Australia - Alice Springs to Dawrin via Katherine Gorge & Kakadu National Park

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Alice Springs to Dawrin via Katherine Gorge & Kakadu National Park

22nd - 30th October

The alarm went off at around 5am and we really struggled to move as neither of us slept very well BUT this was planned to be around an 1100km day to Mataranka and we knew keeping to the schedule was critical this early in our planned route so we finally said good-bye to our beds at around 05:45.

By just before 7am we were packed and ready to leave. By 07:11 we'd filled up with petrol and coffee and were on our way. I wasn't sure we'd make it today, especially on the back on the poor nights sleep but we were up for giving it a go.

Initially I was still feeling the effects of being so tired but not long into the ride I saw a Kangeroo bouncing in the early morning light. It was a fresh and bright morning with the days sun too busy waking up to be dehydrating us just yet. These few observations were a tonic to me and we raced along soon cruising at a very nice pace. We planned our breaks based on 2 hours riding and 30 mins break with only an extended break for lunch. It worked well and often we could achieve nearer 300km's per riding session.

We took some Pizza with us we hadn't been able to eat the night before for the poor and very hungry dogs at Ti-Tree. We got the Pizza out at the time of fueling the bike and one of the dogs came over immediatley but the manager was not happy and barked that he didn't want us encouraging the dogs to hang around the garage. Whilst I could see his point to some degree, these poor things were struggling to get through their day. Sylvia and I decided to take the Pizza to the other side of the road away from his territory and offer out the Pizza there. Today there was only one solitary dog who luckily got to eat about 4 or 5 slices of Pizza. We could see the Dogs overall condition and its waryness of man so we didn't attempt to touch it. We just watched it wolf down each piece without the time to taste anything as it was too worried of it being taken by another dog.

Saddened yet again by Ti-Tree we continued to head North with the hope of a McDonalds for lunch at Tennant Creek where we'd eaten the awful chicken at red Roosters on the way down. The town is half-way between its older history and the modern and doesn't yet seemed to have come to a comfortable place, not at least from our perspective anyway. We couldn't find one restaurant or diner in town that we felt we'd like to visit and so chose to keep riding to "Three Ways".

There is only one restaurant at three ways, and whilst expensive(as all Road Houses), served a reasonable steak burger which Sylvia and I enjoyed. We took a longish break there, and whilst reading some news paper cuttings on the wall, read a journalists story of his stay there for a few days a few years ago. He came away with a very different picture of the role of the road house. Specifically, some farmers would fly 300-500km's for a beer and some company there whilst others depended on the simple postal facilities offered. There were many other things mentioned but I can't remember them all.

Anyway we set off again and we are now in the full heat of the day. Early had been hot and I'd disciplined myself to drink about every 10-15 mins to ensure my concentration was at its best but now it was even hotter and I was going through my water in the Camelbak very quickly.

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I'd hoped, I'd really hoped only ever to have come across this sort of thing in the States..but...ahem....

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We stopped again at Elliot to re-fuel and enjoy the a/c in the restaurant. We gulped down some iced coffee, ice creams and re-loaded our camelbaks with ice-cold water which was further enhanced by some free ice from the store manager. Very Nice.

Off we went again and by a further 150km's I was starting to feel the energy drain from the day. That and an enforced halt of nature caused me to stop for 10 mins or so to rest and prepare myself for Roo-hour. Roo-hour is around dusk(and/or day break) and the most likely time you'll get a Kangeroo jump out in front of you. In no way an good time to drive but today it was essential so I needed to be sharp just for a little longer.

Finally we reach Mataranka at around 6:30 pm and set about finding the camp-site Sylvia remembered and some food for dinner. The local shop didn't have much but we managed to get some milk for breakfast and directions to the three campsites in town. We decided to eat at the local pub and ordered one fish platter for us both to share as we wern't that hungry. The pub/Hotel looked quite grim so we weren't expecting much, however when it came, the plate and portion were huge, easily enough for both of us.

Whilst we were eating, two aboriginal boys came and sat next to us, asking about the bike, where we were from. They seemed quite bright. It was now around 8 and as they only looked about 10 we asked didn't they have school tomorrow(and shouldn't they be in bed ?) we were told that their father and Uncle were in the Hotel somewhere. Very Sad.

We leave and find the camp-site Sylvia thinks she rememebrs and we put the tent up. As we do so we gather a small audience of Wallabies who are curious as to wether we have any food or not. About half a loaf later we have a bigger audience but its time for bed and so we bid the day, the Wallabies and the world good-night.

The following morning whilst waking up with breakfast we are again observed by the Wallabies and Peacocks...yes Peacocks. The very same shy animals we'd encountered in India were now full on "where's the bread man ?- Wallaby bullying monsters" All very interesting and provides plenty of opportunities for the cameras.

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One of our visitors.....

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...who was very tame. Later we found out that many of the Wallabies here were rescued as Joeys and hand-reared by the camp-siteowner.


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One of the cheekiest Peacocks I've ever seen....the others were at this camp site too !

After packing up the tent we stroll down to the natural hot-spring to take a dip.

