Author: Tanya Phillips

I’ve always wanted to come here, and when we got there it was like magic. Took a bit of work though. We had to apply for a permit to enter (the number of white people allowed in is controlled). And there are a lot of conditions upon entry, like not bringing in any alcohol, sticking only to the one road, not bringing in any computer games, etc.

To get in we had to cross Cahills Crossing at low tide. I counted six visible crocodiles in the crossing. Scary stuff!!

We went to Arnhem Land to visit Injalak Arts in Gumbalanya. It sells traditional Aboriginal Art at wholesale prices, and you can watch the artists working.

Beautiful art, and you could spend hours browsing. Alas the boys were over it pretty quickly. We had a picnic lunch across the road at the playground and they met some local kids.

Mangoes were growing wild where we were picnicking.

After the mangoes we headed back to Kakadu and went on an inaugural art walk showcasing the new mural by the pool. It’s part of the Mabilil Festival. (Mabilil- afternoon breeze in Kakadu).

And some pictures of the Arnhem Land landscape.

Jabiru is in the middle of a crossroads. The uranium mining has stopped, and all the miners have to be out by 2020. They had built a small village for Jabiru as part of the deal to be able to start mining here. But that’s all supposed to be gone by 2020. Half the shops here are shut and bordered up. On the other hand, there is a massive buzz in Jabiru. We haven’t had any down time here because there is so much on. There’s an Indigenous Basketball competition on today, with kids from all over the territory being chartered to our campgrounds for. An inaugural art walk which starts today. Tomorrow there is an Indigenous AFL competition day, as well as an Art Festival at the local pool. Jabiru will live on after the miners pack up and go. The place is buzzing!

Late afternoon yesterday we drove to Ubirr, and hiked the Rock Art trail, and climbed the rocks to take in the Ubirr sunset over the sweeping floodplains of Kakadu.

Right after that we went to the nearby Border Shop which is run by Thai people who have set up a restaurant on the border of Arnhem Land. Yummy food. (Banana Coconut smoothie was so good) With the food, heat and the mozzies, I thought I was in Thailand for a moment!

Spent the last few days in Darwin doing my favourite thing, checking out museums.

We went to The Aviation Heritage Centre, which has a B-52 bomber on display, and lots of old war planes you can climb up to and look around.

The Royal Flying Doctor Museum.

The kids LOVED this one. The museum had holograms, a virtual reality tour on the bombing of Darwin, and an old Flying Doctor’s plane you could climb into and play in. Very interactive and educational. Pricey though, it was $70 for a family ticket.

And we had to go back and do the Mindil Market again. This market is too good.

They make really good gado gado.

On Wednesday, we packed up and drove 350 kilometers to Kakadu. It’s hot in Kakadu. 35 degrees and the sun is strong. A friend from Melbourne hooked us up with his brother who lives in Jabiru, and he invited us over to his house for dinner. We had Magpie Goose that had been caught on the flood plains earlier in the day. Dean was taught how to de-feather and cook them. I have to admit I was a bit hesitant to try it, but I’m so glad I did. Delicious. Cooked on hot coals with a bit of salt, and that’s it.

This morning we went to the Kakadu Culrural Centre. Elizabeth is a traditional land owner and was their teaching a traditional form of weaving. (She was at the dinner last night, their mother). She taught us to weave some bracelets using a type of straw that grows here.

After that, we went for a hike near the Yellow River, and spotted our first Saltwater Croc! We had a picnic near the river watching the water buffalo roam (from a safe distance)!

We’ve made it to Darwin, and with that, the end of the Stuart Highway.

Darwin is a great city, warm weather, balmy nights, a lively wharf, interesting history, lots to do!!

My highlight so far is the Mindil Market- it’s a real treat. A lively atmosphere, with great foods, art, didgeridoos playing, and a whip show (whips are a big thing in the Territory). Its held right on Mindil Beach, and you grab some food, listen to music, and watch the sunset.

Jett’s been really keen to do some fishing, and we’ve had no luck catching any barramundi on our own, so we went on a charter out the Darwin Harbour- which is also a nice way to cruise the harbor. Dean and Jett were happy, they bagged out with trevally and cod, and we even had a hammerhead shark follow the boat for a while.

Berry Springs is a nice day trip out of Darwin. Fresh water to swim and snorkel in, with a small waterfall to play behind.

