Day 14 & 15 Darwin-Kakadu-Darwin

Day 14 & 15 Darwin-Kakadu-Darwin

 

On Monday I started Adventure Tours trip from Darwin to Alice Spring doing 2 days in Kakadu and 2 in Urulu.

 

I arrive to Darwin at 9:30, and by the time that I arrive to the hostel it was already 10:20, and the next day I had to be up by 6am.

 

I was able to sleep very little since I was in a dorm with 2 other guys, and I was using the upper bed (which I am not used to), Also I had to repack to leave few things in the hostel that I didn't need it for the initial part of the trip Darwin-Kakadu-Darwin, and I had to this with guys already at bed, which took me a while.  Additionally, thinking that I might be not able to wake up made me wake every hour. And I woke up 30 minutes far too early, since in Darwin there is a 30' difference with Cairns.

 

Although the day started not to good, it improve. The trip I joined, at least the Kakadu part, had only 3 other passengers, 3 females, and myself. It was very good being so little because we had all the 4WD bus for us (normally 16 passengers), which made all the trip very good, so lots of food for us, total possibility to move around the bus, no need to share tends etc.

 

I enjoyed the tour Kakadu.  We started on a trip to spot Crocodiles,    and finally I was able to do so, after the failure on Danttree River. We saw 4 or 5, and was able to shoot plenty of photos, not only at the crocodiles but also to many birds that they were concentrated around the water.  This concentration was due the fact that it is the end of the dry season, and this aread which is normally flooded areas are at their year minimum, since they didn't have any significant amount of water since the Monsoons in Feb-March. Amount the animals we found, there were 2 couples of eagles, from which I was able to fotograph 3 of them.

 

Then we visited some aborigines, that show us how their traditional way of living. Interesting how they control the fires in the region. As there are many storms and thunders strikes (one of the highest rate in the world) the method the aborigines had controlled the fires. Basically, what they do is set small fires, burning all the bushes, and leaves, etc.  at the end of the wet season, enough not to kill the trees, but at the same time makes that if there is a real fire there is it would be put off by itself.

 

In the evening we went to Ubirr Rock. Here we saw all the art rock that aborigines have been doing. It was very good and interesting. Here is were some of the Crocodile Dandi was filmed.

 

 

In the evening the went to the permanent camp were we had our diner, and sleeped in Permanent tends they have there.

At night a big storm hardly let us sleep, and we have a 5:30 start,

 

In the end the rain was good because it made the day not that hot.  We went to the Jim Jim waterfall ( with no water) and had a swim there, and on the way back to Darwin we visited few more locations, where we could see more animals (Kangaroos, horses, Dingos, etc) as well as stopping for 1 hour in the kakadu Visitor center.

 

Tomorrow I have a 5:30 start so I will be having to be up by 5:00 am again.  So I'll keep this sort since I need to go for dinner as well

 

Filo, A known anonymous