Darwin to Kakadu to Kununurra, WA

Monday 17 June 2013 – Darwin to Kakadu 

View from our table - Wharf Precinct, Darwin

After one of those perfect evenings at Darwin’s Wharf Precinct last night where we had a table right on the wharf’s edge, clear skies above, a still ocean in front of us and another fine Asian barramundi meal; today we are packing up and heading into Kakadu. 

We only travelled around 60klm towards Kakadu and pulled into Corroboree Tavern and Van Park.  This park has its own resident 4 metre saltie and 2 metre freshie, housed beside an albino buffalo and a couple of wild boar.  Something for all the family.

We booked on a billabong sunset cruise 15 klm into the wetlands near the van park.  The cruise ended up being fantastic.  The highlight had to have been while sneaking up to a 5+ metre saltie sunning itself on the bank and sitting in our 6 metre boat and just about to nudge the shore and we cracked a twig, it suddenly rushed within 5-10 metres of our boat slithering into the water.  For a while I was sure we were about to get a croc in the boat.  It gave the tour guide such a fright too - she couldn't get the boat in reverse quick enough.  The rest of the cruise, while not as terrifying, was just beautiful.  There was heaps of wildlife, especially birds, most of which we were able to get really close to. The sunset was just beautiful.  All-in-all we had a great day.  So our crocodile count for the day was one large blonde female saltie on the bank, one very large male saltie on the bank and into the water, another large male saltie on the bank, one small freshie on the bank and one indeterminate size saltie floating like a log with only eyes and head showing then diving as we neared. Following are just some of the beautiful scenes we encountered:

Count the legs ....

Tuesday 18 June – Day 2 Kakadu: Merl Campground, East Alligator Region

Merl campsite

We packed up and left the Corroboree Van Park at 10am.  The late start was due to the fact we had a relatively short travel day of around 240 klm.  The weather is hot again (35 degrees) and it is best to travel in the air-conditioned car during the heat of the day.  We set up at Merl No 2 campground which is large with plenty of good sites and a great amenities block.  Unfortunately it had be the mosquito capital of the Northern Territory.  They were so bad we didn’t even put out our outdoor chairs.  On arrival we set up the outside bit very quickly and spent the afternoon in the van avoiding the flies and mozzies. 

This is something to think of when choosing your rig for travelling in Australia.  What will you do when the campsite is fly blown, mosquito infested (or both), pouring with rain each potentially in 35+ degree heat. We watched Brits 4WD campers set up at night with millions of mosquitoes, no breeze and having to sleep with all windows and doors closed when at 9pm it’s still 32 degrees.

Our main aim in camping at Merl was to visit Ubirr (pronounced oo-bir and not ubirr). This is a site rich in aboriginal history dating back over 20,000 years, with magnificent art sites located in caves and overhanging rocks with a nearby escarpment overlooking Arnhem Land.  We joined in the free Ranger (yes they do have free range Rangers up here) art site talks at the Rainbow Serpent gallery and the Main Gallery culminating with sunset viewing from the Nadab lookout overlooking the plains below stretching into Arnhem Land. 

At the lookout in the late afternoon the setting sun settles over the lush green, bird laden floodplain below you, while the sky is orange from the many controlled burns around Kakadu.   With 50 or so other people watching with us, the sun drops from the sky into the orange pool of smoke laden sky in the distance, while the last bird calls fill the air soon to be replaced by the chorus of crickets signalling the start of the nocturnal prowling of the crocodiles in the floodplains below.  All this being a scene played out for tens of thousands of years and for us an opportunity to witness it just once. What a beautiful end to the day.

Next comes the stumbling down from the escarpment in the half-light of 50 people still mesmerized and partly blinded from the beautiful scene they just witnessed.  Coming the other way are the latecomers, huffing and puffing as they race up the track with cameras armed all in hope of getting that sunset photo that they won’t get, while we smirk knowing that our cameras are bulging at the seams with megapixels of scenes they will never see.  What a beautiful end to the day.