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The GS's diet as prescribed in the Bootleg Handbook.

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The bike became a Rubik's cube in terms of packing. If we didn't pack it in the right order it didn't go back together again !!

On the way we cannot beleive the number of "Flying Foxes/Fruit Bats" hanging from the trees. At a very crude estimate some trees must have had 300-500 hanging there. In the whole small park we estimate that something in the region of 10,000-20,000 were there. They were everywhere. !!!

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Fruit bats everywhere !! - also known as Flying Foxes

The "Hot" spring was at around 25-28 degrees and so cooler than the abient by around 10 degrees which made it very pleasant and so we spent around 30 mins there. We then spent a further 45 mins or so looking at and trying to photo the bats. Crazy.

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Suffering yet again for your viewing pleasure !!

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Bat Crazy...we just kept clicking as if we'd seen a Dodo.

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We then decided to take some lunch before moving on to Kathrine Gorge. Near the end of lunch we see a Joey(a baby Kangeroo) wrapped up in a blanket being carried by one of the diner workers. Sylvia & I get to hold it and learn that the owner checks the pouch of recently killed female Kangeroos(by Road Trains and other road traffic) to see if they're carrying a Joey. If they are she rescues them from being eaten alive by ants in their Mothers pouch and brings them up on the camp-site as pets.

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Sylvia becoming Joey-eyed asks if we have enough room in the Tank bag...not if it means throwing out my chocolate biscuits I gently replied !!

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The heat and humdity are far higher than Alice and I start to really feel the heat as we kit up and leave for Katherine. The total ride today is less than 150km's so we can take it easy-I'm not sure why but sometimes the easier days seem to be harder to do than the harder and every km seems like 20. ( Call me precosious !!!) We arrive at Katherine and Sylvia does some research in the local Information provider located in a gas station as to what we can expect in terms of camping facilities at the Gorge. We are pleased to learn that there are showers, drinking water and fridge/cooking facilities and set off with a few beers and some dinner.

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Seen somewhere en-route ... for those of you with a black sense of humour !

We arrive at the Gorge site not 20 mins later and set to putting the tent up in the most sun-protected spot we can find. We are greeted by a couple from Acton looking to gain immigration status in Australia and chat with them and some German friends they have made for a while. The humidity is very high and for the first time in a while I start to really feel it but nowhere near as much when Sylvia and I try and sleep. We'd taken showers to cool off before bed but within a few mintues of going to bed the sweat was rolling off me and stayed that way until about 4am....hmmm, nice !! The following morning the tent was too hot to stay in by 07:30 and so we got up and had another shower before breakfast. When we'd spoken to the two other couples the night before we learnt that they'd deduced one of the best way of seeing the Gorge wass by canoe.

As Sylvia and I are not adverse to the odd paddle we too opted for a canoe for half a day but ended up hiring one for a whole day at the half day price due to our desire to see the first and second gorge and the generosity and understanding of the lady at the Kiosk. The second Gorge was supposed to be the most beautiful but only accessible by canoe on a full-day hire, although the brochure says something different. Anyway, we took the whole day to paddle what was actually a very short distance so it was very relaxed and cool as we were so close to the water. The canoes though didn;t seem well set up for two paddlers at the same tiem as every pair we met said what a distater it was when they both tried to paddle at the same time. Not long into paddling I suggested to Sylvia that I might paddle alone for a while, which turned out to be for most of the day in the end, and sylvia was quite happy to be the Queen of Katherine Gorge for the day.

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I Love being on or under water.

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At the end of the first Gorge where we went for a swim.

Whilst paddling we got to hand feed some fish and a Turtle and got to take a very refreshing swim at the end of the first Gorge. The turtle had a surprisngly big mouth and we both got our fingers nipped as we fed her. She was obvioulsy quite hungry and considerably slower than the surrounding fish which added to her desire to get the treat.

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Our Turtle encounter.

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Sylvia tries out the Turtles liking for a Seasame seed chewy bar...

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...which goes down well almost along with her finger & thumb !!

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Sylvia at the end of the second Gorge.

It was a lovely day and we returned very satisfyied.

To add to our delight our English freind, Lauren had brought us back some cold XXXX tinnies to drink ! What a star !!

We had dinner and spent some time uploading and categorizing our photos for the past week or so. Later we were joined again by Lauren & the German couple and chatted for a while.

After yet another melting night in the tent and Sylvia being eaten by ants we packed up, got showered and headed for Cooinda, home to Yellow Waters in Kakadu National Park. Before we got there we stopped for lunch in Jabriu where we bought some bread and cheese. Whilst eating outside we saw some Aboriginal children opening up toys they'd bought from the supermarket like they were given new toys each day(which apprently is what is happening !), and they left the packaging lying all over the pavement.

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A road house stop we made on the way - I was really tired and we were both very hot & very thirsty.

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Some Brombies (Wild Horses) seen on the way to Kakadu.

After yet another very hot day in the saddle we get to Cooinda, bought our seats for the boat trip along Yellow Waters at 06:30 the following morning and put our tent up. We discover there is a bar & restaurant and whilst we initailly were going to cook for oursleves after a beer, "find" oursleves enjoying their food whilst watching a "Strongest man" competetion on satellite TV.

