All 4 one and one 4 all

Our tour group split today. Donna and I did the Top Didj Cultural Experience with Manuel and Mark and Wayne returned to the gorge.

It was incredibly interesting and humbling to hear the story of someone our own age who grew up traditionally: being born in the bush of Nitmiluk; growing up in Arnhem Land; losing his family at a young age; on many occasions being hungry and constantly dealing with the elements and nature. Manuel learnt so much about traditional life – first from the women in his life and then the men. He compared and contrasted his traditional and his current life with humour and humility.

We were taught line painting. Using the reed brushes demanded skill and patience. It was so therapeutic and at times, a little frustrating.

We were also shown fire making and spear throwing.

Mark and Wayne went back to the gorge and did a walk to the lookout. Before doing so, they indulged in some big pieces of cake.

The walk to the lookout gave them a bird’s eye view of the gorge.

Once we returned to Katherine, we searched again for somewhere to have lunch. Many places were shut and there were many signs advertising for staff. Despite the number of travellers currently going through the town, there appears to be a huge hang-over from Covid.

Along with a number of other travellers, we ended up back at The Coffee Club. It was a long wait for lunch but delicious when we got it.

Once we had lunch, we headed to the Katherine thermal pools just out of town. We had a final swim.

Where we got in was not as warm as the day before so we decided to walk up closer to where the spring started. We did it without our shoes and it was the longest 50m or so on a wire path for our soft feet.

To avoid the walk back we had to go down a little rock waterfall, traverse a narrow creek with overhanging foliage and some hidden rocks and logs and then swim under a bridge. Not my favourite kind of activity but anything to avoid the painful walk. Wayne said I went under that bridge like I was kicking to save my life.

We went home via Woolies and had to go Plan C as many of the things we wanted were sold out. Mark and Wayne were questioned again at the Bottle-o.

We settled in for rest of the afternoon and completed some planning for next stage of our trip.

Began the day with a one hour drive to two hot springs at Mataranka. We got there early to avoid the crowds.

Our first springs were the Mataranka thermal springs. The water was absolutely beautiful as it was clear and warm. We could have stayed in there for ages. I loved floating on my back and just looking at the sky.

We then drove to Bitter Springs. It was a little more natural. I did spend time wondering what eyes were watching us from the reeds. There was a strong current which allowed you to float down and gave you a workout when you swam against it.

We stopped at the big termite mound and went to a cafe where Donna and Mark had the worst coffee of the trip. The staff were trying so hard but some lessons were needed for coffee making.

Came home for our usual kip and then drove 30 minutes to Nitmiluk National Park to join our sunset dinner cruise. Our guide, Russel, was a proud Jawoyn man and his knowledge and delivery was superb.

The trip was broken into three stages. First, we travelled to the end of the first gorge. No swimming or canoeing is allowed in this gorge as a creek flows into it which may harbour salt-water crocodiles which have swum in during the wet season. The rangers feel the risk of salt-water crocodiles is too high and are constantly looking for signs of their presence.

At the end of the first gorge, we had to walk to the second gorge and Russell talked in-depth about the rock art that we passed.

We hopped onto another boat and travelled down the second gorge. Filming of ‘Jedda’ and ‘Rogue’ took place here. The Jawoyn people believe their creation spirit, a Rainbow Serpent, formed the gorges and that it formed underground tunnels to places like Edith Falls.

The third part of the trip was the dinner cruise. We walked back to the first gorge and boarded the dinner boat. We were served a welcome champagne with a native hibiscus. A 3-course meal was prepared by Chef Pierre and served by Dan and Tyler.

We were seated with Carolyn and Laurie from the Sunshine Coast. Over the next hour we were wined and dined as we returned to the beginning of the first gorge. Mark and Wayne had the rib fillet and Donna and I had the barramundi.

We mis-timed our cruise, not realising it was State of Origin. We were given regular updates of the game as Russell, our driver, was also pro-Queensland. Although it was not our night as far as the football went, the dinner cruise was a wonderful experience and we didn’t have to watch Queensland getting beaten.

