We had 10 fabulous days in Darwin. I really like Darwin a lot and was ready to stay for more but Jenny had itchy feet and the heat was knocking her about. So, it was time to make a move. But not before we caught up with a former workmate of mine and his wife for a very pleasant dinner and evening out on the Stokes Hill Wharf. Geoff, Lauren and Liv are taking 4 months to also travel around Australia and we had a great night of comparing notes.
From Darwin, it was off to Kakadu. First stop was Ubirr and the best example of Aboriginal rock art I’ve ever seen in the flesh. Ubirr was on the edge of the wetlands and was a heritage listed site consisting of rock overhangs and shelters that were full of artwork dating back to around 5,000 years ago. There were pictures of Thylocenes and other creatures no longer native to the area. There were also pictures that were painted at the time of first European contact which include almost cartoon like representations of white men with their funny hats and hands in pockets. We stayed in the camping resort of Cooinda, 50km south of Jabiru, for two nights which enabled us to do the Yellow Waters sunrise cruise and the sunset cruise. This was our first real touristy thing and making the bookings had us really feeling like some of the retiree travellers around us looked. Had we compromised just a little too far here and would we live this down. In the end, we don’t care. The cruises were fantastic! The sunrise cruise was the pick of the two with lots of crocs and the tour guides were a wealth of knowledge on the local environment, the wildlife and the local indigenous life and culture. The sunset cruise was quite different with different light, more birdlife and a spectacular sunset to finish off with.
Kakadu was also very hot, worse than Darwin really in that there was no cooling evening breeze and the mosquitoes were brutal. Two nights of Kakadu was great but again it was time to move on, so it was off to Kununurra. We overnighted in the Gregory National Park (no relation) campground at a spot called Sullivans Creek. This was a really lovely peaceful spot, the tranquillity of which we were enjoying until German speaking couple arrived (Austrian maybe) and the women proceeded to natter endlessly and loudly from the moment they arrived until the moment they left with only a very brief rest stop in the middle of the night. She did not draw breath.
Anyway, we made it to Kununurra and our ears have recovered. Kununurra is not at all what I expected it to be. I thought it would be another desert town with dirt roads, tin sheds and shops that might open for the locals at special secret times. But it’s not and I really like the place. On the edge of Lake Argyle and the Ord River, Kununurra is the gateway to the Kimberleys. We’ve looked around the local attractions, I’ve finally gotten back on the mountain bike again and ridden some of the very sandy but fun tracks in a nearby National Park, driven along the first 40km of the Gibb River Road out to a beautiful property called El Questro and splurged on a scenic flight over the Bungle Bungles.
The trip to El Questro was well worthwhile for a number of reasons. The natural hot springs at Zebedee Springs and the most spectacular gorge we’ve been to so far, Emma Gorge (as opposed to Emma George, the gorgeous blonde actress who I thought as an early birthday treat Jen had organised for us to walk out in the bush to meet for a swim), were (CLICHE ALERT!!!) breathtaking. We had been considering driving to Broome along the 600km unsealed Gibb River Road but the drive out to El Questro certainly vindicated our decision not to. The X-Trail would handle it fine but I’m not so sure about the Jayco given its unsealed road performance so far. The drive into El Questro also gave me the chance to have a crack at my first full on, water up to the running boards, rocky creek bed creek crossing. We’re still here and on the road, so I guess I passed with flying colours. The Bungle Bungles flight has been the hightlight of our stay in Kununurra. Our original plan was to stop over on the way to Broome at a camping ground near the Bungle Bungles and drive in to do some of the walks. However, the descriptions we’ve been given of the track in sound just a bit too horrendous for us and really needing a high clearance 4WD to tackle. The 50km track is taking more appropriate vehicles than our X-Trail two and a half hours one way. So with that in mind and not wanting to miss seeing the Bungle Bungles, we grabbed a couple of tickets that were on special and did a 6am flight over the area in a tiny 8 seater plane piloted by a mere youngster who must have been given permission to take the day of school just to show us around. Now that I’m on the ground I can say that I did enjoy the flight.
Well, that’s all for now. It’s off to Broome tomorrow.