On the road Katherine to Kununurra, Western Australia

Katherine is a busy regional centre, especially  during the dry season when thousands of tourists like ourselves, along with the grey nomads, stop at one of the seven or more camping grounds. At this time, a camp site is not easy to find and we ended up with one the back perimeter of a nice one but with a long walk to access the amenities. That's the price of enjoying freedom travelling!

Victoria Highway

We were soon cruising happily towards the west on the Victoria Highway, our destination for the day being Kununurra in Western Australia. Controlled burning was evident along the highway as well as spontaneous fires, perhaps started by windblown embers. At these places we came across some small marsupials, a couple of snakes and larger lizards on the road but happily we did not add to their problems. Where fires were still flaming, birds of prey circled, grabbing the small animals as they tried to escape death.

A constant warning and reason not to go ahead with our trip from almost all of our friends was that the road trains were humongous, drove as if they were the only vehicles on the road and we would certainly be at least terrified, if not killed. In reality, we saw relatively few road trains, only two in the whole 17,000 km trip that had five wagons, all drivers were courteous, let us pass indicating on a hilly part that the way was clear and were happy to chat while waiting for coffee at a roadhouse. That we were towing a unique little caravan may have added interest to their trip as quite a few of them gave us a toot, even as they sped past while we were off road at a rest site.

Victoria River Roadhouse

The Victoria River and the Gregory National Park offer walks, bird spotting, river cruises and other activities however, with limited time, we regretfully had to continue. For those with more time, the Roadhouse also had a well grassed, well equipped camp ground. Reasonably priced too, at $12.50 pp for a powered site. The setting was quite spectacular with the mountains and red earth on both sides and the only permanent river in the area cruising through.

Victoria River

Some ninety kms further down the road we stopped again at Timber Creek Roadhouse to refuel. Diesel was nearly $2 a litre!

Timber Creek Roadhouse, Northern Territory

Saddle Creek, a further one hundred and seventeen km from Timber Creek was our lunch stop. Saddle Creek is a popular free camp boasting pit toilets with BYO loo paper, water, covered tables, fire pit and rubbish bins. We arrived there around 1.30pm and it was almost full of caravans of all descriptions nestled in the shady spots, their occupants gathered for a chat and to scratch their heads at our ensemble of Toyota LWB van, self converted to a camper and Teardrop caravan towed behind.

Saddle Creek, free camping

There is another free camp in this area the Jarrnarm Campground in the Keep River National Park. We weren't keen to take the thirty km dirt road to get to it so we carried on towards the State Border. I do think that the Keep River National Park would be a great place to explore however, given that we are not nomads, grey or otherwise, with a timeless itinerary we had to prioritise our itinerary and activities.

Western Australia - Northern Territory Border

The border crossing was like an invisible line drawn in the sand. Flat red - yellow sandy soil holding scrubby trees some housing what seemed like hundreds of squawking galahs.

Galahs

Galahs are also known as rose breasted cockatoos and you can see them in most places in Australia, including our neighbourhood where they seem to chase off the smaller parrots. I've heard the expression, "Don't be a big galah! "said to someone who was being very strident and rowdy. I guess it comes from the raucous racket made by just a couple of these birds.

Galahs

Fruit, vegetables , honey and so on cannot be brought across the border so, while at Saddle Creek we had emptied our fridge and boxes of these items. After the friendly customs lady located a lost carrot we were soon wheeling the last few kilometres to Kununurra where we planned to stay for two nights.

Lake Kunnurra

Happily we had arrived early enough in the day to secure a shady campsite beside the lake at Lakeside Resort.

Katherine Gorge, Northern Territory

After a very pleasant day in Litchfield National Park and a relaxed evening at our camp at the Adelaide River Showgrounds we refueled our van and picked up our journey southwards on the Stuart Highway. This was a very easy drive and we were soon back at Pine River, ready for a comfort stop and morning tea.

Pine Creek Railway Resort

Remembering the very excellent lunch we had enjoyed at the Pine Rivers Railway Resort on our way north we were soon inside appreciating the aircon and very pleasant surroundings.

