Australia Adventure: Darwin and Kakadu National Park

So we made it to Darwin, the literal Top End of Australia! After a stressful morning, Camila, Mela and I had secured ourselves a room at the YHA. It would cost us $36 a night (quite expensive) but it was our only option. It did not matter much to the girls as they would be leaving the next day, having booked a flight to Sydney. Camila would be returning to the city to live out the rest of her visa there, and Mela would be connecting through on her way to New Zealand!

So after booking in, we went on a search for lunch. The girls found solace with pizza, but I needed something more. McDonalds would fill the void, so off to Macca’s I went!

We spent the rest of the day swapping photos and reminiscing about our weekend. Cracking open a few beers, we began a fresh game of California Kings and enjoyed the night. We were later joined by an English girl named Kate, who also just arrived and was looking for travel mates to go to Kakadu national park. We talked for a little while and agreed to look into the matter.

We be fishin'!

The next day was my last with the girls so we decided to explore the city of Darwin. The weather was fantastic, as it was the dry season north of the Tropic of Capricorn. The city itself had a population of about 130 000, and was quite built up. We checked out the waterfront, and then made our way to Crocosaurus Cove. This was an aquarium of sorts for crocodiles and other reptiles, and since we had not seen any wild crocs we figured we should check out the cove! We spent the afternoon there, surrounded by the sinister beasts and bearing witness to the incredible power of their jaws. We got to fish for young crocodiles and held a baby one. Mela was ecstatic! She was like a kid in a candy shop, or perhaps more accurately, a kid in a croc shop! We also got to interact with other reptiles including a snake, a blue-tongued lizard and bearded lizard.

Stick out your Tongue!

We spent our final night together and I waved the girls off at 11pm as they caught the connect bus to the airport. It had been a crazy trip with them and I had enjoyed it all so much!

After bidding them farewell, I wandered off to a club down the street called Monsoon where I ran into the couple I had seen all along my journey, Alex and Vivianne! I had known they would be in Darwin, but to meet them randomly like this again was great!

The next morning I chilled by the pool at my hostel. I was joined by a Dutch girl named Ruby who I had met the day before and we begin talking. The conversation moved from the usual topic of travel to the more stimulating topics of science, psychology and philosophy. It was fantastic to explore these topics as I found intellectual conversations here in Australia sorely lacking. I think most travelers are busy living in the moment and enjoying themselves so much that they block off that part of the conversation. I have found several people along my travels that do not conform to this trend, and I was glad to have found another such person. I had a great morning with Ruby and looked forward to more discussions with her.

Later that day, a bunch of us hit up the night market. Mindal Beach markets is a popular spot every Thursday and Sunday, and we enjoyed the night combing through the market stalls and watching the musical acts. I also met Colin, a German geologist who had also come to Australia in search of geological work but had found nothing. His story mirrored my own, and I wondered how many other international geos were out there with similar stories. We ended our night at the markets and decided to pick up a carton of beer and go chill at the hostel. We met a stripper along the way, trying to hustle people into her bar. Ruby and I talked to her for a few minutes, commenting on her absurd high-heels. They would seem to be majorly uncomfortable but she swore that they were great. We took her at her word.

We relaxed at the hostel way into the night hours. Ruby brought out her guitar and serenaded us all with her fantastic voice.  Full of talent!

The next day in Darwin took us to the lagoon and the wave pool. Our group spent a fun afternoon splashing around with pool noodles and an after-swim jam-sesh. Colin happened to be a ukulele player and added his sound to the melody.

It was here that I then received a text from Hus. It turned out that the girls had been unsuccessful in finding work so new travel plans had been made. Hus quit his job and would travel with Anne straight to Darwin and then fly out to Bali where they would start a journey through Asia. Tabea split from the pair and would travel up the Gibb River road to Darwin in a 4WD. It seemed that I may see my prior travel partners again!

BBQ Baby!

After a day at the lagoon, our group decided to have a barbecue back at the hostel. We bought a ridiculous amount of meat that included burgers, chicken kiev, sausages and then some hashbrowns for a little variety. The night unfolded from there, including several rounds of California Kings and a walk to the waterfront. It was a very memorable night with amazing people.

The next day had me witness both a farewell and a reunion. Ruby was set to leave on a flight to New Zealand so we spent the day checking out a multicultural festival. We decided to get food there and both made the very multicultural decision to have fish and chips! And then she was gone, off on the same bus that had taken Camila and Mela only a few days before. She was a fantastic person to meet and I hope to see her again one day.

And then Andy came walking around the corner.

Andy was an Englishman who I had met during my stay at One World Backpackers in Perth. We had been good mates back at the hostel and it was great to see him here in Darwin. He had just flown into the city from Bali, having enjoyed a few months traveling Thailand and the Philippines. We caught up over the next few hours. Andy was to be in Darwin for a while with the aim of finding work. We agreed to catch up more over the next few weeks.