Also lots of museums to keep me happy. The Northern Territory Museum has a good exhibit on “Sweetheart”- the giant crocodile, and in Cyclone Tracey. There’s the Royal Flying Doctors Museum at the wharf which has holograms and virtual reality all about the Darwin bombing, and today we went to the WWII Oil Tunnels.

Before hitting the Wave Lagoon.

I’ve been unable to blog as there’s been not much mobile reception, and I’ve had phone troubles. Got a new phone now, but I’ve lost all my photos and contacts.

Sad to leave Mataranka behind, but heading to Katherine, which means we’re well and truly leaving Outback Territory and heading into the tropics of the Top End. We pass through Tennant Creek briefly, the town seems quite, and I’m told a lot of people have left there for Alice Springs.

Katherine is hot. 34 degrees when we arrive. All around there are memories and recounts of the great flood when Katherine was completely under water. We spend a day on the beautiful Katherine gorge (Emma)!!

Apart from the magnificent gorge, the is rock paintings to view, and freshwater crocs to spot.

The Katherine Museum is a nice place to visit. I missed out on the Devonshire Tea (did I mention I love Devonshire Tea?) as we were too late getting there, but there’s information on the flood, as well as heaps of information about the Colonial history of the Territory. The Chinese, Italians and Russians who have influenced certain parts of it. A sweet story about a part Aboriginal, part Chinese man who fell in love with a British nurse and had to change his name to the Chinese side in order to marry her. Sad stories about the Stolen Generation, and the original Royal Flying Doctors Service plane. Well worth a visit. And the lady running the museum played with Leo so I could read all the information. So I’d give that 5 stars.

Cutta Cutta Caves

The Cutta Cutta Caves, or the place of many stars, is just near Katherine. We took a day trip out to the caves, and went on a guided tour. Luckily, as the caves were pitch black. And filled with bats, spiders and snakes. However, also filled with stalagtites and stalagmites and glittery limestone. Local people say the bats take the stars out of the cave (the glittery limestone) and sprinkle them across the sky at night before taking them back into the cave during the day.

Mataranka. I’ve been looking forward to it since we started our trip. I went to Mataranka when I was 15, and I’ve never forgotten it.

The weather and landscape are no longer arid and dry, it feels like we’re nearing the end of the Outback. Instead, the vegetation is looking more lush, the weather feels more tropical.

We took the kids to the Mataranka Homestead, which is the gateway to the thermal pools, and well…

Crystal clear blue running waters warmed up and then pushed out by the Earth to a temperate 33-34° and surrounded by lush rainforest. Pure heaven.

I hadn’t been to Bitter Springs before, so on the recommendation of all we met, we hired some pool noodles and ventured there. It’s the same temperature as the Mataranka Thermal Pool, but full of fish, turtles, lily pads, under water plants, and, the occasional harmless fresh water croc, which I’m glad to say we didn’t see. There is a current that takes you downstream, so you hook the noodles through your arms, lie on your back and float down the thermal river. After a few trips down the springs like this, we ditched the noodle, put on our snorkels, grabbed the go pro and kept going. Jett couldn’t get enough of it.

We did some bush camping in Elsey National Park, the kids had fun busking here. Jett on Dean’s guitar and Leo with his clap sticks. They made $2- from me.

Karlu Karlu, or the Devil’s Marbles is a sacred Aboriginal spot that allows for camping. The marbles are actually gigantic boulders piled up next to the Stuart Hwy. The local Warumungu people believe the marbles are the eggs of the Rainbow Serpent.

There are some nice hikes you can do in and around the marbles. And again, the silence of the place is magic. I did find this place quite eerie though. According to local folklore, there are people that live under the rocks, and they used to come up and out of them and enchant children before taking them away. Eek. When we pulled up into the caravan park, we pulled up next to an animal bone of some kind. A big one. So that didn’t help ease any anxiety. There are signs around asking you not to take photos of certain areas due to its sacredness.

It’s a very quiet area, and at night the sky is filled with stars. Last night I saw the longest shooting star I’ve ever seen.

Driving up to Karlu Karlu, we stopped at another strange place, Wycliffe Well. (This ones for you Kate)! Wycliffe Well is the self-procolaimed UFO hot spot of Australia. According to the guy at the Roadhouse, the locals swear that “something” happened “a long time ago”, but he couldn’t (or wouldn’t?) elaborate any further. They used to keep a book at the Roadhouse for visitors to write their experiences or encounters in. I was itching to read it, but alas, it’s been stolen…

After an early morning 4 km hike, we packed up and left Karlu Karlu, and headed for Renner’s Creek, where we’re staying for the night.

