Steve’s Travel Blog

Hello all,

I am back in Darwin after camping thru Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks.  Here is a brief rundown of the last week

We (Meghan and I) headed into Kakadu National Park and had to drive to the middle of it to get to the information center and find out all the things we could do.  We toured the Bowali Info center while there and got lots of info on the aboriginal culture and the area.  We then drove north to the East Alligator region and camped at the Merl Campground for the night.  We actually did not leave Darwin till the afternoon so not much got done on the first days but driving.

In the morning we packed up and 3 different short hikes (Merls campground to Cahills Crossing, Bardedjildji walk and Manngarre Rainforest walk) that totaled about 5kms.  Each walk was different and gave us great views of the area.  A lot of the big walks are still closed at this time because they go to close to the water and crocs are still around.  later in the dry season all the walks will be open but that does not do us a lot of good.  After some lunch we got back into the car and drove to the Yellow River Region and toured the Warradjan Cultural Center.  This place was very informative and the building was the shape of a turtle.  We then set up camp at Mardugal Campground and I went for a evening river cruise.  The cruise was on the Yellow river and was absolutely incredible.  It started at 4:30 and we toured along the river and saw at least 10 different spieces of birds, pigs, horses, tree snakes and of course CROCS.  We must have seen 15 – 20 crocadiles during the trip and were able to get up very close to some, so close that we had to make sure we kept our hands in the boat while taking photos.  The cruise lasted about 2 hours and was worth all $74 I paid to go on it.  It was nice to see the crocs in there natural envirnment instead of in cages or zoos.

The next morning we headed to the Nourlangie region and did the 12km Barrk Circuit Walk.  This walk was really cool and again it went thru plenty of different eco systems.  The best part of this hike was the Aboriginal Rock Art from hundreds of years ago.  Each painting has true significance and meaning with some that are easy to understand and others that you just have now clue what they were trying to say.  It was really hot out as well and we were pretty tired after the walk so we just chilled at the Mardugul Campgroundfor the evening.  One thing with camping is that the mossies are definately a pain in the ass.  I am getting eatin alive and it does not mater how much spray I put on or how many clothes i am wearing.

The next morning we got up and did the Mamukula walk and then headed out of Kakadu back to Palmerston to pick up a few supplies and the on to Litchfield National Park.  We camped just outside the park at Banyan Tree Camp Park and even had some power outlets to charge a few things up.  The day was mostly driving and not a lot was seen today.  The next morning we drove into Bachelor to get hiking info for the park and filled gas then were on our way to Litchfield.  Our first stop was at the Magnetic Termite mounds, now unlike the termites at home these ones are good and build homes that are over 15 feet high.  They are cool little creatures that do nothing but work, man am I glad that I am not a termite.

Now it was time for some hiking, we did the Wangi Falls hike which are very popular and lots of people were around.  Litchfield is known for all of its waterfalls and plunge pools to cool off in.  Wangi Falls is the most popular but the swimming hole is closed because of crocs.  The water really needs to low before they can assure that there are no crocs in all of the swimming holes and Wangi is pretty deep.  After the hike we headed to Walker Creek, now this creek had hardly any tourists and was much better.  The hike consists of a 2km walk along 8 campsites that you have to book with the aboriginal community.  We did not stay here but we stopped at one of the unoccupied sites and went for a swim.  It was so refreshing and there were little fish and small crayfish trying to nibble off your toes. After a 1/2 hour stop we hiked back and then drove to the Buley Rockhole.

We set up camp and still had time to enjoy the plunge pools there as well.  These are much more popular and had a lot of people around, it seemed we timed it just right as a group was getting out we arrived and just took over there spot.  This is like a creek with multiple drop offs that create a bunch of plunge pools in a very short distance.  Here is where we run into a few problems, after the plunge we head back to camp to have supper and everything is locked in the car and the key has been in my swim trunks the whole time and it will not unlock the car.  Even when we try to do it manually it will not open.  Soon we have a few others around trying to give us advice on how to break in and I am trying all kinds of things.  It is starting to get dark and running out of options, so I decided that a rock thru the window is probably the only thing left to do.  We tried the key one more time and holy cow it actually worked.  It took about an hour for it to dry out but at least i didn’t have to use the rock.  The next morning we got right back into the hiking and did the Florence Falls hike, then Tolmer Falls hike where you are not allowed to swim and finally the Greenant Creek/Tjaetaba Falls hike.  The first 2 were very touristy and lots of people around, the falls were pretty cool though and I can’t believe how much water is flowing in such a dry area.  The last stop was the best, it is a 2.7km hike to the top of a waterfall that has a plunge pool right before a 100 foot drop.  There was no one around and the pool was completely refreshing.  This would be a great place for some romance it is so beautiful.  After our walk back we headed back to Darwin and stayed at Elke’s Backpackers for the night.

