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>…a feat in itself given my ‘love’ of public transportation. It was worth it though just to read the back of the ticket. Either the NT Government has some secret super fast form of transport or they don’t quite realise how big NT really is, for on the reverse of the ticket it says:

This bus ticket is valid for three (3) hours from the time of validation.

Upon presentation of this bus ticket, the holder is entitled to travel on any scheduled public bus service in Darwin and Alice Springs without further payment.

All for the princely sum of $2!

>Sydney has the Opera House. Melbourne the ecclectic european feel know for good restaurants and nights out as well as being close to the Great Ocean road. Adelaide is used all but as a hub between Melbourne, Perth or Alice Springs. Cairns the Barrier Reef. And Darwin? Well, Darwin has some spectacular national parks and a tropical climate to match. Two of these national parks are Litchfield and Kakadu, with other smaller parks around such as the Mary River National park.

Day one (Litchfield) Florence falls; Buley rock pools; Mary River Cruise

Day one of this 3 day tour we headed for Litchfield. Situated only 1.5 hours drive away from Darwin it is within easy reach. Stopping in a place named Rum Jungle, so called apparently after a consignment of Rum broke down near by. Instead of fixing the cart and delivering the Rum the couriers spent several days taking full advantage of their cargo. Not sure how much truth is in this story, but it’s a colourful way to name a town.

After our break here we headed for the rock pools of Florence Waterfall. Here There are eight freshwater pools to basque in and cool off, surrounded by stunning fauna and trees, providing pockets of shade to seek refuge from the cloudless sky and thus the intense rays of the sun. From here we headed 10 minutes up the road to Buley pluge pool. Part of the same system as the Florence Falls, it offers a bigger body of water in which to relax with more great views of the surrounding landscape.

Towards the afternoon we head to the Mary River for a 2 hour cruise in one of the many billabongs, in search of ‘Salties’ and ‘Freshies’ – the two Crocodiles that inhabit this region. We were not dissapointed either. These animals are as intimidating as they are magestic when taking to the water.

Camp for the night was near a former arbatoire, just outside Kakadu National park. Our entertainment was a lightshow from nature; the build up to the wet season which is upon the ‘Top End’. Then at 4:30am the fruits of the earlier lightshow bore with a very tropical storm and yet more lightening. At one point it was as if nature had turned on the light.

Day two (Kakadu) Jim Jim falls; Ubirr rock art; Arnhem land corssing; view over kakadu out to Arnhem land; Arnhem escarpment.

Day two begun with the scent of a post-storm blow out. Cooler after the rain the air was still heaving with moisture. We left camp heading for Ubirr, where traditional Aboriginee rock art can be found in abundance. On route we made a stop at one of the crossings in to Arnhem Land, a large piece of land handed back to the indigenous people in the 70’s (?). To enter a permit must be obtained from the Aboriginal people who now own the land.

Reaching the rock art some of the art depicts first encounters with European settlers, one with a man smoking a pipe – I kid you not! A short walk up some rocks brings you to what feels like the top of Kakadu. With views out over the wetlands to oneside and Arnhem land border the other, it affords some of the most spectacular views over Kakadu.

Leaving behind Ubirr we head for Jim Jim falls, a jewel of Kakadu and another opportunity to take advantage of a huge freshwater pool to cool off. To get there requires a 4×4, following the Arnham escarpment for the most part. From the car park there is about a 40 minute walk to reach the pool. Surrounded by towering walls of rockface at least a hundred meters high, and circular in shape it is an idylic spot to chill out and once again take in the marvels of its making.

The night was spent at a resort – a free upgrade couresty of our Guide, Al, so we’d be near the mornings offerings of Kakadu – Barrimundi Gorge.

Day three (Kakadu) Barrimundi Gorge

Day three and Barrimundi rock pool/water fall. At every rock pool and waterfall from Florence to Jim Jim you think you have found your piece of paradise, but still there is something more to amaze you. Barrimundi, whilst not as big as Buley or Jim Jim (least not the pools which are designated safe for swimming!), are perched atop a cliff face overlooking a much larger pool below. A series of 3 pools, the larger of which has its own mini gorge up which you can swim and find a small yet beautiful and very much so relaxing waterfall as you sit beneath its endless flowing fresh-water; a hydro-therapy pool at its best and in style.

Three days gives only the taste of some of the best Litchfield and kakadu have to offer. It is entirely possible to spend weeks exploring their bodies and discovering the souls. A treasure that offers amazing views in all seasons, sometimes temporarily taking away some of its attractions in the wet season to re-reveal them in the dry as the water recedes, in all their glory and more.

And thus concludes 13 days of touring from Adelaide to Darwin, travesing this vast country from its southern border via the centre to its north. I am here for another week owing to my loss of time and booking my onward flight a week later than I intended. Not to worry. Not all is lost. Whilst I am here there is still much to do, and many friends who left Adelaide some time ago to catch up with.

>On the road, tour or otherwise, usually means early starts, and day one to Paranchilna was no exception. After checking-in at the office we set off towards the Flinders Ranges where we would spend 2 days trekking and stopping at various points of interest along the way. There were 12 of us on the tour – excluding our driver/guide – a comfortable number given the long hours spent on the bus. The group itself was as diverse as they come. A [semi]-retired Chinese-Canadian couple with a zest for life that cannot be put down in words, 4 dutch, two Swiss-Germans, a Russian-German, a Canadian, an Englishman and me.

