Jabiru's in Kakadu

Rhiann Marie - Round the World
Stewart Graham
Mon 22 Nov 2010 03:08
Monday 22nd November 0800 Local Sunday 21st 2230 UTC      
 
12:27.07S 130:49.39E
 
I have just loved many of the Australian words we have come across. The beautiful Jackaranda trees in full lilac bloom in Sidney. Wooloomooloo at the docks. Roosting Cookaburras across Queensland and now Jabiru's in Kakadu!
 
After clearing into Darwin with the "helpful squad" we headed into town on Saturday morning and went to a "backpackers" travel agency. In half an hour we had it all wrapped up. A 4x4 hired for two days, starting an hour later. We took off on an on and off road 48 hour 800km tour of Kakadu and Litchfield national parks. A flight on Monday 1400 to Alice Springs and a guy to meet us there with another 4x4 with all the camping gear, swags and billies that we needed for a three/four day off road tour round the outback to Uluru (Ayres Rock) and Kings Gorge and what ever else we can find out there.
 
First Kakadu. Speed limits in most of the the Northern Territories, given the distances, are a very practical 130kph. I don't know the statistics but I will bet anything you like that there are no more fatalities or accidents on these roads than there are with lower speed limits. Do "they" (you know who I mean) think that someone driving recklessly pays any heed to speed limits? Or do they think that with higher speed limits we will drive at that speed until we kill ourselves? None of the above - they just want to control and convict and have an ever more powerful and controlling state with lots and lots of juicy jobs in the ever increasing public sector. (Votes in the bag you see - wink, wink).
 
Yes Kakadu, a stunning place and a land belonging to indigenous people but leased to the National Park Authority to manage.
 
We visited several special scenic sights which we will blog photos of, in due course. The highlight however was a dawn Yellow River safari cruise we went on with a park ranger. The wildlife was stunning as we slowly passed through the croc infested billabong and the river itself. There were crocs everywhere and the birds and life of the wetlands were spectacular. The Jabiru's were especially stunning.
 
Next we went to an Aboriginal Cultural centre of the Billinj people. It was one of the best such centres that I have ever visited. However as with the indigenously owned "hotel" we stayed in the night before there were no aboriginal people working in either. 
 
The story of the aboringinal people here is a tragic one and not one for which there is an easy answer. I am reading some information and a book called "Why warriors lie down and die" and as a Balanda (white person) will keep my thoughts on the whole subject until I have met a few more aboriginal people and read this socio-political insight to the problem from an Aboriginal perspective. I was however given some encouragement that the model being followed in Kakadu may show some signs of promise.
 
From Kakadu we travelled over to Litchfield National Park where we entered some of the off road tracks to waterfalls and such like. The driving was great and we forded two rivers with Trish barely letting out a scream. I was forced to turn back however from another river as it was the end of the evening and we were only a third into it when the water was half way up the doors. 
 
This is the wet season and most of the off road tracks are closed due to the required crossings of swollen rivers. However we think this is a perfect time to come here as all of the country side is green and spectacularly lush. By November it is not yet too hot (only 35deg) and rainfall seems to be confined to explosive thunder showers in the evening. We are told that in the dry season that the scenery is not really all that pretty.
 
However being the wet season most swimming holes are closed due to the salt water (and the more elusive fresh water crocodile) inhabiting the water holes, billabongs and rivers. They did not need to warn us twice! We saw so many crocs that I would not really fancy my chances.
 
We have to rush now as we have to get to the Indonesian Consulate here, then Customs, then pack for Alice and Uluru, then provision the boat for an early Friday departure to Indonesia, then re-fuel, then clear immigration then fix the genoa furler, then fly to Alice. Apart from that I am having a leisurely morning.           
 
And with another special word to finish
 
toodooloofornoo
 
That one's Scottish though!

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