I was up early the next morning and off on a Barramundi fishing trip.  The 6 am pick up was tough but i made it and we were on the water at about 7.  The trip was along the Mary River and in the Corroboree Billabong.  It was a tough day fishing and I had only 1 bite but missed the fish and we landed only oe fish in the whole boat with 4 of us fishing.  It was a big fish (85cm & 15 lbs) but a little disappointing not to get anything especially since I paid $300 to be there.  The guide worked really hard and took us to lots of spots but they just were not biting, and that is fishing.  The gentleman that caught the fish did nt want it and gave it to me and I fed about 12 backpackers that evenings and it tasted great.  The next morning was just a early as this time Instead of river fishing i was going ocean fishing.  I saw n awesome sunrise while we boated for an hour out to our first stop.  I was the first to catch a fish which they called a Triggy Snapper, cool fish.  I also caught several other species for the day and about 15 fish in total.  It was a great day but the one fish I really wanted I did not get.  The big one that we were all looking for was called a Jew Fish and they are over a meter long and about 15 kilo.  There were 7 caught on the boat as well as some small sharks.  We saw a sail fish but were unable to catch it.  What a great day and amazingly the skipper was only 20 and the first mate was 18, these kids definitely knew what they were doing.

So where to now you ask, well tomorrow I leave Darwin and head east and probably to Cairns.  Right now I am going to meet up with my new travel mates and cook them some fish for supper.  I will be traveling with 2 French girls (Ashley and Olivia) and another girl from California (Juliana).  It should be a fun group and they all can drive so this time I will not have to do it all myself.

Well until next time, I hope you all take care.

Steve

PS:  Happy anniversary to Mom & Dad, Cathleen and Darryl, Jay and Liz and finally Don and Audrey.  Lots of birthdays coming up as well so I hope there is some online access along the way to Cairns.

Hello all,

Well I have made it to Darwin and damn is it warm here (33 during the day and 22 at night) and I am loving it.  I will give you a recap of the last 10 days because we saw so much this could be a big posting.  Both Carlijn and Meghan are sticking with me on the drive to Darwin.  We will do some camping on this part of the trip once we get to some warmer weather.

Day 1

We left Adelaide at 9am and headed north on Main North Road toward Gawler and the Borrasa Wine Valley but the girls did a good job of keeping on track and out of the wineries.  We continued on thru the Clare Wine Valley and into the Mount Remarkable National Park.  We did a short hike in the park to the Alligator Gorge which has no alligators, it was named after a guy that lived there by the name of Allie.  This is also what they call the start of the Flinders Range which goes all the way into North Australia.  The gorge was not very remarkable for been in Mount Remarkable National Park, but good to see no the less.  From there we drove to a small town called Quron and stayed there for the night.  We were the only people in the hostel but it had beds for at least 70 people.  The owner was in the process of selling the place and was not looking to have to many people in so she would not have to clean.  I can see that gas is going to be a huge expense as the prices are high from what I am used to, out first day was $56 in gas and about 400kms driven.

Day 2

We left Quorn and headed north further into the Flinders Range and into the national park ( the cost to get into this park and yesterday was $8 each).  Once there we went ot a place called Wilpena Pound that is a vast oval encircled by a steep wall of rock.  We did a 2 hour hike around the area and found some aboriginal caves that had old writings and pictures painted inside.  We also saw a yellow footed rock Wallaby which is very rare and close to extinction.  The walls of Wilpena Pound soar to about 500m and leave a basin in the middle that used to be used for sheep and cows.  We then headed back to Quorn and stayed another night.  We were able to do all this on the gas from yesterday but the tank was very empty. Todays drive was about 330 kms.

Day 3

This is when I found out that this car does not like it when the tank is almost empty and you shut it off.  When I tried later it would not start but when we got it on an inline then she turned over and went straight to the gas station.  When we got going we drove to Port Augusta (which we probably should have stayed at instead of QUorn) and it was a bigger town and had a lot more facilities.  We stopped and got money, food and other supplies because from here everything gets way more expensive.  After all of our stuff was bought we headed north thru Woomer and into a town called Coober Pedy.  Coober Pedy is the opal capital of the world, 80% of the industry is from here.  The place does not look like much as all of the ground they dig up is brought to the surface and then just left there, they do not fill in the old holes so there are signs everywhere telling you to be careful and not fall in one.  During the summer months it gets very hot here so most of the homes and shops are built underground.  We stayed at a hostel (Radeka’s) that was an underground cave.  It was really cool and stays a constant 24 degrees all year.  Not much to do in the town but the underground churched are a popular tourist spot.  Our gas bill for the day was $129 which is about $1.50 per liter.  This was really the first drive in the outback and there is less to see all the time.  Our gas bill today was $129 and about 550kms driven.

