From Katherine to Kakadu

The Northern Territory is a rugged, diverse land steeped in Aboriginal traditions and dream time stories, yet the town of Katherine is a surprising blend of old and new. One day while we were out shopping a road train drove slowly through the middle of town carrying a monster of an engine on its way to a mine in Alice Springs. This was such a jaw dropping event that the whole town came out just to see it go by. Wow!! Nothing much exciting happens in Katherine so this was truly a wonder to behold. Getting back to nature we took a walk through a small part of Katherine Gorge and later visited one of the botanical gardens in the area. We also had a short visit to the "hot springs" but because we didn't have our swimming togs on that day we missed going in for a dip. We finally arrived in Kakadu National Park on our way to Jaburu. Kakadu is a living cultural landscape.Generations of Bininj & Mungguy have lived on and cared for this country for tens of thousands of years. Their spiritual connection with the land is globally recognized in Kakadus World Heritage listing, which honors one of the oldest living societies on earth. The aboriginals say "People need to come here and relax, sit on the country, feel the spirits of this country and go home and feel the same way."
Walking through this beautiful part of the world you can't help but feel drawn to its natural beauty and peace.
Jim Jim Falls is accessible only in the "dry season" which is now, so we were able to get into it by 4 wheel drive. It took us about 2 hours to navigate 60kms and then 10 kms of dirt track but we made it!
There are plenty of crocodiles in the area so swimming was out of the question.
Later that week we took a boat tour up the East Alligator River which is an odd name considering there are "no alligators" in this part of the country only crocodiles. We did however see lots of "crocs" lazing in the sun along the river banks. We were allowed to get off the boat at one point and walk onto Arnhem Land which is owned by the Aboriginals and usually off limits without a special permit. All in all it is truly a magical place.

Bungle Bungles, Kununurra & Wyndham

The vast remote Kimberley is one of Australia's last great wilderness areas. We decided to explore its rugged beauty on board one of  Alligator Airways scenic flights. One of the more interesting and newer forms of agriculture in Kununurra is the sandalwood plantations on the Packsaddle irrigation plains. Sandalwood is a semi-parasitic tree that attaches itself to the root system of a host tree from which it gets its nutrients and water. Its uses vary from arts and crafts but especially in the production of perfumes, oils and incense.
Spanning over 45,000 hectares the Bungle Bungle range is situated within the 240,000 hectare Purnululu National Park. For thousands of years the Bungle Bungle Range was extensively used by the Aboriginal people. In 1982 a journalist filming a documentary on the cattle industry in the area captured the amazing beauty of the ranges on film. Prior to this few others knew of their existence but quickly received worldwide attention. It is now recognized as a World Heritage site. Flying over this spectacular landmark was truly an amazing experience. Just north of Kununurra is the small town of Wyndham where we stopped at the local pub for some refreshments. The owner of the pub allowed Bob behind the bar to pour his own beer much to his delight. She also had a collection of aboriginal art that was pretty awesome not to mention some photos of crocodiles having their lunch. The town mascot has a place of honor in the centre of the street as you drive into town. Crocodile Dundee would be proud! After satisfying our thirsts we drove to the top of the range for an overview of the surrounding countryside. Breathtaking!!

Kununarra & the Kimberley

The Kimberley region of Western Australia is nothing short of spectacular. The region is best known for it's
breathtaking scenery and gorges. We went on a trek through Windjara Gorge and met up with some interesting wildlife. The freshwater crocodiles are not quite as cranky or vicious as their "salty" cousins but we still respected their territory and kept a safe distance from them. The area is also home to the large Boab trees and are considered sacred to the aboriginals. There are several different species of them and each one has it's own personality and they often live to be hundreds of years old. The town of Kununarra has a lot to offer with it's spectacular scenery. We were almost "swept away" when we decided to cross a small river while out sight-seeing one day. After reaching the other side Bob insisted on turning around and going back across again because he enjoyed it so much. I was not amused! Lake Argyle was a site to behold and is twenty times bigger than Sydney Harbour. Because of it's shear size it is considered to be and inland ocean.
The Ord River Dam wall seems almost too small to be holding back such a vast lake but so far so good.
We are planning on taking a scenic plane flight over the region so look for more spectacular scenes on our next blog. Cheers for now...Bushy Bob & Mary-anne