Darwin: Jabiru and Kakadu

Before we left for the Crocodile Hotel at Jabiru Paul took us to Cousins Lookout and Waterhole. It was not what I was expecting. Lookouts for me meant going to the top of a hill (one tree lookout and tower in the Dandenong ranges comes to mind) and seeing vistas of rolling wooded hills and deep valleys. This lookout was a grassy slope overlooking a billabong.

Cousins Lookout was marked ‘closed’ on the roadworks board at the main turnoff but when we reached the actual road there was nothing to be seen.  We decided to take a chance. I’m so glad we did.

       

In the early morning light wallabies were everywhere.  I kept seeing large termite mounds and just had to take a picture. They reminded me of when we first saw them in 1973. They had not changed and were familiar to us.

      

We had a resident geko lizard on our ceiling at Mary River Retreat. At night he actively chased bugs and sometimes he came half way down our walls. We loved watching him. I was reminded of the gekos in Malaya. There we always said,  for the first year we sit and watch them. The second year they watch us and the third year we are up there with them. To Alan the ceiling of the unit reminded him of our truck canopy all those years ago.

 

We arrived back to our unit only to find a family consisting of grandma, grandpa, mum and dad, and four boys had arrived for the Easter holiday. Mum was not happy. she said loudly that the grandparent’s unit was better. “You must have paid more,” was her comment. “Ours smells and has lino on the floor. I’m going to see if I can change.” The children were all scrapping and yelling to go into the pool to escape Mum’s mood and to get away from the heat.

I put on my headphones (a hospital gift from Marian) to drown out the noise and wrote with my apple pencil in my ipad (a gift from Paul last birthday). Fabulous. I could scrawl away in my ipad and not hear a thing. Tomorrow is Good Friday. Tent pegs are hammering, voices calling, the golf buggy hurtles by filled with an adult driving and laughing children and the water spray is tut, tut, tutting. They are happy campers preparing for the Easter holiday but the peace without the headphones has gone. Tomorrow we are happy to move on to Kakadu.

To help me understand more about our destination I searched for information about Kakadu on the internet. This is what I discovered.

The name Kakadu may come from the mispronunciation of Gaagudju, which is the name of an Aboriginal language spoken in the northern part of the park. This name may derive from the Indonesian word kakatuwah, (via Dutch kaketoe and German Kakadu) subsequently Anglicised as “cockatoo”.

Kakadu National Park is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin. The park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory. It covers an area of 19,804 kms (7,646 sq mi), extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres from east to west. It is the size of Slovenia, about one-third the size of Tasmania, and nearly half the size of Switzerland. The Ranger Uranium Mine, one of the most productive uranium mines in the world, is surrounded by the park.

The Aboriginal traditional owners of the park are descendants of various clan groups from the Kakadu area and have longstanding affiliations with this country. Their lifestyle has changed in recent years, but their traditional customs and beliefs remain very important. About 500 Aboriginal people live in the park, many of them are traditional owners. All of Kakadu is jointly managed by Aboriginal traditional owners and the Director of National Parks with assistance from Parks Australia, a division of Australian Government’s Department of the Environment and Energy. Park Management is directed by the Kakadu Board of Management.

Our accommodation at The Crocodile Hotel was superb. Our unit was large, comfortable and right beside their swimming pool. The dining room was close by. We had several meals at the hotel restaurant. On the first occasion I had barramundi fish and it was superb, as were all our meals. The lovely young waitress was a new French backpacker who had just arrived and was learning the language and the craft. Our room was just behind the head of the crocodile hotel in the picture below. You can just see the shade sail over the swimming pool. In the heat it was lovely to go for a swim in cool water before showering and heading off for dinner.

Kakadu is indigenous owned and we were very aware of and respectful of their culture. Paul and Marian took us to view the rock paintings at Ubirr, a group of rock outcrops in the northeast of the park, on the edge of the Nadab floodplain. There are several large rock overhangs that would have provided excellent shelter to Aboriginal people over thousands of years. Ubirr’s proximity to the East Alligator River and Nadab floodplains means that food would have been abundant and this is reflected in much of the rock art there. Animals depicted in the main gallery include barramundi, catfish, mullet, goanna, snake-necked turtle, pig-nosed turtle, rock-haunting ringtail possum and wallaby,

   

Paul pushed Alan in his wheelchair in 35 Celsius heat and made sure Alan looked at as many paintings as possible. Paul also ensured Alan saw a remarkable variety and concentration of wildlife by stopping at every bird-hide and shelter along the way. He was so professional in the way he unfolded the wheelchair from the back of the four wheel drive car and had it ready for Alan to use.