Day 4

We were u8p early this morning (7am as to 9am every other day) with a big drive ahead of us.  The drive is very boring with the only stops been cattle stations randomly placed along the road.  We stopped at one and cooked our own lunch and then continued on to Yulara.  This is just outside of the Uluru/Kata Tjuta National Park and set up camp at Ayers Rock Campground for the night.  When we finished setting up we got back in the car and we to Ayers Rock/Uluru and walked around the cultural center.  The northern territory has a lot more aboriginal people and culture than what I have seen so far.  The center was a great place to get info on how they lived and all the writings in the caves.  I could have spent more time here but the place closed at 5pm.  From there we went to a viewing point and watched the sunset but unfortunately it was disappointing because there were to many clouds.  The rock goes different shades of red as the sun sets and we saw a little of this but I am sure it can be better.  We then headed back to the campground for some supper and and early night to bed after putting on more than 700kms and $93 in fuel.  One of the stops along the way was sell fuel at $1.75 which is the most expensive we have seen, god thing we didn’t need any at that point. THe national park cost $25 each and the pass was good for 3 days.

Day 5

The first night of camping and I did not get much sleep.  I think it was just because it was different because I was warm enough but Carlijn was cold all night and see does not have that good of a sleeping bag.  I got up at arounfd 7am and had a hot shower and a tea and felt much better.  We headed back to Uluru in the morning and went on a guided walk along the Mala Trail.  The Ranger that did the walk was great and you could tell that he loved what he was doing.  He gave us a lot of aboriginal info and taught us how to read the writings on the rock.  He explained how they lived and their beliefs.  The walk took about 2 hours and then we needed out to Kata Tjuta which is another set of rocks with lots of history.    We did the Valley of the Winds hike (about 3 hours) and it was fantastic. There is so much culture here I am sure I could stay for week.  After the hike we got in the car and drove to Curtain Springs which is a cattle farm along the road back.  We camped there and you could hear cows mooing all night long.  I am pretty sure they were in the middle of calving season.  It was a little colder here but I was still okay, Carlijn had on about 3 layers of clothes to sleep in.  We drove about 150kms today and gas cost us $72.

Day 6

I was up at 7am again and thought I would give the girls a breakfast treat.  I cooked up some eggs, cheese and toast sandwiches that they loved.  It was better than the PB&J that is normally breakie.  We drove to Kings Canyon and had lunch there and then did a 3 hour hike.  You start at the bottom of the canyon and work your way up to the rim and then hike around the rim.  There were incredible canyon walls to see and the drop offs were very steep.  My facebook page has me on the edge of one of these rocks.  I also so a big Goana lizard kinda thing and that was cool. This was a great hike and worth all the energy it took.  We then drove to Kings Creek Station and stayed the night.  THe sign going into the station said that we were at 550m elevation so I knew that we were going to have a cold night.  We were able to have a fire here and Meghan and I collected some firewood before it got dark.  We had supper and then I started the fire, it was a nice little fire and kept us warm for the evening.  Carlijn put on another layer of clothing but was still cold all night.  I added a layer as well and was fine except for first thing in the morning. Another short drive today of around 250kms and today we did not have to fill gas.

Day 7

A hot tea got me going this morning and when I went to start the car there was no juice in the battery.  We were listening to  music last night and I guess we listened a little to long.  I got one of the park guys to come and give me a boost and all was good.  Today we drove to Alice Springs which is the biggest town between Adelaide and Darwin and decided to stay in a hostel for the night.  Not a lot to stop at on this drive so we went straight thru, we even skipped lunch to get there early.  Once we were there we broke down and went to McDonalds for lunch.  We got and got booked into Anne’s Place for the night and then went for a walk.  We visited the reptile center and I held a couple of lizards and Meghan held a big snake.  This is right up her alley so she had a big smile on her face.  After we walked thru town and to ANZAC Hill for the sunset.  We headed back to the hostel and cooked supper and were in bed fairly early, I think everyone was looking forward to a bed instead of a blow up mattress and a tent.  YOu can also tell that the weather is starting to warm up as we move north.  Todays drive was about 450kms and gas cost $100.

