Jumping Crocs and Waldo

27/03/2010

Patrice has been dying to see the jumping crocodiles so today was the day. We have booked our tickets with “Spectacular Jumping Crocodiles”. We were not sure what to expect so rather than jump on the bus we decided to self drive as we wanted to go to the Saturday markets at Coolalinga beforehand. Off we went to the markets which we were expecting to stay at for a couple of hours but in the end half an hour was stretching it a bit. Luckily the times for the cruise were 9.00, 11.00. 1.00 and 3.00 so instead of hitting the 1.00 cruise we rocked up for the 11.00. The jumping crocodiles were on the Adelaide River in an area known as the “Window to the Wetlands”. Here we are waiting for the cruise with another 15 or so other people when Kim came out with a water python wrapped around her. “Who would like to nurse the snake?” “I’ll have a go I said” I was nervous as anything with this big python draped across my shoulders, down my back and across my arm, I wasn’t game to move. My attitude has been if I am given the opportunity to do something just do it as I may never get the opportunity again, Trice wouldn’t go near the thing.

Onto the boat we go, we are led to this rather large vessel which I thought was rather grand for a small group. We were led straight through the big boat and loaded onto a smaller aluminium boat which takes a maximum of 30 people, now this was getting close and cuddly with the crocodiles. Richard was the tour guide and Sissy was the crocodile feeder. We hardly got under way when a croc was sighted on the opposite bank. He was not playing the game so we went hunting. All in all we photographed 5 crocs leaping ranging in size from around 3 metres up to Michael who was 5 metres and around 60 years old. He was named Michael after Michael Jackson as he had a white head. Trice was thrilled with her experience and as usual took photos of anything that moved.

We went from there to an information centre which gave you a great view of the surrounding wetlands plus a huge amount of information. I am terrible when we are driving as I don’t like to stop for unexpected viewings but today was going to be different, Fog Dam now that looks interesting. We had been thinking how little birdlife we had seen, that is because they were all here, apparently we got a photo of a Jabiru which is very unusual. This is what a couple who were right into birds told us. Also this area was supposed to have been turned into a huge rice paddy field but after an enormous amount of money spent by USA and Australia the project failed, it couldn’t had anything to do with those crocs having big teeth that live there at the moment.

It was now close to 2.00 and were starting to think about lunch when we saw the “Barra Shack”, what is this we thought. We turned off the main road for about 3 klms until we came across this little shack, we had to ‘toot’ our horn as we came in. Next thing ‘Waldo’ comes around the corner in his bright blue golf buggy. Waldo is 69 years of age, a bush poet and loves a chat. I don’t know what the Barra Shack was all about but we had a great laugh and spent almost 2 hours with Waldo. He recited poetry to us, showed us all things he & his wife Sue make from croc skins, kangaroo & Barra skins, drove us around his 5 acre block showing off his gardens, showed us his 18 year old daughter’s grave site, she has been buried in the backyard, we saw that as a real honour as it seemed a very private thing to do. Back to the house and next thing he lets out his poodles for a run, he had 11 poodles and his wife breeds them. We could not go until Sue came home so that we could meet her. We bought a bit of poetry, a couple of books and other stuff, it was an amazing couple of hours. He was originally an old Navy man who has lived in the Territory most of his life and only discovered he has a nack for poetry in the last few years. He has travelled all over the place recited poetry and has performed in front of many famous people – what a great guy.....

Today was another highlight of our trip.

Humpty Doo and the Didjeridoo

26/03/2010


Bit of a sleep in today, I am starting to get used to this lifestyle, where is Brisbane anyway........

Today we just wanted to get a bit of a bearing on tours etc so off we went to Humpty Doo looking for the Didje factory. We found Humpty Doo, we couldn’t help but notice the number of roads closed. I sat down with one of the locals who wanted to know if Brisbane had changed much since he was there 30 years ago. I told him it was pretty much the same still just a big country town, he looked like he didn’t want to hear anything different.

It was suggested to us that a few roads were closed but I didn't realise that it was most of them. 

