Kununurra

Kununurra is the first big town you come to heading west. It has exciting things like Subway and Target, as well as local shops to browse through.

We stayed at Kimberleyland Holiday Park. This Park has quite a lot of nicely shaded sites and is a very lovely place to stay for a couple of days. The first day we arrived we shopped as we had to hand over all our fruit and vege at the WA border. We had actually given ours to some people heading east at Timber Creek but it meant we'd had 2 days with just tinned fruit (which it turns out the kids won't eat). We also bought some ice creams as our fridge hadn't been coping at all with the high temperatures and humidity.

There was a "resident" freshwater crocodile and jabiru in the lake that came and visited the caravan park every day. They would often hang out close together, at the shoreline. The crocodile had no teeth and we were told it was because it had had some disease and so had lost all its teeth. There were some seats right near the waters edge and they were a great place to watch the sun set, the moon rise, the crocodile and jabiru and talk to other travellers.

sunset (and below)

Moonrise (and below)

Jabiru and croc friend

There was a ginormous boab tree in the caravan park, which is estimated to be around 2000 years old!

Kununurra is home to very large plantations of Indian Sandalwood and you can go to the Sandalwood business and watch a promo dvd, which really doesn't tell you much, and buy sandalwood products. There is an onite cafe and the food looked delicious, just a bit too pricey for us.

You can also visit a Hoochery (rum distillery), zebra rock shops and art galleries showcasing Indigenous and local artists. We ended up staying 4 nights as Rory had a chesty cough and we wanted to get him checked out at the doctors.

Litchfield National Park - Day 2

Blythe Homestead
This historic site is quite interesting. It's about a 10km of dirt road with 2 creek crossings (there'd probably be more in the wet season, although I'm guessing access gets closed in the wet). It is the site of an old Tin Mine from 1888 and the history is definitely worth the trip and taking the time to read. Much of the mining was done by the children of a farmer who found the mine site and the conditions are so harsh and unimaginable. To live in such a small house, that consisted of a single room, and was sweltering when we visited (and would only get worse) would be so tough. Then to be on their own and working the mine as well, is incredible to think of. One of the children had a pet crocodile, which I am guessing was a freshwater, as it had grown to 5 foot in the end... but seriously, how crazy!

The road in

One of the water crossings

The other water crossing

The homestead

These gum blossoms are pretty big and so very pretty and pink

Wangi Falls
Wangi Falls is probably the most popular waterfall/plunge pool in the park as it is a very short (80m) walk from the car park to the plunge pool. While we were there, at least 3 tour groups came through, so it can get quite busy. As we walked down to the plunge pool (a very short walk) we went past a sign stating the Freshwater Crocodiles inhabit this area. It caused me some stress but I didn't want to say anything and scare Tilda as we were really looking forward to a nice cool swim. So instead, I took a VERY careful look around before we got in and had quite heightened vigilance while in the water. There were quite a few people in the water so I felt better about swimming. I think, if we were there alone, I probably wouldn't have been able to convince myself to get in.

The plunge pool is surrounded by really pretty rainforest vegetation and high, red rock cliff faces. It is a really pretty location for a swim. The water was comfortable, not freezing but not warm, and has patches that are shallow enough for an adult to stand up and other parts where it is 14m deep in the dry season. We swam over to the lesser of the two falls. Rory even managed it with his Wahu vest and arm floaties. He sure loves swimming and these help him stay above water comfortably but still be able to learn the swimming motion. He is such a daredevil that after Greg climbed up onto a rock and jumped in, he wanted to as well. So Greg helped him up onto a much lower rock and he got to jump in as well. You should have seen his beaming face! Tilda had her snorkel and really enjoyed snorkelling. She kept finding fish of all shapes and sizes; some really were quite large! We didn't see any turtles or crocodiles (thank goodness!).