It didn’t start well today. We left Cooinda Lodge early, heading for Katherine. We were looking forward to the hot box at the Mary River Rest Stop but on arrival, it appeared to have been abandoned quite awhile ago. No sausage rolls or pies for these travellers.

At about 9:30am, we hit a wallaby. The silly thing jumped out, giving Wayne, who was travelling at 110km/hour, no chance to avoid it. The wallaby bounded away and the car was only slightly damaged – a dent and a damaged sensor on the bumper bar. It now goes off each time we are stopped.

Fortunately, Wayne and Mark had made the wise decision to pay an extra $50 a day to reduce the excess from $6000 to $0. The girl at Budget first asked if we were all OK and then if the car was drivable. A yes to both!

As we couldn’t get into our accommodation until after 2pm, we detoured to Edith Falls. What a great choice.

We started by swimming at the closer falls (well, everyone bar me – too cold for this little frog!)

We then walked up to the top falls. Getting up to the falls was a bit of a hike and sliding in and out of the water required some manoeuvring but it was so worth it.

Swimming to and under the waterfall was incredible – refreshing and invigorating. This has become the top highlight of the trip thus far.

We arrived at our apartments and couldn’t contact anyone to get in. At great risk to life and limb, Mark had to end up scaling the 6-foot fence, balancing along it, jumping in, and eventually locating an envelope with our keys in it. Don’t know how we were supposed to get it with a locked gate and no service,

It is a bizarre place. There are 28 apartments and we are the only ones here. Covid signs, such as all occupants having to wear masks inside, are still on each door.

We headed to the Information Centre for a reconnaissance of the area. First guy that Mark approached said he was too busy. The young girl we ended up with, gave monosyllabic answers, mainly, ‘No!’

No – there isn’t a bus to the cruise night.

No – you can’t change your cruise night.

No – there are no spots left for canoeing in the gorge.

When we asked for a spot to eat lunch, she had to look it up. The only place, according to her research, was the Coffee Club and it was open until 5. As it was nearly 3pm and we were quite peckish, we didn’t question her advice. We got there, sat and ordered, to be told that we’d have to have take-away as they were closing early due to lack of staff. On a positive note, all the staff were very friendly and they let us sit there and eat our food from the take away containers.

We then went to buy some groceries at the nearby Woolworths. When we went into the Bottle-o, Donna had to stay outside as she was not carrying any ID. A policeman greeted us and the rest of us had to show identification. We were asked where we were staying and for how long. Meanwhile, Donna was hiding behind a post but stood out as she was clutching two noodles freshly purchased for our next swim. You can’t hide, Donna.

Home we went and settled in for the evening. Watched the international rugby league games and shared a cheese platter before once again, retiring early.

We joined the other 150 people doing the sunrise tour. 4 boats of about 40 people each. Our minds were boggling when you think each person is charged $180.

Despite the number of people, each boat took its own path and the trip was serene. Cruising the different waterways of Yellow Water Billabong and South Alligator River was incredible.

Our boat guy was Travis and he was a local Bininj man. We were shown crocodiles, wild pigs and horses, golden tree snakes, kingfishers, whistler ducks, egrets, white-bellied sea eagles and a jabiru. He had an incredible knowledge and it was a brilliant introduction to the Kakadu wetlands.

The rest of the day was a lazy day. Wayne, Mark and I went for a drive to Jim Jim billabong and Miray Lookout.

We returned to camp and joined Donna for a swim at the pool – even I got in.

A quick lunch of pizza, chips and a couple of beverages.

A kip, name-the-place game invented my Donna followed by dinner and the first half of the women’s State of Origin!

Once again… early night. It’s hard work being on holidays!

Answer: Emerald. Wayne initially said Longreach but was corrected by Mark – The Emerald Express

Unfortunately, all the 4WD tours for fishing and the swimming holes were booked out so we ran our own tour.

