Northern Territory

The next installment with Moose, Goldie, Wolfie and Wolvie. 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 (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 "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 ⋅ ☀️ 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 (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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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'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
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
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 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
Bush Tucker and Weapons
April 27, 2019 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 20 °C
We had a fantastic talk and experience with Leroy a classy First Nations blackfella who shared some history and insights into how indigenous people lived off the land and the weapons and tools that they used to hunt and survive.
He is a great example of how indigenous aboriginals can work with the Parks Service and provide a depth of experience that is so authentic.1Read more
TravelerLeroy was so enthusiastic he kept talking for 45 minutes longer than expected which meant we ran out of time to see the Telegraph Station but he was really engaging
5/26/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Alice Springs Desert Park
April 27, 2019 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 20 °C
Here are some of the examples of the amazing camouflage of some of the desert species.
The Horny Devil is one of the more amazing reptiles that only eats ants...that’s it as well as drinking through capillaries in its feet.
The death adder is soooo well camouflaged that you would never see it in the wild.
Pretty much the same with most of the lizards although they move more quickly and from that perspective are easier to spot.
The road out to the park was an easy cycle and on the way back we were able to see hawks and other birds of prey combing the ground cover for something to stalk.
It stands to logic that many species decline when the country is in drought as the water sustains so much of the wildlife and since it hasn’t rained since Nov ‘18 things on the wildlife front are quiet...just waiting for the next big rain to start it all up again.Read more
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Northern Territory Traveler
The School of the Air
April 27, 2019 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 22 °C
The school of the air was developed as a way of educating children who were located in remote outback areas of Australia whose only option was to be educated via the radio.
The technology has now advanced so much that virtual classrooms are now the theme.
I seem to remember that each child has an education grant of approximately 20k which allows them to install satellite dishes and purchase laptops and other necessary technology.
Shout out to the dude who lead our tour as I think that he was incredibly nervous and brave.Read more
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Northern Territory Traveler
Alice Springs Town Lookout
April 27, 2019 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 23 °C
As we rode back from the school of the air we detoured to find this lookout which provided 360 degree views of the local area.
TravelerIt was called Anzac Hill and was a monument to all wars. ANZAC Day was a couple of days earlier so the floral tributes were still there.
5/26/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Alice Springs Botanical Gardens
April 27, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
The botanical gardens were very well maintained and interesting from the point of view that there are quite a few different plant habitats in the area.
Climbing the rocky lookout was the most interesting part as we caught sight of rock wallabies which we had not seen prior on the trip.
Cute little things they are and very nimble on the rocks making it hard for predators to catch them.Read more
TravelerGoing over the handlebars on the bike may not have ended so well if you weren’t in such prime physical condition!
5/26/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Megafauna Centre
April 28, 2019 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 19 °C
This space was quite revelatory and first suggested by Loy as a place to check out. It showcases the animals that lived thousands and millions of years ago and their relative size compared to today.
Quite a fascinating display enhanced by the state of the art archeological equipment that is used to protect the fossils both on site and in transit.Read more
TravelerI was amazed at the basic tools that archaeologists use in the field...paint brushes and drinking straws amongst them. They had an interactive display where you could play around with some bones hidden in the sand...painstaking work but actually quite relaxing.
5/26/19Reply
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Northern Territory Traveler
Trip Home
April 29, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
After an amazing almost two week break we are flying back home. Another amazing trip with Moose, Goldie and the amazing Wolfie.
Such great travel partners and sooo much fun to be with.
I wonder where our next trip will take us?Read more
TravelerThe BEST travel buddies and so much fun...especially that Wolverine 😉
5/26/19Reply
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Trip end
April 28, 2019