Balmy, tropical, plunge pools, crocs, barramundi, mangos, red earth, a large rock, dreamtime, thorny devils, didgeridoo & beer.
We didn't see or do the above in this order but the Northern Territory was a very pleasant surprise. Driving across from WA we were already acclimatised to high temperatures but nothing prepares you for the build up to the infamous Darwin wet season. In order 'to cope', we moved out of the bus at night sleeping in a mozzie dome, trying to feel any trace of a breeze available to us.
The NT is clearly cut into two distinct regions. The Top End is a tropical haven, which has two distinct seasons, the wet and the dry. In our opinion to live here and survive the continuous heat it is compulsary to have a swimming pool in your back yard or a croc free plunge pool nearby and a fridge full of beer. And don't even think about having a home without air conditioning. Everyone is also crazy about the sport of Barramundi fishing so owning a boat and being brave enough to put it into croc infested rivers is also expected. Though with the mixture of heat and rain, comes some wondeful lush green country, which is a stark contrast to the south of the state or better known as the Red Centre.
Dry, red and barren, most people associate the Red Centre with Australia's iconic large rock, Uluru. And there is no doubting why Uluru is such a drawcard to both domestic and international visitors. But the Red Centre really starts about 500km south of Darwin, as the drive through the middle of Australia begins. The Stuart Highway is dotted with old pubs and out posts where travellers long before us stopped to refresh (mostly with a cold beer) and just when we had exhausted our IPod's playlists, Alice Springs popped out of nowhere, offering loads of different experiences for visitors. Including digderidoo lessons. Xavier Rudd eat your heart out.......
Alice is flanked by the Macdonnell Ranges, which don't usually get a mention when people talk about the Red Centre but they are so worth making the time to visit. We walked through really outstanding country here, which was a great way to prepare us for the icing on the cake - Kings Canyon, Uluru and Kuta Tjuta National Park.
To be honest, the Red Centre was the perfect way for us to draw our incredible trip around Australia to an end. It lives up to its iconic status and left us with our own little piece of dreamtime!
PHOTO SLIDESHOWS
| Kakadu - October 09 Our first stop in the NT was Kakadu National Park, which is the size of Wales! As we had arrived at the end of the dry season the birdlife was prolific and we were treated to some great bird watching opportunties at a number of billabongs. Though our hunt for Claire's favourite bird, the Jabiru and taking a Wildlife Photographer of the Year photo proved a challenge.
Managed jointly by the region's indigenous population and State Government Department of Conservation and Wildlife, Kakadu is both a show piece for the Top End's wildlife and also a fascinating insight into indigenous country and culture
Walking the land and talking with Park Rangers, we certainly got a greater appreciation for indigenous dreamtime, which underpins their culture as well as the history and stories surrounding indigenous rock art, which their is an abundance of.
We so enjoyed Kakadu we are determined to revisit immediately after a wet season in the not so distant future. Though next time our experience will be totally different to the one we just had. Click here to see the photos.
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Darwin - October 09 We really enjoyed our stay in Darwin, as we were treated to five star acommodation with friends - a proper bed, AC and a back yard pool!!
With a small population of 110,000, Darwin is more like a large regional country town. There is however plenty to keep visitors occupied, with many activities centred around the beautiful blue water, which you can't even put a toe in as otherwise you might get chomped by a Croc!! Therefore the Wave Pool in town is a popular destination and in which Linds decided to rip it up on a boogie board, steeling waves from all the kids!!
Linds also went on a mammoth barra fishing adventure (a story for another time) but needless to say a month later we are still enjoying fish and chips on a regular basis.
Infact food was a central theme of our stay, taking full advantage of the beginning of the mango season (how much mango can you fit in a small freezer alongside fresh barra?) and then deliberating over what asian flavour to choose at the Mundil Beach Sunset Markets, which were fortunately held twice a week. Click here to see the photos. |
| Driving Down the Middle - October 09
So Australia's a BIG place. Leaving Darwin we had 1500km before we hit Alice Springs. All we could see infront of us was 3 days of boring driving, along a very long road. The Stuart Highway however is full of diversions, with the Devil carefully side tracking people to a game of Marbles he had a few thousand years ago. i.e some large round boulders randomly scattered across the desert. This made quite a pleasent place to stretch our legs and camp overnight.
Our next stop was the most popular place for UFO visits in Australia and then to cap it off after we had visited the Red Centre, we continued on our merry way and stopped in Coober Pedy, where 70% of the population live underground.
All bizzare but truly wonderful to visit and acknowledge that there are still some weird and wonderful palces left in this country. Oh did I forget to mention the pub which has a bar covered in bras and g-strings?!!! Click here to see some photos.
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The Red Centre - October 09
Most people will have seen Uluru either on the television or in magazines many times before they even get up close and personal with The Rock. We were slightly worried that we might be disappointed but this wasn't to be. Its size, its many colours, the sheer angles of its walls, we loved Uluru. Linds described it as quite alien as it looks out of place, just plonked in the middle of the desert. And to climb or to walk, have you seen how steep it is? We walked!.
Infact we enjoyed many great walks in the Red Centre; Ormiston Pound in the West Macdonnell Ranges; around the rim of Kings Canyon, which was spectacular and through the Valley of the Winds in Kuta Tjuta, which certainly rivals Uluru, with red domes contrasting against brilliant blue skies.
We weren't plagued by flies and the weather was perfect, providing us with a memorable sunset for the finale of our visit - Sounds of Silence - champers and a good ole Aussie BBQ under the stars. Click here to see some photos |
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