So I just returned last night from our 3 day/2 night trek into the bush of Kakadu. Good times indeed - even with GTers scared of mozzys (mosquitos) and giant spiders in tents (well, more understandable, but, really screaming wasn't necessary.)
Friday: Got up too early, packed (very little as i basically wore the same outfit just adding or removing a sweater as needed) and piled into one of two 15 passenger vans. It's a goodly drive out to Kakadu - about 1.5 hrs south and east of Darwin. First stop was for a Jumping Crocodile Cruise on the Adelaide River. Before boarding I got to hold a 6 ft. python... should be a good picture. Then onto the cruise where we traveled down the river baiting the crocs with chunks of beef dangled into the water causing them to attack/even jump a bit. Let me just insert here that this caused me to be even more upset that they did not tell us right when we arrived that salties (the agressive ones) were occassionally pulled out of the water at Mindil beach - the place where we went wading on day 2. good lord these things are huge, ranging from 3-20ft long, and really scary up close i would just like to say. plus there are tons of them - 1 every 100m or so it's estimated. Anyway, a further hour drive into the park to stop at Ubirr. This is a site with some of the most ancient known aboriginal rock art. Incredible to think that people were living there and painting 60,000-40,000 yrs ago. Most of the park is open woodland - lots of eucalyptis trees and dry, dry ground cover of spiky grass. This is the season for controled burns too, so much of the brush was on fire when we climbed to a lookout point at Ubirr. In one direction lay the plain of woodlands ending in the escarpment - a huge plateau covering hundreds of acres, and in the other direction lay 'stone country' rocky, rough, unkown land. We drove off and watched the sunset at a billabong near one of the uranium reserves in the park - saved only by civil disobedience in the 1980's. On to our campsite, where another group awaited our arrival to start dinner. Tents were all set up - even with bedrolls provided. We huddled around the fire and enjoyed kangaroo stir fry. Kangaroo is really good as a matter of fact, a bit like venison - dark, very juicy, lean. Then I wandered off with the wildlife and conservation class that was there on a spotlighting hike. Found a few birds in trees, lots of spiders, then went down to the billabong to hunt for crocs. None were found, unfortunately, although I was freaked enough by the Barramundi (fish) eyes that we found reflected. Unfortunately caine toads have migrated this far north and we found a couple of them. The bathrooms were by far the best place for wildlife though: huntsmen spiders, wolf spiders (these are both big, hairy, and very scary), lizards of all sorts, and tree frogs. always an adventure in australia!
saturday: an early start, and we all packed up into 4WD toyota landcruisers for the journey out to Twin falls and Jim-Jim falls. An hour on unsealed roads before a quick stop to turn on 4WD. Then it was nearly off-roading it - a very bumpy, yet fun ride through the bush. Spotted some brumbies (wild horses) right off and later some water buffalo. Crossed a river higher then my waist which was a new experience, as cars at home seem to falter at a few inches of water... Arrived at Twin falls and we were taken down the gorge in a boat. Used to be that everyone would swim down the gorge to the base of the falls, but as salties have been sited and doing this eventually creates a film of sunscreen on the water, the boats are more environmentally friendly. There we enjoyed the falls - 2 falling more then 300m to a plunge pool with a white sandy beach. I sat in the shade with Bruce and Raylein (finally figured out they are in fact married and teaching the course with their daughter along for the trip) Both were very concerned about my sunburn and have been near adopting me to prevent further sun injury. Good times in all. Clambered back over the rocks, back to the boat, back to the landcruisers, and backtracked to a picnic site for lunch. The guides in my car were "traditional owners" Darren and Johnnie - definitely characters, loved to tell stories, and were amazing at spotting things like frilly lizards while doing 40mph on a bumpy track. Next stop was Jim-Jim falls. This required more of a hike to get to - 1 km. May not sound like much, but more then half of it was not a path, but simply clambering over huge rocks some of which were loose. Definitely a work out and I am proud that I had only 1 good fall and that was on the way out! At any rate, poor Darren had to keep reminding us to 'think like rock wallabies' especially the poor city kids (only a couple were bad) that did not enjoy the communing with nature. At Jim-Jim we were allowed to go swimming. The falls here were even higher - maybe 400m. And the plunge pool was harder to get to. Again, the gorgeous white sandy beach followed by a pool of water about 50 degrees F. A shallow layer of rocks separated it from a smaller pool about 30m across where one had to scramble across another rock barrier to get to the plunge pool. We all started out on this trek - despite the cold water. The scarriest part initially was that 30m across pool - the first place where you HAD to swim to get further. The water was incredibly clear and cold. When I first jumped in I was positive my heart would stop or I would hyperventilate 1/2way across. Just had to keep swimming and keep calm. Then on the rock barrier we found a black whip snake - dangerous - necessary detour. And then the last step to reaching the waterfall and standing beneath it - the plunge pool itself. It was about 200m in diameter, at least 30m deep - so deep it was black, and even colder - about 40 degrees. Basically no where to stop and take a rest if you got cold or tired. About 5 of our group made it to the falls and stood on a ledge beneath it as I arrived on the edge of the rock barrier. In the process 2 more had turned back halfway (GT boys!) and 1 had got scared and swam to the side. Well of course I couldnt not go, so I dove in and headed off. Eventually went a bit numb - but as long as you dont panic, it wasnt a hard swim at all. Just so gorgeous to look up at the sandstone cliffs surrounding the pool. Made it to the falls where I stood on a little ledge and let the freezing cold water pound down.. incredible let it be known - one of the best things i've ever done i think. At any rate, the rest of the day was making our way back to camp where dinner was crocodile and kangaroo. croc is actually a bit like chicken. honestly! even looks like it!!
sunday: now for driving back to darwin, the long way. An hour long stop at Noulangie rock - a place where art was being done by aborgines from 5,000 yrs ago up until the 1960s. Clearer and more colorful then Ubirr with another view of the escarpment. Many bushfires that day. The aborigines use the fire-stick method of farming - burning this time of year rather then waiting until the wet season when lightening strikes with ignite out of control fires. The eucalyptis trees WANT to burn - and produce oil and dry stringy bark to do so, this kindling is added to with the grasses that grow high and are incredibly dry by the end of the winter. The whole sky was hazy with smoke. Then the bus took us further to Gunlom falls where we had lunch, then hiked up to the top of the falls (another work out! specially being sore from the day before) where there were some lovely pools to swim in and a great view looking into the valley. Then 3 hours of driving - I finished my 2nd hand book "Down Under" by Bill Bryson which was entertaining and I reckon relatively close to fact. A stop at the Adelaide River Historic War Cemetary - our one history assignment of the trip and then another 1.5 hrs to Darwin. Today and tomorrow are free days which will probably involve lots of sitting, maybe a bit in the sun, wandering the town in the morning and evening, and going to the gym in the middle. Wed and Thurs I'll have the first classes of my elective - Australia Environmental History. Good times!!
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