7-6-2013 Friday
After doing a couple necessary bits of maintenance, we rode the scooter to the 1934 QANTAS Hangar in the suburb of Fannie Bay. The history of the hangar's beginnings is documented on boards inside the door, along with the destruction done by the bombings in 1942. You can still see some of the bullet holes that were ripped into the metal girders by Japanese aircraft. The hangar is now full of restored vehicles (no planes), cars and trucks, small engines, old fuel pumps, tools, and lots of other memorabilia.

Down the road a little way is the Fannie Bay Gaol, opened in 1883 and closed 1979. The Gaol suffered some damage during Cyclone Tracy in 1974 and by 1979 it had become so intolerably overcrowded and rundown that it was closed and the prisoners transferred to new facilities at Berrimah or Gunn Point. Some old documentation of crimes was on display - one fellow was sentenced to 3 months for drinking methylated spirits! Following the first bombing raid in 1942 the prisoners were released and had to fend for themselves. The military took control of all of the buildings. The cell doors are so narrow you have to go in sideways. The gallows inside the old Infirmary are a particularly gruesome feature of the Gaol today, yet they were used for only 2 executions - 2 men in 1952, for the brutal murder of a local taxi driver.

8-6-2013 Saturday
It was interesting and a bit confusing to see that Darwin used to be called Palmerston - a bit confusing because there is a town called Palmerston now, only a short way from Darwin. We found it so nice and easy to drive in the central business district of Darwin - there wasn't lots of traffic and it's quite a pleasant place - no real peak hour traffic here. We have really enjoyed sightseeing here. I could find it quite easy to live here except for the dreadful hot, humid, wet season (which we haven't experienced - this hot winter is enough) - I think I'll stick to Brisbane.

This morning we rode the scooter to the Crocodylus Park and Zoo at Berrimah and spent about 3 hours looking at all the animals. The park hosts over 10,000+ crocodiles, exotic snakes, tigers, lions, primates, emus, ostriches, baboons, iguanas and cockatoos. Breeding pens hold honeymoon couples and this is where the feeding show takes place. There was one croc that was nearly completely white, not albino as it had some colour here and there, but looked quite unusual. The meat is held out on a string suspended by a big piece of wood and the crock just lifts itself up easily out of the water to snap it up. The croc doesn't jump right up out of the water like we know happens at other places. There's not a lot of water in the concrete breeding pens so they can't propel themselves up too high. Other pens hold crocs of varying sizes from the baby ones on upwards. This place has a breeding program and does farm them for meat and leather products - the handbags range from about $500 up to $1500! A belt costs $249! I bought some croc meat for $20 per kilo. It's whitish flesh like fish or chicken, and the lady at the shop said it tastes a bit like that too.

Saltwater crocs live up to about 70 years and 7 metres while Freshwater ones live up to 50 years and about 5 metres. We got to hold a baby croc (with its jaws taped up) and its skin is quite soft like you wouldn't expect. There is also a museum with loads of information. If nests the eggs are in, are not at the right temperature, deformities can result in the babies. We also heard they don't actually eat much, even though you see them take down a zebra or a wildebeast at the waterhole - probably why they store some it underneath a log under the water (for later). As cold blooded animals they get a lot of their energy from the sun and not their food, whereas us warm blooded animals need food for our energy and need to eat more and more regularly. The guy doing the tour was very passionate about his crocs and reminded me a lot of Steve Irwin in that way.

Onward to the Australian Aviation Heritage Centre which was far away from our caravan park. The Centre has an impressive presentation of aircraft and displays depicting the Territory's involvement in aviation, both civil and military, from the early pioneers and record breakers through World War II and the jet age. The major display is a massive B-52 bomber on permanent loan from the United States Air Force, and is one of only two on public display in the world outside the USA. This big dark grey plane dominates the hangar with wings which extend the width of the hangar, nearly touching the walls, and each wing had a wheel attached to it for support. There were many exhibits including those on the Vietnam war, the Darwin bombing and female aviators, more than I was aware.

9-6-2013 Sunday
Rest day (which means washing, repairs to the mhome waste water discharge pipe and a wash for the scooter - so exciting). It was really welcome too as we've been out sightseeing every day for the last week, so nice to stay home and recharge our batteries.

10-6-2013 Monday
It's the Queen's Birthday public holiday long weekend here in the Northern Territory (as it used to be in Qld but now changed to October). We rode the scooter to the Casuarina Coastal Reserve next to the northern suburbs of Darwin. We had only seen one or two of the Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo in our travels, but never close enough to photograph. Then on our drive to Casuarina beach, we saw this group of about twenty feeding at the side of the road.

A lovely recreational area sits above the sandy Casuarina Beach, which is fringed by Casuarina trees and sandstone cliffs, called Dripstone Cliffs. The reserve protects areas of indigenous cultural significance for the Larrakia people. Offshore, Old Man Rock (Dariba Nunggalinya) is a registered Aboriginal sacred site. The cliffs are quite interesting, craggy with several colours streaked through the rock - mainly white, yellow and red. These ochres colours are plentiful across Australia and are used by the Aboriginal people in their artwork. The Dripstone Cliffs look almost like Aboriginal art in their natural state but being sandstone that is exposed to tides and weather, they are constantly eroded.