I had to include this final photo and the funny story that goes with it. While Greg swam out to the bigger of the 2 falls, the kids and I were playing on these steps. There are another set of steps which are the main entry point so it was just the three of us. There was fairly large (2 foot) piece of timber floating in the water and when Rory saw it he became adamant it was a crocodile and was quite scared. When Greg swum back in I got him to bring the log with him to prove it wasn't a croc. Rory adopted it immediately as his "pet crocodile" and was swimming it around and having fun with it. When it was time to leave I told him it had to stay behind (so he cried) and so Tilda pushed it out into the water a little way away from the steps. As we were getting dry and sorted, a grey nomad tour group arrived. One of them spotted the log and suspected it was a crocodile. Next followed various grey nomads to check it out, some taking photos of it, as they wondered if it was a crocodile. The kids, Tilda particularly, thought it was hilarious that they had fooled the older folk.

And finally, if you can only get to one National Park and don't have a 4WD or a lot of time, definitely go to Litchfield. It is beautiful and completely worth the visit to see the waterfalls, the monsoonal rainforests and to swim in the plunge pools.

Kakadu Day 4

This was our biggest day by far since our Alice Springs to Newcastle (via Adelaide and Sydney plane and car 14 hour day). Some camera and computer issues delayed our start, which made the day feel even more full. We started at the Nourlangie, which is a site of incredible Aboriginal artwork and a rock shelter. The rock art here was so much better and more detailed than the bits you are shown at Uluru. I'm sure there are some amazing ones at Uluru but I am guessing they are sacred and not disclosed to the public. It is a short walk, about 1.5km in total, but it takes time to absorb the rock art and the stories that go with it. In the rock shelter you could see where the roof had been stained permanently black from fires and the circular grinding holes made in rock by who knows how many hundreds of years of grinding seeds and plant for food.

 

 

We then headed to Jabiru to “check out the town” and get some lunch. We had lunch at the Bakery. They have a massive range of food options but we were disappointed with our pies and sausage rolls. Perhaps we've just been spoilt with some very delicious bakeries along our journey. We didn't stop for long as Tilda really wanted to do an Aboriginal weaving workshop and we were going to be late.

The weaving workshop was fun. There are a number of activities run throughout the National Park on a daily basis. These activities are free (the cost is included in the Parks Pass, which is $40/adult and $20/kid). Two Indigenous ladies from Oenpelli and a National Parks Ranger ran the workshop. We learned how they stripped the fronds from the Pandanus plant to make a “twine” that is then used for weaving. We missed the explanation of how the leaves are coloured. We got to practice stripping the fronds and then were shown how to weave bracelets. Non-died plant is used as “filling” to give the bracelet shape and structure and then died fronds are woven around this. It was fun and relaxing and Tilda and I both enjoyed it. Rory sat quietly on the tarp in the shade watching one of the Indigenous ladies demonstrating basket weaving. I can see why their baskets and bags cost so much in the shops, the genuine ones I mean, as it would take a very long time to make them.

The bracelet I made

We then moved on to Ubirr. This too is a place filled with amazing rock art. The wealth of stories, teaching and culture in this place is almost incomprehensible. There is so much to it all. Even though it was after 3:30pm the temperature was still hot and humid and we were all feeling it. As part of this walk is a look out over the floodplain toward the East Alligator River and Arnhemland. The views were breath taking and so different from everything else we have seen in this region. We didn't climb to the very top lookout as the sun was beating down and we were so hot, but we still got some fantastic views.

Next we moved on to Cahill's Crossing. This is the crossing of the East Alligator River between the National Park and Arnhem Land. (You need a pass from the Land Council to cross into Arnhem Land). The reason Cahill's Crossing is a point of interest is that when the tide comes in crocodiles come and hang out there to catch fish and you get a really good view of them. A viewing platform is set up and is a great spot for some croc watching. We got there not long after low tide so there were only 3 crocodiles there, but one of them was pretty big. I heard some great stories from other travellers who saw a lot more crocodiles hunting there, feeding on the fish and having territorial disputes.

We finished our day back at the caravan park at 7pm by enjoying a swim under the stars in the Cooinda Pool. It was almost empty at that time of night, and after be hot and sweltering all day, it was pure bliss to lie on our backs and stare up at the multitude of stars shining in the black night sky.

