Escaping the northern heat

Our time in NT was hot, dry and dusty. Temperatures have been over 35 degrees, but the relentless sun makes it feel closer to 40+. Much of the bush is still black and charred from the annual patch burning. It’s a traditional Aboriginal practice adopted by government and land holders to prevent bush fires and encourage biodiversity and the black trees and grass just intensifies the heat.

Thankfully the Territory has a myriad of gorges and rock formations filled with fresh water creating natural swimming pools which are inaccessible at other times of the year. I’ve learnt water in the top end is always approached with caution and the tourist literature says assume crocs are present everywhere. There is a saying in Kakadu that the only safe place to swim is in the public pool at Jabiru.

Most swimming areas have larger lower pools and upper plunge pools. In the dry, lower rock pools are still home to fresh water crocs, fish eaters who are safe if left alone. In the National Parks pools are monitored by the Rangers for salties before they’re opened for swimming. The camp manager at Gunlom in Kakadu told us he warns 22,000 people a year not to swim in the lower pool but most can’t be bothered with the walk up the hill. As a result in the dry season, they keep a 20 foot trap in the creek below the lower pool containing a large pig leg just in case. We did the climb!

The safest place to swim is in upper pools – often accessed by difficult steep, rocky walk or climb but the reward of a refreshing swim is worth it. Also, beyond what you can initially see are often more hidden pools so we watch where the water flows from and always climb and explore.

three of my favourite places to swim...

Butterfly Gorge in the Douglas/Daly region

Just north of Pine Creek the main attraction in the area are hot springs, but as we discovered it’s worth the 17 km drive, on one of the worst roads we’ve encountered, past them to Butterfly Gorge.

Luckily we met a couple on the track who advised skipping the lower pool and taking the poorly marked track over the rocks to the upper pool.

We then swam 50-60 m across the pool and climbed between the rocks to find a series of private, hidden rock pools.

Surprise Creek Falls in Litchfield NP

Maybe one of the Park’s least visited camp sites as it is accessible only by 4WD and the road is not always open.

We practically had the place to ourselves for a whole day which was divine. The walk in along a sandy, flat track is easy. Again skip the lower pool and climb over the rocks to the upper pools and waterfall.

They’re deep enough to jump into from a decent height, and the further you climb the more pools there are to discover.

Leliyn (Edith Falls) in Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge)

Not only does it have great swimming but also lovely shady grassy campsites so we stayed for three nights.

The main lower pool is the largest I’ve seen and nice for a quick dip but the best swimming is a 1 km walk up a steep hill to the upper pools and waterfall.

A climb and explore to the outer edges of the pool also uncovered a picturesque rock pool complete with a single water lily growing in the middle.

Unfortunately there aren’t more photos as I don’t have a waterproof cover for my phone/camera…

Eye spy with my little eye something starting with… S

We've driven over 6,000 km in the past month.  It’s a lot of time in the car on boring roads looking at endless bitumen, brown grass, sparse trees and red dirt with the occasional hoparoo (my generic term for anything smaller than a kangaroo) and feral cats or large predatory birds eating road kill – which curiously we haven’t seen much of since entering NT.

A combination of Eye Spy and 20 Questions is the driving game of choice. Eye Spy on its own can take forever so we allow other questions to be asked like ‘is it inside the car or outside the car?’ and ‘can I see it now?’.  

Best object so far has been ‘sunglasses’ – it took Jeff forever to guess (extra clues included it’s inside the car, there are five in the car and you can see two all the time. It was genius, he thinks it was cheating. Pfft.

Missing Google

I miss being connected to the world 24/7. You’d think I’d be happy for a break from it seeing I used to spend 10+ hours a day, five days a week on a screen – before work to check the weather and news, all day at work, then after work on social media and email. 

I’m particularly missing Google and being able to get the answer to any random question day or night. What do I do now? Keep a list of things to Google next time we have phone/internet service. 

E.g. why do flies land on us, what are the rates of Ross River and Dengue fever in Australia, find a flapjack recipe that could be made in the camp oven, and where have I seen Lyndsy Fonseca & Clark Duke (actors in Kick Ass) before – turns out Desperate Housewives and Hot Tub Time Machine respectively??? 