We walked down on the sand and the water was a long way out. The difference between the low and high tides here is a lot bigger compared to ours in Brisbane. The difference between high and low here can be 6 metres, where ours doesn't usually go past 2.5 metres. This difference can be a problem to boaties. They have to watch the tides and launch and retrieve their boats around the higher part of the tide - the low tide may be too low to get the boat onto the trailer.
We then drove to the Casino for a late lunch.

11-6-2013 Tuesday
We left the caravan park this morning and drove about 12 kms east of Darwin (NT) and then south to a fairly new boat ramp and car park for 1 night, a little way short of the East Arm Wharf, which is probably where they load the cattle for overseas - we saw cattle in some holding pens not far from here. This spot wasn't in our books as a free overnight camping spot but there was a caravan here and he was here the other day when we came down on the scooter. Apparently it is listed on the internet somewhere as a designated spot so that was good. It is a lovely spot except for the smelly bins (after the long weekend), and the lovely breeze is just blowing from the unfortunate direction of the bins. There's a good toilet here but no shower.

The boat ramp is verrrrrry long, to cater for the big differences that occur between the high and low tides. There is also a long pontoon down the middle of the 2 car ramp. We put the boat in the water and put our crab pots in near the mangroves. When we checked them a little later, they only had small sandies (Blue Swimmers) in them. We got talking to 2 guys who were doing some environmental work in the water and they told us if we wanted sand crabs (which we prefer) we'd be better to put them over near the sandy island further out in the water. The mangroves were better for muddies. Most people go for muddies here, probably as these sandies are not big like our ones in Brisbane. There's also no size or number limit on the sandies.

We moved the pots and then pulled the boat back out of the water as it was getting to near low tide and we were a bit worried that we might have trouble later getting it out, and the next high tide was 7pm. We'll check them tomorrow morning. So we put our chairs out alongside Casa, in the shade, and enjoyed the view with some drinks. A couple more mhomes have turned up for the night.

12-6-2013 Wednesday
We put the boat back in the water this morning, and pulled our 4 pots out. Well, we got 2 mud crabs, 1 was huge, and 3 small sandies. After retrieving and securing the boat on the trailer, we drove just a few kms away to a shady spot on the side of the road, cooked the crabs, and ate them (it was lunch time) - very nice, although the large muddie wasn't too full at all. We then drove to the town of Coolinga and stocked up on provisions before driving on the Arnhem Highway towards Kakadu National Park. After driving 70 kms south and then east we stopped at the town of Beatrice Hill (NT) and the free camping area, Beatrice Hill Rest Area for 1 night. There's no toilet or showers and many, many bugs and mosquitoes!

We had entered the Window on the Wetlands area (which is also at Beatrice Hill) and drove to the Visitor Centre before stopping for the night. The Visitor Centre is perched on Beatrice Hill, overlooking the Adelaide River floodplains. The interactive displays help to explain the ecological processes that occur in Top End wetlands and touch-screen computers allow visitors to find detailed information on local Aboriginal and European history, land management and the diversity of wetland animals. The Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve was a manmade experimental dam, built to provide water for rice fields but it failed, due to the invasive Magpie Geese that kept eating the rice. This reserve is a haven for these birds and a host of other wildlife. These geese and other wildlife used to exist in the wetlands of South Australia but they disappeared when the wetlands were dried for development. So it's great that Kakadu was designated a National Park, and it is 1 of the 25 World Heritage Listed Sites, for its natural features, wildlife and Aboriginal cultural significance.

The area we're in now is part of the bigger township of Humpty Doo. This is a name I've heard before, years ago, and just thought it was a joke name like 'Kickatinalong' or 'Kickamoocow', but it's not - it's a real town.

13-6-2013 Thursday
This morning we made sure to leave early to get to the Adelaide River Queen Crocodile Cruises business (4 kms down the road) for the 9am, 1 hour cruise. It was great! We saw lots of crocodiles up close and personal. They came close to our open, metal, single level boat for the pork chops hung off a stick and string. The man told us to make sure we didn't extend any part of our bodies out past the metal uprights that hold up the roof, because the crocs can come in from the rear of the boat and grab you while you're looking at another croc at the front jumping for the meat! So while you're taking a photo, they can take you! Shiver............... The boat was only half full (16 out of 32 seats) so it was a lot easier to move around and get a view and photos. This place had a public boat ramp right next to it but it didn't look good enough for us - there was quite a bit of gluggy mud and no area to safely hold the the boat beside the ramp.

We then drove 21 kms to the town of Marrakai (NT) and the Corroboree Park Tavern (with camp sites) for 1 night. This place advertised croc feeding daily but when I asked when the next feeding was, the lady said "...not for about a week as he had a buffalo leg yesterday..." There was a salt water croc in a pen with a fresh water one in the pen next door, which also had 3 turtles in with it - obviously the fresh water croc doesn't eat them as we know the saltie does. Further down was an Albino Water Buffalo and another darker one, both lying down in the water to get cool, and next door to them in another pen, were 2 enormous black pigs!! They were lying down sleeping for the afternoon after a big feed.