Having spent my days relaxing and meeting new people, I had dropped the ball with Kakadu. Luckily, Kate was there to pick it up and run with it. She had placed an ad on Gumtree and had set up a meeting with two others about a trip to the national park. The four of us met the next morning at our hostel. The other two were an Austrian girl named Eli and an Israeli named Gal (pronounced Gale), and they seemed ready to check out Kakadu. They gave off friendly vibes and I figured that they would make great travel partners.

We decided that a 4WD vehicle was ideal (as there were a few routes in the park that required this) and went about completing the booking from Wicked Campervans. Wicked was everywhere in Australia. Their politically incorrect-painted vans littered the roads of Australia, driven by backpackers that seemed to live up to the phrases scrawled on the sides of their van.

We booked one of their newer models, a Toyota Kluger. This was a 4WD SUV which came with a roof-top tent. We were going to travel in style.

We picked up the Kluger the next morning, crammed our luggage inside and set off. A quick stop to Woolworths was in order and we picked up enough food for our four day trip. The SUV came with a gas stove so we could prepare some decent food in the park. There was one thing that stuck out about the Kluger. True to Wicked’s style, they had placed a very politically incorrect quote on the side. Accompanying an image of David Bowie’s face was his quote, “When you think about it, Adolf Hitler was the first pop star.” It was distasteful, and even more so as we had an Israeli and an Austrian in our company!

We begrudgingly accepted the ill-placed quote on the side of our ride, and took off from Darwin. The drive to Kakadu was several hours, and we took this opportunity to get to know each other better. Gal and I began talking about Israel and the conversation meandered from politics to tensions in the Middle East and on to philosophy and world politics. As with most Israeli’s, he had served in the military for the past several years. Their country employs the draft which is understandable considering the plight of the country in the midst of the region.

Nourlangie!

We finally reach Kakadu National Park, stopping at the visitor center to pay our park fees and get some information. It was here we learned that the park was an insane size, covering an area the size of Israel! It was quite late in the day so we drive a short bit south and visit Nourlangie. We catch up with a ranger-guided tour and walk to a lookout that offered us an stunning view of the mountain. Eli turned out to have an amazing camera and was a photojournalist of sorts, so she enjoyed her time searching out the perfect view. It was nearing sunset when we left Nourlangie, driving to a nearby campsite. It was decided that Kate and Eli would share the roof-top tent, and Gal and I would sleep in our own personal tents. We made some spaghetti for dinner, and called it an early night.

Ze Setup!

Waking early, we drove down as far south in the park as we could go. Our first hike together was the Yurmikmik walks, which took us into the bush and up a cliff. It was also Kate’s first hike in Australia and she was determined to prove herself.

We then ventured over to Gunlom, a swimming hole that also had a waterfall. We pulled into the parking lot, and started getting our swimming gear together. As I searched through the trunk of the Kluger, I noticed three people walking by that looked familiar. I took a closer look and to my surprise there was Hus and Anne! I yelled over to them and we walked over to each other, completely blown away that we would meet here. See, Kakadu is so large and to meet someone you know in this park is astronomical due to the large amount of places one could be. It turned out that the van had finally called it quits, dying on the road up to Darwin. They had scrounged what they could of their belongings and hitched a ride with another German, stopping in Kakadu on the way. It was great to see them both and we hoped to see each other again in Darwin.

Gunlom!

Kate, Eli, Gal and I then made our way into Gunlom, enjoying the fresh-water pool. We were a little worried about swimming, as Kakadu is home to a large amount of crocodiles, but the presence of other tourists in the water stayed our fears. As we were standing in the water, Kate let out a yelp. She claimed that she had just been bitten by a fish. I said that was ludicrous, and then I received a bite from the fish! That was surprising!

We made our way up to the top of the falls and discovered a beautiful water pool. The falls offered us a fantastic view and we spent a little while up there.

That night we made ourselves a meal that we have come to dub as the ‘Great Depression Meal’. This consists of chips, beans and fried eggs. A veritable mish-mash of what we had on hand.

Maguk!

The next day saw the dawn of the 4WD. Our first stop was Maguk, a waterfall swimming hole. We were again cautious of the dark water that could conceal the sinister jaws of death of a crocodile, but another tour group came by and were assured by their tour guide that it was safe to swim. So we jumped in! It was a bit of a swim to the waterfall and I wanted some photos, but my camera wasn’t waterproof. So I decided to take a risk. I held my camera in the air as I swam towards the falls, my left arm fulfilling its share of a one-armed front stroke. The whole ordeal was actually quite exhausting but I didn’t shy away from the challenge and made it to the waterfall and back.