Stopping in Clare, Laura, Quorn, Hawker and Port Augusta for rest breaks, lunch and fuel, we passed Goyders line, so named after a man who forseen the climate returning to normal and the pasture lands around the Ranges become arid areas unsuitable for sustaining the number of sheep and cattle early pioners had previously let graze. We took in the ruins of one of the largest cattle stations as well as some indigenous cave paintings. Our night was to be spent at Paranchilna, a ‘town’ of 7 residents, only 2 of which are permanent. Running behind the encampment in which we stayed ran a rail-track used primarily in the transportation of coal from Leigh Creek to Port Augusta Power Station. The train in question is said to be the longest transportation train in the world, at a crazy 3km long!

Day two we hedaded into the Flinders rangers via Brachina gorge, towards Wilopena Pounds. A rock lovers heaven, driving through Barachala gorge is like driving 300 000 million years back in time. We were unfortunate not to see any yellow-tailed rock wallabies, but were treated to many Emu some with offspring in tow. Upon reaching Wilopena Pounds we embarked on a 2.4km return hike of Mt Ohlsson Bagge, for views over Wilopena Pounds, a naturally occuring crator-like structure. The hike itself was not that difficult, but the heat was unrelenting making it more so. After lunch on our return to the bus we drove North to our second camp at Rawnsley Park Cattle Station.

Day three and our destination was Coober Pedy, a town unlike no other! It is famous for its Opal mines and underegound living. Of its 4000 or so inhabitants, 80% are said to live ‘underground’. Perhaps it was naïve of me but it was not what I expected to see when we drove in to Coober Pedy. Their definition of underground wasn’t my idea. I expected to see little construction on the surface. Most dwellings are former Opal mines carved into the side of hills. That is not to say they do not extend underground. After a short video on the history of discovering Opal in Australia we were able to tour around a former Opal mine and see how it had been turned into a dwelling. Quite amazing really, being inside you can really appreciate why. Above ground the temperature can sore to 50C+, yet under the surface the dwellings remain between 26-28C year round. It is still possible to go noodling for Opal in near by fields, but the chances of finding anything worthwhile are slim. Apparently most of the Opal quarried there is not a pure form of Opal thus being of less value.

Leaving Coober Pedy, day four took us further north through vast expanses of semi-arid desert-like lands. Quite from seeing nothing, it was interesting to watch the landscape change as we drove; to see less Euculyptus and more spinifix and other fauna more suited to the harsh conditions. Granted these changes happened over hundreds of kilometers sometimes, but it puts in to perspective the shear size of Australia and the effort it took early settlers to make any sort of living here. Our destination was Yulara, the resort town 12km from Uluru. Here we arrived in time to set up camp (it didn’t take much as we stayed in pre-fabricated tent structures, although most of us did opt to sleep under the stars in a swag). We had time for a swim in what has to be Australia’s coldest pool before quaffing sparkling wine and sharing nibbles whilst the sun set over Kata-Tutja. Unfortunately owing to much cloud cover we were not afforded the spectacle of Uluru coming to life with its colourful display so often heard about. It didn’t detract from the experience though. In fact, looking over to Uluru from our vantage point it was hard to believe I was at Uluru at all. I still have to tell myself I am in Australia almost 9 months on!

Day five we begun with a 7.2km walk around the base of Uluru. We started early enough to be able to watch the sunrise, however much like the sun set cloud was the order of the morning. It was at this point when you could see the scars of erosion that have weathered Uluru over the millenia that it became real where I was. The early morning walk really was something special and no photograpgh I could take could capture the moment. After an informative interprative talk from our guide, Clark, on the history of Uluru and the spiritual centre it represents for them through the tale of Kuynia we headed for Kata-Tutja. Another short walk here took us into the gorge where the view looking out was awe-inspiring. That night we had the fortune to be upgraded to the Kings Canyon resort where we slept in tents with proper beds and lights. Dinner was a delight where we were again treated with sparkling wine. The upgrade was owed to a triple booking at our intended campe-site, another minor-calamity that dogged our tour really, but with an unexpected outcome (other calamities were there being no food drop at one of our stops resulting in our tour guide having to ask other tour guides for whatever they could spare). One downside to the upgrade was the use of the on-site bar. Needless to say a few of us had a rather late night given the early start we had the next day. Some of us never learn….

Our final day took us to Kings Canyon where most of the group embarked on the 6km or so walk taking you around the rim of the canyon. I, however, being the chiverlous kind of guy I am (but also because of the night before), did not. One of the girls on our tour had difficulties when we were half way up heart attack hill and decided not to go on. I decided to remain behind as company given the walk takes up to 3 hours. Had she not stopped I would have pushed on even in my tired and somewhat hungover state. Whether it would have been wise to do so would have been another matter given the temperature was approaching 30C at 7am!
After the hike we had over 500km to drive to our final destination of this leg of the tour – Alice Springs. In the evening our group gathered in Bojangles, a not to quite pub where most tours seem to end, for dinner and a couple of drinks.

Alice is a strange town. I stayed one less night there owing to the fact I thought I was leaving a day earlier than I should have, and the vibe of Alice was not all too welcoming. When I rang to confirm my tour I asked if I could change the date. This meant one less night in Alice and 3 more days on the road with 4 people from the tour from Adelaide to Alice.