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Embracing every experience. Read more🇦🇺Kensington www.richardday.com.au

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Northern Territory Traveler
Alice Springs Desert Park
April 27, 2019 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 18 °C
This park is located approx 8 kms out of Alice and we hired bikes to ride out there so that we could have a good look around.
The traffic around Alice is minimal as you could imagine :).
The park houses several different exhibits for emus, dingoes, snakes and other reptiles.
There are also quite a few aviaries that housed different species of birds...zebra finches, black cockatoos, budgerigars etc
Without doubt the most interesting exhibit for me was the death adder and the thorny devil that was picking off ants at random. Amazing...Read more
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Northern Territory Traveler
Alice Springs
April 26, 2019 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 24 °C
Some more shots of Alice Springs especially some of the historic old buildings plus a guy we meet in a cafe with lens envy.
Like he is just putting it out there as a statement...seemed like a nice guy though.Read more
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Northern Territory Traveler
Alice Springs
April 25, 2019 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 25 °C
We finally arrive at Alice Springs and immediately become accustomed to the township and the area. The town itself is mostly surrounded by the McDonnell ranges and so is nestled in like a small oasis.
Our resort was close to the Todd River which was completely dry at this time of year as the NT had last had rain in Nov 2018.
The township was clean and well laid out and only a short trip from where we were staying.
The shopping precinct has a large number of indigenous art stores and fortunately for the artists every time a piece is sold the artist is traced and a commission paid which is driving aboriginal art sales as well as sustaining their culture through the recollection of their Dreamtime stories.
Incidentally and on another topic everyone who purchases alcohol must have ID in the NT otherwise they will be refused service. This has been implemented to prevent the wrong people from drinking too much and as a way of tracking the consumption of alcohol. Some areas within the NT are completely dry areas.
We found some funky cafes and classified buildings on our walks including an old gaol.Read more
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Northern Territory Traveler
Loy's Country
April 25, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
The story of Loy’s country continued as she showed us stone carvings that she said dated back approx 20,000 years.
The carving showed emu tracks and water as part of a map of the area.
She spoke about the vegetation in the area and how the desert oak develops as a needle like tree until it’s tap root reaches ground water at which point branches start to grow away from the main trunk.
Loy was well educated and well spoken and talked about the trails and tribulations of gaining aboriginal title and how other indigenous aboriginals have been potentially denied control of their country because of their lack of knowledge of political process.
Sad but true fact...Read more
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Northern Territory Traveler
Indigenious Cave Art
April 25, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Most indigenous art tells a story to pass onto to visiting tribes and this is the case with the rock wall paintings in Loy’s country.
The art depicts child sized handprints that indicates safe area for children as well as the presence of water and food supplies.
Loy also picked up three different dried scats and by looking at them she was able to identify what animals had visited the area recently and that the area or local country was still healthy enough to support life.
Her story of her country was strongly influenced by the presence of the rainbow serpent which was evidenced to her by interesting rock patterns that supposedly were remnants from the scales of the serpent as it snaked through the valley.
We were later told that another explanation of these scaled rock formations were that back in history (being in very early history) the area was covered by water.Read more
TravelerLoy’s story about how she discovered some of the rock art was really engaging. She said that in this area she feels a very strong connection with her ancestors and would often come to sit and connect. One day the spirit of her grandfather told her to have a good look around at that particular spot ... she saw nothing but there was still this strong connection to him willing her to find what he wanted. A couple of visits later she became really frustrated and sat down to think what he could possibly mean... sure enough under a rock ledge was the beautiful art work undiscovered till then.
5/6/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Loy and Coming to Country
April 25, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
The first part of the last morning at camp was a visit from Loy who is a First Nation lady who has a strong connection with country and whitefella culture. Her grandfather was Irish and her grandmother was an indigenous woman.
Her father was an indigenous cattleman and her mother was half Irish and Indigenous and so Loy has had the best of two cultures.