Kakadu Day 3

We started our day with a swim in the great pool at Cooinda. It is a lovely pool with lots of depth variations and options for little kids. We decided to then go to Mirrai Lookout and Sandy Billabong. When we got to the lookout, the walk which was listed in the guide as being a moderately steep 2km return was signposted as a steep 1.6km one way. As it was around lunchtime and the day was warming up, and not knowing which length description was correct, we decided to err on the side of caution and go to Sandy Billabong. I am so glad we did. It is beautiful. I felt slightly antsy the whole time as there is no walkway or path, you just make your way as close to the water's edge as you feel comfortable with. We stayed back far enough for me to feel OK and just soaked in the wonder of this billabong. It looked like very few people go there and it was so quiet and calm and beautiful. This too is a bird haven, with so much variety to birdlife. We saw our first Jabiru across the water. The Jabiru is another bird I have wanted to see ever since I won a storybook when I was in primary school that starred a Jabiru, some 30 odd years ago. It's amazing to think that after all this time, I still wanted to see one in the wild and I finally did!

 Sandy Billabong (above and below) 

We went on a Yellow River Sunset Cruise and I have to say to anyone considering it, just do it. You won't be disappointed. You get to explore Yellow River Billabong and the South Alligator River. We saw around 15 corocodiles, all salties. The majority were females but we got very close to a big male lying on the river bank. Our boat captain/tour guide pointed out crocodile slides and we got so close to many crocodiles just floating in the river. Sometime all you saw was the eyes and nostrils and other times you could see their whole length. They see to barely move, even as they cruise along, with just a slight undulation of their body. They leave no ripple or wake as they swim. The only time I saw ripples was when one sunk into the water as the boat approached, and even that was so calm and almost invisible. It is hard to imagine just how explosive their power must be as they seek to bring down their prey. The thrill of seeing them didn't subside and I enjoyed seeing the last one every bit as much as the first one. And I have to say, my fear of crocodiles began to subside: not enough for me to go swimming with them or walk along the edge of a creek or billabong but I guess I started to get a bit desensitised, which takes away that complete “freak out” feeling I had been experiencing.

We also saw a big male water buffalo right up close. He kept a close eye on us too. Our tour guide told us that one day when he was doing one of the cruises, he saw a buffalo head into the water to cross and three crocodiles began to converge. The buffalo made it across safely but it would have been an amazing sight.

Our cruise had quite a few 'twitchers' (crazy bird lovers... OK,, not crazy just very passionate bird lovers) on board and so we were treated to an incredible bird watching spectacle too! Our boat operator had everyone on board pointing out the birds they saw and then these were identified and lots of opportunities for photos ensued. There were some stunning birds. Tilda made a whole bunch of people's day when she spotted the Azure Kingfisher. She also spotted a Rainbow Bee-eater (my favourite bird since we identified them at Longreach Waterhole) and the Nankeen Night Heron (that she had found and identified at Bitter Springs). I told her I might have to disown her if she becomes a crazy twitcher, but I'm pretty sure she knows I was kidding. As the sunset we got to watch a Jabiru hunt. This is a most incredible sight.. too hard to put into words how amazing and graceful they are. At first it was standing stock still, staring intently into the water and then it saw some prey and it began a “dance”, wings outstretched, legs lifting high as it danced and ran through the shallow water following its prey. With the sun setting behind, it was a truly magical sight.

 Rainbow Bee-eater

Azure Kingfisher (above and below)

Two Jabiru

Male and female brolgas building a nest

Plumed Whistling Ducks (I really liked these guys)

Sea Eagle

Baby Jacana (these were soooo small and cute)

Jabiru

Jabiru hunting

Spoonbill

The water is glassy, so the reflections are beautiful and so clear. It is hard to describe just how stunning the Kakadu wetlands are, so hopefully the pictures do it some justice. We got to watch the sun set over the water of the billabong.