Jabiru's in Kakadu
Rhiann Marie - Round the World
Stewart Graham
Mon 22 Nov 2010 03:08
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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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