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We
departed Mooloolaba, Australia in June, 2002 and made our way up the Great
Barrier Reef. After many hectic days threading our way through the reef,
we made a quick stop at Thursday Island at the very top of Australia.
Then, an easy 4 day trip in light winds to Darwin where we boarded a 4wd truck
with Outlandish, Poppy 1 and Tatanka for a 5 day Kadadu adventure.
Kakadu is a few hours south of Darwin and is Aboriginal territory. Most
of it is dry and dusty land punctuated with spectacular waterholes, some rivers
and
beautiful scenery. Our only complaint was the flies. We often had to
wear fly screens from our hat. For pictures, we would remove the screens
quickly, try to get a shot and put them back on.
We hiked, climbed hills, swam in refreshing waterholes and slept in permanent
tent camps on Australian swags - a form of 
bush
sleeping back and matress rolled into one. With permanent tent
camps and all the cooking done for us, this was definitely luxury camping.
The scenery was breathtaking. We were constantly amazed at how well the
Aborigines were able to survive in this area. Water holes came and went
and rivers often dried up each season. Fortunately 
for
us, there was plenty of water on the Yellow river as we took in the
scenery. 
Some of the largest crocs we've seen were out there in the
wild. We spent a few hours on the Yellow river learning about the
crocs and the birds.
We loved the wildlife throughout Australia. With little water and food
sources, many of 
the
animals in the Kakadu region are smaller versions of other animals found
elsewhere in Australia. This Rock Wallaby stopped and posed for us.
Like many of the early cultures 
throughout
the world, the Aborigines told their stories through rock or cave
painting. We had a chance to see a number of well-preserved examples.
Then, it was time to return to Darwin and get the boat ready for our passage
to Indonesia.