She was an accomplished athlete at National level as well as educated with broad experience in white man’s world.
Her family has become farmers of olives and she has approximately 300 Olive trees planted on her farm.
We walked for approximately 30 minutes into her country as she explained the significance of country and culture in her world.Read more
TravelerIt was actually 2 hours walk but she was so engaging I can understand how you could think it less. We spent 5 hours with her in total and she talked non stop! She showed us rock art and how to read it and shared so much information and was hsppy to andwer wuestions about any aspect of her life and history. I feel so much of what we learnt should be taught in schools ...we epuld have much more successful racial integration if thete was more understandingSo much of their culture about Country resonates with me and makes perfect sense
5/5/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Swag Night
April 25, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
As a consequence of the type of road and driving that is done coupled with the constant aircon the van overheated here and we had to stay put for 30 mins so that it could cool down.
We were literally in the middle of no where and I thought we could easily put our swags out for the night here.
Interestingly one of the highlights of the trip for both Jen and I was sleeping in a swag. There is something about sleeping under the stars in such a remote and beautiful area and Jen said she had the best nights sleep whenever she slept in a swag.
Most of the days ranged in temperature during the day between 25-30 yet in the evening because of the lack of cloud cover the temp drops much lower so warm swags are pretty essential. This was also the last camp out we had and was almost the night Chris got engulfed in fire as we boys took charge of the campfire cooking.Read more
TravelerLoved sleeping in the swag again....bit over the jarring of the hard corrugated roads for hours on end....the overheated engine was a welcome relief!
5/5/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Ellery Springs
April 24, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Another beautiful gorge to swim in and marvel at the majestic rocks walls that surround it.
I thought it might be nice to swim nude here but I thought it appropriate to ask the other people present some of who were on the tour and others already at the waterhole if they objected to me swimming naked...everyone was cool with it except the one person who mattered the most...Jen and somewhat ironically I asked her last and then of course felt like a fool. D’oh.
Had a swim and then toweled off and went back to the pub and then ate a berry and coconut cream ice cream (vegan) really delicious before boarding the bus to travel to our next destination.
This waterhole was a little unique as it had two waterholes at the same location. What was so amazing was how one of the ghost gums had managed to grow to 30 meters without any soil to support its roots. Quite incredible how it just held on to the rocks.Read more
TravelerI think you have confused the last two waterholes?! This one was FREEZING and it took a lot of courage to swim here!! Even my teeth got that ache you get when you put something too cold in your mouth!!
5/5/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
The Ochre Walls
April 24, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
First up...there is a fine of $5000 for anyone removing any of the ochre type rocks found in the area.
First Nation people held this site to be sacred and only used the ochre from this region to feature at big corroborees and when males came of age to become hunters.
This process is quite brutal for young men who have to stay out in the desert for five days and have to rely on their knowledge of the area to find things to eat so that they can sustain themselves.
This time of secret men’s business is the pathway to becoming a warrior and then being able to take a wife who has to be of the right “skin family” to ensure that their children will be healthy and from a healthy diverse gene pool.Read more
TravelerIt was another area that had been burnt an it was interesting to see how the black burnt bark shed from the trees and underneath it was pure white. The different range of colors on the ochre was cool too.
5/4/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Glen Helen Gorge
April 24, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Another beautiful waterhole and another opportunity to swim :).
Clean clear water with an amazing rocky backdrop.
There are a variety of water birds and small freshwater fish in these waterholes and some larger fish as well.
Even though we were not traveling in Summer the heat of the afternoon sun was both comforting and relaxing and made more bearable by liberal amounts of sunscreen.
Flies also congregate around waterholes as they search for every area where they can find moisture hence their love of mouths, noses and ears and fly nets are soooo important.Read more
TravelerSwimming here was beautiful too and we were rewarded by a magnificently coloured rock face only seen from the water😍some of the lazier ones just stayed in the pub...a classic Outback one, mostly outside. I bought a book Women’s Business/ Men’s Business about local indigenous culture which fascinated me.
