Day 19 - Kakadu National Park

Day 19 - Kakadu National Park

9/8/2013

Today I prepared the bike for the trip. I installed 8 stainless steel marine hooks on it, so that now I can carry the bike in a completely different configuration. Before, when I was alone, I was carrying 2 bags outside of the boxes, one with the tent and the other with the mattress and sleeping bag, now I have an extra mattress and an extra sleeping bag, so I need a third bag. Additionally, now I cannot carry the bags on the rear seat, as my fiancee will be sitting there. The solution I came up with was to purchase 3 marine sturdy wet bags and install the hooks so I can attach 2 bags to the top of the panniers and another to the top of the rear box. This solution worked great, here is the final product. I also became very comfortable for the pillion as she now has a place to rest her arms.

I've heard all sort of comments about Kakadu; some told me not to bother, some that the best time to see it is just after the wet season. Anyway, I was too close to it not to give it a go. 

I have to say, the trip from Darwin to Kakadu is long an tedious, not much to see. I felt a bit dissapointed, it was also longer and hotter than I expected. Being this the first long trip for my fiancee, I tried to do as many rest stops as praticable, which made the trip even longer. The result was that it became dark and we were still about 150Km from Yellow Waters, our intended destination. We did the last 100 km at about 60kmh as we started to hear the 'jungle' awakening as soon as it got dark, I was expecting kangaroos, emus, buffalos, or even crocs to pop out in the middle of the road at any second.

During the trip we stopped at the Bark Hut Roadhouse. Very nice.

This is how they used to catch buffalos, the catcher would stand on this thing while the jeep was raging towards to bull. Not much EH&S awareness those days, I suppose.

There is something I do not understand. Maybe there is somebody out there that can explain this to me. At every National Park I keep hearing that the park and the resorts and everything else belongs to the 'traditional owners'. However, all the people working there are NOT aborigines. How does that work out? I would have expected that if it all belongs to them, that they would be in control. Am I missing anything?

We then reached Jabiru, where there is a hotel in the shape of a crocodile, however this can only be seen properly from the air.

See the croc shape on the photo, that's the hotel, we are now inside the head (reception)

A croc display inside the hotel

We left Jabiru very quickly as it was already dark and stil had many k's to Yellow Waters.

Day 12 - Barkly to Alice Springs

Today I got up very early, the earliest since I started this trip. The reason? The group of people I was hanging out with, is a bunch of go-getters and they start the day early (not like me). Anyway, I am not complaining, that's a good thing.

Early I also got an SMS from Mary celebrating our anniversary (not really an anniversary; this we celebrate every month, the 17 is the day we started as a couple). Hopefully we'll never stop celebrating this every month.

I find cats everywhere, after a discussion with the attendant at the Roadhouse, I find that there are so many ferals cats that they are killing all the local fauna. They have even called the ARMY to kill them. Makes you wonder how well organised the cats really are!

In the beginning there was a price of $10 dollars for anyone that killed a cat, all you had to do is bring the tail. There was so much money given away that they had to reduce it to $5.

The team, just before leaving Barkly

...and the fairest of all, deserves a picture by himself.

We started the day buying petrol at $2.11 a litre; then headed to Threeways with no obstacles, in fact no trees, no hills, no even curves ont he road. About 1/2 after leaving Barkly, we encountered the first 'dangerous curve ahead' sign. In fact it was barely perceptible and I wouldn't class it as a 'curve', but I can understand why they put this sign; after having the steering wheel (handlebar, in my case) locked in the same position for 1/2 hour, it is possible you might miss it and keep going straight.

The trip would have been inconsequencial if it hadn't been for one of the bikes breaking down. I was the last one on the group and I saw the bike in front of me (a Beemer) slowing down. It developed a grinding noise withint he shaft drive (grinding noises inside a mechanical device is not a good thing, take it from me). So we struggled to Threeways and there we called road service and organised a tow to Darwin. Poor Kevin had to spend the last 1000kms in the cab of a truck.

Threeways, in case you wonder, is the junction of the Stuart Highway (the road between Darwin and Adelaide, half point is Alice Spring) and the Barkly Highway (the one we were in).

Arrived at Threeways

The Threeways roadhouse

At Threeways we refuelled, had a coffee and said our farewells, as I planned to go south to Devils Marbles, whereas the rest of the team would go north to Darwin. 

 

I didn't say it, it is written on the sign. Anyway, now you know where it is

My plan was to spend the rest of the day at Devils Marbles and then see the sunset and the sunrise there, before heading back to meet the team somewhere else near Darwin.

I left them and I went pass Tennat Creek, which is a town where the majority of the population are aborigines. anyway, nothing special about this town, so I just went through it.

The entrance to the Devils Marbles National park

Devils Marbles is an incredible place, it's just about 130km south of Threeways and nex to the small town of Wauchope (I couldn't even find this town in the GPS, but it does exist, I saw it).

Devils Marbles is a place with giant boulders that are precariously piled on top of each other. I had a lot of expectations about spending a lot of time in this place.

When I arrived, my jaw just dropped. they were fascinating. They did not appear natural, but the creation of some crazy excentric multi-millionaire; but not, they are actually created by some weird natural processes.

Our first Marble, they lend themselves to a lot of funny caricatures

There! that's what they look inside

Where did I put my hat? Ah, there it is!

