Our holiday in the Northern Territory
August 2012
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| Under the Banyan Tree |
After much planning and anticipation we flew to Darwin on
Friday afternoon, arriving at our hotel in time for tea and to meet our
companions who were sharing our AAT Kings bus trip, ‘The Northern Spectacular’.
We were happy with our accommodation in the Vibe Hotel,
which is on the waterfront, just near the wave pool.
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| Cathedral Termite Mound (and family) |
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| Miles and Magnetic Termite Mounds |
We were up early for breakfast on the first day and then
headed out to the bus to drive to Lichfield National Park. This park is notable
for its termite mounds, cathedral and magnetic. We also enjoyed a short walk to
look over Florence Falls and Tolmer Falls, before lunch and a dip in Wangi
Falls pool where we swam out to the waterfall and saw the fruit bats in the
trees around the water.
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| Tolmer Falls |
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| Wangi Falls |
The bus took us back to our hotel in Darwin for another
night and this was when Duane and Miles enjoyed a swim in the wave pool at the
front of our hotel.
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| Darwin Wave Pool |
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| Stock's Hill Wharf |
After their refreshing dip we were all hungry so we walked
to Stock’s Hill Wharf to enjoy a pick-and-choose meal of Barramundi and chips
or anything else we fancied. Then walked back to our hotel enjoying an ice
cream from another stall.
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| The Gorge |
On our second day we enjoyed a very cold dip in Edith Falls
before we headed towards Katherine via Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) where we saw
our first crocodile (of the fresh water variety) and enjoyed a cruise up the
spectacular gorge. Our accommodation was in spacious units at the Four Seasons
Caravan Park.
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| Bush tucker walk |
Our third day near Katherine was spent at a local indigenous
centre where we were shown how to prepare roasted kangaroo tail, enjoyed a bush
tucker walk and lunch, were instructed in basket-weaving and spear throwing,
aboriginal painting and then entertained with indigenous music. This was a very
enjoyable and instructive day with some very friendly locals. After a day in
the hot, dry climate we enjoyed a swim in the Katherine warm springs, which
flow naturally clear and warm through town and easily accessed by our bus and
the locals. Then back to the caravan park for an Aussie barbecue tea with our
friendly tour companions.
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| Katherine Warm Spring |
On the fourth day we spent several hours (after breakfast)
travelling to Kakadu, with a short stop at Adelaide River and the local war
cemetery containing many graves of people who were posted in Darwin and
surrounds during the Second World War.
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| Pine Creek |
We then boarded our bus for a few
more hours (Via a train-fix at Pin Creek) till we finally reached the information centre at Kakadu were we
gained entry to the park and took a cruise on the Yellow Water Billabong where
we saw our first saltwater crocodiles and an abundance of birds, which the
guides expertly pointed out to us. We then drove to our accommodation at a
hotel in the shape of a crocodile near the town of Jabiru. Naturally Duane and
Miles were quick to enjoy a dip in the pool while Liz caught up on the dirty
washing and downloaded photos from her camera to make room for the rest of the
holiday. Tea was a buffet style extravaganza in the dining room. That evening
we went for a stroll around to see the ‘crocodile’s eye’ shining red.
Apparently the eye is yellow in the daytime and red at night to mimic the case
in real crocodiles. We also enjoyed a stroll in the hotels art gallery, which
displayed many indigenous artworks from the region.
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| Yellow Waters Wildlife Cruise |
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| South Alligator River |
Early next morning we were up eating breakfast early to be
ready to travel to the local airport for a 30-minute light plane flight over
Kakadu. It was spectacular and hard to put into words. After various groups had
completed their flights we collected our other tour companions and headed
towards the Aboriginal art painting area called Ubirr, which allowed us to see,
close up, many examples of the local indigenous art on the rock walls in the
area and read informative boards explaining the artwork.
