29th Oct
We had heard a few stories about Kakadu such as kakadont and that it is too dry etc., etc., but it is a mistake to take such stories too seriously as everyone has a different interest when it comes to such matters. We camped outside the Kakadu national park in the last free rest area coming along the top road from Darwin, Humpty Doo, towards Jabiru. The park didn’t start till about 100k from Jabiru and it was just bush along the way. We stopped at a viewing station at what seemed just ordinary scrub but a short walk found us on a boardwalk and a covered viewing area overlooking a large wet area, a lake if you like. There were lots of ducks and other bird life frolicking in the waters – delightful.
Merl camp at the top side of Jabiru was out camp for the night. Run by the national parks, $20 for two, with hot cold shows, flushing toilets, and plenty of space under the trees.
Our first delight here was the beautiful sandstone rocks ranging from a meter to 15m in height dotted around the area. On the walk to view the aboriginal art the path led up onto the escarpment wending its way through the rock outcrops to end up with panorama views of the wetlands and other crags in the distance. We were entertained by a ranger with a short talk on the area. To note was the story of Bill Neijie, an aboriginal man who lived the traditional way but also learnt the white Australian way. He pasted on some stories in written text with an emphasis on preserving the land. He died a few years ago and was put to rest the traditional aboriginal way in a cave, wrapped in bark, with some of his tribal ancestors. The sandstone crags in the distance was his resting place and a spiritual moment was had as we sat to watch the setting sun.
Earlier we had met a couple, camping adjacent to us, who came from Sawtell, just round the corner from where we live in fact, and we went and watched the crocodiles crossing the Barr in East Alligator river. Yep there are hundreds around these here parts.
Much of the area is sacred aboriginal land but I found a couple of spots to have a bit of a climb (boulder).
The rock, sandstone like in Coffs, feels really dry and due to lack of touching has a somewhat brittlely feel but it was good to stretch some muscles . Being out here on your own though, far from home, you have to be a bit careful, and today at 37 plus degrees it is just too damn hot.
Well we went to Yellow Water for a stroll along the boardwalk. Spied a few crocs, and some brolgas in the distance.
We have developed a few little sayings over time such as;
– will be there ‘after awhile’
– ‘down the road aways’
So if you ask where we are going to be and when we are going to be there we can reply with – will be there after a while down the road aways.
Have you seen the green ants? Southerners probably haven’t so they are the ants that make their nest in gum trees out of the leaves. There nest looks like a tube of leaves around the size of a large mug. Anyway an interesting occurrence happens at night with the ants foraging on the ground. When you walk through the leafy camp ground with a head torch on the ants eyes light up like little diamonds.
We have left Kakadu, as any further adventuring needs a four wheel drive, maybe next time when we will try and come back this way after the wet season which ends around April. There are six seasons up here, the wet monsoon season from Jan to Mar, knock em down storm season from the end of Mar, April, start of May, the colder but still hot season from May and part of June, the cold weather season from June July and part of Aug, the hot dry weather season from mid Aug Sept and some Oct, and the pre monsoon storm season from Oct Nov Dec. Yep that’s them as you heard every night on the TV weather forecast. Well maybe not as theses seasons as described are those used by aborigines.
I’m not done with Kakadu, maybe I will never be done, a place managed by national parks with direction from native title owners. The aboriginal way to look after the land sits well with me. Their culture, religion, lore, way, whatever you wish to call a way of living, is based on fear as all cultures are, the need to eat, shelter, and survive and in doing so the land is the provider, and a member of the family. Fear develops superstition and the stories are many that entwine the land and everyday living.
Fear is the driving force of ‘mans’ way for community and rules. It allows some to control and others to follow which has evolved into the many organisations that we have in our society.
Such a culture, the aboriginal culture, though, can only survive with the grace of the every advancing civilisations of the white race world.
Camped back at Edith falls once again and its sure good to be able go for a swim to get some relief from the heat without having to worry about being taken by a croc.
