Seniors travelling the Big Lap

That’s what we now are!

Here we are in the Never Never

/ lynnie57 / Leave a comment

I had been re-reading the old Australian classic, We of the Never Never, before coming through Mataranka where it all happened. Sure enough, as we drove into the tiny town, I noticed Gunn Street named after the author. If you are not familiar with the book, it tells the true story of a young Melbourne woman (Jeannie Gunn) who travels to the Never Never with her new husband who inherits part of a station. It is very rough country which they cross mainly on horseback, and it is very hot. She experiences both seasons – the dry and the wet, and befriends the local Aboriginal women. Unfortunately her husband, Aeneas Gunn, dies just a year after their arrival. A film was made of the story in 1982.

We camped at the Homestead which is where the house used in the film still sits, although I have to say it’s very neglected. It’s a pity really as the whole town looks tired to me. I think Mataranka, with its history, could be a much more exciting place. Maybe they are waiting on the wet season to come through and freshen up the whole area?

The camping ground also had allusions to We of the Never Never.

The original Homestead was a few kilometres from here but no longer stands. A cairn stands there in its place.

Jeannie Gunn returned to Melbourne after her husband died, and is buried there. The others are laid to rest in Elsey Cemetery near the cairn. John doesn’t share my interest in cemeteries so he stayed in the car while I strolled through looking at the gravestones.

Exploring the history of We of the Never Never was one thing I enjoyed doing at Mataranka. The other was soaking in the thermal springs which were just a short walk from our camp. The springs at Mataranka have been enclosed at parts with stairs leading you in. A couple of kilometres along the road, Bitter Springs have been left almost untouched with the exception of steps into the water. We soaked in both. Both were clean and warm and refreshing.

We had three relaxing nights at Mataranka Homestead before making our way back to Katherine for the day to catch up with our friends, Sue and Marg, who were holidaying on the Ghan, travelling from Darwin to Adelaide.

The Ghan is still on my bucketlist so I was keen to hear all about it. John, Sue and I went to the Katherine Golf Club for a drink and to catch up, while Marg went off on an excursion to see the Katherine gorges. From all accounts, they were having a wonderful trip and both looked very relaxed and happy.

Crocs, a Cruise and Rock Art in Kakadu

/ lynnie57 / 1 Comment
A stop at Bark Hut en route to Kakadu NP
Looks like a great camping spot

We took off for Kakadu stopping to look at Bark Hut Inn as it had been recommended to us as a possible spot to camp. We would definitely have stayed had we not already decided to stay at Cooinda.

We agreed not to camp here as we didn’t know how to pronounce it!

Entering Kakadu National Park, we drove straight to Jabiru to have lunch and a look around.

They say only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun, but with 40 degrees forecast for the whole week ahead, we had no choice but to do our exploring in the searing heat of the day.

We began at Nourlangie as we hoped to see some Aboriginal Rock Art. And we saw a lot more than we bargained for. It was incredible.

We left Nourlangie feeling very satisfied with the ancient rock art we had seen. Some were as old as 20,000 years, others relatively new – 5,000 to 1,000 years old. However, there was a lot more to see at Ubirr.

Because of the heat (and the fact that I was battling a sore throat), we agreed to look at some of the rock art only and to forget walking up to the lookout. But we ended up doing it all as it was far too fabulous to stop!

As we reached the top, two willy willies came across the Plains. It just added to the amazing view of the wetlands.

view from the lookout at Ubirr

Next stop was Cahill’s Crossing where we hoped we might see some crocodiles. We were told they gathered there at high tide to catch Barramundi as they swam through. Sure enough they were there waiting. I counted at least fourteen crocs!

Cahill’s Crossing

We watched while trucks and 4 wheel drives made the crossing but were worried, as the tide got higher, when a couple of sedans crossed.

Kyran and Vanessa had bought us a gift voucher for a Yellow Water Cruise. So the following morning we were taken by bus to the boat for 6.45am start.