The following morning we're up early for our boat trip. The view of the river at 06:30 is beautiful with a mist hanging over the surrounding green and lush fields. 15 or so minutes later when we leave on the trip itself, our view is replaced by a number of birds and crocodiles who inhabit the river. The cruise was very nice although going a bit earlier would have given us a better view of the surrounding countryside in the beautiful early morning mist.

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First thing at Yellow waters in Kakadu National Park.

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This is a Cormoran which has to dry its wings after fishing as it hasn't got the same oils as normal fishing birds.

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Our first sightings of Crocodiles living in the wild.

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After returning we had breakfast and packed up.

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This van was parked at our campsite and is an example of a campervan design that you see loads of in Australia and New Zealand.

Today we were heading for an Aboriginal rock art centre called Mourlangie where "famous" "X-ray" style dream-time drawings could be found. Whilst initailly interested, the secrecy of the Aboriginals in keeping most of their stories so secret or those they tell so uninspiring, I found it vey hard to take any interest. This loss of interest was also aided by one of the hottest and most humid days I'd encountered anywhere along with too many flies trying to make their home on our faces-I actually felt ill nearer the end of the trip. Sylvia got far more from our visit.

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The x-ray style drawings.

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Very interesting...mmmmm, yes-sir-ee. I was pleased to have seen the drawings but the heat and flies robbed me of the little interest I'd had. I thought 'ugleebugga' might appreciate this shot !!


That night we camped at Merl which is another National Park site providing showers and toilets only.

Merl was a bit more inspiring as we were away from everybody else and could build a fire.....which delighted us. The only real down-side was the number of ants trying to share our food. We were still trying to destroy a group that seemed to have set up home in the bikes sub-frame in Katherine Gorge and here we were meeting bigger and larger quantities-we however managed to keep them under control and enjoy our evening.

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Camping at Merl, our best nights camping yet...we could have a fire !!!

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Whoa - ho- ho- ho, Wha -ha- ha- ha!!

With the lack of other campers we were able to leave the fly-sheet off the tent and enjoy a cooler night and observe the wild-life in the trees early the next morning which we were woken up to by some Black Cokatoos taking their breakfast in the srrounding trees. We had breakfast & teas and a shower before heading off to another Aboriginal "X-Ray" style site at Ubirr.

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One of the x-ray style drawings from Ubir.

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The view from near the top of the rocks at Ubir.

Ubirr was a bit more interesting than Mourlangie but left me largely disinterested again as the drawings are pretty basic and mean little without the accompanying stories. Sylvia again seemed to find it quite interesting whilst I ended up feeling ill from the heat again.

Finally we left Ubirr and headed for Darwin where the BMW was to be serviced and the back tyre replaced as it was pretty worn. The ride was largely uneventful barring getting caught in an almighty Thunderstorm about 50km's from Darwin wheree we stopped under a businesses shelter whils the storm blew over.

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The thunderstorm just outside Darwin. We were soaked in less that a few minutes.

We arrived in Darwin and decided to stay at a Backpackers instead of camping as the rain looked like it would start again. The Backpackers was basic but clean and each bedroom had its own fridge which was quite helpful. We settled into our room, got some microwave meals, some beers and a DVD to watch. We went to bed as happy as Larry.

We spent the week-end in Darwin and used the time to make web updates, do washing and get the bike serviced. The service was done on the Monday and we were all set to leave on the Tuesday so we popped into town to print off a letter to Olympus and send the camera off for repair. However when we returned to the bike it was lying on its side.

A few people helped us pick it up and a few offered explanations as to what happened...the nearby car reversed into it, the wind blew it over. Somehow they all seemed inplausibile. I noticed that teh side stand had partially buried itself in the soft tarmac from the sun and assumed that had been teh real problem, however a man came up and confessed to having reversed into it !! He was shaking a bit and asked how much damage had been done- I said it wasn't good as my fog lamp had been broken and there were a number of scratches on expensive components. He said he didn't have insurance but would pay for any damage. I got his business card but felt something wasn't right so I also took his registration details as he left.

We headed off back towards Katherine on our way towards the Litchfield National park but Sylvia realised she'd left our towels hanging on the clothes line 20 odd Km's into our ride and so I turned around and went back, taking the opportunity to get BMW Darwin to look the bike and create an estimate whilst the incident was fresh in everybodies mind.

Finally we left Darwin with the hope of visiting Litchfield National Park still in us but as we drew closer we could only see dark clouds handging over the Litchfield area. We decided threfore to aim for Kunnunara near the Bungle Bungles and see how far we could get.

An hour or so later the skies opened on us as it had done on the way into Darwin and we were drenched in the first few minutes. We took shelter in a Pubs awning in Pine Creek and soon decided to get a unit there for the night. We also had an amazing Barramundi & Steak meal at the pub. Both the fish and meat were prime cuts cooked very well and only for $20 each. We retired to watch some pretty distressing crime program on TV before I go off into a disturbed sleep !!

Mike.
 


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