1769 miles from Brisbane and 13,464 miles from Pittsburgh is Darwin in the Northern Territory. Everyone warned me it would be hot there, but CRIKEY! When I walked off that plane, I thought I was in over my head. How would we last through a 3- day camping trip in 110 degrees F?
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| Northern Territory Flag |
Darwin is the capital in the Northern Territory and is filled with about 127,000 people. Locals say you move to Darwin, do your time, and get out because of the intense weather. Hot in the dry season and even hotter with storms and cyclones in the wet season. But Darwin possesses a unique charm despite the harsh weather. The city was rebuilt several times. First after the bombing during WWII and second after Cyclone (hurricane) Tracy in 1974.
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| Beaches are not swimmable in summer due to deadly stingers, but there are several man made beaches open along the Darwin Harbor. |
Several hours from Darwin is Kakadu National Park on the World Heritage List which covers 7,644 square miles. Half the park is under Aboriginal Land Rights and the Aboriginal people have occupied the Kakadu area continuously for at least 40,000 years. It was spectacular to see and boy am I glad that we had a guide to help us navigate this trip. We went on a 4Wheel Drive Safari with a great group of people from all around the world. The 9 of us proudly represented Paris, Australia, Seattle, Pittsburgh, Finland, and Canada. Our guide, Winston, made sure we survived the outback and showed us a great time.
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| Our 4WD Landcruiser |
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| Stop to collect fire wood |
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| View from shotgun - open road |
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| Off roading |
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| Huge termite mound - pretty gross actually. |
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| Hike to Twin Falls swimming hole |
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| No crocs in this fresh water! |
"Firsts" that happened on this trip:
1. We saw wild wallaroos (cross between kangeroo and wallabie), brumby horses, and water buffalo.
2. We ate Kangeroo! Ground kangeroo meat is commonly used in this area and is lean and healthy.
3. We hiked about 10 km and found out later it was about 115 degrees that day.
Insane.
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| Through the creek |
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| My favorite swimming hole - literally in the middle of the desert. |
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| Jim Jim Falls Swimming Hole |
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| Sunset |
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| The group enjoying beers together after a HOT day. |
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| Aboriginal Art depicting dance - these paintings are at least 8,000 years old. |
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| Winston's guide books in the front seat |
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| Wetlands |
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| Baby croc on cruise down Adelaide River |
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Hungry Momma croc
Darwin also had this awesome outdoor deckchair movie theater where you could have wine, beer, and food under the palm trees! Brilliant idea. http://www.deckchaircinema.com.au/ |
This trip was exactly what I needed to be inspired that there are still some amazing places I want to see. It's been 5 months on the road and sometimes that has been just exhausting. But, I've got my excitement back and can't wait for more. We met so many great people our age doing the same thing and got to see remote places of the Aussie Outback. I'm ready to take on the next 5 months. Left a little of my heart in Northern Territory. Cheers!
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