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Crocodile Rock Adventures.
All too soon our week of R & R at Palm Cove was over and we were off to Cairn's airport for our flight to Alice Springs to begin a camping adventure in the Great Australian Outback. Didn't get off to the greatest start as we arrived to find our flight delayed by 4 hours but unlike our esteemed nephew and his journey with United Airlines, Qantas kept us well informed and immediately forked out 25 dollars each for a meal. Not so bad. Arriving in Alice Springs to rain was a bit of a surprise - apparently the first real downpour for months. Our accomodation for the night (unfortunately a Friday) was a rather noisy hostel - bit of a come-down from the Palm Cove Resort and not the greatest preparation for our 6am start the following day.
Our 10 day tour split neatly into 3, 3 day/2 night mini tours - the first taking in the iconic 'rocks' in the Red Centre, then after a couple of nights & a day back in Alice Springs, a 1600 km road trip up to Darwin and finally Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks at the 'Top End' - for the waterfalls & of course, the crocodiles! So really only 6 nights camping but it turns out that traditional outback camping doesn't always include a tent ........ok, it's scorching hot during the day and still fairly warm at night BUT it's also the wet season AND Australia has dangerous spiders & snakes - not to mention the feral cats & other bigger critters!! Let's just say, there really wasn't a lot of sleeping during the night, it was almost a relief to have to get up at 4.30am and we were very thankful for the long drives to catch up on our sleep! Surely it must be a first to be looking forward to a night in a backpackers hostel!!??
I read in a Trip Advisor review that 'a good guide makes all the difference' and that was certainly our experience - admittedly it's a hard job - they do all the driving (average 1500km for each mini tour), in addition to the guiding and organising meals etc. We were spoilt with Stevo, our Red Centre man - not only was he really knowledgable about the history of the land & local people - he looked and spoke like a real 'outback Aussie'! His enthusiasm helped past the time on the long drives, seemingly through endless red semi desert which were often punctuated by sudden stops as Stevo spotted various animals and birds including the most dangerous obstacle, cows on the road...just like Suffolk. Rather more interesting were the Red Kangeroos, Dingos, Thorny Devil and perentie lizards, wild horses and camels and an eagle (with the largest wingspan of predatory birds) - to name a few! His musical taste was eclectic at best so at times the group put on their own music, what a variety but at least it covered the engine noise. Having seen only two or three other vehicles all day Stevo's expletive about the amount of traffic when he had to wait for an oncoming car so he could turn right made us all laugh...wait till he comes to London.
The place is so vast and sparsely populated with one cattle station often covering one million acres, and the sand really is bright red in the sun. The roadside stops for refueling, refreshment and importantly toilets were all different as the farms had their own selection of wildlife - tame or otherwise - and produce to purchase.
We reached Uluru around lunchtime on the first day and because of the rain the previous day and clouds overhead we were able to do a longish walk around part of the base. There are stretches of sacred sites which have special meaning to the indigenous people where photos are not allowed and also a certain point where people climb - wasn't open when we where there and climbing is also discouraged. We also visited the Cultural Centre (also no photos) and started to hear and understand more about the culture and history of the local people.
Our camp that night was nearby and while Stevo cooked kangaroo bolognaise (turned out to be good but then we were hungry!!) for dinner we we all set off to watch the sunset.....surprisingly beautiful considering the clouds. This was a no tent night but rain prevented us from sleeping under the stars in our 'swags' (canvas zip up bag with mattress) so we had to all find places under a couple of shelters. I was close to the kitchen area but on top or under a table may have been the better option as Paul tells me a 'feral' (large & wild) cat came calling a couple of times in the night - wandering past my head but really after the rubbish sack!! Was I glad to see tents at the next site!! We were up at 4.30am and after a quick breakfast & pack up we were off back into the national park to join the other 200 people at the sunrise view area. Again the clouds prevented it being postcard perfect but still to be there and watch the changing colours of the sky was amazing.