5/5/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Tjorita West Macdonnell Ranges (Cont)
April 24, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Most waterholes in this area hold water until heavy rain replenish them...however there are very big artesian basins all around the NT and many plants and people take advantage of this semi permanent water source.
Animals rely on the water to survive and maybe one of the reasons we have not seen much wildlife on this trip may well be due to the state of drought that is gripping the territory.
The first waterhole that I swam in must have been at least 10+ meters deep and around 19 degrees celsius...pretty refreshing.Read more
TravelerThis waterhole was beautiful to swim in and around. The rock formations and cave on the other side reminded me of the artificial ones at Peninsula Hot Springs...very tranquil...and we got to have a coffee afterwards. The owners of the Cafe were the cutest little old couple you could ever meet...but so slow!!
5/4/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Tjorita West Macdonnell Ranges
April 24, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
Another amazing national park with our first NT waterhole that we were able to swim in.
The desire to have a swim is strong in these areas mostly because of the heat, dust and flies.
There had been a major wild fire that had burnt out the area about 3 months before we arrived and the damage was really significant.
First Nations people often use strategic burns to replenish their bush tucker food sources as native plants regenerate and often seed after fire.
Apparently this wild fire was the result of a lightning strike.Read more
TravelerIt’s amazing to see how quickly the vegetation regenerates.We haven’t seen very much wild life so I wonder if many survived the latest bush fire in this area.I know Brush tail possums were wiped out by a fire and can no longer be found....not so in Doncaster!
5/4/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Trip to Campsite
April 23, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Traveling from Kings Canyon to our next campsite was relatively uneventful although as we closer to the campsite it is necessary to collect firewood for the campfire otherwise no hot food for dinner.
Fortunately the wood is so dry out here as it hasn’t rained since November 2018?
The “Oils” sang a song called “Beds are Burning” and there is a line in the song...Holden wrecks and boiling diesels, steaming 45 degrees...the time has come etc. I wonder if they were thinking of such a car. There is another song of theirs called “Luritja Way” which we also passed on our travels :).
During one of the stops...I commandeered the truck and began to slowly drive off as if the hand break had slipped causing our guide Suzie to panic ;).
Jen and I slept in swags a couple of times and the experience in the desert is amazing as the night sky is so vast and beautiful.Read more
TravelerPowered sites tonight....what a luxury!! It’s so hard to get organized when you wake up in the dark and go to sleep in the dark...I wore my undies back to front all day yesterday 🤔Leis and Camilla made the best thing I have eaten in a while -Dutchess potatoes in a Dutch Oven...cooked on a camp fire all the cheese bits went so crispy on the bottom😋Collecting wood is something I really enjoy... its nice to be physical after sitting in the bus for so long!
5/4/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Kings Canyon (Continued)
April 23, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
The last couple of photos from the canyon plus a reminder of just how many flies there are up here.
During the trip it has been a team effort with everybody being expected to help and assist with food preparation and cleaning up after. Many hands make light work.
There was quite a lot of variety with the food however Jen’s vegan preferences were more limited than they should have been.
Our bus had quite a good air conditioner and that is so necessary when traveling around these parts of Australia.
Overall the group that we traveled with were great fun and all worked together with a minimum of fuss.Read more
TravelerI think that every single person on the tour swallowed a fly at least once... even with fly nets! They get inside and are attracted to moisture in ears, eyes and nose😣even the locals are saying they can’t remember them being this bad! Our tour group is made up of 4 Dutch,2 Swedes, 2 Americans, a Mauritian and 7 Aussies ranging in age from 20 to mid 70’s and all an enthusiastic, friendly fun loving bunch.The guide loved us.
4/28/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Kings Canyon (Continued)
April 23, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
When walking in this place there is a strong safety message to keep at least 2 meters away from the edge of the cliffs as there have been two tragedies with people falling to their death.
