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Wicks do Down Under!
  • Travel with the Wicks
  • Travel with the Wicks

Wicks do Down Under!

Un’avventura di 22 giorni di Travel with the Wicks Leggi altro
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  • Travel with the WicksWicks do Down Under!Viaggiatore
    The long leaf fern attached to the tree is an epiphyteThe golden orb spider (it's bigger than your hand)

    Army Duck Tour

    18 febbraio, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    The Army Duck is an amphibious vehicle that was used in the 1940s. These vehicles were assembled by women during the war. The tour was through some rugged terrain and through a small lake. We saw spiders and butterflies and a cassowary. The cassowary description is that of an ancient bird, from the dinosaur age. It looks like it should be extinct.

    Another thing we learned about was epiphytes. They are ferns that attach themselves to a host tree closer to the light. They feed on leaves that fall from the tree. Our guide said that one could digest a banana peel in about 10 days.    Leggi altro

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  • Travel with the WicksWicks do Down Under!Viaggiatore

    Gondala

    18 febbraio, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Going down the mountain we took a gondola. It felt out of place to us because we have mostly traveled by gondola in winter. We got off twice to do some sightseeing and had a park ranger guide us on one of the excursions. Australia’s rainforest is the oldest rainforest on the planet

    One of the stops was overlooking Baron Gorge (Din Din).    Leggi altro

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  • Travel with the WicksWicks do Down Under!Viaggiatore
    Enjoying damper & tea

    Mossman Gorge

    19 febbraio, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    In my mind I pictured a trip to Mossman Gorge involving us overlooking a vast gorge from a viewpoint with a breathtaking vista below us. The experience was quite breathtaking, but from a different point of view. Skip, our indigenous guide, has an indigenous name but he acknowledged it was a lot to remember and he is comfortable with us calling him Skip. Skip started our dreamwalk through his ancestoral home with a smoking ceremony. Our group walked through the smoke of paper tree bark, and one of the benefits was it acted a a bug repellent. We stopped a number of times during our walk through the gorge, each pause an opportunity to learn more about the forest and the people who have a cultural history with it. If there is a theme to the walk it is, “you are welcome here and our people are glad to share it with you.” The sub theme is “this is a dangerous place and you should be careful!” Skip was entertaining and engaging. If Dianne and I ever get lost in a rainforest, we now have learned some survival skills. Thank you Skip.Leggi altro

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    Kakadu National Park

    20 febbraio, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Very early start this morning, loaded on the bus with our precious belongings for a three hour bus ride which took 6 hours because we stopped to sight see. Our tour bus could be named the wallaby thumper because of all the wallabies that keep thumping off the side of it. Wallabies are miniature kangaroos that seem to be all along our journey. A couple of times as the bus went by, the startled wallaby would jump in the wrong direction and hit the side of the bus with a thump. Maybe they did it on purpose in an act of defiance. Stick it to the man wallaby style.

    After a picnic lunch we went to Nourlangie Rock, an ancient Aboriginal living shelter. The nature walk ended at the Nourlangie Rock with our guide/driver telling us the stories about the ancient art on the rock.

    Next we stopped into the Warredjan Aboriginal Cultural Center. It was an interesting walk thru but no photos allowed and of course lots of time at the gift shop!    Leggi altro

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    Yellow Waters Billabong Cruise

    20 febbraio, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    We are visiting Kakadu during the wet season. There is lots of water here now, it is green everywhere. Lily pads, floating grass, bamboo stands, palms and ferns abound. We are told that during the dry season it is brown, dry, hot and dusty. That doesn’t seem possible now.
    We are on a crocodile proof boat that takes us from creek to billabong to the ironically named South Alligator River. There are no gators here, only crocs, but that is another story. On the cruise we see birds, flowers, wild rice, some fish jumping and eventually a crocodile. It is a small one, only about a meter and a half long, but everyone wanted to see a crocodile so that is nice.    Leggi altro

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    Brutus
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    Back to Darwin

    21 febbraio, Australia ⋅ 🌩️ 32 °C

    We had about a 3 hour bus trip back. We had many sightings of wallabies but they wouldn’t sit still for a photo! On the way we stopped again to see the crocs Brutus & Freddie.
    While there, I managed to get a pic of a road train!

    When we returned to Darwin a few of decided to skip the afternoon tour of the museum to do laundry and lay by the pool! A welcomed down time.    Leggi altro

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    Checking out Alice Springs

    22 febbraio, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 38 °C

    This is a very quiet place of 25,000. Our first impressions are pretty dry although there are trees not many flowers to be found. It seems very laid back.