Burrunguy, formally called Nourlangie Rock, is located in an outlying formation of the Arnhem Land Escarpment. There are a number of shelters in amongst this large outcrop linked by paths and stairways. The shelters contain several impressive paintings that deal with creation ancestors. Some of the stories connected to these artworks are known only to certain Aboriginal people and remain secret. Anbangbang Billabong lies in the shadow of Nourlangie Rock and is inhabited by a wide range of wildlife which would have sustained traditional Aboriginal people well. We had many picnic lunches and loved the peace of this place. I took many photos of information to read at my leisure.

 

From the Jabiru airport we took a kakadu Air one hour scenic flight. I wanted to get an idea of the size and shape of the land and you can only do that from a small plane or helicopter.

 

The vast expanse of Kakadu lay spread out before us.  I saw the flood plains below and the high escarpment rising out of the mist. It would have provided shelter for centuries from violent storms, flood plains and billabongs during the wet season. I imagined aboriginal people sheltered by rock cliffs towering above. Imagined them waiting patiently for the monsoon to pass and the dry season to begin. They would huddle around fires, gossiping, story telling and adding to the art work. An abundance of wildlife kept them healthy and alert. The commentary through the headphones was informative and fascinating. There was so much to learn and to see and I was spell bound by the sheer size of the area.

Jim Jim falls were fascinating from the plane and we were given every opportunity to see them. I’d noticed on one of our car trips that the road to them was still closed. We decided not to try to get through this time. However  viewing them from the air was amazing.

     

How generous of the indigenous people, now that they own most of Kakadu to welcome all people to their country. However, certain areas are closed to everyone, indigenous people included, because that area is the resting place of the Rainbow Serpent and she must not be disturbed.

 

Darwin: the Mary River Region

The Mary River region is Jawoyn land and I want to know more about the indigenous culture, but first we settled in to the Mary River Wilderness Retreat.

I was delighted to find that we had our own unit with shared pool (a necessity in this hot climate). The water of the pool was not heated and was gloriously cool. I couldn’t wait to don my bathers and swim under the shade of tall palms. So refreshing. Even Alan had a dip in the pool. We had sunshine everyday with azure blue skies. Amazing for the end of the wet season. Our time in the Top End was on the cusp of the wet and dry seasons when trips and accommodation were beginning to reopen for the dry season ahead.

On the way to Mary River we called in to Howard Springs. 

   

We hardly recognised it after so many years and Paul wheeled Alan everywhere so he could participate in the beauty and history of this place.  Fish were bountiful and the large lizards were amazing to see. We even saw the original spring bubbling out of rocks. 

We also called in to Fogg dam. Alan remembered walking over the dam wall in 1973 and seeing crocodiles. This amazing place also triggered many memories for me. We laughed at how it was believed at that time that rice would be a lucrative crop to grow at Fogg Dam.  Acres were planted until the Magpie geese discovered it was a free banquet and stripped the plants bare.

 

We also viewed wildlife at the Wetland complex and spotted crocodiles in the water’s edge at the South Alligator River. I shuddered when I thought about how little crocodiles figured into our plans so long ago. I now realize how lucky we were to return with two healthy boys able to grow into the caring men they are today.  After my swim we settled in to our unit at the Wilderness Retreat. The next day we went on the experience of a life time:

A Wildlands Wetlands Safari in an air boat over the corroboree billabong.

  

Josh took the four of us on the first trip for the season and was amazing. He revealed to us the indigenous culture of that part of the world. Josh showed us the differences between the native water-lilies and the ancient introduced Asian water-lilies. He demonstrated how the stalks were like celery and the large leaves with their hairy surfaces could be used as water containers or even hats. Alan had to try one and said it was much cooler and protected his head from the sun.

   

I was amazed that something so decorative could have so many indigenous uses. We had to wear headphones to block out the noise of the air bus engines.

       

When josh opened up the motor and whipped over the water-lilies it was a thrill of a lifetime. How reassuring that an air-boat doesn’t do any environmental damage. This made our trip all the more fun.

Josh’s commentary was superb as he pointed out Jabiru birds,  and crocodiles that made the billabong home. I loved learning about the birds, animals and indigenous culture associated with this magical Top End of Australia.

 

Jumping crocodiles trips are constantly advertised. We even saw an advertisement of a boxing crocodile. I did not want to see crocodiles jumping out of the water to grab a chicken. I wanted to see them lazily powering along with only their eyes and spine visible in the water. This environmentally friendly air boat trip was amazing.

We went back to the Wilderness Retreat ready for a swim and to relax in our unit. Later, we sat outside protected by Paul and Marian’s mosquito coils and wipes and listened to cockatoos roosting for the night.

