Australia at Christmas

We spent the holidays with Ryan, Amanda, Ella and Connor.  It was weird having a sunny 88 degree Christmas day. Nice change from cold rainy England though.  Australia is an interesting country.  They can produce just about anything they need such as energy and on wet year cycles grow all the food they need, but the prices of everything are very high.  Lunch meat was $8 to $9 a package, a trip to the grocery store for basics (3 full bags, no meat or alcohol) can easily run over $100.  Small paperback books are $17 and up.  At airports people without a ticket are allowed to go through security to meet passengers at the gates.  A nice reminder of old times. On domestic flights we were often not asked for ID. There are beautiful water ways and beaches everywhere, but unsafe because of crocodiles or jelly fish.

The north, Townsville near Cairns and Darwin north central coast, is where we spent our time.  Not the best time of year to go, but Christmas is when it is.  It was pre-monsoon season, but still ran 90 to 95 degrees and 60-80% and up humidity with thunder storms most afternoon.  We spent 4 days in Kakadu National Park east of Darwin. It is a world heritage site.  The natives of Australia are recognized as having one of the oldest living societies in the world. It is now believed to be 60,000 yrs. old.  The park is the traditional homeland of the Aborigines and was given back to them with the stipulation that nonnative people would be allowed to visit some areas.  It is a place to sit back soak up the views and relax.

Ryan at Ubirr rock art site

The park covers an area about 115 km wide and 200 km long.  There are two major paved roads through it with dirt roads going into the interior.  Being the start of the rainy season, most of the dirt roads were closed because they are 4 wheel drive on a good day, and they flood when it rains hard. 

flood marker at river crossing

 As a result, we were not able to get to some of the waterfalls or outlying billabongs.

We did get to the two major rock art areas that are open to the public.

Many such areas are sacred and considered dangerous to outsiders so only older natives are allowed there. The natives believe the act of painting is more important than the art itself so will cover older painting with new ones.  This was evident at one site. Three layers of paintings could be seen. Lots of game was depicted – fish, kangaroos, crocodiles. 

 Lightening man was my favorite. He has a rainbow above his head, a lightening bolt and axes on his knees that he bangs together for the thunder.

Lightening man

The park has an abundance of wildlife. One third of all the birds species in Australia are found here. Fresh and salt water crocodiles, snakes, and termites are also plentiful as are the 1000 species of flies that live in the area and attack you incessantly. 

termite mound

 All the water ways in the park have warnings for crocodiles too bad because the water looked very inviting in the heat. 

Boat dock at Hometown Billabong

We stayed in the largest town within the park, Jabiru. It has a lake (billabong) in the middle of the town, but also has crocs. It had 3 restaurants.  One we never found and one was closed 3 of the 4 days we were there. There was one traditional hotel that was built to look like a crocodile from above. We were housed in the tail. 

Hotel in Jabiru

 About three other places to stay in the park had individual units like small trailers scattered around their grounds. The trees around the hotel pool had an infestation of fruit bats.

Fruit bats in hotel trees

They are about the size of crows and were very impressive. During the day they hung in the trees and slept but fanned themselves with their wings to cool off.

Jabiru is the largest town because a uranium mine is located about two km from it. We assumed most of the residents that weren’t involved with tourists worked there.  The uranium was so close to the surface and or so rich that the aborigionies called the area a place of sickness. They avoided it.

Wild horse (more in back ground) on way to river cruise 

We took a cruise up the yellow river to see the animals safely but up close.  We saw crocodiles, tree snakes, jabiru (storks), eagles, wild horses, and other birds. It was a fast 2 ½ hours.

Croc cooling her brain

Yellow tree snake

Jesus bird because it walks on the water

A croc will take on the color of the water

Jabiru - a kind of stork

 

Asking the river guide what else we should see before we left, he directed us to a waterfall that was still accessible and because it is dry except for the rainy season is crocodile free! I think the large boulders on the approach to the falls and upper creek would deter the crocks even if it was wet all year. A modern rope bridge over the lower creek was interesting to cross

and the falls were beautiful with the clearest water we say anywhere. It is weird to see a clear mountain stream and put your hand in it and find it warm! 

 It was up a dirt road that was wide, but floods in rain, and had evidence that it becomes very muddy and slippery when wet.  We went early in the day well before the afternoon thunderstorms. We stopped at a campground along the road in. It was remote, near a beautiful river with crocodiles, and you’d have to like solitude to stay there. Also have a good bug spray or nets.  There was one couple with a camp site set up.

The cultural center spoke of the native stories of creation, how the people are assigned clans, how it’s determined who they can marry, how they maintain the land, and had examples of their tools. It did not go into any other part of their culture that is secret and you only find out about it when you are initiated into the tribe as a teenager. Some things only women know and some things are known only by the men.