There’s nothing nicer than an early morning cruise, sitting in the shade of the boat with a cool breeze keeping the heat at bay. But that was only the beginning. We cruised the Yellow Water billabongs, enjoying the views of the wetlands and learning about the rich variety of resident wildlife. The skipper identified the many birds, plants and trees and explained their importance in the fascinating ecosystem of the wetlands. She was always happy to answer questions and double back to see something one of the kids onboard had seen. They had younger eyes than us and spotted wild pigs and also a crocodile’s skull.

We pulled up beside at least fifty crocodiles and watched them stalk their prey. In fact we saw one near us catch and eat a Barramundi. We watched another try to pick a fight with a nearby crocodile but the ‘victim’ raised its head out of the water and let out a very loud growl. The skipper explained this was the croc saying it didn’t want to fight, and sure enough it took off with a splash.

It was a couple of hours well spent. Thanks so much Kyran and Vanessa. We thoroughly enjoyed cruising Yellow Waters and seeing the amazing wildlife.

That evening we went back down to the boat ramp to watch the sun setting over the wetlands. It was beautiful.

Kakadu has been on my bucketlist for a very long time and it didn’t disappoint. We did plan another stopover on the way out but both Gunlom and Mary River Roadhouse were already closed for the wet season , so we kept driving. On the way we saw lots of wild donkeys, brumbies, wallabies and buffalo.

We did pull off the road for a cuppa at Bukbukluk, a beautiful, peaceful spot.

A Must-See if you visit Darwin!

/ lynnie57 / Leave a comment

We drove to Stoke’s Wharf in the city to visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Bombing of Darwin exhibitions. Wow! It was great. The RFDS had one of their planes on display for visitors to check out. They also had a couple of holograms of RFDS nurses who talked to us, giving extra information. And, lastly, they had a short film with a hologram of John Flynn, the founder of the RFDS, telling his story of how it all began and expanded through the years. It was very interesting.

We enjoyed looking through the RFDS plane

The WW2 Bombing of Darwin by the Japanese display took up the the rest of the building and was fantastic! We started with another hologram film narrated by the captain of a ship that was bombed in Darwin Harbour. We learned so much about what happened. In the centre of the exhibition was a platform. Every so often an air raid siren would sound and we were told to hop onto the platform. The lights dimmed and the noise of bombs dropping was all around us. Out the windows we could see Japanese bombers coming towards us and bombs going off in the sea. It really gave us a sense of what it would have been like to be there at the time.

The best was yet to come though. We picked up the goggles for a virtual reality show and that was incredible. Suddenly we were thrust into the middle of the bombing with noise and chaos all around. One minute we were on the ground avoiding being hit by bombs, then we were up in the clouds next to a fighter pilot. It was fantastic!

We would highly recommend anyone visiting Darwin to go along. It is so worthwhile. However, I must say very little kids might find it frightening.

We spent a little while in the gift shop before heading off for coffee. There were quite a few food outlets at the Wharf but, unfortunately no cafe. So we drove five minutes across to the waterfront which was bustling. People were enjoying their Sunday morning swimming at the wave pool or beach, cycling, walking, riding scooters around or, like us, enjoying a relaxing coffee and taking it all in.

Darwin Waterfront

We had a terrific couple of weeks in Darwin. It was lovely to catch up with family and use Summer and Stewart’s place as a base. Although we were looking forward to seeing Kakadu, we also felt sad leaving them.

bye for now

Exploring more of Darwin

/ lynnie57 / Leave a comment
Parliament House

Darwin is quite easy to drive around: the roads are wide, it has good signposting and apparently there is a road almost parallel to the Stuart Highway that goes through the industrial areas to keep trucks off the main road. So we feel quite confident in finding our way about.