The Didje Factory this is where you can buy a real fair dinkum Didjeridoo. We did want to buy one but we wanted to make sure we were not being ripped off. There are plenty of gift shops in Darwin city and the didjeridoos there are machine made and not painted by aboriginals. The proper didjeridoos are hollowed out by white ants and depending on the size of the internal cavity will create different notes. We spent about 2 hours at the didje factory being taught how to blow these things. I was hopeless but Trice took to it like a duck to water, must be those big lips and broad nose. Here she was didje on the side of her mouth making all the right noises while I was there still struggling to get my lips to vibrate. Finally I started to get the hang of it as the owner wasn’t going to let us leave until we could do it. Besides we were the only customers so she was having a bit of fun with us. Yes we did walk out with a ridgy didge didjeridoo. We have decided to book another 2 nights here as it is great to just stop and vegetate.

Darwin City Today

25/03/2010

Planning to go into Darwin city today for a site see but I have a very sore ear, I will get some drops from the chemist. By the time we got to the city I now cannot hear out of my ear and the pharmacist has told me that I have a severe case of tropical ear so I need to get to a doctor. Off I go looking for a doctor, although they were booked out they managed to fit me in very quickly. The doctor was English trained and had a very good bed side manner. “We need to give your ear a good irrigation to see what we are dealing with”(In a very proper English accent with slight Indian overtones). Off we went to another room, warm water into a large syringe and squirt away. “That is not wax! but what is it?” the doctor said “It is black, hang on there another big bit is coming out and I think that it has legs and wings”. He went on to tell me that I have had a large bug crawl into my ear and die and that is why my ear is so sore, he said that he has never seen anything quite like this. Well at least I could hear now, my ear is still painful but at least I know what it was. The pharmacist and her staff had a great old laugh when I went back to get the script filled out. Trice has nicknamed me “BUGEAR”.

We are now ready to walk the heritage trail around Darwin and walk we did from one end of town to the other. Heritage listed buildings everywhere, trees of knowledge, the wharf district over to the war museum, down onto the beach at Fannie Bay. We were hoping to cool our feet off in the water only to find it luke warm.

It seems that Darwin has hung its hat on the war and cyclone Tracey, there are so many references to both these wherever you go. The town really is a big country town and everyone we have met has been more than helpful. You do get the feeling that everyone is just waiting for the season to start.

The weather forecast has predicted a storm tonight, it was still hot and it looked nothing like a storm until around 9.00pm when the lightning and thunder just about launched us out of our van. The wind was so strong that it was rocking the van and spun my satellite dish around so I couldn’t watch Foxtell. – We survived, all in all it lasted about 30 minutes. There are storms expected each night now until early next week.

Our first alcohol free day thanks to travelling with our boozy mates. Just kidding they were great fun and we hope to catch up again in the couple of weeks.

Katherine to Darwin

24/03/2010


Sad day today we are heading off in different directions, John and Wil have decided to go to Alice as they want to stay in Darwin for some time and we are hearing that there are many things closed. Probably not a bad idea but we have decided to keep going as we do not have the luxury of time.

Left Katherine at 11.00 and got on our way to Darwin, we arrived at 3.00 and are staying at the “Free Spirit” caravan park. There are a lot more vans here but they are still expecting a lot more, there are around 300 van sites and during the peak season which starts in May you will find it very hard to get a site here. We are about 16klms from Darwin city.

We have just found out that there is a happy hour at 5.00 and a Schnitzel special in the restaurant tonight, we better get cleaned up and get ourselves ready. The bar and pool area is as good as most resorts so we perched ourselves around the pool and had a few drinks before dinner.

No Photos to talk of today...

Edith Falls

23/03/2010


Today we headed off about 90klms North to Edith Falls, we were not sure of what was there for us as with most things it could have been closed but we decided to go for a short drive. Edith Falls is known as Leliyn in its aboriginal context and this land is owned by the Jawoyn tribe. You are notified that should you venture more than 50 metres from the roadway then you need permission to be there.

Edith Falls is a series of waterfalls starting with a pool at the very top and cascading down over 3 waterfalls to a very large swimming hole at the bottom where there is a small shop and camping area. All bar the top pool was closed due to “salties” being seen in the area so until they can be 100% guaranteed then they will not allow anyone to swim.