Arriving back at camp, we pay our camp fees to the fee Ranger (as opposed to the free Ranger) cleverly located at the park entrance awaiting everyone’s return from Ubirr, and park our car in front of the van.  All that lies between us and a good night’s sleep is a trillion mosquitoes lurking between the car and the van door.  On the count of three we both burst out of the car hoping to confuse the enemy with glut of blood available from two sides of the car at the same time - all was to no avail as we were attacked from all sides.  Julie fumbled the keys, I took a strike in the neck and ankle, Julie slapped her face, too late, it was the hand with the keys in it.  “Noooo” I shouted as they fell to the ground.  Julie sustained more hits as the smell of blood started to fill the air.  I threw my lithe and sensual body over the keys, just like they do in the WII movies.  Julie shouted “It’s not a hand grenade you fool!” Looking over my shoulder for crocs I pick them up, unlock the door, another hit in the neck, Julie is in first, I stand guard slapping everything in sight, the fee Ranger falls to the ground, “Oops sorry” I shout, I burst through the door and slam it closed behind us.  Safe!  Aah there’s nothing like camping. What a beautiful end to the day.

Showering and retiring to bed we tease the trillion mozzies now buzzing the flyscreens all around us by lying with our bare arms just centimetres from the screens.  They retaliate by buzzing loudly all night - are they inside or are they out, what was that a bite or an itch from an earlier war wound?  We, as the mozzies do, have a restless night’s sleep as we both know that tomorrow morning is a whole new day and we have to get to the car again……

Next day we packed up and left, as did everybody else.  The mozzies won!  If fact there is talk of closing the campground as the mozzies are that bad.

Wednesday 19 June – Day 3 Kakadu: Muirella Park Campground

But, before leaving our camp and our mozzie friends at Merl, we drove to and then walked a surprisingly wow factor sandstone track called the Bardedjilidji Walk. 
  
We weren't put off by the signs at the start of the track warning of wild water buffalo and crocodile sightings in the area.  Well we were a bit put off but we thought we would give it a go.  Julie always follows on our walk, so I offered her the opportunity to take the lead – I went first.  

The track took us through this ancient land and to wonderful sandstone shapes.  The rock is 1.5 billion years old, some of the oldest on earth, and has weathered away leaving some amazing monoliths, caves and overhangs. Again the local Aborigines lived for 1000’s of years in the caves, evidenced by the thick build-up of ash mixed with sand and the blackened walls and ceilings.  We did become a bit alarmed as we heard repeated blasting ahead of us and we were the only people in the place.   We convinced ourselves it had to do with a nearby quarry.  After the walk we discovered that there are no quarries in the area.  

Arriving back at camp we hitched up the caravan and travelled the 40klm to Jabiru to fuel up.  We revisited the Bowali Visitor Centre to get some wash water and have morning tea at the little café there.  I connected the hose to the tap in the caravan parking area and turned it on.  Out came dehydrated water – nothing, the line had been turned off.  We then travelled about 35klm south-west and arrived at Muirella Park campground to set up for a couple of days.  Fortunately there is good drinking water so I emptied out the dehydrated water and put in some lovely local spring water.

That afternoon we took a short 6klm 4WD track to nearby Sandy Billabong. We stopped at the water’s edge but didn’t get out of the car as this is serious croc country. The billabong was full of water and teaming with wildlife.  We didn't see a croc here but given there are around 10,000 in Kakadu there was likely to be one lurking nearby somewhere.  In the evening, we attended the free Ranger slide show opposite our van and learned more about the crocodiles and the history of the water buffalo in the region.  Another great day had by all.

Thursday 20 June – Day 4 Kakadu: Muirella Park Campground

Muirella camsite

We were busy sightseeing today.  We spent the early part of the morning at Nourlangie with its many amazing aboriginal rock art sites at Anbangbang Shelter, Indine Gallery, Anbanbangbang Gallery and then on to Gunwarddehwarde Lookout via a 1.5 klm loop walk.  All these names are big point scorers for when I next play Scrabble Susie and Dave.  We really enjoyed this walk as there were no crowds and we had the galleries to ourselves. 

Given we had seen all there was to see at Nourlangie by 9.30 am we decided to bring tomorrow’s activities into today.  We returned to the van, packed our lunch, topped up with drinking water and headed to Jim Jim Falls via 55 klm of rough dirt road, 10 klm of real 4WD track and then a somewhat difficult 1 klm walking track to the spectacular falls and its beautiful plunge pool below.  Jim Jim Falls was a real treat for both of us as I didn’t realise they were accessible by 4WD and that we would see them this trip.  I thought access was by air only as with Twin Falls nearby (still closed).  Additionally, thanks to an Easter deluge this year, the falls were still running so late.  Also, the track in has only been open for two weeks. Plus, it was by sheer chance Julie was talking to the Campground Manager (Mike) who happened to mention we could get in.