14-6-2013 Friday
After ringing Rick (Dave's son) for his birthday we drove 165 kms east to the town of Jabiru (NT) and the Lakeview Park caravan park for 2 nights. I love it that they named a town after the enigmatic Jabiru bird - it's such an interesting looking bird. We are now in the Kakadu National Park, covering nearly 20,000 square kilometres - 60% of the world's magpie geese population live here. On the way we stopped at the Mamukala Wetlands Lookout. A lovely viewing platform has been built so you can sit and look out over the wetlands topped with lilypads and their flowers, whilst birds fly around looking for food. There weren't many birds though but it was very pleasant sitting there with the cool breeze.

Further on we stopped at the Bowali Visitor Centre and Park Headquarters to pay our $25 each for a 14 day access to Kakadu. Northern Territory residents are exempt from the fee. We spent some time wandering through the art gallery and Aboriginal cultural displays at the centre. There is a place here, Gagadju Crocodile Holiday Inn nearby, with its building built in the shape of a giant crocodile.

15-6-2013 Saturday
My report on the crocodile meat - which we had over 2 different nights recently. The first time night I just fried it on its own to see what the plain flavour was like. It was the 'back fillet' piece which the lady said was the best cut. I left it thick, as it came, and just fried it and we thought it a little tough and bland. I don't know that we thought it tasted much like anything really - fish or chicken, although it looks whitish like chicken/fish. On cutting it, it felt a bit grainy under the knife. The pamphlett did say don't overcook as that would toughen it and I didn't think I did but then it's the first time I've cooked it, so who knows. The pamphlett also said cook it from frozen as on thawing, a lot of the liquid leaks out. This also happens with other meat but I've never known it to cause toughness. I had no choice really as the pieces for sale were in kilo lots and were already frozen. The second night I cooked it, I'd sliced it in thin smaller pieces and marinated it overnight in soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce (to give it some flavour). We found it more tender and much nicer tasting (of course). The pamphlett did say the meat does take on whatever flavour you want to mix with it. Anyway I don't think we'll be bothering with it again as it's not cheap either. Although I wouldn't mind trying a meal that a professional does, just to see if it can be really good.

This morning we drove 40 kms (leaving the boat back at the park) north to Ubirr - 1 of Kakadu National Park's 2 most famous rock art galleries. A young female Park Ranger gave us scheduled talks at 3 different sites (about a 5 mins walk between sites), about the ancient rock art, the stories behind them and their significance in teaching life values to their children. The Park Ranger was very good in imparting her wealth of knowledge on the subject, and we gained a deeper understanding of the Aboriginal way of life and culture - very interesting. Over time some rock art is painted over with new art in later years and some of it dates back about 2,000 years.

We walked up a moderately steep 250 metre climb over big slabs of rock to the rocky Nadab lookout. On one side you had beautiful views across the floodplains and on the other side, a rocky escarpment. Down in the valley below us, between where we were standing and the escarpment, water would race fiercely during the wet season. Amazing views! After climbing back down we drove to the 'downstream' boat ramp, a few kms away at the East Alligator River. This ramp would've been no good to us - too muddy. We then walked a short distance to Cahill's crossing which is a road over the river and the water was flowing over it - not too deep now though, and 4WD cars were driving back and forth. That's why there's another 'upstream' boat ramp - because the boats can't get past the crossing. We saw a lone crocodile submerged except for his snout and eyes, down the river a bit (which was pointed out to us) but it didn't seem to be too active. There were 3 guys fishing off the rocks for barramundi, and how good is that - they don't need to buy any bait, just lures which last forever.

16-6-2013 Sunday
We drove about 56 kms along the Kakadu Highway to the town of Cooinda (NT) and the Gagudju Lodge and Caravan Park for 3 nights. We stopped on the way to look at Mirrai Lookout, which was at the end of a 1.6 km steep, rocky climb to a well built sheltered lookout. There were 360 degree views but they were obscured by smoke and trees that have grown up too high. We were able to see a little of the Arnhem Land escarpment which borders Kakadu Nat Park but that was about it. I think some of these tall trees should be culled. (sshhhh.....who said that?) Otherwise this lookout is really a waste of time.

This afternoon at 4.30 we took a 2 hours Yellow Water Sunset Cruise on the South Alligator River. The boats are moored in Jim Jim Creek which leads out into the river. The 'Yellow Water' name comes from when there werre many buffaloes here, which stirred up the ground and caused the water to turn a yellow colour. The buffaloes were culled in the 80's as they just destroyed the vegetation and beautiful surroundings. It's probably timely to say here that Australia doesn't have any alligators, only crocodiles. They are similar but have slightly different features. The man who named these rivers only knew of alligators, hence the name, and it's never been changed. The boat cruise business is linked to the Gagudju Lodge and a shuttle bus transported us to the boat ramp. It was quite good but we expected to see more flocks of bird life. We did see lots of noisy white corellas toward the end of the trip close to 6.30 and a wonderful sunset with the sun being a big orange ball, turning the sky red as it slowly lowered. We saw several estuarine (saltwater) crocodiles who weren't too interested in us as we weren't bringing them any food. Even though they are saltwater crocs, they were living here in freshwater which is quite normal for them.