Three week update!

Greetings from the Northern Territory

Intrepid travellers Jeff & Maddy

Where are we? After three weeks on the road we are in Darwin where I'm finally getting the time and adequate internet connection to update my blog! Warning up front - this will be a bit longer than usual. I've embedded my Instagram feed into my homepage so non Instagram users can keep up with the photos!

Where have we been? We've been everywhere man, we've been to Pomona, Gympie, Biggenden, Coringa, Gin Gin, Rockhampton, Notch Point, Sarina, Mackay, Ollera Beach, Bowen, Ayr, Townsville, Alva Beach, Ingham, Cardwell, Innisfail, Millaa Millaa, Ravenshoe, Archer Creek, Atherton, Cairns, Mareeba, Undara, Georgetown, Croydon, Normanton, Karumba, Leichhardt River, Burketown, Gregory Downs, Adel's Grove, Boodjamulla NP, Doomagee, Hell's Gate, Seven Emu Station, Borroloola, Cape Crawford, Katherine, Douglas Daly, Surprise Creek, Litchfield NP, Dundee Beach, Crab Claw Island... and Darwin!

What a whirl wind trip so far, we've done about 5,500 km, only stopping for two nights four times in three weeks at Adel's Grove, Cape Crawford (not by choice - mechanical issues), Crab Claw Island and Darwin (partly due again to mechanical issues).

It's incredible how many Australians are out travelling at this time of year. We've rocked up to free camp sites to find them full of caravans and camper trailers. The grey nomads are out in force. We've met some lovely people and now have invitations to visit Port Augusta in SA and Echuca in VIC. Most travellers are on short holidays (4 - 6 weeks) or their annual escaping the Winter holiday (4 - 6  months). We haven't met anyone younger than us yet and only one other couple so far have been on an extended trip. Jeff did meet one man who has been on the road for 18 years and reckons he will go for another two and stop when he's 77.

SuzieQ our GQ Nissan Patrol has been challenged by the corrugations and rough, rocky roads - and we haven't even reached the Gibb River Rd in WA yet. At one point it was like a Country & Western song. "We're outta beer, outta water, outta spares, outta food, outta brakes, the diffs leakin' oil and there’s a strange new flapping sound... but we have our love and a sense of humour". 

A few observations from the journey so far:

• Water is precious. I know it's an obvious one but until you don't have clean drinkable water on tap 24/7 its hard to understand. When you do it's a luxury - appreciate it.
  
• Phone reception in rural Australia sucks balls (one for Mandy Downs). Come on Telstra, give everyone in Australia phone reception, please, and then Optus can follow.
  
• There is no recycling out here (until you are in Darwin). WTF? I'm having to come to terms with throwing cardboard and glass into normal bins. It hurts each time I do it.
  
• My fingernails are never clean. I don't know how but they are constantly filthy. My feet are also filthy and I'm getting a thong tan.
  
• They only way to cope with red dirt is to make friends with it. It covers everything including the first six feet of vegetation on each side of an unsealed road. It also does not come out of clothes in a normal wash cycle and sticks to every surface of every item in the car.
  
• Caravan parks, as well as being a great place to have a long shower, are a wealth of information. Most conversations centre around three topics - the price of fuel (farking expensive), the state of roads and the price of beer (also expensive). I was horrified to pay $39 for a carton of XXXXGold in Innisfail. Should have stocked up as it was $70 at Cape Crawford and we've been told up to $85 in some more remote areas.
  
  

• The smell of the ocean after weeks in the bush is incredible. But it's heartbreaking when you can't just run and dive right in for swim because of crocs. 

• Fresh water, crystal clear, deep swimming holes are hidden throughout this dusty, rugged country and they are incredible when you find them. Many are only accessible at this time of year and exploring them has been one of the highlights so far.
  
