As you might remember from my last picture-I was in a winter coat (in July) and after several weeks of hanging out in Melbourne, I decided that being in Australia meant NOT having to wear winter clothes. So I set my sights on Darwin (the northern most city in Australia) and headed off....
Through the Red Center
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| And what better way to go on a road trip that in my very own, brand new (to me) car?! I went and bought the first car of my life in South Australia, near where I'd been working in Spalding. She's lovely, reliable, durable, and efficient-a 2000 Toyota Camry! Lots of people ask me about what driving on the left is like and it was definitely hard at first-especially when turning at intersections or merging onto roundabouts/traffic circles. And I had to remind myself that the car in front of me is not being driven by a ghost. |
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| So myself along with two friends (Josh and Tom)-local guys who proved to be excellent tour guides and awesome travel buddies set out on a true Aussie adventure. Our first stop after crossing the border from South Australia to the Northern Territory (the NT) was in Coober Pedy (apparently comes from an aboriginal word meaning "white man's hole")-an opal mining town. Lots of people life in dugouts-shelters/homes dug into the sides of small hills, or underground. We got to sleep 3.5m/12feet in one of these-an underground hostel! |
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| The next day we drove the Oodnadatta Track-about a total of 400km/240miles of dirt road, littered with potholes, corrugation and lots and LOTS of rocks. It was very slow going and this is were we ended up-at the hottest and driest town in Australia/the world (there were several claims like this along the way, so I take it all with a grain of salt). |
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We managed to get a bit of culture in by visiting the small community museum which consisted of interviews with lots of the locals (including a friend of Tom from when she was young). I don't know if you can read the quote on the orange board but it read, "We used to play after school-ride around on our bikes and that. We derailed the Ghan (a train running the whole height of Australia) which didn't go down real well."
This became the object of our trip-to one up this guy. We had lots of great ideas along the way but nothing really ever panned out. |
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| Next up-Uluru (Ayers Rock)-the largest rock in the world! It's like an iceberg in that only a small part of the rock rises above the surface. The colors at both sunrise and sunset are beautiful! But don't be fooled by the shorts! We spent a long, cold night sleeping in my car because all the accommodations were booked up. Winter nights in the desert are NOT fun. |
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| You could walk around the base of Uluru (9.4km/5.8miles around) OR you could run it!!! One of the coolest runs I've ever done! (You can also walk up the rock holding onto a rope the whole way, but the local Aboriginals ask that people do NOT walk on it without making it completely illegal. But since it's a sacred site for them I decided to respect their wishes-although many people who visit do decide to climb it). |
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| Right near Uluru is the Kata Tjuta/The Olgas, which look like large boulders that have been thrown onto the ground. Since we were actually able to respectfully hike in and around these rocks (which are like small mountains) we did and it turned out to be much more enjoyable and fun than Uluru. We stayed for the sunset as you can see above. |
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| I found Pride Rock! Probably my favorite spot in the whole trip- King's Canyon!!! Here I am with Josh. We didn't realize at the time just how far out on the cliff we were until...... |
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| We came around to the other side of the canyon and looked across. See where my finger is pointing? See that little sliver of a shadow that slants down to the right? THAT is where we were standing in the last picture. Mom-I swear I was being safe ;) Dazza-it was all Josh's idea ;) |
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| From there we drove to Alice Springs (or the Alice as it's called by the locals), just about dead center in Australia. It's a town through which the Todd River "runs" although most of the time it's a dry riverbed which is full of bike tracks and great for running! (I don't usually do this, but to show the difference I stole this photo from a link online. I saw it as you see in the bottom half.) |
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| Here we were on the hunt for some Thorny Devil Lizards to take home to Josh's mom, and when I saw them for the first time I realized why-they are absolutely adorable. When they move they sort of rock back and forth before taking steps. I too wanted to take one home with me. |
From Alice, we headed west for a few days with out "new" camping gear and spent a few days hiking. Ormiston Pound was a favorite of our as we hiked up to get these great views as you see on the left and then back down and through these dried up river beds (a common theme in the Northern Territory) where the red color of the walls was brilliant.
