Thursday, 25th July through Thursday, 1st August 2024

Day 1:

I thought about driving from Sydney to Darwin to join the Tour. Still, when I did the calculations, it turned out to be over 4000 Kms from Sydney, which would have been ten days of driving, a considerable amount of which would have been through reasonably boring territory to get there and after the tour, the same distance and time to get back to Sydney. As a result, flying to Darwin seemed the logical best idea, so Qantas got the nod.

On arrival, the other three members of the tour and I checked into the Darwin City Hotel, a standard 3-star commercial hotel in the city’s centre. The four of us and our guide, Shawn Flannery, went to the Darwin Sailing Club for a lovely evening dinner while we watched the sun slowly disappear below the horizon.

Day 2:

We all headed out on the harbour for a tour of the museum depicting the “Bombing of Darwin Harbour” during the WW2 Cruise, where we got a graphic briefing on the devastation experienced by the locals when the city was bombed and strafed by the same Japanese planes that attacked and destroyed Pearl Harbour several months before.

We also had the chance to visit the museum, which contained photos and exhibits of the devastation Darwin experienced following the Christmas 1974 – Cyclone Tracey, which nearly destroyed the city and most residences.

We were treated to a sunset cruise dinner from Stokes Wharf in Darwin Harbour in the evening. Our tour coincided with joint military exercises between many forces from NATO countries who were in the region with Army, Navy, and Air Force assets to participate in the training.

Day 3:

After a lovely breakfast at a popular beach restaurant, we headed off to the northern region of Kakadu, the Ubirr Region.

We boarded small excursion boats to tour the Crocodile waters of the incorrectly named – East Alligator River. They were incorrectly named Alligators by early explorers when they were all saltwater Crocodiles. We were fortunate to have a local Elder – Nelson, as our driver and guide, who also provided a great commentary on the spectacular rock formations along the river, several very close encounters with several of the Crocodiles in the river and a briefing and demonstration of how Aboriginal Woomeras and Spears are made and used.

In the late afternoon, most climbed to the top of the Ubirr Rock after visiting several significant Aboriginal Rock Art sites and the Nabib Lookout, which was a bit more of a climb than I can brag to have done, where we experienced a beautiful sunset over the East Alligator Flood Plain (which happened to be a site featured in the movie “Crocodile Dundee”).

Day 4:

We started the day at the Bowali Visitors Centre to view some displays on the park’s history and the joint management of the park between the Indigenous People and the National Park Authority. They were fascinating and very well presented.

We also visited the Burrrungkuy Rock Art site, where there are numerous examples of how the local people used rock art as teaching aids to communicate their history and traditional knowledge to future generations. By this stage, I felt I had had enough of the art and history and looked for something more exciting.

We ended the day with a sunset cruise through the Yellow Water Billabong and the upper reaches of the South Alligator River, sensational wildlife including birds and, yes, more Crocodiles, before returning to our accommodation at the Cooinda Resort, where we enjoyed a swim in the pool and a delightful dinner under a canopy of stars as only the Outback can produce.

Day 5:

We started the day with a one-hour scenic flight over the East Arnhem Land escarpment and Kakadu, which allowed us to “put the whole area and the various pieces together” from the sky. It was awesome, but I got the smallest seat on the plane, undoubtedly built for a midget, as I had to sit sideways with my back to the window, looking out of a window on the other side of the plane.

It took me almost an hour to uncoil from the foetal position I had adopted on the aeroplane.

After the flight, we headed to Katherine, N.T., where we went to Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge).

We had a three-and-a-half-hour cruise on excursion boats through two gorges, narrated by a local Indigenous guide, highlighting some of the most gorgeous rock formations and scenery. This was the crown jewel of the trip for me. Great scenery, super comfortable, topped off by a sundown cruise in some of the most beautiful scenery and natural surroundings.

For our return, we boarded excursion boats set up for a gourmet dinner with wine. As the sun set, we returned through the gorges, revealing even more spectacular rock-formation views and a pitch-black sky with millions of stars.