After driving we decided to walk to the top pool and have a look and a swim. The walk itself is a little over 1 klm but it is straight up aided by rock steps all the way. The heat and humidity is something to behold and by the time we got to the top we were exhausted and dripping with sweat.

The water holes and falls were spectacular and the water was just so clear and fresh. We all went in for a swim but we couldn’t help but notice that the water was moving quite quickly towards the next falls so you had to lock yourself into a rock to prevent you being swept away. I swam across the current to another rock outcrop to get some better photos all the while being warned by Patrice not to be so silly, I’ll be right is my usual comment. Got some great shots and then jumped back into the water to get back to everyone else, I think it was the extra momentum but straight past them all I went and the only thing I could grab was John’s leg, thanks John.....

Here we were all fresh and clean putting out sweat laden clothing back on to wander back down the track once more to have a look at the lower pool. By the time we arrived we were once again hot and bothered and just laid on the grass under some trees to cool down.

You can’t help but notice how beautiful the country is but at the same time how remote everything is. Back to the caravans for a swim and recovery, everyone was strangely quiet and I think that is was just that the heat had taken its toll. When we got back we had a swim to cool down and then had a little late afternoon kip, I am not as young as I used to be.

Tonight we are going to have a few drinks as John and Wil are turning around from Katherine and heading back Alice Springs while we have made the decision to head straight to Darwin.

Katherine Day 2

22/03/2010

Well today we are starting to get back into it a bit, off to Nitmiluk National Park and a cruise in the wonderful Katherine Gorge. There are 13 Gorges on the Katherine River and we got to experience just 2, to see how the water has carved its way through solid granite over millions of years is unbelievable. We met the tour guide ‘Taffy’ who looked more santa clause with a Scottish accent dressed like Steve Irwin, he was a sight to see. At first there was just the 4 of us thinking that we are it when people started coming out of the woodwork, we had a boat full of tourists. It was a large flat bottom boat and everyone sat like good little tourists taking a million photos. What else could you do when you are experiencing this unbelievable land sculpture. There was a huge rock face which has the story attached of 2 young aboriginal kids who were brother and sister and were madly in love which is a death sentence in the aboriginal world, they plunged to their death off the rock face which now bears the young woman’s name of ‘Jedda’. ‘Taffy’ was very informative and gave us a good understanding of the gorge but also informed us on many bush tucker hints. Sam just burn all the tea trees run around in the smoke and no more mosquitoes will attack you. After falling into the Roper river we finally got to see out Fresh water croc. We did take many photos as this is the only way you can communicate the beauty of this place. The water in this gorge rose some 21 metres in the last big flood which I think was 2006. After touring the information office and having a little walk we headed back for lunch. Trice and I then headed into Katherine city to grab a few supplies and remember when I said that the indigenous population is 60% of the Katherine population, well all the white people must have been at work because we were a minority in town. Trice wanted to renew her supply of ‘bubbles’ but we were told that the liquor store in Woolworths was not open for another 10 minutes at 2.15 but you will have to be careful of the line up???? Well we didn’t get the line up because the scanning machine was out of order and they were unable to sell casks of wine today. They have a central database and everyone is only allowed to buy one cask of wine per person per day, Trice had to show her driver’s licence and then a record of her purchase had to be recorded on a register. Is that why they are building a huge building just out of town called the ‘Sobering Up’ clinic.

Off to the Top Didj Art Gallery where we met with Manuel, an aboriginal from Arnhem Land who was a bundle of fun. His aboriginal name is Wurlumbulngar, he is married and has a young child, he spends most of his day churning out aboriginal art and talking to tourists. We bought one of his paintings and took a photo of Trice giving him a big hug, this is a bit of a No No but who could resist Patrice. We may go back tomorrow to get a lesson in aboriginal art but we need 4 people and John and Wil don’t want to do it. We have left our phone number so we may get a call if other people turn up.

Back to the park for a good swim after our busy day and our usual happy hour when we were joined by Julie and Nigel, 3 hours later we finally got them to go back to their van but they want to come back again tomorrow, my rum supply is dwindling.