Day 8

Today was another long drive with only a few things to see. Here is probably a god spot to tel you a few things about the outback.  It is very hot and dry but there is a lot more vegetation than I expected to see.  There are lots of trees and bushes that seem to get enough water that the can live.  There are also areas that are pretty bare but that is not the norm.  I am not sure if I was expecting it to be like the desert around Arizona but it is completely different.  We have been driving mostly during the day and staying away from dawn and dusk because that is when most of the animals are hit.  The sad thing is that we are seeing more dead animals than live ones.  I estimate that we are seeing around 50 dead animals (mostly kangaroos) per day.  Now image that happening in Alberta or around Banff and what the speed limits would be.  They are 90km/hr in Banff now what would they make them???  Well in Australia it seems that they don’t care that much.  In South Oz where we started the speed limit was 110 on most 2 lane roads and when you get to the Northern Territory it goes up to 130.  This is great for making time but it does not change at night when these animals are been hit.  Now we are seeing some really cool animals none the less.  We saw camels (did you know these were originally a North American species), kangaroos (lots), emus, lot of different lizards, and termites.  Now these termites I speak of are making the huge mounds in the sands and they can get up to 7 feet tall and are really cool to look at on the side of the road.  The further north we go the more flies we encounter and at Uluru there were tons flying around our faces, lots of people were wearing nets around there faces.  Okay lets get back to day 8, we left Alice Springs after filling up with supplies and drove to Tennant Creek which is about a 500km drive.  We had 3 stops on the way, the first was for lunch at Cattle station around Aileron.  From there we drove to a town called Wcliffe Well where they have a UFO center and where they claim to have had sightings.  The center consisted of fake green men and a spce ship with lots of articles where locals claim to have seen spaceships.  It is all conveintly located around a restaurant and gift shop.  It seemed a little hokey to me but it got us to stop and look and I guess if they can get some people to actually spend some money then good for them.  From there we went to what is called the Devils Marbles, this place was really cool.  In the middle of no where are all these huge boulders stacked on top of one another and over time parts of them have eroded away to make them look like giant marbles.  We walked around the area for about 1 hour and then head for Tennant Creek.  We stayed at a Caravan park and we paid $3 to see a bush tucker show.  So what is a bush tucker show?  Bush is for “outback” and tucker is slang for food/roadkill.  Jim was also a poet and it was a fun evening.  We tried Kangaroo tail and assorted plants ans weeds that are found in the outback.  Our gas bill for today was $126.

Day 9

Today was another pretty long drive but not as bad as yesterday.  Again there was not a lot along the road and we had only 2 stops today and the first was for lunch at another cattle station called Dunmarra.  From here we went into the Elsey National Park and spent about 1 hour in there thermal pool.  It was great to relax and go for a soak, it was very relaxing and there where some really cool spiders living above us.  From there we drove to Katherine for the night and staying in another caravan park.  The caravan parks and cattle stations have cost $10 per person and the hostels were around $20.  Today we put on about 550kms and spent $66 on gas.

Day 10

This morning we packed everything up and headed out to Nitmiluk National Park and took in the Katherine Gorge.  Carlijn and I took a $56 boat ride up the first 2 gorges of 13 while Meghan did a 2 hour walk out to one part of the gorge.  The gorge was very impressive and I got to see my first crocodile.  They try to get all the Salties out og the gorge and back into the ocean.  During the wet season there is so much rain the gorge floods and goes up about 15 meters, yes that is a long way up.  The Crocs can then get in and then it takes some time to get them out.  THey have not seen a croc since the middle of April.  These are the salt water crocs only and the fresh water crocs are left there and they do not attack humans unless provoked.  After they are sure the crocs are out the this turns to a swimming hole for the locals. After we headed to the city of Darwin and out of the outback.  It is very hot in Darwin (33 during the day and 22 at night) and I am loving it.  It is a busy city with lots of backpackers around lots of other tourists.  The hostel is very expensive ($29 per night) and not that great of a place.

I have now been in Darwin for 3 days once this gets posted and i have ot say that I am not very impressed with the city.  I spent a day walking around and looking at the sites which were nice and I did enjoy that part.  The city is a lot smaller than I thought and is lacking in services and the ones they have are very expensive.  I have left the hostel I was in and went to a camper van park a litlle out of town.  It is better priced and has a pool, so hopefully it will be a little better to relax before I head out on the road again.  I am planning to take in the National Parks inthe area (kakadu and Litchfield) and then see where I am after that.  My first 3 months in Oz are almost up and so I have to leave and then come back and continue.  I currently have a flight to Vanuatu on June 9th and will probably spend a couple of weeks there.

Well that’s about it for now, I hope you enjoy the pics but I could not put them all on the site so go to my Facebook page and they will all be there.

Take care,

Steve

Finally I got my car!!!  Thanks goodness. I bought a 95 Holden Commodore in a private deal and got everything checked over and serviced and now I can head out on the road.  Sorry I forgot to take a pic of ... [Continue reading this entry]