The lady boat driver gave us plenty of local information and pointed out a number of birds. We saw only 1 Jabiru, 1 pelican, a few white egrets and jacanas, some willy wagtails, hundreds of whistling ????????ducks - they don't quack, just make a whistling noise, and some birds we hadn't seen before - some small colourful kingfishers ('Sacred' and 'Forest'), Restless Fly Catchers and some Striated Herons.

There were these water lily plants with very big leaves and pretty pink and white flowers. The indigenous use the big leaf as a fan, sunshade or umbrella as water just rolls off them. There was a jacana bird standing on one of these lily pads and it had 4 legs - 2 legs were all you could see of the baby safely tucked up under its male parent's wing. It did look funny. The are lots of surrounding green grasses which we were told are floating on the water, not anchored in the dirt on land. They have very long root systems and when the water levels rise in the wet season, the grasses just rise up with them. In one of the wet seasons here, the water flooded out the Lodges accommodation cabins.

17-6-2013 Monday
We left early about 8.15 am and drove about 36 kms north back on the Kakadu highway to Nourlangie - the second of Kakadu's most famous rock art galleries. Again we listened to 3 scheduled talks from a Park Ranger at 3 different significant sites, and it turned out to be the same young lady (Kristen) who gave the talks at Ubirr, 2 days ago. We were happy about this as she is good, probably because she seems quite passionate about the place. The titles of the 3 talks were "Views of country and culture" (at Gun-warddehwardde Lookout), "Learning about law, land and family" (at Anbangbang Gallery) and "A jigsaw in time" (at Anbangbang Shelter).

When we drove back we dropped in to the Warradjan Cultural Centre which is close to our camping place at Cooinda. The displays here were very good, again giving a lot of insight into the Aboriginal (Bininj) way of life and integral links to the land, which is passed down from generation to generation, in ways very different to the non-Aboriginal people (Balanda). Warradjan is the indigenous word for pig-nosed turtle, which is the favourite of the turtle foods for the Aboriginal people. The cultural centre building is built in the shape of a this turtle, hence the name.

Apparently there are many different Aboriginal clans, belonging to designated geographical areas, and they all have their own languages - for a lot of them, English is a second language. Their laws to do with family, land and kinship are quite complex.

18-6-2013 Tuesday
We got up extra early this morning to go on the 6.45 am Yellow Water Sunrise Cruise. We found the sunrise wasn't as impressive as the sunset the other night, however still beautiful. This cruise was similar to the other one but things have a different perspective with the mist and the morning light. When we returned we put our own boat into the water - the boat ramp was fairly easy for the mhome, and we tried fishing with Barra lures then did our own croc spotting. Funnily, we were looking for crocs when I spotted a Jabiru standing on the ground a little way from the water's edge, and I took a few photos. When we got back to Casa and Dave did his usual loading of the photos onto the computer, we noticed down in the foreground of these photos of the Jabiru, there was a big crocodile, and neither of us saw it!! Give us both an 'F' for observation!

It was hot so we went for a swim in the lovely swimming pool (our first one at this place), which had water flowing over rocks into the pool, imitating so many of the natural water falls that exist in the national park.

19-6-2013 Wednesday Joy's Birthday
We drove 276 kms south-west on the Kakadu Highway and then south to the town of Katherine (NT) and the Shady Lane Tourist Park for 1 night. We fuelled up and did a little shopping but no sightseeing today. We checked out an Aboriginal art gallery not far from our stopover but a lot of it was very expensive. We have actually taken a liking to some of the more modern style of Aboriginal art.

20-6-2013 Thursday
It was overcast this morning which made for a welcome cooler day. We drove 200 kms west on the Victoria Highway to Victoria River (NT) and the Victoria River Roadhouse for 1 night. As we entered the Victoria River Region on the drive here, we noticed the impressive high red coloured escarpment which is part of the Judburra/Gregory National Park. We drove a couple kms past the roadhouse to do the escarpment walk - a 3 km return, moderate walk with some steep sections. It took 90 minutes to complete and was so worth it. As we meandered up the rocky path we were rewarded with spectacular views of the Victoria River and the surrounding escarpment. Being a cooler day made the upward climb quite manageable, almost pleasant.

While we had dinner at the roadhouse that evening, we were treated to the spectacle of a flock of white noisy corellas having a birdbath under the sprinklers at the front of the roadhouse.

