supposed to be a 2-hour walk, it only took Marge just over an hour and she said she stopped at every diversion and lookout to take in the view. My back was a bit crook so I opted out of the climb. Marge and I went spotlighting that night and found the park infested with cane toads. YUK!

Edith Falls	Edith Falls	Edith Falls

    Our next stop was at Dunmarra, which is the first hotel on the Stuart Highway. This was another place that went out of its way to attract travellers. In the caravan park, they held a $12.50 barbecue with steak, sausages and kangaroo. Salad and bread were served too. They are also an animal rehab centre, so they put on a reptile show at night. These dinners are a good opportunity to meet fellow travellers.

    On our way south again we detoured, on Caryll’s recommendation, to Davenport Range National Park (proposed). There are two camping areas in this 4WD specialist park and because it was well after lunch when we reached the turn-off, we opted for the one, which was only 90 km of dirt road away. Whistleduck Creek is a huge, open area and facilities are basic – only pit toilets and wood BBQ’s. The campsites are quite far from one another, so you have a sense of being alone. It is so big that until nightfall we did not realise there was a big group of rangers camped there when we saw their truck headlights. They were doing fire control burning in the park. There was not much shade on our side of the campground and the waterhole was a short drive away. However, we were surrounded by copper coloured hills and the sky was breath taking. It was magic with that real sense of isolation. Another plus is that we were too far south for crocodiles and most mossies. The next day we drove the 120 km of dirt to Old Police Station Waterhole, which was a smaller, incredibly beautiful camping spot, next to a permanent waterhole. There was a walk and the start of a “demanding 17 km (2 hour)” 4WD track for experienced drivers only.

    It was here that Marge almost stepped on a snake. We were walking around the waterhole and the snake was lying across the track. When I saw it I grabbed Marge's arm and pulled her back. Marge hadn't seen it until it started to move and then she freaked out.

Police Station Waterhole	Police Station Ruins	Police Station Story	Local flora

    So after another night at Whistleduck, we headed back to the Stuart Highway.  When we hooked up, I realised that the Polyairs were down and seemed to have developed a leak. I tried unsuccessfully to pump them back up, but you know it. They leaked all of the air out. The Polyairs lift the rear of the Pathfinder up when towing and under load, eliminating rear spring sag. So for much of the 90 km of bumpy road, the back of the car was bottoming out on the rough dirt road and rocks. This resulted in damage to the Anderson plug connection that charges the camper battery.

    Of course, I wanted to fix it by the side of the dirt road at the intersection of the Stuart until the little old map-reader, Marge, pointed out that there was a rest area a few kilometres down the main highway. At least one of us had a bit of comfort while I was under the vehicle effecting the repairs.

    So we had another two-night stop at the Alice for repairs, this time for the Poly Airs. We tried a different van park this time, Wintersun, on the north side of town and very nice it was too. It was also walking distance to food shopping and a short bike ride to the School of the Air that I visited.

    Unfortunately, I had to be back at work on 7 August so we left again with more places that we would have liked to see.  At this point, we deadheaded to Mildura (another chance to see Grandkids), stopping the night at Coober Pedy and at a place called Orroroo, just east of Port Augusta. There was this little van park in the town with everything you need and a great big camp fire where we met some lovely young people, heading north with their little ones- all toddlers. As we were heading into the Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone again, we happily gave all of our excess fruit and vegies to these lovely people.  

    A comment about the Grey Nomads before I finish: They were everywhere along the paved roads and they were a lively, friendly group of people. Their homes ranged from compact campervans to huge Winnebagos with bathrooms, washing machines, and Expanda rooms that pushed out sideways.  One couple we met sold up their businesses, and their house and set aside $20,000. They promised that when the money was gone, they would settle down. After 2 years, they hadn’t touched the money, because when they rolled into a town, they’d look for work. They always found it. A 75-year-old lady had been travelling with her little dog and hadn’t been home for years. She was having a ball. Sometimes they would stay for free at roadside rest stops. Usually by 4 pm, they were off the road and settled. All in all they seemed very happy and a great source of advice and information.

    Bicycles Some ask if it was worth it to take our bicycles. We carried them on top of our camper and it took an extra 5 minutes or so to load and unload them. We went for about 4 long rides and more often in the evening, pedaled around our camping area for exercise. The biggest disappointment was Darwin. There were lovely bicycle tracks along the coast, but our van park was 20 km of highway from the tracks. We could not carry our bikes on the car, so we missed out. I am looking at a different way to carry the bikes to overcome this issue. Well, maybe next time!

    Looking forward to the next big trip. Spring 2008 we are planning a trip from Wollongong in NSW to South West Western Australia for 10 - 12 weeks :) It seems that there will be a largish group of us going including caravans and campertrailers, onroad and offroad vehicles.