From Alice Spring to Darwin - Kakadu National park

Hi you all!!!

This is the ‘flash-packer’ hahaha writing, they call me here like that because I’m travelling with my little computer and I have to admit that I have my hairdryer with me J, don’t tell the backpackers.

Hey, we are already 15th of august! Time goes so fast, damn!
We left Alice Springs 13th of august and now we are almost in Darwin, we travelled for 3days only in the outback.

SO:

13th of august

We left our hostel again very early in the morning, we had a pick-up at 5am.
The first stop was the ‘tropic of Capric Orn’ (steenbokskeerkring)! Here would the tropical weather start! J and it did, every 100km we get more north it was getting warmer and today I’m already burned! We have been swimming in different waters and waterfalls.

During our trip we did some “food tucker” (something called like that), it means that we had to search for plants and their fruits you can eat, we found some bush coconuts! Yeah, if we would be lost in the bushes, we would have food!

This day we have been travelling for 6hours and did some stops on the way:

- we visit the most famous place in Australia and on this place there has been spotted (this such a bad English sentence damn, other suggestions?) different times aliens! J they had even pictures and a guestbook. Do we have to believe this? I don’t know! We found articles from different abduction. Oh yeah, the place is called Wycliffe well. And I learned a new word, thanks Marijke J ET = extraterrestrial (buitenaards) . our guide told us that near to Alice Springs you have an area that’s owned by the USA, Pine Gap. Even the government from Australia doesn’t know what happens there! No planes can fly over this area of they will shoot the plane down! Strange isn’t?:)
- Devils Marbles, those stones are much older then the red centre. There very impressive, they have very nice shapes mated by nature. The biggest reason is that in the desert the temperature can be very hot during the day and very cold during the night. This gives a big difference and with all the years you get those kind of shapes. (you can see in on facebook, the pictures). The Aboriginals believe that these stones are the eggs of the rainbow snake called Wanambi.

The group that we travelled with is very small and nice, we had a wonderful guide! She’s 24years old and worked as a tour guide in different places in Australia. Cool!!! We had a lovely, really funny Spanish couple already 5days on our tour and they were hilarious. They live in Barcelona and travel a lot. They join us with the tour of Kakadu National Park;

14th of august

So yesterday evening we arrived our camping place around 5pm. This camping place was really in the middle of nowhere! Beautiful! Middle in the outback, near to a range.

The range had built a small camping place with some showers and a little bar where you could buy beer or wine.
Marijke and me bought a box and start climbing the hill where you could see the sunset. This was so cool, because of sitting in the bus you couldn’t see how the outback looks like, you only see road and bushes. But when we were standing on the hill we could see so far and the only house you could see was the range and our camping. Nothing else, all the rest was just bushes! So cool, we were really in the middle of nowhere! And I was wondering if we had wireless! ;) no no, but Marijke is always teasing me because when we were in Alice Springs I couldn’t believe that our hostel didn’t had wireless ;) , what ever!!!

Oh yeah, they also sell ‘goone’ (I don’t know if it’s written right) but this is wine in a box from really bad quality. I didn’t taste it yet but our friend, Avril, she’s from Ireland would give it to me later, because I’m really curious how bad this taste.

We needed a relax evening, we love this kind of travelling very much but it’s busy and sometimes very hard. Robert, I remember you told me that 1year ago. Marijke always says ‘this isn’t a holiday, this is travelling’haha
Around 7pm we had a slideshow, we get the chance to see different pictures how the range works. After this BBQ-time and some fire stories.

Sleeping in tents was really nice, but during the night it was still very cold and I waked up from this. Also there was a lot of wind.

Today we’re leaving to Katherine National Park, we have a night there and the following day we would go canoeing J.

We have to drive again 600km before we arrive there. This morning was still a bit cold, I’m still wearing 2 sweaters, my trousers but on my feet I have flipflops!!! J
Also, Ellen, hihi this is something for you.
You can wear whatever you want in the outback. If you’re wearing your joggings it doesn’t mind, people aren’t looking at you.
Our clothes are really dirty from the red sand. But who cares, when we finished our tour, we will washes everything one more time before leaving home.
Mmm, leaving home L, only two weeks left and the month is finished.