We met a lovely lady in Nhulunbuy who was visiting from Darwin. She recommended we pop into the cafe at Parliament House when we were in the city. Today was the day. John drove us into Darwin with the idea of starting the day doing just that. We found a car park close by, which was also very reasonably priced, and walked the short distance to Parliament House next to the Supreme Court. The building is, I’m sure, the newest of the Parliaments in Australia. It is certainly very modern and looks comfortable in the Northern Territory heat.

Around Parliament House

I envisaged us having a quick look around then a coffee in the cafe but, in fact, we spent at least a couple of hours inside. It is a beautiful building inside and out, and we were free to wander around at our leisure. (They have tours as well). We even sat in the visitors’ gallery although there was nothing happening. There were portraits of previous speakers of the House and documents of interest on the walls. Inside the Library, there was a wonderful exhibition of indigenous crafts, and displays depicting important historic times in the NT, most notably the Stolen Generation, the bombing of Darwin by the Japanese in 1942 and Cyclone Tracy in 1974. I particularly liked reading the newspaper front pages that were on display.

We finally made our way through the small arts and crafts shop and then to the cafe. I had the best iced coffee I’ve ever tasted sitting outside looking over the fountain, the gardens and the sea. We were reluctant to leave.

But leave we did to visit the WW2 Secret Oil Storage Tunnels nearby. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to dig these tunnels with very basic equipment and in the stifling Darwin heat. As far as I know, the tunnels were built to hide the oil during the war because the above ground storage tanks were a clear target for the Japanese. However the oil was never actually stored there as they weren’t finished in time. It was quite interesting looking through the tunnels and reading all about the impact the war had on Darwin.

The day was getting hotter so we thought we should drive out of the city to Cullen Bay where there is a lovely marina that reminds us very much of Mandurah. Vanessa had recommended a little bar on the water called Lola’s Pergola. So we had a cool drink there then a wander along by the water. It was a lovely way to finish our day out in Darwin.

A Drive to Dundee Beach

/ lynnie57 / 2 Comments

My maternal grandmother was a twin born in Dundee, Scotland. As young women, she and her sister worked in a fishmonger’s there. Then many years later, my nephew, Callum, studied music production at Dundee University. Here we are in Australia and my son, Kyran, worked for a while at Dundee in the Northern Territory. So, for me, Dundee was a must see while we were in the Darwin area. Dundee is just over an hour’s easy drive from Darwin. Kyran had worked at the Lodge, in the bar and on their charter boat and has good memories of that time.

I aassumed Dundee was named for the Scottish city but apparently it was after the film ‘Crocodile Dundee’! Nevertheless, I liked what I saw as we drove in. All that is really there is the beach, the Lodge and a caravan park. From the look of the large blocks and weekender style of homes around, I would guess the locals are people who enjoy the quiet life and fishing or go to Dundee for weekends away from the city.

We had a look around and wandered into the Lodge for an early lunch which was nice.

From Dundee Beach we headed for Crab Claw Island Resort. We had heard it was worth a look and it certainly was. Although it looks like you are on an island and it feels like you are on an island, it isn’t in fact an island at all. There is a lovely camping area as well as fabulous family accommodation on stilts overlooking the water. The restaurant and bar, also on stilts, is also set on the beach with an outdoor pool underneath. The atmosphere is incredibly relaxed and this is somewhere we would certainly recommend to stay. We had a drink at the bar and chatted to the barman who hails from Bristol. As we were chatting, Kyran rang me – he was born in Bristol. (This whole trip has been one of ‘what a small world’ coincidences).

It just happened that while we were there, three helicopters flew in and landed on the beach in front of us. Apparently they do helicopter pub crawls and it’s very popular (and quite expensive I believe).

Tempting- pub crawl by helicopter!

It certainly was a lovely day out and I would recommend anyone visiting Darwin to pop out for a look or to camp at either Dundee or Crab Claw Island Resort.

