Set off early for us, 9.30am we drove out, been a great park and cheap. As we drive towards Kakadu we spot some buffalo in the undergrowth and lots of small bush fires. We have been told these fires are lit by rangers, according to the Aboriginal ways, to keep the undergrowth down so as not to cause large bush fires. We arrive at Mardugal Park at around 11am, its almost a free camp as its $10 a night and has toilet, showers but no power or drinking water. The sites are as big as you like as you choose where ever you like. We choose a nice shady spot a few hundred feet from our neighbours surrounded by trees and just across the way from the toilets. We have been told if you stay at Murdugal you get to use the pool and restaurant at the Cooinda Lodge resort, so on with our bathers and get our towels and off to the pool. Its about 5 minutes drive and we park out front and make our way to the pool! We cant believe our luck! Its a 4 star resort and the pool is huge, heated and has a rocky waterfall at one end! Only down side is it seems there is a group of teenagers there for the holidays! Tommy loves the perving but the pool is very busy. We have a wee dip and then sunbathe for a few hours (yes, sunscreen applied), then into the cafe bar for our dinner. Back to the van for an early night as we can't watch TV without power!
Next day we had planned to be in Darwin for their big fireworks night but its too far for one night! After a lazy morning we headed off to Murrai lookout where we got a wonderful view of the surrounding plains. On the way in we captured some wonderful pictures of the rock formations.
Then onto Nourlangie, which is like a gorge or cave, with walks through and up the rocks to a lookout and wonderful nooks and crannies to view Aboriginal rock art. The large Amphitheatre with wall art was breathtaking. We just stood in awe drinking in the feeling of being in such a special place, not just to the Aboriginals but to actually be lucky enough to stand in such a wonderfully laid out cave all created by mother nature. The walls were covered with Aboriginal paintings and the floor of the cave was still showing the remnants of a group of people living there. Fire places, rocks shaped like fire pits, seats and areas which looked to have been used for sleeping. There was also an area which was obviously used as a meeting place. It was huge! You can really imagine Aboriginal people living here, preparing food on fires, sleeping, and holding meetings around campfires.
As we were leaving we noticed a signpost for a free camp and decided to take a look. Turns out its right next to a beautiful Billabong. I have included some photos above.
As we were leaving we noticed a signpost for a free camp and decided to take a look. Turns out its right next to a beautiful Billabong. I have included some photos above.
Its 3.30 by the time we start back and decide to go to the pool for a cool swim. As we leave we go into the tourist centre and book a boat trip on the yellow river early tomorrow morning. Then its back to the caravan to get organised to leave tomorrow.
We have some dinner and when we are sitting outside we smell smoke but think its just a spot fire as they have been burning off the undergrowth all the way up the highway. Around 9pm we look out and can see the skyline is bright orange just above the trees north of us. We keep an eye on it but decide to pack everything up just in case we need to move fast but we cant sleep much as we are worried about the fires and keep getting up to check if its died down or not. Then around 12.30 we hear some wild brumby's come into camp. Just by the toilets there is a water tank which is leaking and has been for a long time as there is heaps of green grass around and thats just what brumby's are looking for. We hear the thunder of their hooves and the sound of them blowing air, just as we get to the window two of them are passing about two feet away from our van! Beautiful dark horses with long tails and hair around their hooves, their manes hanging over their eyes.... so awesome to see wild horses so close up. We hardly slept the whole night as the brumby's fed, cantered up and down the road and huffed most of the night, never mind it, was awesome!
We were up and away by 6am as our boat trip is at 7am! We park the rig in the carpark (yes there is heaps of room for numerous caravans in the carpark) and check in at the boat dock. As we get onto the tourist boat the first light of the sun is coming up and we begin to see the beautiful view up the billabong into the river.