Started with the Warradjan Cultural Centre 2km from Cooinda. So interesting and great displays.

Because of his height, Mark was commandeered by the lone worker to help hang a set of buffalo horns. In return, the guy regaled a number of the Dreaming stories. The same guy told Donna she had a beautiful aura and he told her the story of why only men can play the didgeridoo (a little R-rated). Mark was convinced that the guy was trying to pick up Donna.

We then went to see some rock art at Anbangbang. It was incredible to see something so old and yet so preserved. The views were spectacular.

We visited a billabong while we were there, keeping an eye out for any of our reptilian friends.

Lunch ended up being chicken and salad rolls at Jabiru’s IGA.

We went to the Information Centre on the way home and again, an impressive display. So many interesting facts about the South Alligator River area, its flora and fauna, the original inhabitants and the effects of ‘progress’.

After Donna and Mark recommended it, Wayne and I went for a quick walk to the resident billabong.

We all had a kip and then enjoyed an afternoon of drinks and laughs. We enjoyed an incident-free dinner and retired for the night. Another great day!

We journeyed to Ubirr and saw more incredible rock paintings.

We met Penny whose mother is a Gurindji woman.

Penny was with a school group and took the time to explain a few things to us such as how the pandanus fruit was used by the Gurindji people. It is poisonous until cooked to make flour. The fruit is also used as a loofah when bathing.

We climbed to the top of Ubirr lookout and the views were incredible. Also got reception for the first time in days.

We detoured to Cahills’s Crossing. In the wet season, it is renowned for crocodiles waiting for barramundi (or people) coming across. We saw one or two.

We went to the Jabiru tavern for lunch but @ $30 per person for a continental lunch, we decided to patronise the IGA again.

Classic question from Donzy to staff member at IGA: where do you live? Answer: in houses. Turns out there are 500 houses on n Jabiru. In Donna’s defence, we didn’t see one house!

Back to Cooinda for a repeat of kip, swim, drinks and dinner. It doesn’t get much better than this!

Good deeds: Wayne carried chairs over the pool fence for another family.

We then enjoyed another dinner at Mimi’s. Mark had the ribs; Wayne had lamb shoulder; and Donna and I had barramundi. Once again, we reminisced on past holidays- this particular moment was the Dunston incident (sorry folks, what happens on tour, stays on tour).

No internet for several days so expect a backlog of events.

Highlight of my trip so far. Left Darwin and drove to a Jumping crocs tour. Took photos with the big croc, looked in their shop and examined their displays.. to be told after presenting our tickets that we were at the wrong tour group. Thank goodness I am with people who like to be early.

We piled back into the car and headed to the correct tour – Adelaide River Jumping Crocs Tour. We were told 15 minutes to get there but it took us 28 minutes…2 minutes before the tour was due to leave!

It was worth it. Best experience ever. The difference between the caged crocodiles of two days ago and the wild crocodiles is immense. It was as close to being with the crocodiles as humanly possible. These ancient creatures were menacing but our tour operator knew his crocs and had a name for all the males. It was interesting that none of the females were named. Following the tradition, Donna and I named Wayne and Grubbie, Les and Buddha. No fighting, boys. You might lose a limb.

We then drove to Cooinda in Kakadu. We stopped at the Bark Hut Inn for lunch on the way (great pizza).

We arrived at Cooinda, settled into our glamping tents and enjoyed some quiet drinks in the outdoor bar area.

Dinner could have been a bit of a fiasco. We decided to eat in the restaurant and ordered two $58 shared platters of crocodile, kangaroo, buffalo and barramundi. Despite being in a restaurant, we had to pick up our meals. We knew there were problems when Mark and Wayne returned wth just one. Mark had dropped his, much to all the other patrons’ amusement. We think this is a regular occurrence as it was easily replaced.

To add insult to injury, Mark got locked out of the bathroom facilities in the early hours of the following morning. He was rescued by a grumpy local who wasn’t pleased with the number of lodgers requiring the same thing. In all fairness, the code and turn of the handle stumped us all (except Wayne) at one time or another.

