The outback - Kata Tjuta and Uluru

Uluru is situated in the Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park. This link povides additional information about the area.
In the afternoon we set out to explore Kata Tjuta formerly known as the Olgas. Travelling through the sandy desert we stopped for a panoramic view of these ancient domed rock formations rising from the desert.



Once at the Olgas we went for a walk into the Walpa Gorge on a track that follows the creek situated between the two largest domes of Kata Tjuta.

 

The walk provided opportunity to admire the spectacular ancient rocks.

 

 

We then travelled to a viewing area to watch the colour changes of the rock surface as the sun set at Uluru.

 

 



The Outback - Alice Springs to Uluru

From Darwin we flew to Alice Springs. Originally we had planned to travel from Darwin to Adelaide on The Ghan, breaking the trip for a few days in Alice Springs to explore. The train service had only recently recommenced and as we were unable to get a booking for the first leg of the journey we went by plane.

We stayed at the Desert Palms Resort which is across the road from the Todd River.

 

The Todd River flows through Alice Springs but the river bed is normally dry. The Henley on Todd Boat Race, held on the dry sandy river bed in August or September each year, is a major event in Alice Springs. Competitors race along the sand in bottomless boats. In 1993 the event was cancelled due to flooding.

 



 

Next morning we travelled by coach from Alice Springs  to Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock.The trip through desert country illustrated the contrasting colours of the red sand and the sage green of the scrub with the bright blue sky.

 

On route we stopped for a short time at a camel farm and then at the Mt Ebernezer roadhouse for morning tea. We also stopped to view Mt Connor which could be seen in the distance from the road.

 

We arrived at the Ayers Rock Resort in time for lunch.

Darwin



Back in Darwin we continued to explore the inner city area, especially along the waterfront - a major feature of this city.

 



In the evening we enjoyed a sunset cruise on Darwin Harbour.

Darwin view from the yacht

Whenever I hear the Skyhooks song, All My Friends are Getting Married, I remember this evening on Darwin Harbour as our fellow travellers on the yacht consisted of a group of young women enjoying a night out. After a drink or two they started singing a variety of songs including the Skyhooks song sung with great gusto.

 

Before leaving Darwin the next morning we returned to the foreshore to watch fish being fed.

 

The Top End - Litchfield National Park

Leaving Darwin early next morning we set out on the Stuart Highway for Litchfield National Park 130 kilometers south west of Darwin. Places visited within the park included

 

Florence Falls

Tolmer Falls

Wangi Falls


We also viewed some of the local fauna

Rock wallaby

Goana 

It was a great day exploring the scenery and wildlife in the national park.

The Top End - Katherine Gorge



Next morning we went on a cruise through the Katherine Gorge where sheer sandstone cliffs rise on either side and are reflected in the water. Katherine Gorge is part of the Nitmiluk National Park.

 

Katherine Gorge - reflections

A short walk leads to a second gorge


We then returned to Katherine where we had lunch and had a short time to wander down the main street.  We called into the library where we saw an early copy of the book, We of the Never Never, by Mrs Aeneas Gunn. The book, an Australian classic, was first published in 1908 and was based on experiences of Jeannie Gunn when she lived at Elsey Station, 90 kilometres south of Katherine.

Heading north again the next stop was Edith Falls.

 

 

A few members of the tour group went for a swim while the rest of us went for a walk and enjoyed the view.

The next stop was a visit to the Adelaide River War Cemetery. This site is dedicated to the memory of those killed during the Japanese air raids on Darwin during the Second World War. The Australian Archives site provides information about the bombing of Darwin in 1942.

 

By the road many of the variety of termite mounds in the area could be seen.

 

We then returned to Darwin arriving around 6.00 pm after four days exploring this special part of Australia.

The Top End continued

Exploring Kakadu National Park, our guide took us to Ubirr a rocky outcrop providing views of the surrounding area. The area is also well known for the Aboriginal rock paintings to be found in the rock shelters at Ubirr. This is a fascinating ancient area of our country.

 

Aboriginal rock art

Stratas of rock

Additional information about and images of Ubirr can be found on the Kakdu National Park website - Ubirr .

We spent the night at the Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn where the rooms are constructed to form the shape of a crocodile - Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Hotel - at Jabiru, a small township in Kakadu. Jabiru is named after a large water bird located in this region of Australia. It is a member of the stork family. Follow this link for additional information about the jabiru .

 

Next day at  Nourlangie Rock we viewed more Aboriginal rock art and then visited the Warradjan Cultural Centre before going on a cruise on the Yellow Water Billabong to view the birdlife and look for crocodiles. As well as the jabiru there were a variety of ibis, egrets and cormorants, rainbow bee-eaters, ducks of many varieties and  jacanas - small birds with large feet which walk upion the lily pads giving the illusion of walking on water. 



Image from Wikepedia article - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacana





We then rejoined the coach to travel south to Katherine where we spent the night.

 



Darwin and The Top End

In May 2004 we headed north to explore parts of the Northern Territory. After flying from Melbourne to Darwin we had one day to acquaint ourselves with central Darwin before heading north to explore Kakadu and surrounding areas.

The coach picked us up from the hotel and, travelling along the Arnhem Highway, the first stop was the Adelaide River where we joined the Jumping Crocodile Cruise on the river.

The guides encourage the crocodiles to jump from the water by dangling pieces of meat in front of them

Watching these large, powerful creatures so close to the boat is an awesome sight.

 

We then continued on our journey into the Kakadu National Park.

 



A great way to have an introduction to the area is by air so we boarded a small aircraft for an overview of the sights in Kakdu.

Airstrip at Kakadu

From the air we saw the Jim Jam Falls 

and the Twin Falls

Being May the dry season was only beginning so we were able to view these waterfalls. During the wet season they would be much more dramatic and several months later there would be little or no water..

 

The ruggedness of the terrain is obvious from the air

 

 

We also flew over part of the Ranger Uranium Mine

Back on terra firma we had lunch and were then ready to further explore the national park.