And now to Darwin

/ lynnie57 / 3 Comments

John’s niece, Summer, invited us to camp on their five acre block in Howard Springs in Darwin which we really appreciated. She lives there with her partner, Stewart and their two little girls, Nellie and Quinn. Summer’s mum Maureen (John’s sister) also lives with them. So we were looking forward to catching up with them for a few days and also using their place as a base from which to explore Darwin. As it turned out they were flying to Perth the following week for a holiday so we offered to stay on to look after the dogs and plants. It meant we had more time with the family and could take our time looking around. We also took the opportunity to have our car checked over, the tyres replaced and bought a new caravan tyre to replace the wrecked one.

Great camp on Summer and Stewart’s five acres

On Stewart’s birthday, we all went into Darwin for dinner. We ate at Alfonsino’s, an awesome Italian restaurant in an alleyway off Mitchell Street. We all loved our meals and had a lovely celebration for Stewart.

We spent most of the first week with Maureen and the girls, having dinner all together when Summer and Stewart returned from work in the evenings. In fact everything stopped each day around 4pm for drinks and a cheese platter. A bad habit but one we found hard to give up. We did take a drive out to the Mindil Sunset Markets which was fun. We browsed the stalls and particularly the food stalls. Wow, so many and all different. We sat at a table on the green listening to a couple of bands while we ate. Then we wandered over to the beach to watch the sun set. It was lovely but it was strange for us to see the beach so busy. At home we love watching the sun set from our verandah or an empty beach.

Mindil Sunset Markets, Darwin

We looked forward to seeing more of Darwin.

Litchfield National Park

/ lynnie57 / 2 Comments

We reluctantly left Edith Falls and returned to Katherine to have the car checked out. While John hung around the mechanic’s, I spent the time soaking in the hot springs again. Once the car was fixed, we took off for a night at Pine Creek on our way to Litchfield National Park.

We booked into the Lazy Lizard Caravan Park, charged up our devices, caught up with our washing, swam in the pool then had a drink at the lovely tavern which is attached to the camping ground.

Our camp at the Lazy Lizard

The next morning we left for Batchelor where we booked into the caravan park situated at the start of Lichfield. Once again, it was a lovely park with a nice pool and the added feature of feeding the wild birds morning and night.

There is so much to see at Litchfield but Penny at the campsite gave us a terrific map and recommended four places to visit that did not entail a long hike as the weather had been in the high 30 degrees for the last week or two. We had booked in for two nights and decided to chill out for the afternoon. We made the most of the pool and read before wandering over to the local pub for dinner. John had a lovely barra laksa! We managed to escape before the karaoke started although we could hear the patrons belting out tunes from our van.

The next morning we went to check out the Termite Mounds, Buley Rock Pools, Florence Falls and Wangi Falls.

Some termite mounds were massive, others were spread out looking like cemeteries. I learned that the termites build their mounds facing north to keep them cool, so they all face the same way!

Buley Rock Pools was lovely and easy to access from the car park. It was a series of small waterfalls leading into rockpools which were lovely to swim in.

From here we drove the short distance to Florence Falls. This wasn’t quite so easy to access. There was a choice of climbing down 135 steps or following a path. We chose to go down the steps and come back on the path- a good choice as the path was easy and a beautiful, shady walk. Anyway, both led to another beautiful waterfall and gorge.

After a swim and a walk back along the path, we went to find Wangi Falls where we knew there was a cafe. Access to the cafe and the Falls was very easy so after a chicken, cheese and mango toastie washed down with an iced coffee, we walked down to the gorge. This was probably our favourite of the day. We swam to the waterfall which was wonderfully refreshing. In fact a goanna was sunbathing on a rock next to the waterfall and wasn’t interested in moving. We stayed for quite some time floating on our noodles and just enjoying the sheer ambience of the gorge. It was just lovely and so peaceful.

Wangi falls

We had such a lovely morning. Although it was only lunchtime, we were happy to head back to the caravan for a lazy afternoon.

