Days 295-298 - Darwin, Australia

DARWIN (23/10/09 - 26/10/09)

Our last weekend in Australia was to be set in the rather dull city of Darwin. Coincidentally it was also the weekend that the Global Green Challenge - a 3000km solar powered car race from the north to the south of Australia - was starting in Darwin. We headed into town early in the morning to see the start. Before the race began the cars were displayed for the public to take a look at. Unfortunately the only team to be frantically repairing their car was the British team from Cambridge University.

However despite the last minute panic the Brits did get it going and it wasn't one of those that we later saw broken down on the highway out of Darwin. We suppose it must have been difficult testing such a car in Cambridge- perhaps they should have put some sort of mill water wheel type arrangement on the back and made it rain powered!

Whilst some of the cars were considerably more hi-tech than the British effort some were decidedly less so. This one looked like it was made out of an old pram combined with a washing machine.

The start line. 3000km with no air conditioning and temperatures outside going above 40°C- rather them than us.

Something we had never seen before which are common in this part of Australia are these 'Road Trains'. This enormous truck has three trailers but we saw several with four. Amazingly when travelling at close to the speed limit on the highways it takes an average of 2.5km to overtake a 50m (150ft) Road Train.

Another huge truck blocking the whole highway as it labouriously turns the corner.

As we already said there is very little to do do in Darwin other than book tours to take you elsewhere. The Botanic Gardens, however, proved worth a short visit.

The gardens showcase several Australian habitats and we saw many interesting plants that we hadn't previously seen on our travels.

The Gardens were also home to hundreds of multi-coloured dragonflies which, of course, Adam set about photographing.

A small picnic in the shade of the trees, out of the blazing sunshine, was a lovely way to finish our fun for the day before spending the afternoon getting a few things organised for our flight to Indonesia the next day.

Our last meal in Australia. We can't believe how fast the seven weeks here had passed. Unbelievable that after just a couple of short months in Asia we will be home, and in the middle of winter too!

Day 294 - Kakadu NP, Australia

KAKADU NATIONAL PARK (22/10/09)

Kakadu National Park is the largest of all Australia's National Parks and has an amazing variety of landscapes and habitats. This unusual looking bush had also fallen prey to the dry weather - a large bush fire had passed through only a few weeks before. Much of the park is only accessible by four wheel drive cars but since many of the famous attractions are waterfalls we were not too bothered- we had already seen how dry they can become.

Not affected by the dry weather, and the main reason we had come to Kakadu, are the spectacular Aboriginal Rock Art sites. The paintings date back perhaps 20,000 years and are mostly found under natural rock shelters. The first we visited were at a site called Ubirr and depicted various subjects including this fierce looking warrior spirit, probably painted to protect the shelter from evil spirits.

Another subject which featured prominently was food. It was common for the tribes people to paint a picture of their catch from the days hunting if they were proud of what they had caught. Here is a depiction of a Long-necked Turtle.

Another food painting - a large fish.

As is still the case today the Aboriginals used paintings as health warnings. This unfortunate lady is showing the painful swollen joint disease it was believed would be contracted if you visited certain forbidden, sacred sites without the proper authority.

A clearer picture of the underside of one of the smaller shelters showing various animals as well as people.

Ubirr is a huge rocky outcrop in the otherwise fairly flat surrounding land. It is not only famous for it's rock art but also for the incredible views from the top of the expansive flood plains below. The lush green, flat land had not yet fully succumbed to the dry conditions and provided a stark contrast to the arid bush we had been seeing.

It was quite a feeling looking out over so much land and the strong breezes were a great relief from the heat, despite the fact it was still only about 9.30am.

Not far from Ubirr is an area known as Cahill's Crossing, where the road crosses a river from Kakudu into Arnhemland which is now a restricted area requiring a permit from anyone who is not indiginous to the area. On the Banks of the East Alligator River we spotted these fruit bats who seemed a little suprised to see us.

We had come to the East Alligator River in the hope that despite the misnomer we might be able to spot some wild Salt Water Crocodiles. We weren't overly hopeful and were dlighted when we spotted this large individual just over the river from us.

We spotted three in total, it certainly made Adams day. There is always, however, the disconcerting feeling that they are watching you just as intently as you are watching them.

Off the main roads we drove down some of these incredibly Australian looking outback roads.

When it was no longer possible to drive we took off on foot with a backpack of full of water.

Even a short trek through the bush in this heat feels a lot longer than it really is and after what felt like several hours but was probably about half an hour we arrived at Nanguluwur, one of the park's less visited Aboriginal Shelters and art sites. It is easy to see why the people chose these places- the rocky overhang provides shade from the heat of the day and shelter from the torrential wet season rains.

Liz with several fish paintings.

Hundreds of hand prints on the walls gave us a real feel of the number of people who had lived in this place.

A variety of figures representing both people and spirits.

