3 July 2006

3 July 2006
Spent the day at Edith Falls which is about 45km north of Katherine. Walked to the upper pool and then had a picnic lunch and a refreshing swim. Saw a poisonous black snake which was promptly removed by the ranger. Returned to Katherine to find The Ghan was in town so went to the station to photograph the train.

2 July 2006

2 July 2006
Visited the Springvale Homestead with its huge South American Rain Trees. Took a look at the Katherine Springs and then spent the rest of the day relaxing in camp looking at what to do in Kakadu National Park.

1 July 2006

1 July 2006
Took it easy in the morning and then had a tour of the Cutta Cutta Caves in the early afternoon. These caves are tropical and get hotter and more humid the further in you go. The caves are also subject to flooding which changes the caves every few years. The caves are about 750 metres long and terminate in a hot spring with water 70 degrees hot!

30 June 2006

30 June 2006
Walked to a lookout at the top of the Katherine Gorge and then had a picnic lunch before embarking on a 4 hour boat trip to the first three of the 13 gorges. Had to walk around rapids to each new gorge and get onto different boats. Had tea and cake while some people swam. Returned to camp in the early evening after a most enjoyable boat trip through the magnificent gorges.

29 June 2006

29 June 2006
Visited the Visitor Centre at Katherine Gorge, also known as Mitmiluk National Park. Booked a boat tour then returned to do shopping and washing. Later in the cool of the afternoon we walked around the river near the caravan park. There are many Black Kites flying around and a large variety of birds in camp which make a lot of noise at dawn and dusk. We have seen Blue Winged Kookaburras, Great Bower Birds, Blue Headed Honey Eaters, Rainbow Bee Eaters among others.

28 June 2006

28 June 2006
Visited Bitter Springs on the way out of Mataranka which are a much more natural spring that those we swam in. The whole area is still recovering from the floods in April. Arrived in Katherine early and setup camp.

27 June 2006

27 June 2006
Spent the day traveling to Mataranka where we swam in the local hot springs which streams out the ground at 34 degrees.

26 June 2006

26 June 2006
Packed up and had the camper serviced at 8am while we did some shopping. Left Alice Springs at about 10am and traveled north to Tennant Creek, stopping at the Devils Marbles along the way. The Devils Marbles are a collection of giant granite boulders seemingly balanced on one another. Arrived in Tennant Creek and after supper sat around a camp fire and listened to bush yarns and poetry by Jimmy a well known local aboriginal 'character'. Jimmy also shared some knowledge of bush tucker and remedies and then cooked some witchitty grubs which tasted like peanut butter!

25 June 2006

25 June 2006
Had pancakes provided free by the caravan park and then walked through the awesome Standley Chasm with its very narrow sheer rock face gap opening into a boulder filled valley ascending to the top of the MacDonnell range. Next was Simpsons Gap with its sandy floor and pond blocking the gap to the other side. This was our last day in Alice Springs.

24 June 2006

24 June 2006
Took a 4WD tour to Palm Valley where Red Cabbage Palms are found. These palms are found nowhere else in the world! On the way we visited Hermannsburg which was a missionary town where the famous painter Albert Namatjira lived.

23 June 2006

23 June 2006
Explored the East MacDonnell ranges including an abandoned gold mining town of Arltunga where we walked into a couple of mines which were small and all hand dug. On the way home visited the Ross River Homestead, Trephina Gorge and Jessie Gap.

22 June 2006

22 June 2006
Spent the day doing washing, shopping and other camp chores.

21 June 2006

21 June 2006
Spent the day at the Desert Park where learned about the desert fauna, flora and aboriginal ways. We were treated to a display of free flying raptors (barn owl, brown falcon and Australian Hobby).

20 June 2006

20 June 2006
Spent the day and 300km exploring the West MacDonnell ranges and its many gorges, chasms and permanent water holes with rock wallabys. On leaving the Ellery Creek Big Hole we heard dingos howling and then a single dingo came trotting by to retrieve cached bones to eat. The MacDonnell ranges are older and were once higher than the Himalayas.

19 June 2006

19 June 2006
Visited the Reptile Centre to learn about the desert dragons and snakes. Held a pything, skinks and dragons. Loved the Thorny Devils who only eat small ants as they scamper by. 18 of the top 20 most venomous snakes are found in Australia. Visited the nearby operations centre of the Royal Flying Doctors Service.

18 June 2006

18 June 2006
Spent the day travelling through the desert to Alice Springs.

17 June 2006

17 June 2006
Travelled to Kings Canyon for an un-powered night. Our legs were too tired to do the rim walk but we spent some time in the canyon. The night sky was black with the moon still yet to rise. Mesmerised some kids using the green laser pointer to show off some delights of the desert night sky.

16 June 2006

16 June 2006
Spent Vlasta's birthday at Kata Tjuta, rounded granite domes near Uluru. Kata Tjuta has spectacular gorges and hidden valleys filled with abundant wildlife and gentle chirping of flocks of Zebra Finches. Celebrated with champagne and dinner in the evening.

15 June 2006

15 June 2006
Up early to see the sun rise over Uluru in the freezing desert morning and then walked through some stunning gorges in and around Uluru. Climbed Uluru in the afternoon - the worlds largest monolith! Frightening but exhilarating. Made phone calls from the top!

14 June 2006

14 June 2006
After a power failure in camp and -2 degrees we got up and left for Yulara (Uluru and Kata Tjuta). Saw wild camels on the way and fascinating desert landscapes. This desert area is not what you would expect of a desert as there is abundant wildlife and vegetation mixed in with the red sand.