Barramundi Burger

Crumbed Barramundi

Our next stop was, once again, at Katherine where we refueled and stocked up on groceries. With the benefit of hindsight, we should have stayed here and made a day trip to the Katherine Gorge however we planned to stay three nights in the Nitmiluk camp ground to allow plenty of time to take some of the easier walks and cruise the gorges. This plan was soon abandoned when we were directed into the extremely crowded caravan section where the spaces allocated were mere car parks. Yes. Slightly longer but not at all wider. Officials were constantly making their rounds admonishing those who dared to hang a towel to dry. Even without the three school groups that were camped out in the open in the central grassy area, the ablutions blocks would have been inadequate. At 11pm, after an hour of waiting, we gave up waiting, in the long line which extended well out of the bathroom area, for a shower and went to bed unwashed. When I awoke at 2am feeling hot and uncomfortable I thought that I could have a shower then. Wrong! Teenage girls were occupying the showers, having an enjoyable holiday chat while fixing their hair! They were happy enough to accommodate me when I asked that, if they were not in a hurry, could I please go next for my shower.

This park, minus the peak time crowds, would be a lovely place to stay.

Nitmiluk [ Katherine Gorge]

In the evening we took a three gorge sunset cruise. At one point we had to disembark and walk a well signposted path on the rocks to board a second boat. The process was repeated on the way back. This would be impossible for anyone with mobility issues.

Escarpments Katherine Gorge

The cruise was a very tranquil event. We came across some people taking a dip then, a short distance later, we saw a couple of crocodiles on a sandbank, enjoying the last of the sun. Brave people!

Others were canoeing back to base after what must have been a lovely day exploring the gorges - there are thirteen of them.

Nitmiluk, Katherine Gorge, Northern Territory

small kangaroos at Nitimiluk National Park

After just one night we obtained a refund for two nights and went on our way  back into Katherine.

Litchfield National Park

I can tell you that a small town, with the unlikely name of Humpty Doo, is the place to go if you need some help with unexpected toothache or any medical emergency while you are in the Kakadu area! Although the dentists were completely booked out for several days, concerned staff phoned around the Darwin dentists and soon offered the afflicted traveller two options for appointments later in the afternoon. We took the nearest one since we had not planned on going to Darwin at all and, by lunchtime, we were checking in at Howard Springs Campground on the southern border of Greater Darwin where,  once again, we came across the couple from Geelong, Dave and Willi. Unfortunately for them, their vehicle had a serious problem and they had to wait several days for a part to be brought from Alice Springs. This longer than planned stay was not bothering them too much as it meant that they had more time to explore - by public transport.

With the offending tooth extracted, we left early the next day and began our southward journey, arriving at Adelaide River Showgrounds Camp in the afternoon. This campground had all the facilities we needed, [ we even got to park our caravan under a shade top] a resident caretaker who offered ideas and opinions on what we could see in the area. A polo competition was to be held in Darwin the next week and the opposite side of the showgrounds was lined with huge caravans and horse floats. It was very pleasant to sit in the late afternoon shade, cool drinks in the hand, watching  the competitors practicing on the oval. Once again our distinctive Teardrop caravan brought admirers and provided us with some interesting travel tales and recommendations!

Magnetic Termite Mounds, Litchfield National Park

The next morning we went back up the highway a short distance to Batchelor and then into Litchfield National Park. Many people prefer to spend time here, rather than in Kakadu, and I can see the attraction. Compared to Kakadu, Litchfield is very compact, has mostly easy bitumen roads, several water falls where you can take a dip - once they have been checked and resident crocodiles removed after the wet season. If you are reasonably young, or older but fit, there are several walks that could easily add some lovely lazy days to your stay. As we had one person recovering from dental surgery and another with an inconsiderate knee that didn't like coming down steps or slopes, we settled for a whirlwind drive to sample the attractions. 

Magnetic Termite mound

In Australia "white anting" is used as a verb to describe a person who uses subterfuge and underhand tactics to bring down another person. Recently I heard one of our recent former leaders described in the social media as "the greatest White Anter of all time." I offer no personal evaluation of that comment, but merely report it as an illustration of how white ants feature in our landscape, environmentally and politically!

Actually, the termite is known as a "white ant" because its skin is so thin that you can see through it. This thin skin also means that it is so very sensitive to the sun and, as the region receives a massive rainfall during the summer months each year, these termites need to build their mounds above ground level. Also, in order to capture optimum conditions it builds its mound with a North-South orientation thereby ensuring that one side is always in the shade.