The road in is corrugated for the whole 55 klm, the 4WD track has several creek crossings, is sandy and rocky in places and has one particularly difficult jump-up.  A couple of 4WD’s didn’t even try to go past the jump-up.  Leaving the car in the carpark, it is still another 1 klm track over rocks and later, large boulders near the plunge pool at the base of the falls.  The large crocodile trap in the flood pool downstream is a stark reminder that putting ones toes in the clear cool water is not recommended.  It is OK to swim right at the base of the falls – sort of – we told a French couple it was fine to swim. We later saw both of them back at camp, so our advice was sound.  The best thing was that we had the 4WD track and dirt road to tackle on the way out.  I was very pleased to have unexpectedly crossed something else off my bucket list.

It is fair to say that by the time we returned home this afternoon we felt that we had had a great day.

Friday 21 June – Day 5 Kakadu: Gunlom Campground & Gunlom Falls

Leaving Muirella we continued to drive south-west through Kakadu and took the turnoff to Gunlom.  The 37 klm of corrugated red dirt track into Gunlom - with the last 5 klm being quite rocky - shook us and the van all the way in.  Had we known how rough the track was we probably would not have gone in. Everything survived the bouncing including us.  We jagged a really good campsite with views across the park to Gunlom Falls.  There are very few caravans here – mostly tents & 4WD campers.

Gunlom Campsite

In the afternoon, while still quite hot, we hiked up the rocky track beside the waterfall to the rocky plateau that provided a sweeping view of Buladjang country below.  A short walk further brought us to Waterfall Creek at the top of the waterfall.   A series of rock pools joined by slippery rocks between the top and lower falls provided a natural infinity pool experience as we submerged ourselves in the cool water after our hot walk - and best of all it is crocodile free.  

(Jeff) Swimming on top of Gunlom Waterfall

Here we stayed for over an hour soaking in the cool water and the views below. After climbing back down and looking at the clear freshwater plunge pool at the base of the falls near our campground, we settled in to a mozzie free dinner and drinks looking up to the falls as our backdrop for the evening.

Gunlom Falls from the plunge pool below

The evening was relatively cool with a breeze (very unusual) providing us with a lovely night’s sleep.  The campers around us were just as tired and the park settled early with only the rustle of the leaves and the calling of the night’s birds.

Saturday 22 June – Kakadu to Umbrawarra Gorge

We had planned for two nights at Gunlom but, with all the sights done, and the fact that Julie discovered a new camp – Umbrawarra Gorge – amongst her many collections of travel articles gathered from caravan magazines, we headed off.  Car, caravan and passengers all survived the road out of Gunlom OK and we headed to the pretty little town of Pine Creek for fuel and an early lunch as they had a nice café opposite the garage. 

Three kilometres south of Pine Creek is the turnoff to Copperfield Dam and Umbrawarra Gorge.  20 klm of comparably good dirt road, with one relatively deep creek crossing (half way up tyres) and, for a while, a raging bush fire heading towards the road we arrived at a little bush camp near the start of the walking track into the gorge.  It was a tight fit getting the van between low hanging trees in the small camp, but once set up we headed into the gorge for an  afternoon hike.  All the effort was worth it.

The gorge is small compared to something like Katherine Gorge, but more intimate as the sheer cliffs are right there either side of us as we rock/boulder hopped along it downstream.  Small sandy beaches invite swimming in the clear flowing pools, interesting weathered rock formations frame our view of the sky above and, as we choose, large flat sandstone rocks broken off from the cliffs above provide a comfortable viewing platform to sit and watch this pretty and unspoilt part of Australia.  While we sat on our rock, numerous fish swam in the stream below us; bubbles broke the surface from a spring feeding the stream and the peace and quiet was only broken by the local bird life.

Umbrawarra Campsite

Having had our fill of this interesting place, we retraced our steps back upstream returning to camp with six other sites now occupied.  It is Saturday night and the start of the Northern Territory school holidays for the next four weeks.  There are two family groups here with young school children all enjoying the outdoors, in particular their campfire.  We can expect a few more travellers from now on as the peak season of July/August approaches coinciding with the NT then other state school holidays.

Sunday 23 June – Umbrawarra Gorge to Katherine

We don’t often revisit places we have been during our trip so it’s enjoyable when out of necessity we do so.  We needed to return to Katherine to have a caravan park and grocery shopping experience after 5 nights in National Parks in order to get ready to head to Western Australia which is our next destination.  We even returned to the same (Shady Lane) caravan park. 