Katherine Day 1

21/03/2010

Bit slow to get started today, might have had something to do with the big night the night before. Got on the road by about 10.30, took our last photos in Mataranka and drove 106klms north to Katherine. It is the 3rd largest city in the Northern Territory and boasts a population of 24,000 of which 60% is aboriginal. Nothing of interest is open today so it just a bit of reading and swimming at the caravan park “Shady Lane”. We have booked a cruise for tomorrow morning and then we are going to learn aboriginal art in the afternoon and we may even get a bit of fishing in. It would appear that much of the North is closed due to flooding so we are going to stay here for 3 days and then John and Wil are going to turn around and head to Alice Springs and we will head straight to Darwin. Finally got phone service for the first time in 3 days........

Mataranka Day 2

20/03/2010

We stayed another night in Mataranka so that we could experience this place. First up this morning barramundi feeding, you should have seen the size of them, they are extremely vicious when they are feeding, no nibbling just a massive bite and it is all over. Darryl, The feeder, grabbed the big one and held it up, there would have been a feed for a couple of weeks. He then asked if anyone would like to have a go at feeding them so being the idiot I am I said “Yeah I will have a go” I then instructed Patrice on how to use the video camera because if I was going to be bitten I wanted it to be on film. He told me to hold the piece of fish between my thumb and first finger and then hold it just under the water. Next thing this bloody big barra comes up in a flash and just about takes my finger, it left scrape marks on my 3rd and 4th finger and a bit of blood. I then said to Patrice did you get that “No I couldn’t get the bloody stupid camera to work!” “What do you mean all you had to do was press the button” was my response “I did but it didn’t work” It was close to a domestic then and there. We then headed off to Bitter Springs, it is a thermal spring which is around 35 degrees and comes all the way from Barkly Plateau it then flows into the Roper River and then into the gulf. 3,000 litres per minute is bubbling out of the ground. You could swim from a platform down through the spring to another platform. I was going ok until I felt this big hairy thing brush against my chest, it was a stump covered in hairy moss just under the water. I was exhausted from not breathing and trying to swim as fast as I could. Trice then decided to go for a swim with her sunglasses on, they came off to sink to the bottom. The water is crystal clear, so I had to swim down to the bottom to retrieve them. The water is full of mineral and lacks oxygen from the vast amount of vegetation rotting around the edges and long hairy moss. The smell of rotten egg gas was in the air.

We then headed off to the Mataranka Thermal pool which is where they filmed “We of the Never Never”, the replica homestead and supplementary buildings are all still there with displays. This thermal pool is more like a pool with the spring just around the corner. There are bats everywhere over 200,000 of the little suckers, they are perched in the palm trees just hanging around. At one stage they were startled and took off, the noise, the shredded palm fronds started falling out of the sky like rain, they are just destroying this beautiful tropical oasis. We then went for a walk down to the Roper River and it does look like croc country, on the way back we noticed a big gate at the end of the pool which is obviously there to keep the crocs out, it was up! Swimming in the thermal spring is so refreshing so I took the opportunity to have a swim in the buff when no one was around.

After being enthused by the Barra feeding this morning we got the word on the secret fishing spot so off we went in search for “Waballara”, got the fishing gear out and dressed in my long pants and boots, I looked more like a park ranger than a fisherman. We found the spot, it looks like an enormous amount of water has come through here, there is mud everywhere but what the heck here we are on the edge of the Roper River. I cast out a few times and then I felt a heavy drag on the line but it was released so I cast out again but this time I copped a snag. I decided to move along the river bank to try and release my lure when without warning I am in the river over my head trying to save my rod while wondering if there really are crocs in here. Wilma said the look of terror on my face was a sight to see but it was so slippery that I couldn’t get out. Trice moved to try and help me and over she went in the slimy mud and then Wil tried to help her and over she went, John just continued fishing down the river. I eventually got out and here we are all covered in the mud and I am saturated. The surface looked dry and hard but it was only a crust which when you walked on it, it was like walking on ice. In the commotion or should I say terror I lost my lure, sorry Merv..... Our foray into Barra fishing has come to a sudden halt so back to the car to try and get this mud off us. Back to the caravan park for a shower, washing of clothes and more importantly a medicinal round of rums to calm the nerves that went well into the night. We are off to Katherine tomorrow.