Termite Mounds, Litchfield National Park

My question as to why these termite mounds were called "magnetic" was explained at the Information Board. The mounds are made by the blind worker termites so the scientists tested a theory that they did not use the sun to align the mounds North-South but instead had an inbuilt magnetic compass. To test this theory the scientists, artificially changed the magnetic field and the termites then realigned their mounds.

Florence Falls, Litchfield National Park

Driving around Litchfield National Park is easy with flat stretches alternated with low rolling hills. We were on one of the flat stretches when we came across the sign pointing to Florence Falls. I was somewhat puzzled as there seemed nowhere for water to actually fall, had there been any sign of water. Down the road we went . . . and heard . . .water! To get down to the pool there were a hundred steps. It looked like a lot of fun below!

Wangi Falls, Litchfield National Park

Wangi Falls was far more accessible so we enjoyed a cooling dip before enjoying lunch, watched by many birds of prey.

And the debate Litchfield versus Kakadu?  

Our conclusion is that Litchfield is easily accessible, a lovely place to swim at the base of waterfalls, has some enjoyable walks, excellent camping spots, lots of bird life and is a great place to enjoy the beauty of the landscapes.

Kakadu has all of the above, minus the safe swimming holes, but in addition it has its own unique spirit - the enduring spirit of the First People of Australia. There we met the people and understood how they are owned by their country, duty bound to protect it forever. There we heard the stories from the dreamtime and the relevance today of  lessons illustrated on the walls of the ancient cave dwellings.

From Kakadu we came away, our spirits having been awoken. 
Yes. For us, Kakadu is a truly special place.

Ubirr, Kakadu National Park

For the last days of our time in Kakadu we moved to Kakadu Resort in Jabiru to make it easier to explore the East alligator region. Covering almost 20,000 square Kilometers,  Kakadu National Park is about eighty percent savannah woodlands and also encompasses wetlands, rainforests, billabongs, floodplains, coastal beaches, escarpments and . . . the Alligator Rivers, South, West and East. There are no alligators in Kakadu! The rivers were named in 1818 by one Phillip Parker King, a seemingly unimaginative Englishman who mistook the crocs for alligators.

 Ubirr, forty two kilometers from Jabiru, is in the East Alligator region and borders on Arnhem Land. It is the traditional lands of the Bunidj, Manilagarr, Murrwan and Mandjurlgunj people. Our guide,  young Aboriginal man who lives on his traditional land, quietly met us at the beginning of the track and that was the start of a deeply moving experience for us. What knowledge, humility, respect for his country and people, what patience in dealing with thoughtless questions he displayed. His dignity and maturity was an example to all.

An inspirational young guide

At the end of  his presentation I asked if I could take his photo the young man said he wanted one with me. Although I hate having my photo taken I could hardly refuse. I show it now, at the beginning of my story because this young man had a profound effect on many of us on this day.

It was with pride that he explained that his clan was represented on the Land Council that was ensuring that his country was being respectfully cared for and being shared with all who came to explore it and to learn about its ways. He explained that one of his clan was a member of this council and that one day his own turn would come to take on that responsibility. I am sure that he will do a great job when his time comes.

What a spellbinding story teller he was! Most of the large group were captivated with the images he evoked with his soft, thoughtful language and careful indication of where to look to see the characters he was describing. The stories he told were of a cautionary nature, illustrating why the people needed to abide by the clan laws and what would happen to them if they didn't. As he talked I realised how important these laws were for the survival of the families who were reliant on nature to provide for their every need as well as to guard against the dangers their country held for them.

One area was an outdoor classroom area where children were taught the laws of their clan and the land.

Mabayu

The photo above is a painting of Mabayu. You can see his spear, dilly bag and spear thrower. His story is a cautionary one about the consequences of sneakily taking something that does not belong to you and it was told something like this. I will try to tell it as it was told to us.

One day Mabayu was fishing near the East Alligator river. It was a good day. There were many fish and as he caught each one he placed it carefully on a pile on the river bank. A greedy person was watching this and, when Mabayu was not looking she crept up and stole all the fish. Mabayu came up from the river and saw his fish were gone. He went looking for them and smelled them cooking on a fire in a cave. He hid and watched all the people eating his fish. That night he blocked the entrance to the cave with a big stone and all the people were shut inside. No one could get out. Not one. So, behave properly and do good behaviour. Don't take anyone else's fish.