On the other side of the huge rocky escarpment from Nanguluwur is the site of Nourlangie, also the name of the huge rock itself.

Nourlangie was an important Aboriginal site and was home to hundreds with it's huge shelters, abundance of shade and cool breezes (which we greatly appreciated too).

Food was, and is, a very important part of Aboriginal culture. Paintings of food items are everywhere including this large, red Kangaroo.

Nourlangie would have also hosted many important rituals and events. This lively painting depicts a number of people involved in a complex dance.

These more modern paintings at the site are much better understood than the older paintings and the spirits and their stories are much better remembered. Many of the pictures are of evil spirits, a reminder for the population to always be on their guard.

After one of the best days we have spent in Australia we decided to forsake the poor quality, over priced food shops around the National Park and head back towards Darwin and the lure of a decent dinner for our very worked up appetites.

As we approached Dawin again a stunning tropical sunset brought the day to an end.

Day 293- Litchfield to Kakadu, Australia

DRIVING FROM LITCHFIELD TO KAKADU NATIONAL PARK (21/10/09)

The long drive from Litchfield to Kakadu really made us appreciate our choice to pay a little extra for air conditioning. The incredibly dry bush land went on for miles although occasionally we spotted something interesting such as this striking, lone red tree.

About 400km of this, with very little variation, can get a little monotonous but after all this time we have got pretty good at entertaining ourselves. Anyone who has never heard Adam sing (that's nearly everone) can consider themselves very lucky.

Day 292- Litchfield NP, Australia

LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK (20/10/09)

There are a great number of now disused mines scattered across Australia. The Bamboo Creek Tin Mine was closed around the 1930's but many of the buildings and machines still remain. A short walk around gave us an interesting insight into early outback industry. Also the fact that we could barely cope with the heat just walking around made us really aware of how resilient these furnace workers must have been.

The majority of insects that seemed to be around were flies, incredibly annoying creatures who's sole purpose in life seemed to be to somehow get inside of us- be it in our ears, up our nose or in our eyes or mouth. There were, however, some less infuriating insects in the form of butterflies and hundreds of beautiful dragonflies.

Walking around the bush we visited several of the waterfalls that Litchfield is famous for. However due to the severe drought which is currently going on there was very little water and so very little waterfall. Although it did mean that we could climb to places not normally accessible and look right down from the top of the falls.

In the wet season a raging torrent of water will crash through here, covering all these rocks to a depth of several metres. Being here in the dry season it is almost impossible to imagine how different it must be.

Walking in the bush in the incredible heat, under the relentess sun even the smallest bit of shade comes as a great relief.

Even Tolmer Falls, one of the largest in the park, has been reduced to a mere trickle.

No, Adam isn't turning into a zebra- a days bushwalking in sandals really makes you appreciate a good shower.

Day 291- Litchfield NP, Australia

LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK (19/10/09)

From Darwin we drove several hours south and inland to one of the Northern Territory's many and varied National Parks, Litchfield. At the height of the dry season the park was exceptionally dry and there had been a number of recent bushfires. The barren, parched bush as we drove into the park was occasionally punctuated with enormous termite mounds.

One of the tallest termite mounds in Australia. They are fascinating constructions, meticulously constructed to perfectly ventilate and thermoregulate the nest.

This field of hundreds of termite mounds almost looks like a cemetery. The blackened earth was caused by a recent fire which tore through this area.

A beautiful outback sunset.

Much to his delight the owner of the campsite we were staying in let Adam hold his pet Olive Python- for hours.

Days 289 & 290 - Darwin, Australia

DARWIN (17/10/09 & 18/10/09)

Rather sad to leave Olie and family in Melbourne we caught a flight from the cold far south of the country to the sweltering far north- Darwin. Not really accustomed to the intense heat and humidity (+36ºC every day) we spent a couple of days acclimatising and visiting cool, shady places. The Museum of the Northern Territory has some fantastic Aboriginal Art displays (which you're not allowed to photograph) as well as natural history exhibitions; one of which included this gigantic extinct crocodile skull. This monster was more than twice the size of the largest crocodile alive today- 14m (42ft) long and 8 tons in weight!

We also visited the old Darwin Gaol which was in use until 1979.

It was fascinating wandering around getting a feel of what it must have been like for the inmates being in here so recently, especially in the intense heat. They certainly didn't get any privacy.

The main cell block. The Gaol was eventually closed due to unacceptable overcrowding, not hard to imagine looking at the cramped cells.

Liz slightly over enthusiastically grabbing hold of the gallows trapdoor lever.

One of the two solitary confinement cells.

Due to the intense overcrowding temporary blocks were built in the early 70s. The prisoners apparently preferred these due to the increased air flow and the fact that they could see and communicate with inmates in other cells. Adam wanted Liz to lie down on one of these original camp beds with original unwashed sheets for the picture but for some reason she wasn't keen.