The following morning, we left Batchelor for Darwin.

Exquisite Edith Falls

/ lynnie57 / 1 Comment

We left Katherine Gorge and drove around 60kms to Edith Falls. John and I are not really fans of organised caravan parks although we need to use them sometimes to recharge our devices, have a long shower and do our washing.  At Katherine Gorge the campsite is really an access point to the gorges so it made sense to stay there.  Edith Falls, however, is a perfect compromise.  It is quiet, has no powered sites and all the camping sites are spread out in a bush setting. So you have privacy and space. There are clean toilets and showers, and the little kiosk sells the basics plus coffees,  food and cold drinks, and some aboriginal art. It also serves as a book exchange and has wifi (which the rest of the campsite doesn’t have).

Edith Falls Kiosk

It really was perfect but the icing on the cake was the plunge pool. I’m not sure what John expected but I imagined a small, chlorine filled swimming pool that you hop in and out of to cool down.  What a surprise we got when the bush opened out to this beautiful gorge with two different entry points for swimming. It was designated a safe place to swim and it was stunning. It was very hot so we were very happy to see it.

The Plunge Pool at Edith Falls

On impulse, I had bought two noodles in Katherine. John (being a much stronger swimmer than me) said he’d never use it. However, we floated around in the beautiful, cool water on these noodles for ages.

We loved the last point!

Early the following morning we headed back to the pool before anyone else and spent an hour with the noodles in the water, swimming up to the waterfall. It was heaven.

There was something about John that I’d forgotten from last time we did a long caravan trip. He is very much about the destination whereas I am far more about experiencing the journey.  It is strange because, at home, I’m the one always stressing about getting things done quickly and about my lesson plans for work. John is laid back and never in a rush to do anything. When we travel there seems to be a role reversal.

Edith Falls is relaxing,  peaceful and beautiful. Time is spent reading, blogging and swimming. Everything we have looked forward to. John wanted to pack up and move on after just one night;  I wanted to stay longer and enjoy it.

On the way into Edith Falls, a warning light came on showing us we had a problem with the brakes. John got the RAC to come out but no mechanic was free for three more days.  We had no choice but to book the car into Katherine three days from now. I tried not to smile as I walked up to the kiosk to book us in for two more nights. I’m sure this is the universe ensuring we slow down and enjoy the journey rather than worry about the next destination. (It turned out to be a very minor problem with the car.)

The next day we rose early again and hiked a kilometre up to the ‘upper pool’. It was already stinking hot. Wow, what a sight. The upper pool is another Gorge and waterfall that is safe to swim in. We stumbled over some rocks and plunged in to the cool water.

Hiking to the upper pool
Upper Pool at Edith Falls
Bliss! Swimming in the cool gorge on a blistering hot day

What a wonderful few days we had here at Edith Falls. The staff were lovely and very helpful. To top off a great stay, on our last afternoon we saw some new friends from our Nhulunbuy stay pull up near us. We enjoyed happy hour with them catching up on all their news.

One (more) Perfect Day

/ lynnie57 / Leave a comment

We booked in for two nights at the camping ground at Katherine Gorge. It was really nice with an information centre, a cafe overlooking a small gorge and a lovely pool where they served drinks and dinner in the evening. We made the most of the facilities- particularly swimming and drinking by the pool.

We spent the first afternoon settling in and reading but early the next morning, before the heat of the day, we set off for a hike to the closest gorge. It was a lovely walk through the bush that took us to a lookout over the gorge.

By the time we got back to camp, we were ready for breakfast and a rest. Seeing one gorge made us hungry to see more so we booked a two hour boat cruise for the afternoon.

That really was worthwhile. The cruise took us into two different gorges, both quite stunning. The young man who skippered the boat was excellent; he shared so much information with us about the gorges, flora and fauna. He also showed us some aboriginal rock art which was a bonus.