Monday 24 June – Day 2 Katherine

On entry into Kakadu we sustained a windscreen hit from an oncoming car creating a large star chip on the lower driver side windscreen.  We discussed the option of returning to Darwin to have it either repaired or having the widescreen replaced entirely given how bad the chip was and the risk of the windscreen cracking further.  There is little between Kakadu and Broome should the worst happen.  After ‘seeing how it goes’ and it not worsening after the hard trips into Jim Jim Falls and Gunlom I decided to see if it could be repaired in Katherine.  I ended up purchasing a windscreen repair kit from Repco in Katherine and I must admit I had my reservations about its usefulness.  Following the instructions the windscreen is almost as new, much to my surprise and pleasure.  The hole and most of the star cracks have disappeared completely.  The next thing to buy is another repair kit for the ever increasing tool box if and when it happens again. 

The caravan is surprisingly dust tolerant.  We have travelled 100’s of kilometres over very rough and dusty roads.  I have made a foam pad that fits between the van door and fly-screen that seals the mandatory air vent for gas compliance purposes.  The foam pad is installed before we start on the dirt roads and does a perfect job of stopping the dust entering through the vent.  Although we are yet to use it, the caravan has a forward facing air scoop mounted on the roof that pressurizes the caravan with clean air from above the van on dusty roads thereby keeping all the dust out.  Some dust does enter a couple of cupboards on very dusty roads, so in Katherine I spent a couple of hours playing under the van inserting some No-More-Gaps in any crevice I could find.

Tuesday 25 June – Katherine to Keep River NP

After two nights in Shady Lane Van Park, Katherine washing the car and caravan inside and out, catching up on the washing, shopping for food and bits and pieces and doing the above maintenance, we were ready to head west towards Kununurra, Western Australia (WA).  With no real plan other than to head west and maybe stay at Timber Creek, some 300+ kilometres away we left at around 8.30am under cloudless skies and a surprisingly cool 15 degree morning.  The drive was beautiful travelling on good roads through the spectacular deep red coloured escarpment of Stokes Range.

Arriving at Timber Creek at 12.30 we had lunch and debated whether to check into one of two van parks.  The debate raged all through preparing and eating Pasta Caprese (designed to use up tomatoes and onions that are not allowed through quarantine when crossing the WA border from the Northern Territory).  Eventually we decided to push on to Keep River National Park only 10 klm from the WA border.  Passing a number of roadside stops on the way we started to worry as, particularly at the last one before Keep River NP, was packed out and it was only 3.00 pm.

Huge boab trees started to compliment the scenery through which we were driving.  Finally we came to the Keep River NP turnoff and travelled the 20klm in over very dusty but fairly good dirt roads into the campground.  All I can say is thank heavens for 20 klm of corrugated and dusty roads as there is only one other couple camping here.  The campground is very pretty with a large eroded ironstone boulder as the centrepiece with all the campsites coming off the circular road going around it.  It has perfectly clean fireplaces and tables, well maintained grass (yellow) and a couple of pit toilets.

Keep River NP campsite

Our 3rd full moon of the trip

We set up, cooked the remaining banned substances from our pantry that can’t get through the quarantine station into WA and settled back to watch the stars fill the clear skies above us.  Shooting stars and satellites kept us entertained until about 8pm before we retired to the van.  The crickets are now chirping away and are the only sound that can be heard.

Next morning we did the Gurrandalng Walk that leads off from the campground.  Metre-for-metre this was one of the best walks we have done so far.  It winds its way through an ancient beach that was uplifted and later eroded into spectacular landforms that stand here today.  We walked under a sheer vertical escarpment that towered above us.  Small caves, eroded sandstone monoliths and a wide variety of vegetation easily kept our interest during this 2 klm (1 hour) hike..

Gurrandalng Walk

Returning to camp we were now alone as the other campers had packed up and left while we were away.  Cooking up the last of the banned vegetables we relaxed around camp until 12.30pm before heading off.  The border is only 30 minutes away and once we cross it we gain 1.5 hours meaning we arrive an hour before we left – all very confusing when planning on checking into a caravan park in Kununurra.   Keep River NP was worth all the effort in getting here.  It’s a lovely quiet spot with a spectacular backdrop of an eroded ancient landscape filling our views from camp.

Arriving in Kununurra with car and van covered in dust we can now start cleaning up all over again.

We both remain healthy and loving our travels.  For the next 2-3 months we will be travelling WA. The weather remains hot (mid thirties) although comfortable at night.

JeffnJulie