We have some dinner and when we are sitting outside we smell smoke but think its just a spot fire as they have been burning off the undergrowth all the way up the highway. Around 9pm we look out and can see the skyline is bright orange just above the trees north of us. We keep an eye on it but decide to pack everything up just in case we need to move fast but we cant sleep much as we are worried about the fires and keep getting up to check if its died down or not. Then around 12.30 we hear some wild brumby's come into camp. Just by the toilets there is a water tank which is leaking and has been for a long time as there is heaps of green grass around and thats just what brumby's are looking for. We hear the thunder of their hooves and the sound of them blowing air, just as we get to the window two of them are passing about two feet away from our van! Beautiful dark horses with long tails and hair around their hooves, their manes hanging over their eyes.... so awesome to see wild horses so close up. We hardly slept the whole night as the brumby's fed, cantered up and down the road and huffed most of the night, never mind it, was awesome!
We were up and away by 6am as our boat trip is at 7am! We park the rig in the carpark (yes there is heaps of room for numerous caravans in the carpark) and check in at the boat dock. As we get onto the tourist boat the first light of the sun is coming up and we begin to see the beautiful view up the billabong into the river.
There were 4 tour boats with around 30 people in each, all taking off together silently (everyone is quiet as its so early in the morning) into the glass like billabong. The sun is just starting to show her morning colours and the views are spectacular, the blue of the water reflecting the pink and orange of the sun, then the bright green lush grass on the land. Its unusual to see such green grass as its so dry in the Northern Territory, but this is flood lands so is naturally watered most of the year and we are told this billabong and river rarely dries up. We take off slowly around the edges of the water looking to catch a glimpse of bird life and crocodiles, all the while admiring the scenery of water lilies and various sizes and species of trees. We spot wedge tail eagles, black Cockatoos, Egrets, Cormorants, Jesus birds(so called because they have such big web feet it looks like they walk on water) and then some enormous crocodiles! Its getting hot on our way back which means the crocs are coming out of the water to bask in the sun, all the better for us. I think we saw 5 or six by the time we get back. The trip was truly brilliant and the commentary from our guide very knowledgeable.
We got back around 9am and as the trip includes a buffet breakfast we head back to Cooindra. After an amazing breakfast we head to the Warrad Jan Aboriginal centre to take a look around. We are pleasantly surprised at how interesting it is, as we wander around the extensive exhibit with video and audio commentary, walking on a path leading you through history boards explaining about the Aboriginal beginnings and the cruelty they were put through by the early settlers.
We headed back to the caravan in the carpark and had a wee snooze in the back and then headed off to Jabiru for a few nights. We arrive around 1pm at the Kakadu Lodge Resort, get the van setup and head down to the pool for a swim.... great pool with a cafe bar right on the edge and a big waterfall.
We got back around 9am and as the trip includes a buffet breakfast we head back to Cooindra. After an amazing breakfast we head to the Warrad Jan Aboriginal centre to take a look around. We are pleasantly surprised at how interesting it is, as we wander around the extensive exhibit with video and audio commentary, walking on a path leading you through history boards explaining about the Aboriginal beginnings and the cruelty they were put through by the early settlers.
We headed back to the caravan in the carpark and had a wee snooze in the back and then headed off to Jabiru for a few nights. We arrive around 1pm at the Kakadu Lodge Resort, get the van setup and head down to the pool for a swim.... great pool with a cafe bar right on the edge and a big waterfall.
We stay most of the afternoon and even have our dinner at the cafe then a shower and back to watch a video about Kakadu National Park given by the ranger. We bring our own chairs and sit on the grass around the pool with around a hundred other tourists to watch the video in the moonlight.Only down side is the mozzies are bad!
Next day its into town and we find a little mozzie tent for outside under our awning! Get our groceries and head back to setup our mozzie tent. We headed down for a swim for the afternoon and lay in the sun reading for a while at the pool. I cooked us a roast for dinner and we enjoyed it in the cover of our mozzie tent... first time in a while we could sit out after dark without being eaten alive!
Next day was a chores day catching up on the blog, washing and Tommy installing the reversing camera on the car.
In the afternoon we had a ride around the campsite on our bikes - took us almost half an hour its so big!
Pete had told us not to miss Ubirr Rock at sunset, so we figured Sunday was a good day for it! We drove for around 20 minutes through the National park, which was getting scary as there were hundreds of spot fires, and parked at the ranger station with hundreds of other tourists.