Around the closest gorge to the camp-site is home to thousands upon thousands of flying foxes. They hung from lots of trees and we watched them fly down to scoop up water from the gorge.

Just a few of the bats
Some of the rock art

We were unable to swim in most of the gorges due to crocodiles and turtles but many people were canoeing and sunning themselves on the rocks.

Instead we swam in the pool at the campsite and enjoyed a cold beer, and gin and tonic.  A perfect end to another perfect day.

Back on (the) track

/ lynnie57 / Leave a comment
650kms of this

It was around 9am by the time we drove out of the driveway. We didn’t rush off, I think we were delaying the goodbyes. But we did set off finally with a plan to camp two nights on the track (Central Arnhem Road) which we had heard was a fairly good drive as far as Bulman but then deteriorated after that. And it was a good drive to our first overnight camp at Rocky Bottom Creek. But as we drove in, something felt wrong.

Just what we didn’t need

Something was wrong. We had a flat tyre on the caravan. And we only had a small, manual car jack to work with. It took John more than two hours to change it. I was of little help. I hate that I have no strength.

By the time the new tyre was on, we were filthy, covered in red dust. We wandered down to the creek to clean up although the fresh buffalo pats and footprints ensured it was a quick wash. After an easy dinner, we slept soundly for twelve hours!

The next day’s drive was much easier than we expected. We took off across the creek and back onto the main track. It was a bonus to see lots of wild buffalo and donkeys which made for an interesting day.

Before we left Nhulunbuy, we had decided to avoid Manoru Station where we had bought fuel on the way in. The woman had been so rude to us. I’d experienced her the last time I came through with Kyran and she was awful then too. So we pulled into Bulman to fill up with fuel. We were really impresses with the shop there and the people were very nice. I was going to buy some meat but I didn’t fancy the kangaroo tails!

We got to the end of the track a bit earlier than we expected so actually camped at a free camp on the Stuart Highway which was nice but a bit noisy with traffic after the deserted track.

The following morning we headed to Katherine and the Hot Springs to have a nice wash and breakfast at the Cafe.

And so it was time to move onto the next chapter of our journey.

The Boy and his Dog

/ lynnie57 / 1 Comment

Some of our best times in Nhulunbuy were spent with Tommy and his dog, Skylar. Where one goes the other tends to follow. John and I say all the time what a wonderful life Tommy has but the same is true of Skylar. She gets to go almost everywhere the family goes, whether it’s camping, fishing, swimming or having a campfire on the beach. Skylar is there too, part of the family.

It’s great to watch Tommy and Skylar playing together. They adore each other. But it’s not all fun and games: if someone looks like they want to harm Tommy, Skylar is right there. Often I’ve picked up Tommy to cuddle him and Skylar runs over to protect him. In fact she is like that with Kyran and Vanessa’s friends’ kids. Every time we went boating or swimming with Drew and Sam, their son Lincoln would jump into the water and Skylar would jump in after him to rescue him. It was funny for us to watch but not so much for poor Linc who couldn’t swim in peace!

I don’t think I’m biased when I say Tommy is a gorgeous boy, full of cheek and fun and cuddles . His jokes aren’t too bad for a five year old (How do you make a tissue dance? Put a boogie in it!) He really made us smile or laugh every day. Well Skylar did too. She is also full of fun and mischief – and loves cuddles.

I think these photos reflect the close bond these two have.

Last few days in Nhulunbuy

/ lynnie57 / 2 Comments

As our visit to Nhulunbuy drew to an end, we started to pack up to leave. I finished relief teaching at the local school and we went shopping for supplies we’d need on the track. There aren’t that many shops in town – there’s mainly Woolworths, the newsagent, chemist, tackle shop and butcher.

But there was still fun to be had. Kyran insisted I have a go on his quad bike. I didn’t go very far, mainly because Skylar kept running in front of me .

We still walked the beaches with Tommy and Skylar although the stingers had moved in and we kept further away from water.