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| Long-necked Turtle |
Many of the paintings
give instructions, stories and rules to the local tribe whilst others are more
like a menu of local food sources. We were also able to climb to the top of the
escarpment and look out over the wetlands to see the expanse below us. Then
back to the bus for a picnic lunch and, with wildlife stops on the way at
various billabongs, we drove out of the park to our next destination, The
Wildman’s Wilderness Camp.
Here we spent the night in luxury tents, with all
the mod cons, including plenty of insect repellent. This was the final night
away from Darwin so the evening was marked with a gourmet silver-service dinner
in the dining room as the sun sank behind the termite mounds (in the distance).
Here Duane and Miles and Liz also enjoyed a dip in the pool and cooled off
after a warm day. This stay was a very memorable experience as the whole camp
only runs for the dry season then is packed away until the following year.
We awoke the following morning with wallabies eating grass
near our tents. We enjoyed another tasty breakfast before a chance for a photo
opportunity with our companions. Our tour guide, Gail, and our bus, driver,
Peter, were excellent in showing us the highlights of a Top-End visit. Our
travelling companions were similarly friendly and helpful in interesting Duane
and Miles in all the opportunities the trip offered. We have the feeling many
were retired teachers. After our photo opportunity we drove a short distance to
the Mary River Cruise where we all saw more saltwater crocodiles than we could
count and many birds and water lilies, with an amusing and interesting
commentary from the little cruise-boat captain.
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| Duane with natural sun protection |
After this watery interlude we
drove to the Northern Territory Wildlife park were we had lunch and the
opportunity to see any wild life we might have overlooked on the trip so far.
The park offered a regular motorised train that visitors could board and alight
at pre-determined stops of interest around the park. Miles especially liked the
monsoon area with the simulated thunderstorm and the aquarium for one last
crocodile. By now Duane was having some trouble with a sore knee but was able
to see most things with the benefit of a borrowed wheelchair. After a couple of
hours in the wildlife park we boarded the bus to return to our original hotel
in Darwin. We had one more evening in the Vibe before checking out the
following morning. We made a quick and successful search of Darwin for a knee
brace and walking stick as Duane needed to return his borrowed wheelchair. Then
we enjoyed dinner in a nearby café before retiring for the night.
The next morning we were surprised to see we were sharing
our breakfast buffet with the Australian cricket team who we on their way to
who-knows-where. After breakfast we checked out and stored our luggage in a
secure area then took a short walk to Number Nine Tunnel, which is a very large
storage facility left over from WW2, open to the public. Strangely enough there
is someone in our family who likes tunnels also. Who could that be? After the
tunnel we took a lift up several storeys to Darwin town street level were we
did some sightseeing, shopping and lunching. There are still many reminders of
Cyclone Tracey (December 1974) and WW2 around town.
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| Number Nine Tunnel |
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| The ruins of the Darwin Town Hall after Cyclone Tracey |
In the afternoon we collected our luggage and hired a taxi
to drive us to our apartment at Cullen Bay. This turned out to be a delightful
place overlooking the marina and afforded a good view of the sunset. After
unpacking, exploring the local environment (pool and spa) and purchasing some
supplies we walked to nearby Mindil Beach for the Sunday Evening Market.
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| Mindil Beach at sunset |
This
is a popular, twice-weekly event during the dry season, where visitors and
locals gather in thousands for local entertainment and to choose something for
their dinner from a huge variety of food stalls. The highlight of the evening
is to take your food to the beach and sit and eat and watch the sun set over
the Arafura Sea. After tea there are plenty of craft and souvenir stalls to
browse before returning to where you came from. The walk back to the apartment
seemed longer than the walk to the beach but Duane was a trooper and managed to
30-minute walk with a few rest stops along the way.
Our last day in Darwin was spent riding a local bus to
Casuarina Shopping Complex to where we enjoyed lunch and looked around at the
shops before returning to the apartment to allow Duane and Miles to have one
last dip in the pool before a mini bus arrived to transfer us to the airport
for our flight home.
We arrived back at home after midnight, weary but relaxed,
after an enjoyable holiday.
Wow! Great post,Lizzie! Lots of info and pictures.
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