21-6-2013 Friday
We put the boat in the Victoria River via a boat ramp, just a few kms down the road - we'd checked it out yesterday and decided to try it. The end of the ramp was very muddy and the mud was the sort that you sink down into - not wonderful when you know there are crocs in these waters! We got the boat in and we had been warned there were some rocks in there, and the motor did bump into a submerged one, bending one blade of the propellor. We had a pleasant ride upstream, viewing the escarpment and noticing how the lying-over trees (some almost horizontal) are the result of the wet season and racing flood waters. We noticed several bulls (cattle) on the banks and lots of noisy (as usual) white corellas, and 1 sulphur crested cockatoo.

Getting the boat out of the water was more of a challenge and Dave had to hop in the water up to his thighs at one stage (with me on the ramp) to push the boat off a muddy mound (I held my breath and prayed there wasn't a croc close by!). Finally we got the boat on the trailer but when Dave tried to drive Casa up the ramp, the front drive wheels started to spin - actually smokin'! The trailer's 4 wheels were obviously well and truly in the gluggy mud. After a few tries, with me outside pushing with all my might, Casa started moving up the ramp whew! - so obviously, I made all the difference! (Ha Ha!) The trailer wheels had heaps of mud all over them. Dave bucketed water over the wheels to remove the bulk of the mud before we moved off.

We then drove 90 kms west to the town of Timber Creek (NT) and the Timber Creek Caravan Park (at the back of the Hotel) for 1 night. When we got onto our site, Dave got busy washing all the mud off the trailer and its wheels, and the dirt and mud from underneath Casa. We're crossing the border from the Northern Territory into Western Australia tomorrow and they seem to have some stringent rules about dirt, vegetation, no fresh fruit and veges, honey, check for cane toads, etc.... I took the opportunity to do a much overdue vacuum inside.

At 5pm I went down to the back of the park where there's a creek and croc feeding. There were 3 small freshwater crocs about 2 metres long and the man was extending meat out on a stick with a string. These crocs didn't need to jump up to get the meat, they were just able to snap it off at water level. After that the man walked up the bank onto a grassed area where he threw pieces of meat up in the air for the Black Kites to swoop and catch in mid flight. Apparently these birds will hang around when there's a fire, to eat the rising escaping insects and other small animals like lizards. They also, will pick up a burning stick and drop it in an area that isn't burning, so as to repeat the frenzied escape of the bugs and animals - cunning buggers!! There is a big lone Boab Tree at the back of the park.

22-6-2013 Saturday
This morning Dave happened to notice that the registration plate is missing off our boat trailer! We thought maybe it got stuck in the gluggy mud yesterday but when Dave looked back through our photos, he found any photos that showed the back of the trailer, didn't have the plate on, until he got to the Normanton (Qld) ones! Wow that means it's been missing some time after that, and that was a while ago! How observant are we!! And we haven't been pulled up by police.

After refuelling we drove 227 kms west across the NT/WA border, to the town of Lake Argyle WA) and Lake Argyle Resort and Caravan Park for 3 nights. As we crossed the border we had to stop for a quarantine check. We'd used up all our fresh fruit and veges as we knew we couldn't take them across. We didn't have anything that was prohibited except for a jar of honey, which we knew about and thought we'd have to give up - and we did. The inspector looked through Casa and the boat but it was all fairly quick, but then we do have honest faces(?) Apparently there's a disease (or a disease causing substance) that the honey can contain and you can't keep it unless you have a certificate that states it's been heat treated to the authority's specifications.

We saw many boab trees along the road and most of them didn't seem to have many leaves. Without leaves the branches look quite eerie as they're very crooked and gnarled, something that you see in scary movies, or nightmares. After about 15 kms from Timber Creek we turned off and drove up a 3.5 km dirt road to see Gregory's Tree (a large boab tree) - an Aboriginal sacred site and a registered heritage site. Augustus Gregory was one of the early explorers and his North Australia Expedition arrival and departure dates (between October 1885 and July 1856) were carved into the big boab tree, which also had no leaves. We would've visited the smaller Keep National Park but all the roads were dirt which we weren't keen on, especially as we were to soon cross the border and didn't want a heap of dirt on our vehicles.

Our story continues in the Western Australia Diary

After 3 months in WA, we returned to the Northern Territory (through South Australia) for about two weeks, to visit Uluru etc

2-10-2013 Wednesday
We left the caravan park this morning, fuelled up and drove 413 kms north east, crossing the border into the Northern Territory, to the Kulgera Roadhouse (NT) for 1 night. There was no physical quarantine checkpoint at the border, just an honour system, so you're supposed to get rid of anything you're not supposed to take across.

3-10-2013 Thursday
This morning we drove 321 kms north and then west to Yulara (NT) and the Ayers Rock Campground for 2 nights. On the drive here we noticed the scenery change from low shrubbery to long wheat coloured grass and many interesting trees that we found out later were called Desert Oaks. There were 2 different trees - big ones with bare lower trunks and branches with pine needle type leaves; and smaller ones with similar leaves but they went all the way down the trunk to ground level, looking like Cousin It out of The Addams Family show. We found out later that these smaller ones were also Desert Oaks, just juveniles.

