Top End Travels - Pungalina

Wednesday 29 May 2019

After a solid sleep and a 5:30am rise I was well refreshed and ready for my coffee on the deck by 6:30. Again there are no jugs or in fact power points for charging devices in the tent units but they are really well set up with 12V solar/battery systems for lighting and an instant gas hot water service for the shower. Each has its own ensuite bathroom - very comfortable. There is no phone reception or internet at all.

Breakfast on the deck watching the birds (Blue-tailed Wren, Buff-sided Robin, Paperbark Flycatcher and the usual 4 butterflies). Then to my helicopter ride in the first group out. We flew east down the Calvert River which divides Pungalina sanctuary from the Seven Emus cattle station.

On the way we saw a small crocodile and a dugong. The coast is backed by a wide area of salt flats. An amazing country.

Back along the river to the campsite and a morning of birdwatching, chatting and catching up.

After lunch we were driven to the Bubbling Sand Pool for a swim. I am so glad I went in. It started as lots of fun but then, once the water was still we stayed watching the sand on the bottom (under a metre deep) bubbling up from the bottom. I could not get a photo but it was absolutely fascinating.

We enjoyed drinks on the Calvert River scarp as the sunset creating lots of fantastic colour in the sky and the landscape.

After dinner we had a talk by AWC managers Gavin and Kerry who live here permanently. Gavin showed slides of the after effects of cyclone Trevor.

Thursday 30 May 2019

I was in the first group to take the river cruise after breakfast. An extremely bumpy slow bus ride that was quite steep in places. I got to ride in the front!

Once we arrived at the Calvert River I was amazed by the large populations of Aponogeton along with Nymphaea and what looked like Myriophylum. On the return journey Karen and I had lots of fun with a boat hook and a broom collecting some specimens to photograph back on shore.

Morning tea was back on shore set up by Paul while we were out on the river then we drove up to the homestead to have a look around and look through the old homestead (reminiscent of our Underhill set up but with a concrete floor). We had a chat with Kerry and Gavin and their newly acquired dog Savannah who had wandered in on her last legs only a few weeks before.

Lunch back at camp followed by attempts to photograph the waterplants then lots of time spent catching up on documentation and repacking for the next leg of our journey.

At last I was able to photograph the Leichhardt Tree (Nauclea orientalis - Rubiaceae) which had been pointed out to us as we travelled but I had not actually seen.