East Woody Beach

Gove Airport had an open day and John, Kyran, Tommy and I went along. They had a couple of small aeroplanes open for us to check out. They also demonstrated how they load patients on stretchers into the plane as part of Care Flight which services the small aboriginal communities in the Top End and is responsible for transferring patients from Gove Hospital to Darwin. It was a really interesting morning. Tommy had fun making paper aeroplanes, then we finished off by having a hot doģ and cold drink to support their cause.

Glen called around the day before we left to tell us the best spots to visit in Lichfield and Kakadu as that’s where we are off to next and he and his family had just come back. Later on Sam, Drew, Talei and Lincoln arrived, followed by Matty, Kylie, Evie and Billy. We ordered pizzas, lit a campfire and had a few drinks to say au revoir. It was a lovely way to end a fantastic stay in Nhulunbuy and typical of Kyran, Vanessa and their friends who have all been so generous with their time and their knowledge since we arrived at the beginning of July.

We left the next morning amidst cuddles and kisses from Tommy. We were excited to head off to new places but so sad to leave Kyran, Vanessa and Tommy, who have been wonderful hosts.

Bye for now Tommy and Skylar

Yirrkala

/ lynnie57 / Leave a comment

Yirrkala is just a 15 minute drive from Nhulunbuy and I have been a couple of times before to check out the world renowned Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Art Centre which is full of beautiful Aboriginal art including bark paintings, memorial poles, paintings, jewelry and sculptures.

Art centre at Yirrkala
One of the indigenous artists at work while we were there

The population of Yirrkala is around 800 mainly Aboriginal Australians of the Yolngu people. The community is known for the 1963 Bark Petitions. In 1963 the Australian government took 300 square kilometres of land for mining from the Yolngu people in Arnhem Land without asking them. Wanting their voices to be heard, the Yolngu people submitted two bark petitions that made history. The Yirrkala bark petitions were the first example of a native title litigation in Australia. They paved the way for the Aboriginal Land Rights Commission and the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976.

This was one of the Bark Petitions submitted to the government. (I copied this from the internet)

You can read more about this here – https://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item-did-104.html

Yirrkala
Yirrkala Community Store

Yirrkala is a very basic community surrounded by beautiful beaches, and it provides access to the Gulf of Carpentaria via the Yirrkala Boat Ramp. We often see Yolngu people fishing from the beach with traditional spears, as well as the remnants of turtles and other sea creatures which have been cooked on a beach camp fire.

Rocky Bay, Yirrkala
Rocky Bay, Yirrkala

We were unsure if we would be able to go into Yirrkala yesterday as they were having a ceremony for a 16 year old boy who was murdered in April in a brawl on the football oval. His body had finally been released to the family. As we entered the town, we could see red flags posted along the roads and some roads blocked off. We had also heard of ‘payback’ happening. (Payback’ is an Australian Aboriginal English term (also known in Melanesia) commonly understood to refer to a vendetta. Satisfaction of a grievance, such as a death or wife-stealing, may be sought through ritual ceremony, gift-giving, corporal punishment and ordeal, or even killing.) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0194659501901534#:~:text=’Payback’%20is%20an%20Australian%20Aboriginal,and%20ordeal%2C%20or%20even%20killing.

However, everything was quiet and we felt safe.

http://Man charged with murder after death of teenage boy in remote NT community https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-01/man-charged-with-murder-after-death-of-teenage-boy-remote-nt/100109162

Celebrating Territory Day

/ lynnie57 / Leave a comment

Territory Day is usually celebrated on 1st July each year, commemorating the day in 1978 when the Northern Territory gained self government and could finally stand on its own two feet, no longer dictated to by the Commonwealth Government. This year there was a covid outbreak at the end of June and celebrations were postponed until 29 August. That was good for us as we were able to join in.