Yulara is a small township that has been purpose-built to service travellers to World Heritage-listed Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. On the way here we stopped at a lookout (100 kms east of Uluru) to view Mt Connor (Atila), the third of the great rock formations of the Red Centre - a 700 million year old sand and rock table-top mountain or mesa. It is often mistaken for Uluru. After booking in to the campground, we drove 50 kms out to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), a massive pile of 36 weathered rock domes, estimated to be around 500 million years old. They were impressive. We stopped at 2 different viewing areas, and took on 2 of the easier walks - the Walpa Gorge and the Karu Lookout at Valley of The Winds. We're so glad we didn't try the difficult walks - the easier ones were enough! It was certainly hot enough and we were glad we weren't coming here later in the year. On the way back to the campground it was late in the day and sunset on both Kata Tjuta and Uluru is something to see, so we took a slight diversion to get some sunset photos of Uluru. We were there about half an hour before the sunset time and took our photos, but didn't stay as it'd been a long day and we were coming back here early tomorrow morning.

4-10-2013 Friday Dave's Birthday
This morning we rode the scooter out to Uluru at about 7.15am to join in the free daily talk given by a Ranger at 8am. He took us on the Mala Walk which was 2 kms return and took about 2 hours, telling us about the different aspects of Uluru and their cultural significance to the Indigenous people - the Anangu people. Mala is a small wallaby like animal that no longer inhabits this area for one reason or another, but the Anangu people have a long term goal to get them re-established here. You can walk around the base of the Rock which takes about 3.5 hours and 10.6 km. We decided to drive around it on Harley instead - much quicker and less tiring. The Custodians/Traditional Owners don't like people climbing Uluru and there are signs asking them to refrain from doing it due to the cultural significance. However you can still climb if you want to but steps are being taken to try to stop it. It is feared tourism here might suffer if it is stopped. There are several culturally sensitive areas around Uluru where signs prohibit tourists from taking photos or filming.

Until recently, Uluru was known as Ayers Rock, being named after former premier Sir Henry Ayers by European explorer William Gosse, who first sighted the rock in 1873. Uluru was returned to the care and ownership of the Anangu Aboriginal people in 1985, who now jointly manage the park with Parks Australia. Standing 348 metres high, Uluru's mass is like an iceberg, with most of the rock's bulk hidden beneath the earth - some info said 2.5 kms and our Ranger today said some evidence suggests it goes down 6.5 kms. It originally sat at the bottom of an inland sea and the vertical striations, which were originally horizontal sediment layers, suggest that the rock rotated 90 degrees at some point. Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the nearby Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) are said to have originated from a similar time.

Uluru is a monolith, a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock - mind boggling! Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t the biggest monolith in the world; Mount Augustus in Western Australia holds that title but it obviously isn't as well known - maybe tourists can't get to it as easily. The rock is about 3.6 kms long and 1.9 kms wide, with a circumference of 9.4kms. The climb to the top is 1.6 kms, much of which is at a steep angle, while the summit is generally flat. The surface is made up of valleys, ridges, caves and weird shapes that were created through erosion over millions of years. Surface oxidation of its iron content gives the would-be grey Uluru a striking orange-red hue.

No matter from what direction you view Uluru, it is an awesome sight!

5-10-2013 Saturday
This morning we drove 303 kms east, north and then west to the Watarrka National Park and Kings Canyon Resort (NT) for 1 night. We saw a dingo on the side of the road on our drive here. After checking in to the resort (the caravan park part that is) we drove about 10 kms to Kings Canyon which is really why the resort and garage are here. There's not anything beyond here for people with 2 wheel drive vehicles. The canyon itself has 270 metre high walls that rise above Kings Creek and its sheer magnitude is breath-taking. There is a Rim Walk which takes you along the rim of the Canyon itself but it is a 6 km walk which takes about 3-4 hours, and has a steep ascent at the beginning. We opted to do the alternative easier Kings Creek Walk which is about 2.5 kms and takes about 1 hour.

Our walk trail meandered along Kings Creek ending at a viewing platform with stunning views of the red coloured Canyon walls. We passed some mighty big blocks that've fallen from the walls some time ago. The creek bed is full of red coloured rocks and some ghost gum trees, hoping for rain, but it is dry as a bone. It was evident that there has been forceful flooding through the creek bed at some stage. When we got back to the park and set up, we noticed the wonderful view we had over the back fence, of the George Hill Range. They were lovely to see at sunset and quite a few people gathered to watch.

6-10-2013 Sunday
We drove 476 kms back south, east and then north (basically in a U-shape) to the town of Alice Springs (NT) and the Wintersun Caravan Park for 4 nights. Sadly we had to drive such a long roundabout way - there is a road that goes across to the Stuart Highway that would've cut off 100 kms or more but it's unsealed and a 4WD is recommended. It is quite warm here, 36 degrees, and we're glad we'll be going back down south to South Australia after this stop. After a long drive, we didn't do anything else today, just rested up.