Battle between clans

Then there was the story of the girl who ate Barramundi at the wrong time, breaking the traditional laws. When she was punished too severely there was a battle between the clans and many, many people died. So, don't do the wrong thing or many other innocent people may suffer your consequences. A common punishment was to be speared in the leg. This would be life threatening not only because of infection but because the person would not be able to move around to be safe from harmful things or to find food and water.

Barramundi. Paintings were often done on top of others. We were told that the painting itself was not as important as the act in creating it.

Then there were the two Mamarrgarn Sisters who were playing string games down by the river. One of them stood in the water at the mouth of the East Alligator River. She knew how to turn herself into a crocodile, so she did. Then she turned herself back to a sister.

Her sister was watching and she asked, "Can you show me how to do that?" 

So they went to a fresh water spring and the second sister learned how to turn into a crocodile. Then they both changed into a saltwater crocodile and stayed like that. Nowadays there are palms around that spring grew from the sister's teeth which they pulled from their mouths and planted. As crocodiles the sisters always know where their food is because of the large ridge scales on their backs. They are special sensory powers that tell where dinner is, even under water.

Long Necked turtle, Kakadu Dreamtime story

Another story that held us spell bound until the final words was that of the long necked turtle and the echidna. Here it is, again told as closely as possible as it was to us.

In our Dreamtime a long necked turtle and an echidna were good friends who lived together. They hunted together and shared their food. The echidna had a little one, a baby. One day they ran out of food so the echidna told the turtle to stay and keep the little one while she went hunting further away. So she went and the turtle stayed with the little one.

The echidna was gone a long, long time and the turtle was very hungry. After a while he was so hungry he ate the little one. Then the echidna came back with some food.

"Where is my little one?"she asked.

"I was so hungry that I ate it,"said the turtle.

The echidna was so angry that she went to get stones to throw at the turtle. The turtle got spear grass and threw it at the echidna. They had a big fight. After that the stones turned into a shell on the turtle's back and the spear grass turned into spines on the echidna. 

Then the turtle told the echidna, "I will go and live in the billabong and never see you again."

The echidna said, "I will go and live up in the escarpment and never see you again."

They did that. Now, when we eat turtle we find the little echidna's bones in the turtle's throat.

If I retell any more of the enthralling stories told to us so beautifully this post will be very long!

Mimi Spirits

 Some of the paintings are high on the escarpment. The Mimi Spirits were Dreamtime ancestors who were the first to draw rock paintings and taught the people. Some of them entered the rock as paintings themselves and the places where this happened are sacred places, visited only by a few permitted people.

Tassie Tiger - Thylacine

Other lofty paintings record now extinct animals that must have been common to the area. the Tassie Tiger is one of these.

Over the centuries the weather elements have assaulted the paintings with some visibly losing colours. The ridge line visible in the above photo is a resin ridge that guides rain water along it and down the side of the rock face instead of falling down over the paintings, destroying them.

 Our guide told us that only special people within his clan were allowed to do the painting, each one permitted to do only a certain part. He himself is permitted to do only the lines using a thick brush, not the finer details. He picked up pieces of rock that could be crumbled to make a fine powder, sometimes reddish and sometimes yellow. "This here rock powder is then mixed with a resin from a plant so that it sticks to the rock for a long, long time," he said.

Ubirr, Kakadu National Park

Storytelling finished, our guide had us clamber up some steepish rocks to a small plateau that allowed us to look back at the caves where we had had the privilege of  seeing the paintings and hearing their stories.

After telling us that in the wet seasons of Gudjewg and Banggerreng he travels around the area below by boat, our young guide left us but not before we were thanked for visiting his country and for listening to the stories of his people. As he was saying his last words I was pleased that Rohan made his way down the rocks to shake this awesome young man's hand and even more pleased to see everyone else do the same. Our time with him was so precious that the usual applause would have been way less than adequate or respectful.

From Ubirr, Kakadu National Park

Ubirr is right on the border with Arnhem Land, seen behind us in this photo.

Our time in Ubirr, hearing the stories of the land and its people from a young man who is so very proud of his heritage was a very spiritual experience, to be remembered always.

