NW WA Tour - Kakadu

Monday 18 July – Darwin – Kakadu

Bags Before Breakfast (BBB) this morning and after breakfast TTT (teeth, tablets, toilet) before we were on our way.

These little double barred finches had a nest just at the front door of the hotel.

Our first stop was at the Territory Wildlife Park. Here I chose to catch the train to the wetland walk so had the area all to myself before any one else arrived. Within 5 minutes I'd seen a fresh water crocodile, about 12 pelicans, a wallaby, turtles and a swamp hen.

King Brown at the visitor centre

I then went through the aquarium, again the first visitor of the morning. The displays were most informative and diverse and even included a wide range of waterplants from the top end.

As I continued my walk I came to the dingo area where a keeper was talking to Alan (our driver) and another visitor whilst feeding angler fish and turtles in the moat around the enclosure. He was able to answer questions I had on some of the plants as well.

Alan and I then hopped onto the train as it came around the circuit and joined all the other visitors at the Flight Deck bird display. We were treated to very active fly-overs by a jabiru, black kite (who used a stone to break an emu egg), a barn owl, a brahmini kite and an osprey. We also had a Curlew walk in for his feed.

A quick walk back for some food and a bit of a sit before we boarded the bus to continue on to Kakadu. Just before the Mary River we saw 3 jabiru in a paddock and I later saw two red-tailed black cockatoos take off as we passed. On the banks of the South Alligator River we saw 2 salt water crocodiles (salties), one of which was quite large.

After a quick drive around the township of Jabiru we found the road to the Bowali Visitor Centre. When Garry took me there a few years ago it was closed so it was great to get there this time.

On again to Cooinda to check into the Lodge, settle in and head to dinner. Tonight I had barramundi but it was a bit to late for me to eat it all.

Tuesday 19 July

After breakfast this morning we drove out to Nourlangie Rock where we had two hours to walk the track and drink in the aboriginal artwork and natural rock formations. The whole experience allowed us to “hear the distance” and sometimes even to see the distance.

While we were enjoying a drink and a piece of fruit for morning tea at the end of the walk we were “serenaded” by a group of blue-winged kookaburras. They sound a bit like a tree full of roosting ibis, nothing like our more southern laughing kookaburras.

The other entertainment was the green tree ants. Their nests and habits were most interesting but I did decline to eat one. Apparently they tasted quite like lime.

Back for lunch and a few hours off at the lodge before our Yellow Waters evening cruise.

The Yellow Waters were full of wildlife including egrets of four sorts, a spoonbill, cormorants, jabiru, magpie geese, jacana, nankeen night heron, bee eaters, azure kingfisher, crocodiles, burdekin ducks with chicks, whistling ducks, wallabies, brolga, horses and cattle.

The salvinia which was choking the water is being treated with an introduced weevil as biological control. This seems to be working.

The amazing plants were the lotus, cane grass, bamboo and pandanus.

After an awesome sunset and full moon rise on the water we headed back to the lodge to settle in and have dinner (very late again).

NW WA Tour - Sydney to Darwin

Friday 15 July 2016

After a cold night in Sydney I woke with the alarm at 5:30 and was ready for the 6:30 taxi I had booked the night before.

Off to the airport where I easily met up with my fellow travellers all decked out with their orange backpacks ready to start our NW WA tour with Christian Fellowship Tours

Our departure was a bit delayed but the pilot assured us he'd be able to make up the time lost. I moved into a window seat after we'd taken off and it was fascinating to watch the various landscapes from rugged bush land to farm land which gradually became the Channel Country in western Queensland. Then the Gulf Country and finally ready to land in Darwin virtually on time.

However, landing was delayed because the military gathering on at the moment had caused some issue with an “arrest line” on the runway. Thirty minutes later, after circling in a holding pattern around Darwin we were able to land.

Bags collected, we boarded our bus and quickly settled into our room which I am sharing with Joan from the NSW tour last year.

Joan and I then went for a quick walk into town, bought maps (which I had forgotten) and found Cafe C21 in the Mall. We had a most welcome, cooling fizzy drink and a yummy freshly baked warmed custard tart (the chef's own take on a Portugese Custard Tart).

Northern Brush-tailed Possum

Back to the room to sort and chill out before going down to the pool for our official welcome and dinner.

Saturday 16 July

After quite a cool and disturbed night (I had to throw my parka over me) we were both awake by soon after 6am. At breakfast I met Gill Best who is another patchworker and lives in Melbourne.

Our first visit of the day was to Nungalinya College where we were given a tour of the complex by two volunteers. It is currently school holidays (4 weeks in Darwin mid year) so there were no staff or students around and I missed meeting up with Jenny and Peter Johnson who were ex St Cuthberts.