Alice Springs is the true outback town in the middle of Australia. Its diversity is surprising with world class art galleries, amazing natural attractions, iconic events, solar city initiative, sports and social clubs and a local community which is known for its innovation and spirit. Previously called Stuart, the settlement of Alice Springs in the 1800s played a pivotal role in opening up inland Australia. Surrounded by a sea of red sand the size of Europe, Alice Springs attracted many famous pioneering characters, from legendary explorers to prospectors, miners, cattlement and pioneering women looking to improve their fortunes. These characters brought invention and ingenuity with them undertaking a number of ambitious projects and achieving many great Australian 'feats', including; the laying of the Overland Telegraph Line, the establishment of the Old Ghan railway, and the invention of the motorised road train.

The town was given the name Stuart, even though the explorer had never passed through the area. His route was 50 kilometres west of the town. The name never really caught on. The area continued to be known far and wide as the Alice. The confusion continued until 30 August 1933 when Stuart was officially renamed Alice Springs

7-10-2013 Monday
We rode Harley to the Old Telegraph Station this morning. The Alice Springs Telegraph Station was midway along the Overland Telegraph Line from Darwin to Adelaide which played a key role in Australia's development. Opened in 1872, the line suddenly reduced the isolation of Australians from the rest of the world. The exchange of personal and business messages now took hours instead of the months it previously took by sea. By 1900, this very isolated Station was home to a cook, a blacksmith-stockman, a governess, four linesmen-telegraph operators plus the Station Master and his family.

Dave was eyeing off the Oppenheimer poles here as there's a few of them, complete with insulators at the top and wires still strung between them (don't know if they do anything now though). A few buildings constructed from local stone, are still standing - the Station Master's residence, a separate one for the kitchen (probably due to the high risk of fires back then), the Barracks, the Blacksmith's, the Post/Telegraph Office with power obtained from the Battery Room in a separate building 100 metres away. During the second world war, this area was used to house Aboriginal children displaced by the bombing activities in the north of Australia, particularly Darwin and Katherine. We've visited other Telegraph Stations previously further north, such as the one at Tennant Creek, during the start of our trip.

Next we drove to the Anzac Hill Lookout which gives a 360 degree view of the town, surrounded by mountain ranges. Onwards to the Araluen Cultural Precinct consisting of the Araluen Arts Centre showcasing the local artists and Aboriginal desert art, and includes many pieces from the Albert Namatjira collection; the Yeperenye Sculpture a big rusted caterpillar doubling as a walkway; the Museum of Central Australia providing an introduction into the natural history of the area, including its geology and wildlife; Central Australian Aviation Museum which preserves and displays the history of aviation in Central Australia; the Strehlow Research Centre showcasing some of the amazing discoveries of one of the first anthropologists to travel through Central Australia and his insights into the local Arrente culture; the Kookaburra Memorial to the 2 airmen who lost their lives in search of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, who'd crashed but ironically survived; Central Craft; the June Marriot Gallery; and the Big Sister Hill which is a women's sacred site and off limits.

8-10-2013 Tuesday
Rest day today, washing (never ending), etc. It is so hot here at the moment - inside Casa it is 40+ and outside is 35+ - better go outside! From what we're hearing of Brisbane's weather it's been unseasonally hot as well, and it's only Spring!

In the afternoon we decided to drive to the Old Ghan Museum which was quite interesting. The museum had loads of photos and memorabilia, and chronicled the history of the start of the Old Ghan railway in 1929 from Port Pirie to Alice Springs. The modern day Ghan runs between Adelaide and Darwin, the last leg to Darwin being finished in 2004. It had the reputation of its journey taking anywhere from 3 days to 3 months! The train's name honours Afhan camel drivers (cameleers) who arrived in Australia in the late 19th century to help find a way to reach the country's unexplored interior. We were able to explore some of the carriages, a dining car with original galley and semi circular bar, another dining car built in 1940, and an open air one with seats (we thought this was the cattle car one). The current line was changed from the original one which used to go through Oodnadatta.

9-10-2013 Wednesday
We rode into the main town of Alice Springs to have look around. We sent into an interesting shop called Sounds of Starlight, that had lots of didgeridoos. We talked with the owner for a while, who was also interesting. He could play the didgeridoo and played a few different ones for us. He puts on a show at his shop a few times a week with some other people - we're disappointed we won't be here to attend one. Dave ended up buying one so now he's got to learn how to play it.

From there we had a nice lunch at Bojangle's Saloon Pub, a very interesting pub with loads of Australian memorabilia including a Furphy end (off a Furphy water tank) on the wall; wagon wheels - one was on the wall behind the bar, with beer jugs hanging on the horseshoes nailed around it; the hood of an old car (possibly an FJ Holden) hanging through the corrugated iron ceiling as if it'd crashed through it; cowboy boots and paper money (of different countries) nailed to the ceiling; some benches along the pub's glass fronted wall had saddles as the seats, and much more.

Later we drove to the Old Timers Traegers Museum which was loaded with historic Australian memorabilia. Outside rusted farming and other machinery stood. Inside we recognised many pieces of equipment, tools and a couple phones. There was a desk and an old car used by the Reverend John Flynn who was responsible for starting the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The lovely elderly lady who admitted us showed use the 2 sets of old but colourful Afghan clothes stored behind glass and curtains, as the light has faded them over the years. There were many china and other objects in display cabinets. Here we bought our latest small mascot - Camella camel, to go with our other Aussie, English, and Irish mascots.

