Darwin to Sydney

I have been remiss in my blogging duties. Let me begin by saying that web access in the Australian Outback is both hard to come by, and incredibly expensive. That being said, let me clear up a few points. We left Sydney and flew up to Darwin – on the north coast. Why you ask? It seemed like a good idea at the time. Darwin was to be our jump off point for an adventure across the Outback – making our way back south to Adelaide.

I was very much looking forward to Darwin. I had in my head the Darwin of Baz Lurhman’s Australia. Let me just say that Baz lied. Darwin was nothing like what I imagined. And it was completely my fault for not doing the research the way I should have. Darwin is the jump off point either for cheap airfares to Asia, or it’s the gateway to the northern interior of the country – the National Parks of Kakadu and Litchfield, both of which we did not go to due to monetary considerations and the fact that it is the "Wet" in the Northern Territory – resulting in inaccessible roads, and Saltie infested waters. The Saltwater crocodiles tend to migrate inland during the "Wet" as rivers and streams swell with water, becoming easily accessible for the crocodiles.

After 6 interminably long days in Darwin, we picked up our rental Campervan to start our 1500km journey south to that big rock in the center of the continent – Uluru. Day one of the road trip started off with a breath of relief as I was able to negotiate driving on the left in a Standard vehicle with nary an incident. The adventure really began as we pulled into a small town called Pine Creek to fill up our van. Once we filled it up and got over the sticker shock of $1.46/litre, lo and behold, the van would not start. After sitting in the sweltering heat for 10 minutes, a phone call was finally made to the roadside assistance line, at which point I was advised that we should boost the battery, and then continue on our way down the highway to Katherine, where there is a Mechanic contracted with the company. Prevailing on the kindness of strangers, a very nice man boosted us, and we were on our way.

We bombed into Katherine, and pulled into the mechanic where he tested our battery, and told us that it was "flat". Essentially, it didn’t have a charge, and wouldn’t hold a charge. Sadly, as it was late in the day, just before closing, they couldn’t fix it for us and could we come back the next day? We really didn’t have a choice, so we found a caravan park in Katherine where we set up shop. A meal of Ichiban noodles and a very interesting show by the largest colony of Fruit Bats in Australia as they left their perch under the Katherine Bridge for the evening were the highlights. (As an aside, I have to say Fruit Bats are huge. For comparison’s sake, as they were soaring overhead, I thought they were the size of a fat seagull. Our bats at home have nothing on them)

Success next morning as our van started and we headed out to the mechanics for a new battery. 3 new friends, and 4 hours later, Chrystal and I were back on the road, headed out to Kitmiluk National Park (home of the Katherine River and the Katherine Gorge). We pulled into the park, and exited our van in the 38 degree heat with some difficulty. As the river cruise that afternoon was full, we booked seats on the morning cruise. We set up shop and hung out by the pool until it cooled off (relatively) enough to attempt a hike out to the Gorge Lookout (let me just say that it hadn’t cooled off enough). But on our walk, we finally saw our first Australian animal – the Wallaby.

We met 2 lovely Germans and an Australian as we were cooking over the outdoor grill and they invited us over for Mangos for dessert. Some excellent conversation ensued, and we’ve got some potential inside information for our trip into Melbourne.

The cruise down the Gorge was amazing. I can’t even begin to describe it – so I’ll let the pictures do the talking for me. Just let me say that our guide was amazing and highly informative.

Yep - those are Croc tracks on the sand.

A long day of driving followed, where we stopped at the town of Renner Springs for an evening of camping.  We were visited by vicious sand fleas, resulting in the bites as you can see below. By far the most expensive gas we’ve purchased yet - $1.97/litre. Would we have stopped in Renner Springs? Probably not – but the locals highly recommend that us tourists don’t drive at night. Australian wildlife is nocturnal, and abundant, and animal impacts are highly likely.

Our next day was a long one – but our goal was clear – Alice Springs or Bust. A quick stop at the Devils Marbles, and then it was back on the road. But we’ve made it. It’s time for a quick refresh – 2 nights of sleeping in real beds with airconditioning, before we head out to Uluru.