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| After a night in the new tents, from which we could hear dingoes barking, we set out for Mount Sounder, a 15.8km/9.8mile hike, all of which is either straight up or straight down. It was not an easy hike by any means but the 360' views were spectacular. Here, as in any high point during our trip, Tom would say, "Imagine what it would look like during a flash flood." (I would have been rich if I'd collected every time I heard that remark.) |
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| As you might recall, this drive passes through the Red Center of Australia, named for the orangy red of the land, and maybe also for the red blazes that can be seen on a regular basis. Bush burning is a common Aboriginal practice to clear the land to make it easier for hunting, as well as activate lots of different types of plants that will only release seeds when burnt (evolution is amazing isn't it?). This practice sometimes is used too often and now that there are more people and more stations (large farms) in this area, it can get dangerous. I'm not sure if this fire was a controlled burn or not, but either way, it was a beautiful sight. |
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| In outback Australia is it common to see signs that read, "next roadhouse/pub 200/300/400km." Roadhouses or pubs are an all inclusive place that offer food, drink, and accommodation for passing travelers. The Daly Waters Pub is one of the most famous of these roadhouses and a must stop for anyone traveling by. There you can share a drink with other travelers, all of who are on some epic journey of their own and have lots of insight on where to go next. |
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| Another common sign in the NT is this one! Enough said ;) |
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| Despite being very arid and dry in the NT, it is possible to find these beautiful, clear, reflecting watering holes or billabongs. This is Edith Falls (you might be able to make out the falls at the back of the photo). We had planned to stay one night, ended up staying 2 and wished we could have stayed more. These pools are generally safer to swim in since they are self contained. |
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| The last section of our trip took us through Kakadu National Park. Upon entering the park we took a road marked for all vehicle types, but the 40km/24mile road took over an hour to drive! Luckily we found this at the end and it made up for the drive. Directly below me in the picture was a refreshing pool of water, but we opted for the short, steep climb up for the view and some more private small pools in the rocky river bed. |
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| Kakadu is famous for its rock art. There are over 5,000 sites in the park, dating back to 40,000 years and there has been some evidence recently that Aboriginals might have even been here 80,000 years ago. We listened to a Ranger's talk, and myself and my friends developed a bit of crush on the guy. He spoke so passionately about the significance of rock art, the culture of the Aboriginal people and the rich heritage that is quickly dying out and sadly being forgotten. For anthropologist/archaeologist enthusiasts-this is a dream destination. |
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| Number one on our list to see/do in Kakadu was CROCS!!!!!! We were told that we could see crocodiles everyday at Cahill Crossing, a road crossing that floods at high tide (mind you-this is 200km/140miles inland). At this time the crocs converge on this spot and wait for their prey to come flooding in as well. If you are on the other side of the road at this point you have to wait for the water to recede before coming back over. We chose to watch from a safe location on the riverbank, especially after a local man told us a gruesome story of a man who got too close to the road and was taken by a croc. (Hence the signs!!!!) |
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| From atop this 360' lookout we were able to take in all of the different land forms that Kakadu has to offer: estuaries, lowlands, flood plains, stone country, hills and basins. |
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| The Rainbow Serpent is a major theme and symbol for Kakadu because of this cultural unity among many different local groups. It is believed that the Rainbow Serpent was a major creator being-creating passages through rocks and forming waterholes in the Kakadu landscape. She is also part of the life cycle of plants and animals and the seasonal changes (the local Bininj people believe that there are 6 seasons-their attention to every changing detail in nature is astounding). |
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| Termite mounds abound in the NT. This wasn't even one of the biggest ones! They can get up to 6meters/20feet tall. A popular practice that we noticed along the way was to place clothing on them so that from far off they look like people. |
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| Ladies and Gentlemen-we have reached our destination. Welcome to Darwin. Here there are 3 season-the Dry, the Build-up and the Wet. I arrived in the worst season-the Build-up, where it's constantly hot, Hot, HOT and humid and no rain in store for months yet. And oh yeah, another thing-as beautiful as this looks, you are advised not to go swimming as the water is full of stingers (jellyfish) and crocodiles..... |