10-10-2013 Thursday
We drove 97 kms south of Alice Springs, to the Stuarts Well Roadhouse (NT) for 1 night. This morning though, before we left Alice Springs, we took a 120 kms return detour west to Standley Chasm and Simpsons Gap. We drove to the furthest one first, Standley Chasm. From the car park there was a 40 minute return walk, along a river bed, and through interesting rocky terrain with many beautiful cycads and river gums. Standley Chasm (Angkerle Atwatye) has been gouged through tough sandstone (heavitree quartz) by the floods that, over untold millions of years, have surged down a narrow tributary of the Finke River system. Today the result is a deep red cleft in the West MacDonnell Mountain Ranges crowded on either side by craggy slopes that rise 80 metres above the floor.

An inspiration regardless of either the weather or the time of day, the Chasm is at its most dramatic an hour either side of noon on a bright, sunny day when the sheer quartzite walls glow from reflected sunlight, to create a breathtaking display of stark form and rich colour. Many artists, most famously the local Albert Namatjira (who was born not far from here), have been captivated by the natural plays of light, colour and texture here at the different times of day. We noticed in some of Namatjira's paintings we saw recently, that he was fond of painting the ghost gums and river gums as well as the mountain ranges. On the way back we stopped at Simpsons Gap, another example of flood waters seeping into the cracks in the rock, and over time causing a collapse resulting in an enormous gap in the mountain range.

Back at Alice Springs we stock up on some groceries, fuelled up and drove to our overnight destination.

11-10-2013 Friday
Today was a much cooler day, after the very hot day yesterday. We drove 361 kms south on the Stuart Highway, across the border into SouthAustralia, to the town of Marla (SA) and the Marla Travellers Rest Caravan Park for 1 night.

Not far after we left the (Stuart Well) park this morning, we saw a camel farm so we stopped. We knew there were plenty of camels in Australia but hadn't seen any, or any businesses to do with them. There were about 10 camels saddled up for rides and about 20 juveniles in pens. (We didn't go for a ride.) We were able to view them up close and one interesting fact I read about them was they walk differently to other animals. Other animals walk by thrusting 1 front leg forward on one side of their body, whilst simultaneously thrusting the back leg forward on the opposite side, and then repeating with the other opposing legs. In contrast, camels walk with both legs forward on one side and then both legs forward on the other, giving them a rolling motion. I'd never noticed this before - not that I'd had a lot to do with camels. This business had a trophy display inside their admin building, of the camel races that'd been won. Camel racing is quite popular in the outback.

At this place, they also had a few small kangaroos inside an enclosure with a high fence. They had big heads like the large red kangaroos but were small in stature, so I thought they must've been juveniles, until I saw one suckling from the mother. The conclusion is they must be a separate species of which we're not aware. There were also a couple emus in a pen and in another pen on its own, was a small quiet brumby foal. A notice on the foal's pen was that it'd been attacked by dingoes and was recovering. It'd been saved, seen by a vet and was on antibiotics. A big wound could be seen on its back upper leg.

A little further on the way we took a detour west off the Stuart Highway, on a 13 km gravel road to the Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve. The main large crater was an impressive site, hitting the earth 4,700 years ago. They believe this large hole is actually 2 overlapping craters. We thought this large crater was at least 2-300 metres across. A man-made track allowed us to walk right around the rim of the crater. The Henbury meteorite split into several pieces as it sped through the atmosphere. The 4 largest pieces excavated the craters where we were standing. Each was only about the size of a 200 litre fuel drum. So imagine the impact! Lighter fragments fell short, gouging out smaller craters a little further away.

When we arrived at the park we took over 2 hours vacuuming and cleaning inside Casa as there was dust everywhere inside, having been sucked in on our rough, dusty, gravel road drive! Yuk! We also noticed when we arrived that our external waste water tap had broken off and disappeared - must've been shaken loose on the dirt road because we knew it was there this morning.

Some info from the internet is below:-

Henbury Craters (NT, 24º 34'S, 133º 10'E) are a collection of 14 craters, about 130 kilometres south of Alice Springs. They are scattered over an area of about one square kilometre. The craters range from 10 metres to about 73 metres across. The Aboriginal name for these craters is ''chindu chinna waru chingi yabu'' which roughly means ''sun walk fire devil rock''. They are quite young, about 15,000 years old.
Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve contains twelve craters which were formed when a meteor hit the earth’s surface 4,700 years ago. The Henbury Meteor, weighing several tonnes and accelerating to over 40,000 km per hour, disintegrated before impact, and the fragments formed the twelve craters.
The scattered fragments of the Henbury Meteorite are extremely heavy since they consist mainly of the metals iron (90%) and nickel (8%). Over 500 kilograms of metal have been found on the site, the largest over 100 kilograms. Few specimens now exist in the area.