Vanessa and Tommy ready to celebrate Territory Day

We weren’t surprised to find out that the Northern Territory has fireworks on Territory Day but we were to discover that people can buy fireworks and set them off on the beach or wherever they want. Granted they are only for sale on Territory Day and have to be set off within a limited time slot, but this is the only State in Australia that allows this without any kind of permit. Tommy and I drove passed the office selling the fireworks; the queue was miles long and they were sold out by lunchtime.

Celebrations in Nhulunbuy started at 5pm with a fireworks display and laser light show at 8pm. We weren’t sure if we would stay for the fireworks as it was a Sunday evening and Tommy had kindy the following morning.

The evening began with games and dancing for the children. In addition, there were bouncy castles and face painting to keep them occupied. Later on, a local band, EAST JOURNEY, played for an hour or more. I hadn’t heard of them before but the sound wasn’t unlike Yothu Yindi who were also from this area (in fact the Yothu Yindi Foundation operates out of Nhulunbuy). Baker Boy is another musician from here. Anyway EAST JOURNEY were great. I looked them up on YouTube to learn more about them and saw that their videos were filmed here in East Arnhem. I recognised many of the places including the local beach. Here is a link – https://youtu.be/fBrf7MDXlsQ


East Journey
it was nice catching up with new friends too

We had a terrific night. The music and the fireworks were spectacular. We saw only one fire on the way home but we went to bed in the caravan to a cacophony of fireworks all around us until late. In fact, I fell asleep to the noise of fireworks in one ear and John’s snoring in the other!

Travelling in the time of Covid

/ lynnie57 / Leave a comment

We have been very lucky so far to be here in Nhulunbuy while many other States have been struggling with lockdown due to covid19. It hasn’t affected us very much while tucked away in this beautiful town but we have been aware that Nhulunbuy is a bio-secure area with a high indigenous population which will be closed to the rest of Australia if there are covid cases in other parts of the Northern Territory. The Central Arnhem Road (aka ‘the track’) is the only way in or out of Gove other than by plane and it would be closed. That hasn’t happened while we have been here but twice it has come close.

Just after Nic and Don arrived for a visit, Nic got word that his father in law had passed away unexpectedly. This was the day after I lost my friend, Janine. We both wanted to return to WA for the funerals but getting into WA proved very difficult. Because both Cairns and Brisbane were locked down, the flights to Perth via Darwin were very few and very expensive. In the end, neither of us was able to go. However, Nic’s father-in-law’s funeral was postponed for two weeks to allow him to get home. Even then it was a nightmare for him to get back into Western Australia. It took him (and his dad) several attempts to have their G2G forms accepted. Their first few applications to cross the border were rejected, even though they been in no covid hotspots. When they were finally allowed to go back into WA, they packed up and left. But when they reached the WA border, they sat in a queue of cars for EIGHT HOURS. Despite having the correct paperwork, they were told to turn around, have a covid test and isolate in accommodation between Kununurra and Broome until they had their results. Of course, all accommodation was booked out so they had to ring around to find anyone who had friends in that area. Until they could provide an address, they could not leave the border. Eventually they had their tests and found an address to go to.

I’m well aware that, while frustrating, this is nothing compared to what those in other states and countries have had to cope with.

Our time here is drawing to a close. We have extended our stay a couple of times when Kyran and Vanessa have both been working and we have stayed to help look after Tommy. At this stage, we plan to drive out of Nhulunbuy on 7 September. We intend to spend a month or more exploring the rest of the Northern Territory including Katherine, Lichfield, Kakadu, Darwin and Alice Springs. We will then decide where we will go from there. With Vanessa’s baby due early in November, I wouldn’t be sad if we came back here for another visit!

The original plan was a lap of Australia but, with New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria closed at the moment due to the virus, and Queensland and South Australia on restrictions, who knows where we will end up. It might even be impossible to get back into Western Australia. Everything is changing from one day to the next.

Interesting time to be travelling, indeed.