Lets put this one over...here!

Hi Mum! Look what I did!

Look Mum! another one! Ain't I smart!

Ooops! I think I broke one!

I might have been impressed, but after about 1 hour of walking aroung I got a bit tired of them and I couldn't imagine spending the rest of the day there, so I grabbed my map and looked at the time I had left. A crazy idea crossed my mind 'How about I make it to Uluru and the Kings Canyon?' This was not part of the trip because is spot on in the middle of the continent, but with such good roads and the lack of roadkill in the NT, I went for it!

So i left at about 1PM and planned to reach Alice Springs just about 1hr after sunset. this is a calculated risk, as driving at night on in Australia is a bit suicidal. however, on the way here I noticed that there were no roadkill, wich suggests that there are not so many animals and also because I had a very expensive set of LED floodlights that I purchased just for occasions like this. So I went.

Beautiful, but time to leave

From there, this is what the road to Alice Springs looks like the whole way, just flat as far as the eye can see

What did I say...

Welcome to the dark side...

A little rest, flat, flat, flat...

The road to Alice Spring is just magnificent. I havent seen roads like this neither in Queensland or NSW. It had a limit of 130km/h and it was definitely designed for speed. Just a few years ago there was no speed limit on this road. It is straight, smooth and the curves are long, and soft, almost sensual. I loved it! so I proceeded to program my cruise control at 130 and I set for a relaxing trip and exhilarating trip (and legal).

However, the firs time I had to refuel, I made the numbers and I realised that I had spent about 25% more fuel than when going at 110. I tried again a few more kilometres and a made the calulation again, to make sure, and the value came the same, I was getting a lot less mileage per litre; so I bit the bullet and (biting my lips) reprogrammed the cruise control at 110kmh. One of the factors helping this decision was that at every fuelling stop, petrol is at about $2.10 to $2.20 a litre.

On the way I stopped a the 'centre of Australia' marker, as placed by the explorer Stuart. Interesting, and lots, lots of flies, but I expected this, so I had my akubra with a net around it. It worked like a beauty.

On the way I stopped at Tea Tree and called a few camping sites in Alice Springs, the prices varied from $38/hr to $12/hr. Lucky I called first and I found the cheapest one.

I arrived in Alice Springs at about 8PM. No incidents, other than lots of cows on the sides of the road and some of them killed by trucks. I wonder... if they spent so much money on such a good road, why didn't they put the icing on the cake by placing some fencing on the sides of the road? Go figure. Einstein said once that there are only 2 infinite things, the universe and human stupidity, and he wasn't so sure about the universe (or something like this). This just makes the road dangerous, when it would have been so easy to make it safe.

Here is where I am right, the point where the centre of gravity would be, if there was one for a continent

Half way from 3ways to Alice



This is the monolith marking the centre of Australia, according to Stuart

 I know the hat with the net looks stupid, but if you saw how many flies there are here, you'd do the same.

This is where Alice Spring is. This is where I am right now.

Tomorrow, I'll get early and go to Uluru (Used to be called Ayers Rock). I am not sure if there will be interne there.

Day 9 - Winton to Mount Isa

Day 9 - Winton to Mount Isa

I thought that it is about time to put a map indicating what I've done so far. Here it is.

Sydney to Mount Isa

The nights here are very, very cold. This morning it was 6 degC




Cold, cold...



Just before leaving I saw this baby Harley.

The road leaving Winton is interesting. It starts with full vegetation and then slowly and clearly, as it approaches Cloncurry it became barren and dry.

Nice, barren landscape

Some beautiful rock formations, the one on the left, I mean.

The flat area is spotted with small short and flat mountains, the aborigines call them 'jumps'


The 'Jumps' in the horizon

After leaving Winton, thre was a sign indicasting petrol at 180km, when I arrived this service station, it's pumps were faulty (for some time apparently) and there was a caravan there that didn't think they'd make it to the next town.

Caravans in trouble

Of course I didn't have a problem, as my range is now near 600 km, so I can now even travel for a full day and will not need refuelling (i.e. Sunday).

I stopped at this very old Roadhouse, outside there were 3 huge brolgas.




The 'Blue Heeler' Roadhouse, on the Matilda Highway

Brolgas

On the way, I saw this sign, for all the ones out there that didn't believe me about the lengh of the Road Trains.

Here it is closer, in case you missed it

Termite city, a huge quantity of termite mounds, they were everywhere. Termites, anyone?

Another view of the termites

 On the way, I found this Memorial to Burke and Wills. Apparently they passed this area. The story of Burke and Wills is very close to my heart. One of the first books I read about Australia, before choosing this country as my own, was the one describing their fateful journey. since then I wanted to travel this wonderful country.

This is a memorial conmemorating Burke and Wills

When I arrived at Cloncurry, I went to visit a friend of mine that was working at the Oasis Hotel. Her name is Shelly.

Some interesting contraption at the Oasis. I would love to try one of these.

Do they have anything against the irish?

In case you are wondering; a gidgee is a type of wood found on the Acacia trees.



Finally got to the 'Isa' Apparently now I am a real aussie.

I might be a real aussie now, but I am also really tired and this night I will splurge in a bit of cabin luxury. I miss a soft comfy bed.