Stone Curlew or Bush Thick Knee

Then a trip to Casuarina Shopping /centre to find some lunch to take with us to Nightcliff Beach area to have under a shady tree.

Back on the bus and off to the Darwin Military Museum. In the grounds were some fabulous banyan figs and even some of the relics had plants growing out of them.

We had a short time back at our motel then headed to Darwin Harbour for a sunset dinner cruise. Because of the smoke from the usual savanah burning the sunset was glorious and the food was great. I loved the tomato, pesto and feta salad so beautifully arranged in a rosette on the plate. The “roast mediteranean vegetables” were sliced then interleaved before roasting – sweet potato, onion, egg plant, zucchini and tomato.

Back to our room by 9 ish and time to catch up on my diary before bed. Tonight we have a light blanket each so hopefully we won't be so cold.

Sunday 17 July – Greg's birthday

The morning, being Sunday, we all went to church at Christ Church Cathedral where the Bishop of the NT (whose parents are on our tour) led the service. Garry, Helen and Helen's mum Beryl came to the service too and after morning tea we headed off for an afternoon together.

The 'alter' is one huge log

First to Rapid Creek Markets where the range of fresh fruit and vegies as well as takeaway food was enormous and very multicultural. We bought jackfruit (a fresh cut slab, a tray of ready prepared pieces, and a tray of dried), pawpaw and some Thai food for lunch.

Home to meet Joel, Eliza and Alice and enjoy a lazy but sumptuous lunch on the verandah. I loved it all but especially the jackfruit and some of the sweetmeats that Garry had selected. During the afternoon Helen, Garry and I chatted on with a quick botanical tour of the garden and I had time to hem a dress for Eliza who wanted to wear it out that evening.

At 5pm Garry and I delivered the girls to church and continued on to my motel where we enjoyed a cool drink and more chat by the pool until it was time for him to return to collect the girls and for me to have dinner.

Back in the room I was at last able to have enough time to charge up all my devices, download photos and catch up on diary. Still no time for blog though.

Water, water everywhere

Geoff, Jen, Ivy and Ponyo went to Underhill last weekend to be greeted with full to overflowing dams and all tanks full.

Far dam, Ponyo was delighted by the looks.

Far dam, Nathan's flooded gums are flooded.

The top dam is full and overflowing.

 

The chores for the weekend included...

Making a start on the fence around the fruit trees in the centre of the drive.

Adding another layer or two to the stove.

Putting a new wheel onto the stroller.

 Now it will be easier to put Ivy to sleep in the 4WD stroller scrounged from a cleanup pile.

All the 'plumbing' Geoff and Greg did last time to the tank catchment worked a treat so all this rain has filled three tanks.

Of course the other part of the weekend was to relax as a family while entertaining (or being entertained by) Ivy.

Bonus Days

On Friday Elaine, Pernilla and I were supposed to go to Underhill overnight but due to my cold and Elaine's shingles we stayed at home and played.

Our projects started by getting out all the 'orphan blocks' I had gathered (donations, left overs from Kogarah Library Quilters and Rainbow Connection Quilters, and left overs of my own from other quilts). While Elaine sat quietly and sewed the label on one of our quilts Pernilla and I shuffled the orphan blocks. It was then Elaine's turn to make suggestions to our layouts and what to do with the spaces left that needed to be filled. Pernilla and I continued the projects on Friday evening and Saturday and the results are quite stunning.

Pernilla is taking her blue and yellow medalion to mount onto her dark blue fabric that she has been storing at my place for quite some years. I look forward to seeing the final quilt. I will continue my very happy strippy quilt and probably donate it through one of my groups.

We had a fabulous two days even though it was raining most of the time.

A busy few weeks

The last few weeks have been quite busy. My cold made my hip muscles seize up so that has made me miserable but there have been some joys too.

My orchids are flowering profusely and lighten up my house.

One achievement was the completion of my latest quilt for me. This one is from shirts of Surrey's and other bits and pieces, some of which he bought for me. It is for my bed at Underhill and I had hoped to take it down this weekend but I'll not be going as I'm sick.

There have also been my regular days with Ivy.

Walks in the cold.

Visits from Pernilla

 Then this Thursday it was so wet we experimented with what you can do with a basket and a box.

You can sit in it

You can fall out of it and say bonk as you do. This results in much laughter.

You can wear it as a hat but it falls off. You can even play Boo.

A box makes a great boat for singing Row Your Boat. Then when it falls apart it becomes a slippery dip for girls and cars and balls. Then it becomes a tunnel too.