Anyway, around 11.30am we arrive at Daly waters. This very tiny town exists from 24people. Haha, so cool and the coolest thing is that the bar is always very very busy, because every tourist bus stops at this place. The pub is a real outback pub and when you see the picture you will be amazed how small this town is. We had our lunch here and after that a local boy ‘Bailey’ called gave us a tour through the town J, the boy is only 8years old. He asks the tourist to pay him 0,50dollar for the tour and if you want with him on the picture you have to pay 0,50dollar more. Little …. J
But damn cute kid!

After that we drove to the Mataranka sources. This are warm water source in nature. We actually could for the first time put our bikini’s on and go swim!!! J the water was around 30degrees and the source wasn’t that big.
When we get there, Marijke and me compared this a bit with Sunparks but then in the outback. We spent 45 minutes here, because our guide had a nicer spot without all the tourist; So after the first swim we drove some km further and there we had in the same national Park a other source. You can’t believe it but the water is so clean, our Spanish friends had with them a snorkelling glazes and if you go under water you could see from one side of the source to the other side!
The temperature is perfect today, our trousers we put in our bags and we put on our shorts! This is such a great feeling but strange. Because last week we were still in Adelaide were the weather is really cold and rainy.

Aha, this is really nice!
You remember I told you about the little boy ‘Bailey’. Well, he is a real outback kid, and I was wondering if those kids didn’t have to go to school. Because here in Australia during July and august they don’t have holidays.
the outback is really big, there are children living 2hours away from the nearest town, and some times this town only has pub, nothing more.
Well, the outback children they have school off air. It means that they stay home but get schoolwork and class through radio, and I think also through internet these days.
Four time a year all the children’s travel to Alice Springs to meet there other classmates and the teacher.

Sometimes you can found little schools in a outback town. The school exists then from 25children and one teacher. Our guild told us, that if you as a teacher want to work for 5 years in that kind of school, you have guaranty work for live after those 5 years. She had a friend who did that and now she’s a principal of a school somewhere in a town at the east-coast.
She also told me that there are teachers short here J and you get work very easily.

The way from Alice Springs to Darwin is very long, and it has only one highway called Stuart Highway. You can compare this a bit with the famous Route 66.
This road also connect south with north and it’s going straight to the middle of Australia. The road is more then 3000km long and a lot of those km is just only in the outback.
They called is Stuart Highway because Mister Stuart from Adelaide was the first guy who travelled from south to north.
So the journey is very long and a lot of bus sitting, but I actually don’t mind. I’m reading a good book (so Wendy and Tash, thanks for the great birthday present! ) and Marijke and me we’re reading each some pages J

15th of august

That’s today J, and we are now 5.30pm almost arriving in Darwin!
This morning we had the change for some canoeing in Katherina Gorge. Marijke and me were searching for crocodiles but we didn’t see any. This is because the water is to cold, normally now during wintertime they come around 4pm when the water is warmer.
We had lot’s of fun, we jumped from rocks, stuff like that! We get also a bit colour! In Australia it’s really important to use factor 30 because I have been told that there is a whole in the ozone, and you don’t get any protection.

After this we drove to the Edit falls, here we have been swimming in a pool! It’s was 150m swimming and you get to the waterfalls.

You have crocodiles here but just like Katherina Gorge these are sweet water crocs. There harmless. The salt water crocs there are dangerous and eat meat.
Those crocs you can find in the sea and that was new for me. For example next week we are flying to Cairns. The city is next to the sea but you can’t go swimming there, it’s dangerous for stingers and crocs, also sharks.
In Cairns they have a lagoon where you can go swimming, but don’t go into the sea!
In Katherina Gorge during the wet season, you can’t swim here, because the water is more higher and salt water crocs can come from the sea into the Gorge. Of course they have to travel a long way, they have to cross more then 60 canyons.
Scary eh! When we were canoeing we saw two traps with meat in for those crocs. Normally you don’t have them this time a year but it could be that one lost his way ;-)
The last time they had found a salt water crocodile here was 2006.

Alright that’s al again, tonight we arrive in Darwin. A good shower and after that we will have dinner with whole group.
Tomorrow morning we have our last tour to Kakadu National Park for two days!


huuggggg