After a quick fill up on fuel and an ice cream stop, we made our way to Jim Jim Falls. Jim Jim (along with Twin Falls) is one of the more popular spots to see in Kakadu, however it is only accessible by 4WD. It had actually just opened prior to our arrival as it was still flooded out by a late wet season. Unfortunately, Twin Falls was still closed.

Jim Jim Falls!

So I climbed into the driver’s seat and set off. The road featured many rocks, water puddles, sand traps and a stray buffalo! The ruts in the sand were quite fun to drive in, but I wanted to see what it was like to drive on the sand hill tops. So, I turned slightly and drove on the sand mounds. The Kluger took a forty-five degree turn to the left and continued down the track. I quickly got it back into position and assured the others that I would stay in the ruts.

The walk into Jim Jim was two kilometres, but was totally worth it. We came upon the falls, surrounded by rock pools. The water cascaded down into a plunge pool, surrounded by walls of sandstone. The others remained on the small beach and I continued off towards the pool. I spent about an hour climbing rocks and staring at the sight of falling water, its descent was mesmerizing. Jim Jim was definitely worth the drive in.

A Roo!

The next day was to be our last in Kakadu, and we decided to drive up to Ubirr. This was the site of ancient aboriginal rock paintings, ranging from 2000 to 6000 years old. We walked through the site, admiring the paintings that were scattered around the rocks. Some were of creation legends, some were of the animals and a literal menu of sorts, and there was even a painting of a white settler from the 1880’s.

Our Crew!

After getting our fill of the rock paintings, we made our way to the Ubirr lookout.

Now, there’s a saying I have that concerns Ireland. I tell people that they don’t know the colour green until they go to Ireland. Well, I might start saying that you don’t know the colour green until you go to Ubirr! It was stunning. A three-hundred and sixty degree view that encompassed mountains, hills, forests, and a very green billabong!

And that was the end of Kakadu. We drove back to Darwin, all of us satisfied with the trip and happy that we had jived so well with one another.

Ubirr!!

Back in Darwin, I embarked on a string of partying. We would meet every night at our hostel for pre-drinks and then go out dancing. I had great times with Kate and Andy, enjoying my time with them. I also met another Englishman named Jack who was off on his way to Perth. So I recommended my old hostel to him. He eventually went on to stay there, carrying the stories of our Darwin escapades back to my friends at OWB.

Throughout all of this I was planning my next move. I wanted to drive down the center and visit Uluru (Ayers Rock) and make it down to Adelaide, where I had some family. It turned out Gal wanted to make the same trip so we began looking into our options. We wanted to leave on the Tuesday and tried to find other travel partners. This was harder than we expected, but we found two French guys on Gumtree who had space for two travelers so we arranged to meet them on the Monday. I also agreed to accompany Colin (the German geo) during the sale of his Jeep. So Monday morning came, and Colin and I drove to the point of sale. A traveling French couple wanted to purchase his car and they were couch surfing. So we pulled into the driveway of the house and met the wife. She was alone, as her husband had gone to withdraw the cash from the closest Woolworths. But that was an hour ago! So she was understandably worried. It turns out that the husband doesn’t speak the greatest of English, has a poor sense of direction, doesn’t know the address of the house, and doesn’t have a cell phone. So he was lost out there with $3500 in cash! To this day, I consider it the greatest single act of stupidity that I have witnessed. We waited a little while, and then took off looking for him. We drove to the Woolworths but saw no sign of him. We figured we would try the house again and saw him as we pulled in, standing in the driveway with a smile on his face. Ai ai ai.

Colin quickly had them sign the paperwork and they dropped us back at the hostel. It was now time to meet with the French guys. I collected Gal and we met with them along the esplanade behind the YHA. The meeting seemed to go well, but they let us know that there were others looking for the ride too, including two German girls. We were pretty sure that we were going to lose out to the two girls but we kept up our hopes.

Our Darwin group met up for what would be our last night together and decided to have a barbecue. It was here that we got the reply from the two French guys. The screenshot of the text says it all!

We then found out that Eli would be traveling down to Alice Springs tomorrow with two German girls. They were going to visit Uluru and the other attractions so Gal and I started thinking. All three girls were going to fly from Alice Springs to Cairns, so we checked flight prices and figured it was cheaper for them to fly out of Adelaide. It would also be a very cheap trip if we shared the costs down with five people. We had Eli on board with our plan, so we began persuading the two girls via text message. 

And it worked!

We agreed to meet in the morning at Wicked Campervan rentals and sort it all out there. My time in Darwin was at an end. I would soon be in Adelaide!

Check out Australia Adventure: Phase I!
                 Australia Adventure: Phase II!
                 Australia Adventure: Phase III!
                 Australia Adventure: West Coast Story Pt 1
                 Australia Adventure: West Coast Story Pt 2
                 Australia Adventure: To the Top End!


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