Another brilliant day. Donna and I hit the gym to start the day. Trying to balance our decadence with healthy choices.

I even went as far as getting mushroom and tomato bruschetta which turned out to be more artichoke and tomato – I did find two mushrooms. Donna’s halloumi resembled fish and Mark’s scrambled eggs looked like chicken – is anything real up here?

We headed to the Barramundi farm to try our luck at fishing.

Mark caught the first one and I could see that Wayne was feeling the pressure.

Luckily, he hooked one and then within another half an hour, we had all caught one.

Wayne hooked a golden snapper and Donna caught the biggest mud crab. Apparently, One-armed Bandit is a repeat offender and we couldn’t keep him.

We went home via the Humpty Doo pub and indulged in some lunch and a couple of drinks.

Home for a kip. The boys went down to the local for a couple of drinks and got some pizza on the way home. Nice to have a quiet night in! We spent quite a lot of time reminiscing and working out who got the biggest fish.

What a day! We crammed so much into it. Started with a walk to the Waterfront for breakfast. Wayne and Mark found a local with whom they could identify.

We then drove to the Darwin War Museum which was fascinating. Bombed on 19 February, 1942 and we were visiting on 19 June, 2022.

We wanted to have lunch at Seafood on Cullen but it was shut so went to another place called Ebb and Flow. Wayne ordered the sliders and Mark and I ordered the Calamareally. It wasn’t until Donna questioned the waitstaff about the Jackfruit on the slider that we all realised the restaurant was vegan. Incredibly, Wayne decided to go the calamareally as well. Donna enjoyed her falafel and the chips were yummy but sorry, Bella, Bec and Alyssa, we won’t be going vegan or vegetarian anytime soon.

Wayne and Donna really wanted to see crocodiles so we went to Crocosaurus Cove located in the middle of town. We had to fill in 2 and a half hours waiting for the croc feeding session. There are only so many lizards, fish, turtles, snakes and crocodiles you can see so we did spend a bit of time just waiting. There had been consideration around swimming with the crocs but in Donna’s words when we witnessed one tourist’s experience, ‘Very under-whelming!’

When the feeding finally happened, I spent the time worrying about the safety of the two young girls doing the feeding. Mark felt there was little to worry about as in Wayne’s words, ‘I think those crocs are tranquillised!’

After that, we came back to the apartment for a quick rest. We ventured out to the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets and enjoyed dinner from the huge selection of food trucks. Got done by the taxi driver there who charged us nearly three times more than the one that brought us home.

We then walked onto the beach and witnessed one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen. The number of people witnessing it alongside us was phenomenal.

We finished the night by going to the casino and enjoying beer and cocktails. We had a final flutter on the roulette wheel. $5 on #5 and $5 on #19 (this day’s significant number). The luck of the Irish wasn’t with us this time so we headed home for a well-deserved rest.

It’s confirmed. Travelling with Donna brings us luck. Our flight to Darwin was smooth and without incident. The boys were able to elicit useful information from a local – a beautiful, young girl flying up to see her brother’s race in the Supercars. Donna and I did witness a slight ‘Karen’ moment when someone was in the wrong seat but it was smoothed over as quickly as it began.

We arrived in Darwin and began stripping off jumpers and trackies. A lovely 32degrees. We retrieved our bags and signed for our car. First piece of luck – second driver without charge!

We arrived at the Argus apartments and lo and behold- upgrade to…the penthouse. Amazing digs for three nights.

We then quickly frocked up and headed to the Darwin races (boys looked very pretty). There were five races and we each had a race to choose a horse and then we all chose for the final race. Donna selected #5 for the first race – $150.

The next three races (Mark’s, mine and Wayne’s) were all fizzers. In the last race, Donna’s horse, #5 won again. This time, $240 to add to the kitty.

Finished the day with dinner at the waterfront and a couple of cab rides with another interesting local who told Wayne he was old and crabby because he’s been married too long.