Kyran’s friend, Nic and his dad, Don were nearing the end of their visit, and Kyran wanted to show them Cape Arnhem. This was the first day I didn’t have relief work at the school so I happily joined John, Tommy, Kyran and the guys for the trip out there. Vanessa had picked up Tommy’s virus and spent the day in bed. John was also feeling a little under the weather but well enough to come along.
We packed up Kyran’s ute and Nic’s car and took off for the pretty rough drive towards the Cape. Although we saw lots of fresh tracks, we didn’t see any buffalo. They camouflage so well in the bush. I was hoping to see some again but from a distance. I also watched for dingoes but no luck there either.
We stopped off on the way at Twin Peaks to stretch our legs and look around. It’s so lovely but is a bit spoiled by rubbish washed up from Indonesia. Kyran immediately started gathering up rubbish and putting it in the back of the ute.
We were followed in by two lots of Dhimirru Rangers which was a little concerning because of the one covid19 case in the NT. Permits into Nhulunbuy have been revoked although we haven’t been told that we can’t move around. Our permits are fine but Nic and Don’s were only authorised recently so they weren’t exactly sure where they stood. Anyway all was well. They even told us the best place to fish for barramundi. The boys tried but had no luck.
Driving from Twin Peaks along the beach towards the area we camped last visit, we saw fresh turtle tracks going from the sea up the sand to a mound of sand – the turtle’s nest. As we drove further we saw more tracks and nests. Unfortunately we didn’t see the turtles themselves. We did see an empty turtle shell. Obviously it had been dinner for some indigenous locals recently. Trying to explain to Tommy why mummy turtles bury their eggs was complicated. He listened very carefully and I could see him sorting it all out in his head. As we walked back to the ute, he asked ‘Nana Lynn are there daddy turtles too?’
Photos of the turtle tracks and nest. The third photo is an empty egg that was lying on the nest and the fourth is the empty turtle shell.
While at the Cape, we visited several beaches and creeks for the men to fish and to have lunch, including Daliwuy Bay. Everywhere was remote, deserted and stunning. But the fish weren’t biting.
On our way back, we stopped off again at Twin Peaks with the intention of swimming. However, there was a sign asking us to respect this sacred site so we found another suitable spot. Don fished, Kyran, Nic and Tommy swam and John and I enjoyed watching.
Another fabulous day was had by all.
Flannerys' Footprints 