Darwin ~ Fogg Dam and the Wave Pool

What a beautiful place Fogg Dam is. As soon as we drove into this wetland area (just off the road to Kakadu) the sound of thousands of birds filled the air. It’s crocodile country, too, so not straying off the road is an excellent idea. We drove to the bird hide and looked out over a body of water. You can see in the photo below the saltwater crocodile and the Jabiru not too far from one another. I don’t know if you can see the pair of Bush-stone curlews or the group of Wandering Plumed ducks. In the background there are lots of Magpie Geese which formed the largest group of birds. Intermediate egrets, pied herons, Pacific herons, ibis, darters, cormorants and Rajah shelducks were also there in numbers large enough for amateur bird watchers to see. We were delighted to see what looked like a Swamp Harrier looking for tucker and even a Crimson finch which came to sit in one of the palm trees and show us his beautiful colours.

We watched for ages, discussing many things with a German couple we met taking photos with a camera which had a lens as long as your arm. They had some amazing close up photos. Then slowly the crocodile’s tail moved a little, then it slid. We watched and waited. And then without a ripple it was in the pond and hidden from view. Some time later an island appeared in the water. An island with eyes ... and then it disappeared.

Today was the day to pick Abby up from school and go to the Darwin wave pool. All the Koondy kids will know Abby from her time at our school. If you look very closely at this photo you just might see what fun she is having in this wonderful place. All you can see of Abby is her head and a little bit of her pink board. There are no waves in the oceans around Darwin so it is a good idea to have a wave pool. We got dumped many times but we also caught lots of waves and went surfing into the shallows.

Blessings to you all and we will see you next time in Litchfield National Park.

Devils Marbles

We spent Wednesday afternoon and evening at the Devils Marbles campground meeting up with some people we had got to know in Alice Springs. I climbed all over the rocks and took lots of photos. The top one shows just one of the rock formations which are formed by the wearing away of the softer rock. I love the colour of the tree which somehow managed to grow through a crack in the rocky ground.

This bottom photo shows just half of the caravans set to stay for the night. If you enlarge the picture you can see ours!! We are in the back row, 6th from the right. The most beautiful time to see the rock formations is at sunrise or sunset which is why people come to stay the night. The rocks light up with a golden hue when the sun is low in the sky. In the morning it feels like a magic place as I wait for the sunrise, listening to the music of the birds. Too peaceful to take photos at this time of day. (Actually I forgot to collect my camera before I went climbing!)

We are in Katherine now enjoying the lazy, balmy swimming weather.

Blessings to you all and we will probably see you next in Darwin.

Palm Valley, Finke Gorge National Park

Friday was a magic day. We drove the 136km out of Alice Springs towards Hermannsburg through the MacDonnell Ranges which are just amazing in their colour and formation. We turned off towards the Finke Gorge National Park and Palm Valley. We love the MacDonnell Ranges and as most of the country near Alice Springs is dry it was quite a surprise to find a lush valley of ancient palms.

The track to get there was an experience in itself with rocky climbs and large sandy patches to traverse. David did a fantastic job driving the "road" which claims plenty of vehicle casualties. It is marked as "4WD high clearance required" and they weren't joking! We drove to the valley along the rocky and sandy Finke river bed.

Blessings to all and see you next time wherever the van stops.

Alice Springs

We took a picnic out to the Rainbow Valley Conservation Park, south of Alice Springs. Once again the scenery was astoundingly beautiful. The flies were thick and we were again very grateful for our fly nets. The picnic happened in the car under the shade of a lonely desert oak which we found on the way out of the park.

Here is my photo of the Todd River which runs through Alice Springs. I love the colour of the sand and the way the trees grow so straight and strong in the dry river bed.

We went to Simpsons Gap and discovered a pool of water stops you from walking through. I hope Simpson (no one knows who he was) knew how to swim. On our short walk to the gap itself we saw a Peregrine Falcon nesting high in the rocky sides of the gap and a Black-footed Rock Wallaby grazing amongst the rocks. Its tail is very long and it stayed still long enough for me to take a photo of it. You may be able to see it somewhere in the middle of this photo.

Blessings to you all and we'll see you next time in Alice Springs again.

Kings Canyon

What an incredible place. We loved walking around the rim of Kings Canyon for the second time. The scenery is stark and beautiful. The cliffs so sheer and red-brown. The trees a beautiful contrasting green. You have to stop to look at the scenery as while you are walking your eyes need to be on the rocky ground to make sure you don’t trip. It is a steep climb to get to the rim and then an up and down walk to go all the way around. Markers keep you on the “track”. If they were not there one would surely get lost. Many thanks to the powers that be who have added the odd wooden bridge and some staircases to make it possible to get around without falling down some deep ravine. At the bottom of the canyon lies the Garden of Eden, another truly beautiful place to spend time. Here we had our morning tea along with lots of other walkers. There are 2 pools of water and lots of ancient cicads. You are right in the canyon itself and know there is still a big climb to get back to the rim and then along to where you have to climb down to the car park.

The photo below shows a place along the rim which has been nicknamed Lilliput!

Each night in the Kings Canyon campground we have been entertained by dingoes howling. We were advised to keep our gear inside as apparently they have a penchant for shoes at the moment.

Blessing to all and see you next time in Alice Springs.

Uluru

A photo of Uluru cannot express the awesome majesty of this rock. In deference to the Aboriginal people we chose to walk around the base of the rock rather than to climb it. We probably thought it would be easier, too, but 2 hours and 50 minutes later we were definitely ready for a rest. It is 9.4 km around the base.

At sunset it takes only a matter of minutes for the rock to go from this bright red to nearly black.

Blessings to you all and see you next time.

William Creek and Oodnadatta

From Coober Pedy we drove out to WIlliam Creek. This grid is part of the Dog Fence which extends from Qld to SA and goes for 5900 km. It keeps dingoes out of the sheep country. I love the remoteness of this country. It is amazing how anything can survive out here. So much of it is barren. But then you come across a creek crossing and see beauty like this...

There were lots of birds here - galahs, zebra finches, little doves and many others I could only hear. The flies were thick.

From William Creek we flew over Lake Eyre in a small plane. The views were amazing. The sky is reflected in the lake which was on average only 1/2 a metre deep and moves as the wind blows. We flew over an island where the pelicans were nesting. How did they know to come all the way out here where the fish would be there for the taking?

William Creek is not known for its first class accommodation and you can see David here talking to some friends outside the old freight containers which had been turned into bedrooms for those who want to stay the night. The town is, however, renowned for its hospitality and friendliness and it is a place where everyone shares their stories.

For those who are sick of birds being in my blog, bad luck!! Just look at these magnificent birds of prey. Nothing is wasted in the desert and we saw a dozen Wedge-tailed Eagles feasting on this carcass.

Blessings to all and see you next time.