I think by 7.30am we were at our next stop, Kata Tjuta which means 'many heads' and once again due to the slightly cooler weather we could do the whole 7.4 km Valley of the Winds walk through the domes, creek beds and wilderness. The distance is not great but the climbs and tracks make for difficult walking, however the views were well worth the effort. After that it was back on the road for quite a long trip to our camp near to Kings Cannon. We made several stops on the way, for lunch, various photo opportunities and to collect firewood from the side of the road! Camp for the night was at Kings Creek Station (a working cattle station), with not only tents but a swimming pool - lovely for a cool down while Stevo lit the fire and cooked our BBQ dinner. We even toasted marshmallows .....all very civilised!
No surprise that we had to be up and off before sunrise but this time it was more so we could complete the 7km rim walk at Watarrka (Kings Canyon) before it got too hot - I believe they close the long walks at 9am if the temperature is over a certain limit as several people have died or become seriously ill already this year attempting the walks without the right gear and enough water. For me this was probably the best for the stunning views once we reached the top of the rocks but also the lush 'garden of Eden' at the bottom of the canyon and, because of the recent rain, we were fortunate to see waterfalls .....even the guides were excited!
After a welcome couple of nights back in Alice Springs we set off again - just 5 of us from the 21 Uluru gang but joined by 6 new campers with Nathan, our man for the Alice to Darwin leg - also a typical Aussie but more the 'casual with people's feelings' style and he therefore suffered in comparison to Stevo! Whilst he was also knowledgable, being a zoologist his people skills left a bit to be desired - in truth I think we were just a hindrance in his pursuit of lizards and toads. Not withstanding that he did perform a very interesting rescue of a monitor with it's head stuck in a tin can assisted by a Dutch vet student we had on the tour. How he spotted it while driving I do not know - at the time I was convinced it was some kind of set-up but perhaps I'm being unfair! He did improve as the time went on but still not my favourite Aussie!! We missed Stevo.....
Paul writing ...... I suppose this part of the trip was more to do with watching the changing landscape as we gradually left the desert behind. Perhaps nothing sums up how remote these places are better than the petrol stations which also are museums, art shops, convenience store, hardware, bar and restaurants, in fact just about everything under the one roof. They form the only meeting place for hundreds of miles. It is still quite wild as the crashed car in front of one station showed. The gentleman driving had apparently tried, unsuccessfully, to drive over his wife....and the locals do drive around with windscreens, doors, bonnets missing from the vehicle...not even sure if they have a licence.
We travelled north on the Stuart Highway, named after the first man to cross Australia from South to North, stopping at the Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles), another unusual natural phenomena and an isolated telegraph station (near Tennants Creek?). No longer in use - several such stations were built along the this route and would have transformed communication at the time .....looked like a hard life in the middle of nowhere though and it makes you think about how different it was not so long ago. At some point we must also have crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, dividing temperate climes of the south and the northern tropics........and after a long day on the road we finally reached our camp site, Banka Banka Station for the night. The owner Bob and his wife were interesting to talk to over a beer (he has a licence for one hour a day) but this night was not so much fun as some of the swags were wet and we had to cope with a plague of flying termites and just about every bug under the sun. A cloth around nose and mouth kept you from eating too many but they found every other exposed area. We also went for a very nerve racking night walk to find a water hole for a dip - in the dark... It's not the same when even the small creatures can kill you. Although the swim was lovely under a canopy of stars, (I have never seen a better night sky) it's not something we would repeat, at one point we had to insist our guide wait as he was just off on his own leaving us stranded in the dark. Although there were some lighter moments - just as we had all tripped and splashed our way through a mud and stone creek that was normally a path a voice exclaimed out of the darkness " Doesn't he realise I'm wearing my Pradas"( expensive lightweight sandals) It was our Swiss/Bulgarian banker who was very fashion conscious and made us all chuckle.