The next day Paul took us around in the hired golf cart. We had a plan in place that if anyone got sick we could easily fly home. However we happily headed off to out accommodation in the Crocodile Hotel at Jabiru/Kakadu

 

 

Darwin Hop on Hop off bus

I found the best way to explore Darwin was to pay for 24 hours on the double-decker Hop on Hop off red bus.

   

I used it three times before my ticket ran out.

 

Just around from the Palm City Resort was the Information Centre where we caught the morning bus. The first time Alan and I stayed on board and enjoyed the unique and informative  Northern Territory style commentary. I made notes of the museums and art Galleries I wanted to visit .

     

Paul picked Alan up in the hired Mitsubishi Sportsman SUV diesel car. I didn’t realize that the bus didn’t run until 1.30 pm in the afternoon but it gave me the opportunity to shop. Once on the bus I hopped off at East Point to explore the Darwin Military Museum, an important location during WWII. The Defense of Darwin Experience provided me with an immersive, interactive experience of the  story of Darwin’s role during the war .

 

However, I lost track of time wandering around the beautiful tropical gardens containing a myriad of artefacts. (walk through the cafe and out into the gardens. I nearly missed it). I climbed up steep steps to see the guns that were considered obsolete by 1943 and remembered when we came in 1973 we had not realized the extent of the bombing of Darwin. We were amazed at our ignorance and applauded what we saw then as the ingenuity of homemade guns created out of logs and large wheels and the non-government funded museum. Little did we know that for generations the country was kept in the dark about the true dimensions of the Japanese attack. At the time Mr Curtin suppressed all news about the bombing of Darwin in case it caused ‘anxiety and distress’.

   

At 9.58am on February 19, 1942, just four days after the supposedly impregnable British garrison in Singapore collapsed, Japanese bombers escorted by Zero fighters appeared in the skies above Darwin. The first wave attacked the CBD and harbour infrastructure, and sank 11 ships either at anchor or berthed. A second wave came for the RAAF base. By noon, 243 people – including 53 civilians – were dead, 400 wounded. The wharf was cut in two, 30 aircraft were destroyed and the post office levelled; postmaster Hurtle Bald, his wife Alice, daughter Iris and six post office workers died when a bomb hit their slit trench.

In 2019 the bombing of Darwin in 1943 is now celebrated. Darwin had survived. Sitting in the Museum reminded me  of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour, although many more American lives were lost in that conflict. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and another 1,000 people were wounded. Darwin was bombed over twenty times and many lives were lost but these facts were hidden from the population at the time. People lived in ignorant bliss unless you lived in Darwin or Adelaide River in the Northern Territory during WWII.

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I spent so long there that I caught the last Hop on Hop off bus to the Flying Doctor Museum at Stokes Hill Wharf. I was determined and excited by the thought of trying virtual reality for the first time and to see the Holographs used to accentuate the visitor experience

 

Racing through the exhibit in the hour before they closed I had to ring Paul to pick me up. Fortunately he was available and knew where to get me. He and Marian had taken us to have a delicious dinner on the wharf the night before. We had a round table between two wharf-side buildings where we got the evening breeze, so cooling after Darwin heat. We ordered our green Thai curry meal from a wharf cafe. Delicious.

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I was up and on the bus early the next morning because I wanted to experience the Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery. Of particular importance to me was to see the Cyclone Tracy exhibit. We had been there the year before Tracy but I remember reading about the devastation and disbelief of Darwin residents that this could happen to them on Christmas Eve 1974. Having two small boys myself at the time I could truly empathise and relate to their problems.  they couldn’t reveal the actual wind speed of the cyclone as all the gauges were destroyed

 

I arrived at stop 7 ready for action only to find the NT Museum didn’t open until 10am. I only had half an hour to dash into the Gallery, take as many photos as possible for later research and dash out again, but at least I had seen it for myself.

For those interested I’ll list some of the stops along the way. stop 1: Information Centre. 2: Crockosauras Park. 3: Fish feeding (10 min walk) 4: the commentary said during the war Catalina amphibious aircraft became fighter bombers. 5: the site of Darwin Hospital. Opened after 17 days then bombed and later damaged beyond repair by Cyclone Tracy. Cullen Bay (protected modern beach front homes). Fannie Bay Goal didn’t open until Wednesday. Old Millyn Heritage Area (old Queenslander homes that survived the bombing and Cyclone Tracy). George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens. Mindil Beach Market. WWII Oil Storage Tunnels are some of the fascinating stops available to anyone interested to hop on and off the bus.

We finished our three days in Darwin with a trip to Coles (just around the corner) for travelling supplies and later a sunset cruise and buffet meal on a catamaran .

 

The next day we left Darwin to head for Mary River Wilderness Retreat. The Mary River region is Jawoyn land and I want to know more about the indigenous culture