Nourlangie Rock and Anbangbang, Kakadu National Park

Approach to Nourlangie, Kakadu National Park

Our second day in Kakadu was spent at Nourlangie and this was where we began to acquire a greater understanding of Aboriginal culture and to appreciate, in a more informed way, the deep connection the First Peoples of this land have with it.  Contrasted with other world ideas of ownership of land and the drive to maximise its value, we saw that, to the Aboriginal people, the land is a living entity that could be said to own them. We saw their deep and abiding connection to it and their belief that they must respect, revere and protect it or it will suffer from neglect which will, in turn, have severe repercussions for them.

Nourlangie Rock, Kakadu

"Nourlangie", an anglicised version of Nawurlandja, is actually the name given to the larger area while the lower areas are known as Anbangbang. We went to the three main areas of Burrungguy, the name of the upper part of the rock. The smoke in the photo above is from a naturally occurring fire near the Anbangbang shelter.

Namarrgon Djadjam

The photo above was taken from Gun-warddehwarddhe Lookout. The cliffs are part of the Arnhem Land escarpment and are a sacred site, not to be disturbed.

Nourlangie Rock

This area, with its extensive woodlands, wetlands, creek and cliffs offering plenty of food opportunities, would, in prehistoric times, been home to many people. Artefacts and implements uncovered when layers of soil were excavated in the 1980s indicate that the caves here were in use 20,000 to 6,000 years ago. Aboriginal people say that this area was used by the Warramal clan, traditional owners of the land and also by the Badmardi clan who came down from their higher area to get food from the billabongs and woodland areas. Now that the Warramal clan has died out the Aboriginal owners from neighbouring areas have taken on the responsibility for this area. This was carefully and respectfully explained to us by the young Aboriginal guide.

Anbangbang

At Anbangbang the rock paintings have several purposes- some tell cautionary stories which encourage the keeping of clan rules while others simply depict celebrations.

Nabulwinjbulwinj

Nabulwinjbulwinj is a very fearsome spirit for women. He knocks them out with a yam and eats them. I couldn't find out why women were at risk and how they could avoid this fate but I am sure such a threat would have been enough to ensure good behaviour.

Lightning Man, Namarrgon, and Namondjolg

Lightning Man, Namarrgon, is a very important creation spirit who even today creates the violent lightning and thunderstorms that bring the lifesaving rains. With his lightning band looping from his left ankle through his head and hands down to his right ankle and his thunder cracking axes on his elbows, head and feet I thought that he looked like he would enjoy making an entrance after the protracted dry times! 

The big form beside him is that of Namondjok but first lets see Lightning Man's wife, Barrginj. She is the figure below Namondjok. Barrginj [ Barr-jeen] is important because she is the mother of the Alyurr, the grasshoppers. These grasshoppers are important because, in the creation time, they gave the Aboriginal people their language, beliefs, values and structure of their society. The Alyurr, the amazingly beautiful blue and orange grasshoppers, are rarely seen today however they are said to appear just before the wet season when they call to their father, Lightning Man, to bring stormy relief to the people and the parched land.

Now back to Namondjok. While there are different stories about this same spirit ancestor, our guide explained that Namondjok broke clan rules by marrying unlawfully. Aboriginal laws dictate whom people may or may not marry and this is a cautionary tale that reminds people of the clan rules about marriage. Now, in Aboriginal clans a sister does not necessarily mean one's sibling but includes their first cousins on both sides of the family and also some other less clear relationships. Anyway Namondjok married his sister and was transformed into an estuarine crocodile. Other clans tell that Namondjok is an ancestor who now lives in the sky and is seen only at night near the Milky Way.

Namondjok's feather

After Namondjok married his sister she took a feather from his headdress and placed it on the rocky outcrop to show others what they had done. She then became a rainbow serpent.

Some of the art work at Anbangbang cave has been repainted many times and this shows the conditions, events and animals of the time of the repainting.

Anbangbang

Anbangbang

Anbangbang

The kangaroos we saw in the National Park were smaller than this one and often a greyish colour.

Anbangbang

Anbangbang Billabong is a kilometre or so from Nourlangie Rock. As the circular walk was closed due to the presence of crocodiles, we had to be content with enjoying lunch at one of the picnic tables. While sitting there peacefully I reflected on how resourceful and resilient the Aboriginal people there had had to be to live successfully in a beautiful but sometimes difficult environment. I also appreciated how fortunate we are to be able to gain an understanding of a culture that persists in surviving despite great difficulties having been dropped on it.

Anbangbang Billabong late June