From Darwin to Cairns Aug 31st- Sept 2nd

I'm sad to leave Darwin with its fantastic sunsets, outdoor lifestyle and endlessly hot days. Sadder to say Au revoir to Susie and to new friends made there. There's some chores to do ready for travelling again and there's some art to buy! I've collected few souvenirs up to this point but can't resist buying some Aboriginal pictures to take home.

Then it's time to say good bye to Darwin- it's been lots of fun; from knocking fruit off trees in the garden with a long stick, going to the races and to shows and national parks, swimming as a means of surviving the heat and sunsets walks on the beach.

Arriving in Cairns after an early morning flight on Sunday the contrast with Darwin is strong. Cairns is greener- the sugar cane fields, palms but gums too and behind everything the Great dividing range moutains tower. There's clouds too, an unusal sight!



Just North of Cairns

Cairns itself is quite small, very touristy and mostly given over to housing tourists and selling them reef and rainforest trips. I spend an afternoon making some plans for the next week because somehow I've managed to leave Darwin with very little organised!

Arnhem Land 30th August

Arnhem land is the Easterly continuation of Kakadu, another 91 000 sq kms. It's far more untouched and unvisited- it was declared an Aboriginal reserve in 1931 and in the last 40 000 years little has touched it but it's full of art sites, sacred sites, wildlife and beautiful landscapes.

Collected by Lord Safaris we cross the river into Arnhem land and are greeted by the site of Brolgas in the morning mist. At Gumbalanya we collect our Aboriginal guide and drive to the base of Injalak hill- one of the sacred hills. It's intensely hot and we slowly ascend. The rock art here is better than Kakadu and our guide explains some of the meanings as we move between rocks where once people lived and died and were buried. Bats hang from the ceilings in some places and spider's webs are everywhere.

We eat lunch from the shade of a cave- a 7000 year old wallaby is painted above my head and the expansive view is my favourite yet. My overall impression is simply that I need more time there, that I can't drink it in for the landscape is so immense and so breathtakingly beautiful in an old and wild way that I'm overwhelmed.

Kakadu Continued

Up with the dawn for breakfast and as soon as the sun's up the temperature is building. It's time for some rough 4WD-ing as we head from camp to Twin falls. A steep walk takes us to the top of an impressive gorge where a small trickle of water is all that's left of the mighty waterfalls (wet season is a different story but you'd have to fly over) up the dry river bed we find a cool pool surrounded by lush palms and have a much needed cool swim!

Back along the track, through a deep river crossing and to Jim Jim falls. A 1km scramble over rocks at the base of the gorge brings us to another mighty fall turned trickle. A large, deep and very cold pool is welcome- swimming in I spot a large monitor lizard sunning himself on a rock. Beneath the trickle looking up it's beautiful with blue sky and heavy gorge walls, sunligt catching the water droplets. There's a sandy beach back a bit and a warmer pool better for an extended splash.

Back at camp we watch the escarpment that towers above us turn a deep orange red with the setting sun lighting it.

Spot the Croc!

Another night under the stars before off to Yellow water billabong- time for a short boardwalk with a strict briefing about the necessity of not dangling body parts outside of this- I do spot one croc lurking quietly. From this idyllic spot we pass some giant termite mounds and arrive at Barramundi gorge (Maguk). After a walk along a particularly lush gorge we reach a waterfall with some water in it and a great spot to swim and cool off.

After lunch and a look around the cultural centre of Warradjan 3 of us are dropped at a caravan park near Jabiru as we're continuing to Arnhem land tommorrow. We relax and try to stay cool.

Kakadu 27th- 29th Aug

So finally to Kakadu- the big draw card to Australia's top end. A national park of 20 000 square kms with varying and spectacular scenery and a double World Heritage listing for the natural and cultural riches (to paraphrase and hopefully not plaigarise The Rough Guide) 2000 plants, 120 reptiles, 68 species of mammals, 10 000 insects and one third of Australia's bird species

An early start to the tour and first stop a crocodile cruise on the Adelaide river. Impressive beasts but the boat feels safe!

Then into the savannah woodland that makes up much of Kakadu. Parts of this had been burnt off and some still burning (they try to burn most areas in small chunks and due to the different eucalpt species the fires are nothing like the ones which can ravage the southerly parts of Australia).

Ubirr rock in the afternoon to see the rock art. It's intensely hot. Darwin was 30 degrees C, here it's nearer 36. We move from patch of shade to see the paintings. The best are those painted where indigenous people once lived. Some are almost in layers, with newer covering older- in this culture it was the act of painting that mattered most. There are the x-ray style pictures showing the insides of an animal which I'm later told mean that the animal was eaten, Mimi spirits and a Tasman tiger- extinct in this area about 200 years ago. Some of these pictures are thought to be many thousands of years old.

We climb up a lookout and the view is simply breathtaking- panoramic with woodland behind giving way to escarpments of sandstone in turn replaced by lush wetlands.

As evening falls there's relief from the heat finally, we're swagging it out under the stars. In just a thin sleeping bag I can feel the gentle warm breeze in my hair and whenever I wake up there's a new display of bright stars as the night progresses.

Darwin: Work and Play 14th-26th Aug

More busy days at work with a much needed day off on the 17th for some R+R. It's Darwin festival and on Saturday night we have tickets to see La Soiree which is great fun.The setting is also beautiful. A civic space has been turned into Festival Park with fairy lights, chinese lanterns, bamboo poles, seating, and rustic food stalls. The venue for the show resembles an open air circus tent in shape with fairly lights tracing where the tent poles might run. It's lovely to be outdoors- there's no contingency planning, no umbrellas, no mud- this is Darwin in the dry.


A few more days work and on-call too then another day off to play the tourist. I take a visit to the Darwin museum and see "Sweetheart" the massive 5.1m croc, stuffed after a relocation attempt went wrong (he'd been attacking boats). There's also an art gallery and a display about the 1974 Cyclone Tracy which destroyed Darwin on Christmas day. Susie met me for lunch we which had at one of the restaurants down on the waterfront- delicious risotto whilst watching people lounging beside the artifical beach and protected swimming lagoon.

Another day of tourism and I visit Cullen bay- a pretty marina, go to the fish-feeding and then head into the city centre to see some crocodiles. After watching the feeding, seeing the pig-nosed turtles and holding a baby croc (with it's mouth held shut with an elastic band or apparently even when this tiny they can break your finger!) I head home for a swim and shower. The weather's getting hotter and more humid and trying not to melt is vital. As the sun sets I take a walk along a different section of coast to usual and enjoy the fantastic colours.

That evening we have a house meal out at a rather posh place and I have the nicest steak ever! Entertainment is provided by the possum hanging out of the tree above us and the tree frog in the flower bed.

Work finishes on Saturday without, for once, any dramas and Susie and I hit the town to celebrate.

Sunday finds us at Nightcliff markets having brunch before returning my work car. The markets are a real social event, everyone enjoying juices, crepes, asian cuisine, coffee and browsing stalls of fruit, handicrafts and local art.

For the final night of Darwin festival we go to another outdoor performance this time in the Botanical gardens. Similarly decorated as the downtown festival, with lanterns and fairy lights seating is on picnic blankets on the ground looking down to the stage. The performers are Black Arm band- an indigenous group with singing, digeridoo playing etc. Some of the harmonies are stunning and in this beautiful balmy setting it's intensely moving.