We really enjoyed our stay in Alice Springs. Originally we were going to stay 3 nights, but extended it to 5 nights. We stayed at a Big 4 Caravan Park. Big 4 parks are like the Rolls Royce of caravan parks, all the facilities you need, and then the extras, like go carts, jumping pillows, water slides, free pancakes…

Alice Springs was full of fun and quirky museums. The newly opened Megafauna Central was my favourite. The Old Ghan Museum was a close second. The boys really enjoyed visiting The School of Air.

Venturing out from Alice Springs, we took a day trip out to Standley Chasm and Simpsons Gap, both we’re fantastic. We had a lovely local man named Kevin guide us through the Standley Chasm walk. He gently guided us through all the edible foods in the walk, and showed us the River Gum Tree, which, if you put your ear to it, can hear the sounds of the water travelling through the earth below. I liked the Bush Tomato best, which grows wild in sandy dirt. (Stay tuned- Coles has just signed on to start selling them). Not so keen on trying Witchetty Grub though- raw or cooked.

*Sanity savers may or may not work.

So apart from hiking and amazing scenery and fresh air and star gazing, we’ve been spending A LOT of time putting mileage on the car. We also made the (crazy??) decision to not bring any iPads on the trip. So how to stay sane in the car with two kids?? Here are some tips:

Magnets

They build their own creations or follow the instruction booklet. Not as messy and finicky as Lego. No small pieces. Surprisingly addictive. Fights can break out when one kid wants more pieces from the other to finish a creation.

I Spy

Which doesn’t last long as Leo will say I Spy something starting with T, and we all try and guess and then give up and he says “Cloud”. Way to hard. So we move on to…

The Place Game.

This one is fun- thanks Aunty Nicole!! Pick a letter from the alphabet, go around the car saying a place that starts with the letter. A- Australia, America etc. So addictive, but I get really competitive, and then annoyed when Dean doesn’t keep up.

School Work.

We aim to do a worksheet a car trip, and a journal entry. Both can pick an activity book from their side pockets

Snacks.

Mandarins are good for keeping them quiet for 30 seconds while they peel them.

Podcasts.

Love my podcasts!! I am obsessed with Conversations with Richard Fidler. Leo loves the Beanies, Jett, Brains On. (Audio books are great too- been listening to The BFG).

Flash Cards

Scenery

The Stuard Hwy boasts some bizarre scenery. Bulls walking next to cars, over turned car wrecks that have been gutted and graffitied.

If all else fails we put a movie on. (back of the front car seats have small TVs)

If that fails, I pray the trip hurries up and ends.

Driving down the Stuart Highway, it’s always interesting to note how the landscape changes. Now that we’re well and truly in outback territory, the colour red dominates a lot of the landscape, whether it be in rock formations, the colour of the road, or just the sand. The kids love the red sand! Leo keeps getting the sand on his hands and smearing it all over his face.

When we get to Kings Canyon and settle in for the night, we spot our first Dingo for the trip! Jett finds this pretty exciting and sleeps with his curtain open all night so he can be on the look out for any stray Dingoes sniffing around.

Kings Canyon is full of amazing hiking. We do most of the hikes together apart from the Canyon Rim Walk, which is way to difficult for Leo to attempt. We tag team that one, Dean hikes it with Jett, and I end up hiking it on my own after they get back. I’m pretty new to this hiking business, but as I’m walking the Canyon Rim, I’m pretty sure this has to be one of the most spectacular walks one can do. I hear myself “wow” out loud at some of the views I take in. It’s all rocky cliff edges, sheer drops, green against red, prehistoric plants, and even a Garden of Eden. You walk most of it, but have to climb in parts, as well as crawl around, and there was one part where I had to pull myself through two bits of rock. So much fun.

I also really enjoyed the Kathleen Springs walk. During the hike you see the remnants of cattle fences and drinking holes, and at the end of the hike you come to a waterhole, which the traditional owners of the land believe houses the Rainbow Serpent, and hence they dont swim in the water. I love the Dreamtime stories, and reading about the rituals and ceremonies that take place. Some parts of the land that have been opened up for us to see, we’re once only reserved for men or women who had been fully initiated. You cant help but think about how the ancient land you stand on would have been back then. Even quieter, even more pristine. I didnt realise how spiritual the Outback was.

We’re in Alice Springs now. Lots of stars out at night. So many starts that it feels like you can see the curve of the night sky.

*I’ve uploaded 2 blog posts tonight as I had no internet in Kings Canyon.