NW WA Tour - Katherine

Wednesday 20 July

Up early this morning to have BBB and breakfast at 7am. After breakfast I had time to walk down to Home Billabong which was beautiful in the early morning light.

We headed south west towards Pine Creek passing some beautiful scenery and a few kapok trees. At Mary River roadhouse we had a stretch and at Pine Creek we found a park for a cuppa at the historic railway station museum.

On then to Katherine where we bought our own take away lunch to eat together under a shady tree. I found a twisty clothes line at a camping shop then went for a walk over the Katherine River footbridge.

Our afternoon entertainment was a dip in the Katherine Hot Springs. It was most refreshing as the water was in the shade and just warm enough to get straight into. We wallowed away the time whilst chatting together.

We arrived at the motel at about 4:30pm and had enough time to shower and rest before dinner.

I must be improving movement wise because I was able to cut my nails on both feet without pain in the hip or knee. My cold has gone and apart from being a bit stiff in the mornings I am able to walk well without using my stick.

Thursday 21 July

We had a more relaxed start to our day today with our first stop at the Katherine School of the Air just along the road. It is amazing how the technology has changed since Surrey and I visited the School of the Air in Alice Springs in 1975. The lady who presented (school holidays still) just make the whole process come alive.

Next stop was the Nitmiluk National Park and, after lunch at the cafe, our Katherine Gorge Cruise. It was really hot on land but quite a cool breeze was coming down along the gorge so as long as we were not in the sun for too long we were quite comfortable.

We saw a few fresh water crocodiles along the banks but the amazing part was the steepness of the cliffs on either side – almost vertical walls in many places.

Back to the motel by late afternoon and after resting our ankles vertically up the wall Joan and I went for a cool dunk in the pool. A shower completed our activities for the day before packing ready for tomorrow's early start and long drive.

Friday 22 July

An early start this morning with breakfast at 6:30 then off, heading west towards Kununurra. The kapok trees became more common in the savanah/woodland vegetation. There were some large mobs of grey cattle around the tanks. The termite mounds were plentiful but smallish and stood stark in the areas of blackened trunks and burnt grass.

We stopped at Victoria River roadhouse for morning tea with the day warming gradually.

Road trains of cattle and fuel and lots of grey nomad motor homes passed us heading east.

At Timber Creek we stopped for lunch. Sandwiches, cakes and fruit were all waiting in the dining room when we arrived with the temperature climbing ever higher. After this stop the boab trees became more numerous with a few quite big ones along side the road.

By the time we arrived at the border to eat our remaining bus fruit at the inspection station it was well into the mid 30s and we were all quite drained. The inspector was quite jovial telling us all to line up for a body search before we walked across the border to be picked up by Allan on the WA side.

On into Kununurra and the Lakeside resort. With the time change we had lots of time to relax, rehydrate and resalt before a delightful sunset over the lake and heading down to the dining area for pre-dinner drinks. Dinner was delicious – scotch fillet and prawns with vegies.

As Allan has a day off tomorrow we'll have plenty of time to wash and catch up on diaries before our afternoon activities begin.

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.