Darwin and Kakadu

Apologies for the lack of update and pictures lately but internet access in the Outback has been limited to say the least. When I did eventually find a computer it was so archaic that it took forever to even check my emails!

So much has happened in the last couple of weeks that I hardly know where to begin. I arrived in Darwin two weeks ago with no voice, (probably from partying too much up the East Coast) tired and stressed after almost missing my flight and then being delayed for over three hours after two unsuccessful attempts to take off while they checked the problem out!

By the time I checked-in it was too late to explore Darwin itself so I had dinner with my room mates before getting an early night as I was getting picked up at 5.30am the next morning (a start time that was to become all too familiar over the course of the next few weeks) to head off to Kakadu.

There were 10 of us on my first leg of the tour to Kakadu and somehow I had booked myself on the 'unleashed' trip which involved some serious trekking as well as camping in swags (a mattress and cover) under the stars and cooking everything on the fire.

The whole experience was amazing though. I made friends with three Irish girls (who were with me for the entire 10 days) as well as two Aussie lads and the six of us got on really well.

First stop of the trip was the Mary River. Unlike the Daintree River when we only saw a few crocs, this river was literally full of them. We cruised around in a tiny tin boat and were quite scared when the skipper started to antagonise them by banging his shoe on the side of the boat when we had got up really close, so that they snapped at us. At one point there was a huge splash and I really thought a croc had tried to jump in with us until I realised it was in fact a Baramundi fish which had landed on the lap of the girl in front of me.

That afternoon we headed to Ubirr to look at the Aboriginal rock art which dates back over 20,000 years as well as listen to some of the Dreamtime stories.

After a night in my swag we were up early to head to Jim Jim falls. Unlike all the other groups we actually climbed to the top and to say it was a challenge would be an understatement. It took over 5 hours to get to the top and back down again but the result was sensational with views over all of Kakadu. We then swam at the bottom of the falls but unlike some it was too cold for me to swim the whole way across (plus the guide said there may be fresh water crocs in there) so after a quick dip I hastily got out.

Next stop of the day was Twin Falls. You can no longer access the falls by foot so we took a boat across the gorge, before walking along the boardwalk. Whilst swimming is not permitted the sight was quite magical and we sat on the sandy banks and relaxed for a bit before heading back to camp.

Our third day was spent at the Warradjan Cultural Centre finding out a bit more about the aboriginal culture before having a hike at Maguk (Barramundi Falls) and cooling off in the plunge pools. Warmer than the day before I actually swam in these pools although wasn't adventurous enough to jump into one particular pool and then dive through a hole to exit it. Trish bless her thought it would be fun to try however couldn't dive under to get out so we spent a good half hour (or should I say the guide did) trying to haul her out. The video footage is priceless!

Whilst the camping experience was great fun with everyone pitching in to help prepare the food, wash up etc the 4wd experience was really quite scary. The waterfalls are only accessible by 4wd and at numerous points we literally thought we were going to topple over with the truck violently swerving from side to side. What made us even more nervous was that unfortunately whilst we were in Kakadu another tour bus overturned and one guy died. However thankfully we all arrived back in Darwin in one piece.

We had a small setback when the three Irish girls and I thought accommodation was included back in Darwin so we didn't book anything and being peak season there were only two free dorm beds. However with a bit of sweet talking we got a motel room instead (towels and toiletries included, which of course we took!). We then headed to the night markets for a wander round before hitting the local pub for a few drinks. A great end to my Kakadu experience.