One of the photos depicts a number of small little domes of rock that have been weathered down over millions of years to form these shapes.
In the valley of the gorge there was a construction team that was repairing a damaged walkway due to a boulder hitting it which had fallen from one of the rocky ledges.
This is a very beautiful place and so indicative of the NT and once again the National Parks were immaculately maintained.Read more
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Northern Territory Traveler
Kings Canyon "Garden of Eden"
April 23, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
This section of the trip involved walking into a waterhole area.
This section was hidden deep in the canyon and was home to many ghost gums and cycads (fern like plants that originated from the dinosaur age).
Many waterholes in the NT are deep (10 meters plus) and once filled with water survive many dry seasons. Indigenous people would never swim in these places as the fresh drinking water was too important to them.
The walk into the gorge was via a series of steps and and gangways attached to the rock face. The policy within all of the parks is that you carry out everything that you carry in although there are toilets at the start of each park and an excellent safety video that the guides ask you to watch before starting the trek.Read more
TravelerThe Garden of Eden was a beautiful oasis. We ate apples in there🤪and of course feasted on the numerous snacks that the beautiful Goldie carries everywhere!!
4/28/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Kings Canyon (Continued)
April 23, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
More beautiful pictures and it was interesting to have our guide point out some indigenous folklore along the way which as it turned out was actually inaccurate.
Two examples come to mind...
The first was talking about the sunscreen properties of the ghost gum bark which if you run your hand up the trunk your hand gets covered in a white powder. Our guide said that this when applied directly to the skin would act as a sunscreen. Our First Nations guide, Loy, debunked this...you will meet her later.
The second was that the sap of a particular tree was applied to water which was then used to discipline young Aboriginal children...somewhat similar to my parents washing my mouth out with soap after swearing (not flash) and still remember the process to this day.Read more
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Northern Territory Traveler
Kings Canyon (Continued)
April 23, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
Here are some more photos of the type of rock formations and striations that occur in this park.
It is often amazing to see where different trees and plants take hold especially in rocky cliffs.
In some cases there appears to be no visible soil around them or in the area they are growing so mostly these plants grow from seed that is deposited from wind currents.
The beauty of the place is the contrasting colours of red, blue, green and white as contrasted to the rocky cliffs that encircle the green protected oasis below.Read more
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Northern Territory Traveler
Kings Canyon
April 23, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C
Having arrived at Kings Canyon you begin to appreciate the amazing beauty of this place. There are many different moods and walks to do and we decided to complete the 6.3 kilometer “Rim” walk.
The canyon is the result of more tectonic plate movement millions of years ago that forced these amazing rock formations to rise up and dominate the otherwise flat landscape which central Australia is renown for.
The first part of the walk was called “heart attack hill” due to the rather steep 400 meter trail that takes you to the first stage of the walk.
Most of the subsequent walk was quite undulating and enjoyable as I hope these photos will show.Read more
TravelerIt was really interesting to see the impact of inserting some eucalypt needles into our noses and how much they cleared your sinuses...good bush medicine!
4/28/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Camp Site
April 22, 2019 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
This campsite was the first to have a civilized toilet and shower even though they were open without doors or curtains! Whilst it might not sound much it is a critical consideration after periods with other more primitive setups.
Have to tell you that the red dust of this area gets into everything and pretty much everywhere.
It is also handy to note that as soon as the sun goes down the flies also disappear and apparently they disappear to the spinifex bushes to wait until the new day dawns.Read more
TravelerSleeping in a swag on the desert sand under the stars tonight was very special and obe of the best nights sleep I've had! The shower out in the open and toilets with beautiful views and no doors were pretty special too!
4/28/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Sleep Time Truce
April 22, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Well at some point people are going to go to sleep :)
Apparently it was supposed to be a truce at this point however I didn’t agree and so it was game on.
TravelerProbably the only time you weren’t asleep!!!