The only issue was I was sitting behind two teenage girls who were talking incessantly about the tripe teenage girls rattle on about all through the breathtaking sunset and dinner.

Day 6:

After a refreshing dip at the Katherine Hot Springs, spectacular flowing hot water springs flowing almost in the centre of the town.

After our hot spring adventure, we headed for the Adelaide River. We stopped in to see the Katherine Museum, which has some interesting displays describing the early encounters with Europeans and the early settlement in the Territory.

There are few rivers in the Northern Territory, as the rainwater collects in pools in the extremely hard and compressed sandstone rock. It seeps into the rock and is filtered over time (usually years) before reappearing at lower elevations in pools again. The water is crystal clear, pure, and warm because the rock it has been filtered through has retained the heat from the surrounding atmosphere while travelling through the rock.

After lunch, we headed to the Adelaide River and a legendary Pub, the Adelaide River Inn. The Water Buffalo named “Charlie”, featured in “Crocodile Dundee”, has been taxidermised and stands proudly in the Pub. In addition, there is a 5.5 M Crocodile, “Jock”, which has also been taxidermised and is a favourite for tourists visiting the Pub.

The pool at the Pub is a welcome respite at the end of the day. Although not as hot as it is in the summer, a cool swim at the end of the day is welcome.

I managed to blot my copybook by leaving my room key by the pool, naughty boy. I searched and searched but could not find it. The Pub management gave me a replacement so I could get into my room, and I waited in the hope that a lovely lady would show up in the evening to return my room key. I had no such luck, and no hairy pillock showed up either, but by this stage in the trip, I found I had no trouble sleeping a big day, several cold NT Ales and an Outback meal that would choke a horse.

The Adelaide River Pub serves good food, cold beer, and typical country entertainment every night. As you would expect, it receives excellent business from both residents and tourists alike as there isn’t much competition within a couple of hour’s drive.

Day 7

We travelled to Litchfield National Park and the Tableland Plateau. Our first stop was Florence Falls, where we swam in a large natural pool with spectacular waterfalls.

Our last activity for the tour was to visit the famous Magnetic and Cathedral Termite mounds.

The Cathedral Termites build an ever-increasing (if not destroyed by natural and unnatural causes) mound that can reach 4 to 5 M in height. It may contain millions but at least hundreds of thousands of termites in a single colony. Some of these mounds have been documented to have existed for over 50 years.

The Magnetic Termites build their mounds in what appears to be an orderly arrangement, with the sharp sides of the mounds pointing north to south, which is how they got the name Magnetic Termites.

Day 8:

As the Tour ended, we headed back to Darwin to catch our various flights back to Sydney.

Two of the group took earlier flights that transited through Brisbane. Shawn, our tour leader, and one other of the group, plus me, decided to take the “Red Eye”-special flight, which was to leave at 1:00 AM the following day.

After a large, sumptuous Greek Dinner, the Mid-Night Special Travellers arrived at the Airport at midnight only to be told to evacuate after clearing customs, etc., because of a “Security Breach.” It turned out that an inbound traveller had left his phone on the plane and avoided security in his haste to return to the aircraft.

The clearing of the airport, including all the flight crews from the planes waiting for take-off, this delayed eventual take-off for over two hours, which was not appreciated by anyone anywhere near or in the airport.

Luckily, all sharp objects had been removed from the waiting passengers, otherwise the errant passenger who caused the delay may have forfeited his life if he had been spotted.

Summary:

The trip was one of those “trips of a lifetime.” It was very well organised, comprehensive but never boring, well-paced, and, as it turned out, extremely economical.

Credits:

Thanks to Shawn Flannery, our Tour Leader, who provided copy and photos for this blog. Shawn leads up to, two small group tours a year to Kakadu and the Northern Territory, where he has served as a local tour guide for over ten years. This is high-touch, personalised touring at a very reasonable price. If you would like more info. contact Shawn directly at shawn_flannery@internode.on.net or +61 434 946 930