    We visited the Royal Flying Doctors. That was interesting and I have an appreciation of what you did out of Cambridge Bay Rob! The Flying Doctors began in 1928 and is going strong today reaching all the remote places in Australia.

    We also made a stop at the Air School. This has been in service since 1970. With technology the service has improved and there are satellite schools all over Australia.

    Went to Woolworths (grocery store) to get some snacks and to the liquor store for some wine. I was ID by the police sitting outside😂I felt extremely flattered until learned EVERYONE gets ID. Questions like picture ID , where are you taking your purchase and who are you sharing it with.    Leggi altro

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    Telegraph Station

    22 febbraio, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    The Alice Springs telegraph station was built as a repeater station. In the 1860’s an overland telegraph line from Adelaide to Darwin was run. The Overland Telegraph liners completed in 1872 and opened up Central Australia to the world.

    The station was built near a spring which was named Alice spring. Unfortunately after the heavy rains it dried up so no longer a spring!

    Since this is working postal station what better time to write some postcards,    Leggi altro

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  • Travel with the WicksWicks do Down Under!Viaggiatore

    Alice Springs Desert Park

    23 febbraio, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Alice Springs desert park is a place to appreciate all of what the area around here has to offer. Flora and fauna is on display as you walk around the area and naturalists add commentary at various selected locations. One such spot treated us to a talk and feeding of some of the predatory birds. We saw an owl, two different kites, an egg smashing buzzard to name only some of the stars.
    At other times we saw emus, kangaroos, some good sized lizards and listened to talk about how the original inhabitants survived here in what is a generally hostile environment.    Leggi altro

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    Kangaroos finally….

    23 febbraio, Australia ⋅ 🌬 35 °C

    I told my grand daughter Norah that there are more kangaroos in Australia than people. It was a trivial fact that I don’t remember where I heard. When I checked with Siri, using Apple AI the population of Roos were stated to be 17 million. The human population of Australia is around 25 million. Even so, there has to be a kangaroo convention going on somewhere here in Australia because we have had a hard time finding them. Wallabies have not been so elusive.

    We managed a few photos of these elusive creatures, even today in the 40 degree weather they, too searched for shade!

    Now to find a koala😀    Leggi altro

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    Predatory Birds

    23 febbraio, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    A show in the amphitheater was a display with predatory birds! The birds flew in and around us.

    One little bird called a wag tail has adopted himself to part of the show! Actually he steals the show and is very cute. He knows who to steal food from and who to stay clear of!Leggi altro

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    Hugh River

    On the road to Uluru

    24 febbraio, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Each time we stopped on the way through the desert to Uluru, it was a station that our bus driver is knowledgeable about. The stops are a long distance from each other and the stories about them are colourful and referenced to rascals and visionary personalities who, if not living now, have their descendants carrying on in the tradition of their parents. They are quirky spots and each one unique. Two have emus, one has camels, another has a collection of exotic birds.

    Erldundas is the center of Australia. Perfect photo stop!    Leggi altro

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    The original house.

    Last stop before Uluru

    24 febbraio, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    Curtin Spings is a million acre cattle station owned by the Severin family. We stopped at the Curtin Springs road house for lunch, where Ashley Severin has all conveniences and essentials available. You can camp here for free if you don’t need power. If you do need power it’s 60 bucks a night. The cattle must be spread out because I didn’t see one cow here. The birds in the pictures were a hobby of Ashley’s mom, Dawn. She is passed now, but the birds are still here.Leggi altro

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    The Red Center

    24 febbraio, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    Now that we are here, we get to see Uluru up close. It involves a fair bit of hiking, but at a slow pace. Uluru was handed back to the traditional owners in 1985 with a land title. The traditional owners leased it back to the Australian government for 99 years and kept its status as a National Park. It was listed as a World Heritage Site in 2007.Leggi altro

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    Morning sky

    25 febbraio, Australia ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Our morning began at 430am. After a-quick coffee we caught the bus to Kata Tjuṯa (the Olga’s). Here we enjoyed our second coffee and cookies and waited for sunrise. It is a spectacular day and only about 24 degrees. It is 6 am!

    There are about 36 rock domes situated close to Urulu. Kata Tjuṯa, is a sacred place for the Anangu people, the traditional owner of the land.

    As the sunrises we watch as the formations reflect the light.
    Since Urulu is close we get different view

    After the sunrise we went for a short hike up one of the domes of Kata Tjuṯa. Fun photos were taken and then it was off to the airport.    Leggi altro

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