A lazy wonderful couple of days spent here. Conversation went to how we could make some money and continue doing this so I grabbed my guitar and started playing on a bench in the camp ground. A bunch of American tourists gathered round to hear my new song ‘on the banks of the river’. I didn’t get any money (no hat) but lots of offers of beer and praise liking it to Garfunkel. Well you got to take it (praise) when you can no matter how crappy you are! I’ll leave a gap here for you to imagine the scene….. time for you to think, imagine, well, if you want to that is.
Ah time for another swim, the fourth today, but it’s an effort to move from the hammock.
Katherine Gorge was taken in on the way. A two canyon cruise at $75 a head was all that was available. Pretty spot and again one of the things you have to do I suppose.
We moved on to bathe in Mataranka hot springs, then to camp in Elsy national park. we moved on again to Daly waters caravan park and pub to take in the atmosphere, Bara and Beef and a one man show. Susan and Mike were there too so it was great to catch up.
The place had been talked about quite a lot by other travellers so it was pretty much a ‘must see’ place. The pub reminded me a bit of the ‘golden dog’ in Glenreagh, well the way the ‘dog’ used to look with its old paraphernalia, bits of machinery, history, and artefacts, hanging around the walls and ceilings. This place took it a little further where people contributed an artefact such as a thong, hat, bra, etc. Anyway the big deal was a dinner of fresh Barramundi, a steak, and heaps of salad. For me it was just ok, the Barra was good and I though it tasted a bit bream like. Bonnie loved the salad. You can’t really go by my tastes thought as I am certainly no connoisseur and think fish and chips down the corner shop pretty damn good. The entertainment, well ok until the dude tried his own version of Folsom prison, what’s Folsom prison without the main rift and no key change in Me and Bonnie Magee.
The park was real dusty, the wind had got up and dust was finding its way into most orifices. We had arrived 10ish, and had a good spot next to a corrugated, bush timber, leaf insulated, carport like structure, which allowed us to get out of the heat.
We met up with an elderly lady, 69 years old who had been travelling on her own for the last 3 years. And another couple also, Leith and Tory, young with two kids, who also had been on the road for some time. The young man was an electrician and he had quite a lot of information on caravan fridges which he was quite willing to share.
3rd September
The long, straight, endless straights, from Threeways to Camooweal.
Fridges in caravans.
Well the three way fridge, 12 volt, gas, and 240 volt, is quite reluctant to cool at first by any means. First up the freezer has to become cold before any other part of the fridge will become cold. Once the freezer is nice and cold and iced up a bit then the rest of the fridge begins to cool. This is all good but the problems arise when the freezer has to try and cool a new product added such as a can of drink that is warm. All the ‘energy’ then goes into cooling the freezer and the other parts of the fridge suffer. The best method then is to try and add products to the fridge that are already cool or cold, such as frozen meat, milk straight from the shop, cold cans, etc. In any case the 3 way fridge on 12 volt for any length of time in hotter temperatures does not stay cold enough.
We started our day with the fridge running on 240 overnight. We travelled for most of the day, temperature above 30, with the fridge on 12 volt and the freezer has warmed and nothing in the freezer has remained frozen. We can get away with 3 or 4 hours on 12 volt but that’s about it. Gas works well but you can’t have the gas on while travelling for safety reasons. As soon as you stop for a time switching to gas is the go but if the fridge has cooled too much as mind has as described above then it’s a struggle again to keep it cool enough to continue on the next day. We try and help the fridge by using a small esky to pre cool drinks etc. before putting them in the fridge but this does mean you have to buy ice. Maybe we could buy ice and add it to the freezer.
The addition of some fans to help circulate air and remove heat across the freezer fins and external pipes is by all accounts a useful addition. The fridge also needs to be kept level for it work efficiently and in the bus it seems to work best when the front of the bus is slightly higher.
A compressor fridge ( the Engle & others) apparently is quite efficient run off a couple of solar panels and batteries. I don’t have one so I don’t know much about them as yet. Anyway that’s enough on fridges for now thanks to Leith and Tory for their advice.
Stopped at Camooweal Billabong camp site. Ducks, Terns, Pelican, some other campers, and a couple of Brolgas, share the spot and just now a heard of Brumbies just galloped across the dry river bed next to the billabong.
Yep camped beside a billabong under the Coolabah tree. Hmm I think I have heard that somewhere before, maybe not, might write a song.