After a sleepless night, plagued by thousands of termites it was back on the bus with lots of kilometres to go - we did have some pleasant stops with opportunities to swim firstly at Daly Waters Pub (the waters part famous for being those Stuart discovered and the pub part renowned for travellers' memorabilia stapled all over the walls), then in the afternoon at Mataranka thermal pools where the warm waters ran through paperbark and palm trees. The final day's highlight was Katherine River and Gorge - got some great views from the top and whilst the river looked peaceful it's inhabited by lots of crocs!
Once again it was a relief to reach civilization, this time Darwin, for a change, wash up and a party in the nearby bar. I think we deserved this one after another 1500km leg of the journey.
We were off again early the next morning - this time in an all terrain truck - for the final leg exploring first Litchfield then Kakadu National Parks, with our new guide, Rich - a bit older and a quiet, efficient, organised, inoffensive Kiwi who made last few days more relaxed and enjoyable! (Note to Pete Scott - Rich reminded us both of you so much we're sure you must be related......has relatives in Kent - ring any bells??!!) Possibly the tented campsites played a part too.
We started in Litchfield Park, seeing both magnetic (aligned North to South) and cathedral (giant) termite mounds followed by some gentle hiking (good because it was by now hot & pretty humid) to see and swim in waterfalls. Very enjoyable apart from a small leach almost attaching itself to Catherine's toe, pretty disgusting but I managed to save her and the bleeding soon stopped!!
Back to Catherine ......Camp the first night was near to Kakadu so we entered that park early the next morning. Litchfield seemed pretty big to us but at 1500km2 it's small in comparison to Kakadu which is almost 20,000 km2 - half the size of Switzerland! I can't remember the exact details but the vegetation is a mix of vast savannah woodlands and rainforests with sandstone hills and ridges ....and not forgetting the flood plains. One small incident in Kakadu was that one of Paul's shirts went missing - he rather foolishly left it drying on the trailer of the bus while we were inside the Visitor Centre. It was early in the morning and seemingly no one was around - I'm thinking a large kangaroo is now sporting a lovely blue checked shirt but Paul is more inclined to blame it on a local with loincloth, spear and nice bush tracker shirt wandering around the bush...or maybe it blew just away?
After more treks, swimming and lunch, we climbed to a lookout (Nadab?) for some fantastic views and also a bit of culture - great stories and ochre paintings or Rock Art in the rock shelters on the way. Then it was back in the bus for an afternoon snooze before reaching the Yellow Water wetlands area - both camp for the night and the big highlight - a river cruise! Crocodiles are of course the main attraction and if you've seen the photos you'll know we saw a massive one but there's also loads of birds and other interesting wildlife too. Sadly whilst we were here a young boy was taken by a croc...so swimming and walking, in or by the river or pools is never taken too lightly. We started our trip in bright sunshine but it ended in a torrential downpour which continued all evening & well into the night. Fortunately we had tents ....but it was still a rather soggy walk to the bathroom on our last night of camping (yay!!). Thanks to Clifford and Jacqui - used our torches loads, they made the walks a lot safer.....and helped scare off the cats but not sure they help with the crocs.
Back to Paul for summing up .... ...So, once again despite it all, we live to tell the tale and on reflection maybe it wasn't the tour for us, but having survived, we're certainly glad to have done it and seen,we feel,the real Australia and met some really great and interesting characters along the way. Another 4000 km jaunt and one we won't forget! My trainers served me well but have taken some real abuse from the rough terrain and are now destined for the bin...much to Catherine's delight as she seems to think they may smell a bit too.....Now go and look at the photos again...they may make more sense.
PS - just a note about the photos - any tagged 'Sanya' were taken by a lovely young lady from Switzerland!
- comments
Jacqui Lewis What an adventure!!! Don't think I'd've coped with all the wildlife!!! So glad the BOGOF torches came into their own!!!
Catharine And you thought your holiday in Mozambique was tough! Sounds exciting but rather challenging - hope you get a bit more luxury on the next leg of the trip. xx
Trevor and Carol We are up to date again with both blog and pic's. We need a rest now! It is lovely to see you both looking so well and happy. Look forward to the next episodes and going to try a roo bol when I can!!Lots love, God bless.