We follow the signs towards the rock and enjoy walking through wooded areas which then open out to huge rocks just balanced on each other and covered in Aboriginal paintings. Then the path starts to meander through rocky outcrops, squeezing through gullies in places then getting steeper and we almost need to use all fours to get us up. The path is marked out in some with wooden handrails, others there is only an arrow pointing the way. Its hard work and takes about 45 minutes to get up to the top. Its spectacular, only down side is there are hundreds of other tourists doing the same thing so its not quiet! You can imagine, kids love it! Climbing and scrambling and running up and over rocks, fun for them but it would be wonderful to come in the off season and get it to yourself!
We wander around up and down rocks and take a seat on the far side until the sunset, just admiring the views of the forrest and hills around us(people seem to forget its not just the sunset to see) and just enjoy each others company. Tommy has his binoculars with him and enjoys finding birds and animals around the area. We start to notice the pink aura the sun is causing in the sky, so turn and walk to the west of the rock to catch the sunset. It doesn't let us down and is truly spectacular, both of us wander around taking photos and keeping track of each other, when we catch glimpse of each other we have wide grins, we are just so enjoying this and seem to understand, just by the smile, what each of us is thinking. Its just magical.
The sun is low in the sky and its beginning to show the darkness and we realise that if we wait too long there will be hundreds of people, young and old, trying to scramble down the rock, so we decide to leave before the sunset has finished but we have so many wonderful shots on our phones and as its getting dark, the phone doesn't take such good ones anyway. Its pretty difficulty on the way down but we make it in around 15 minutes and are in the car before the majority of the tourists are down.
We get back to Caravan Site and treat ourselves to Chicken Parma at the Pool Cafe. Next day is just catching up on chores and putting stuff away to be ready to set off for Darwin early next day.
Next day its into town and we find a little mozzie tent for outside under our awning! Get our groceries and head back to setup our mozzie tent. We headed down for a swim for the afternoon and lay in the sun reading for a while at the pool. I cooked us a roast for dinner and we enjoyed it in the cover of our mozzie tent... first time in a while we could sit out after dark without being eaten alive!
Next day was a chores day catching up on the blog, washing and Tommy installing the reversing camera on the car.
In the afternoon we had a ride around the campsite on our bikes - took us almost half an hour its so big!
Pete had told us not to miss Ubirr Rock at sunset, so we figured Sunday was a good day for it! We drove for around 20 minutes through the National park, which was getting scary as there were hundreds of spot fires, and parked at the ranger station with hundreds of other tourists.
We follow the signs towards the rock and enjoy walking through wooded areas which then open out to huge rocks just balanced on each other and covered in Aboriginal paintings. Then the path starts to meander through rocky outcrops, squeezing through gullies in places then getting steeper and we almost need to use all fours to get us up. The path is marked out in some with wooden handrails, others there is only an arrow pointing the way. Its hard work and takes about 45 minutes to get up to the top. Its spectacular, only down side is there are hundreds of other tourists doing the same thing so its not quiet! You can imagine, kids love it! Climbing and scrambling and running up and over rocks, fun for them but it would be wonderful to come in the off season and get it to yourself!
We wander around up and down rocks and take a seat on the far side until the sunset, just admiring the views of the forrest and hills around us(people seem to forget its not just the sunset to see) and just enjoy each others company. Tommy has his binoculars with him and enjoys finding birds and animals around the area. We start to notice the pink aura the sun is causing in the sky, so turn and walk to the west of the rock to catch the sunset. It doesn't let us down and is truly spectacular, both of us wander around taking photos and keeping track of each other, when we catch glimpse of each other we have wide grins, we are just so enjoying this and seem to understand, just by the smile, what each of us is thinking. Its just magical.
The sun is low in the sky and its beginning to show the darkness and we realise that if we wait too long there will be hundreds of people, young and old, trying to scramble down the rock, so we decide to leave before the sunset has finished but we have so many wonderful shots on our phones and as its getting dark, the phone doesn't take such good ones anyway. Its pretty difficulty on the way down but we make it in around 15 minutes and are in the car before the majority of the tourists are down.
We get back to Caravan Site and treat ourselves to Chicken Parma at the Pool Cafe. Next day is just catching up on chores and putting stuff away to be ready to set off for Darwin early next day.