4/28/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Road Trip Towards Kings Canyon
April 22, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Pulled over to view a salt lake plain that occurs during long periods of drought.
These salt lakes are quite common in the NT and only fill when there are serious rains in the area.
Also got a chance to view another significant rock formation which according to our guide is privately owned as part of a large cattle station.
This rock also has significance to the First Nations people however the owner will not allow any one on the property except his own family and friends.
I find this level of land ownership offensive especially when you consider how accommodating the indigenous people have been towards us white fellas in relation to access of their own historical sites...alas we still have much to learn.Read more
TravelerI could not believe they would be so disrespectful as to helicopter people to his daughter’s weddings on top of the rock knowing it is such a sacred site😔
4/28/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Curtin Springs
April 22, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
One of the desert oasis’s that you come across in these remote areas. This place had its own “earthy” character and no fuss approach.
Motel facilities as well as a desert grass roof thatch that is apparently called a “bough thatch” which was very common in this part of the world in the mid to early part of last century. This particular structure was very solid and had a drip watering system to keep the area cool and damp.
Their were also an array of aviaries outback that housed a variety of bird life. Parrots, cockatiels and budgerigars are very common in this part of Central Australia.
Almost all of these locations have their own bore water holes which allows them to maintain gardens and lush green lawns which in this arid environment are so inviting.
Interestingly, there seem to be lots of Asian store keepers and proprietors in this area which was a surprise to me as I assumed that the desert lifestyle would not appeal to them however one of the most stable sources of income in the area are these remote general stores.Read more
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Northern Territory Traveler
Kata Juta
April 22, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
The final shots of this magnificent place are probably the best as it was the final view down into the valley that was the game breaker.
From what I can see the joint management of the National Parks with the First Nations people is a resounding success and I would have to say that the National Parks in the Northern Territory are exceptionally well managed. They are well maintained, clean and safe and a great promotion for Australia generally.
The walk through Kata Juta is a must see and do in the NT.Read more
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Northern Territory Traveler
Kata Juta (Continued)
April 22, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
Some more amazing shots from this beautiful part of Australia. The whole experience would be even better if not for the flies because there are thousands of them and I recall the bus driver saying to us as we arrived that the best investment we could make would be a fly net that strategically sits over the top of your head.
If you plan to tour the NT this is an absolute must have item. Fortunately for us there is a lot of wind in the Kata Juta park area as the wind in different parts of the park howls through the rocky outcrops...this is a natural fly repellent as flies do not like windy areas.
We completed most of the walks in the morning between 8.00am and 11.00am as the temperature is much more moderate at this time of the year. Our guide Suzie told us that sometimes in summer the temperature can rise to 45 degrees celsius which would make the walks much less enjoyable. Note anyone thinking of visiting the NT, avoid summer unless you really enjoy the heat! Jenny would go :)Read more
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Northern Territory Traveler
Kata Juta
April 22, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
This is definitely one of the highlights of the trip thus far. Kuta Juta translates to many heads which is in reference to the 16 rocky outcrops that occur in this park.
The amazing rust like colour of the rock is due to the ferrite compound in the rock that oxidizes when in contact with oxygen and water...the rocks are literally rusting and if you split a rock into two pieces the inside of the rock is grey.
The walk around this area was 6.6 kilometers with many amazing sights along the way.
We learnt about the striations on the rock surface and the fact that millions of years ago the area was covered by an inland sea that helped to form the river beds, mountains and valleys you see today.
Vegetation is sparse and also beautiful especially the ghost gums which stand as sentinels in and around the area. The light powder that you can rub from the bark helps indigenous children to learn how to body paint before graduating to ochre.Read more
TravelerIt was great to do this walk after missing out because of weather when I was 16. The terrain was quite rough in parts and the Valley of the Winds was well named!We need to start these walks very early(got up in the dark) as the desert is harsh in the middle of the day.
4/26/19Reply
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