  
  One of the best we found was Butterfly Gorge in the Douglas Daly area of NT. It was a 17 km drive from the main road on an unsealed 4WD only track (one of the worst we have been on). Then a long walk on a poorly marked track over rocks up a steep hill and then a steep scramble down to a sandy beach and large swimming hole. We met a couple walking out as we came in who advised swimming across the gorge and climbing up between the high rock walls. A 50-60m swim and we climbed through to find an amazing series of deep plunge pools. No photos due to the swim and lack of ways to keep the phone/camera dry. Memories only.

• I do not love sand flies, mozzies or march flies. I never did but I also haven't seen one living in Melbourne for 20 months. I currently have somewhere around 90 bites and have been using every pharmaceutical and natural remedy I can find to stop the itching. Luckily one of them is working.
  
• Watching the sun go down over the water is magical as is the afterglow that continues for the next 20 mins - even if you do share it with several hundred other people.

Farewell Darwin, you're an interesting city. A massive thank you to our hosts for the last two nights Gay, Henry and Shirley, and Petra. Thank you for your hospitality and welcoming us into your beautiful house. Next stop Kakadu...

Fear of change

*apologies up front to anyone who suffers from sidonglobophobia

Fear of change or the unknown just seems so silly. How can you be scared of something when you can't possibly know what is going to happen? Yet when it hits you it feels pretty real. 

I got a big dose last week when I sold my car. Sounds like a little thing but it’s the first step in a big change that is coming. At the end of June I’m taking a career break to go travelling around Australia. I sold my car because I won’t need one for a while and I need the money.

While driving my car for the last time my little monkey mind went into over drive doing flips of the 'what if's'...

What if I never have enough money to buy a car again?

What if I get sick of looking at big rocks and waterfalls?

What if I miss my warm, soft, comfy bed?

What if I get eaten by a croc?

What if I hate it?

What if, what if, what if?????

My mother once told me I've always had a fear of the unknown. She recently recalled when we used to go to the video shop on a Friday night I'd always choose movies I've seen before. When asked 'why do you want to see Annie again? You've seen it 100 times?' I'd always say 'but I know I like this one'. 

There are a whole lot of fears and phobias that make sense to me - like coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. I've see Poltergeist and Stephen King's IT. Clowns are f**king scary! Metrophobia, the fear of poetry - cause by high school English teachers - I totally get this one. 

And even sidonglobophobia - fear of cotton wool balls (and anything that resembles a cotton wool ball), I witnessed this one first hand while wearing a bunny costume with a fuzzy tail. I don’t really understand it but I do find it hilarious.

Fear of change or the unknown is not a recognised phobia - maybe because it’s too common. I guess we are creatures of habit - of safety and security and familiarity. Change seems scary because you don’t know what is going to happen next.

With my mind in a spin it didn't occur to me to ask myself:  

What if it's awesome?

What if I never want to work again?

What if I don't ever want to come home?  

Which are all far more likely… except missing my bed.

This week I will Walk In Her Shoes

Who is Her? The millions of women and girls living in extreme poverty in developing countries who walk for hours every day for essentials like water, food and firewood. Girls like Sopheap, and women like Ang (pictured below). The thousands of steps women and girls walk every day prevents them from taking steps that will help lift them out of poverty - like working to earn an income or going to school and getting an education.

Ang from rural Laos walks on average 44 kms a day to provide for her family. Photo: CARE Australia 

Tomorrow morning I will clip on a pedometer and aim to walk at least 10,000 steps (about 6-7 km) throughout the day. I will do it every day this week while hounding my friends and family to donate to CARE Australia through my fundraising page. I've had my pedometer on over the weekend to see how far I walk in a normal day and what I will need to do to make my 10,000. The last two days I managed about 7,000 steps per day. I need to step it up.

10,000 steps a day barely mirrors the reality of the the women and girls I'm walking for.  I walk for exercise - to get myself of my squishy couch watching the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy. I walk a few steps to the kitchen for clean water, to a fridge full of food and a stove to cook it or to grab my slippers and a jumper when I'm cold. Sometimes I walk to work - but not if it's raining. I get to choose when I walk.

Come rain or shine this week I will make my 10,000 steps but when I'm out pounding the pavement I'll be listening to music, admiring the outdoors, and avoiding cars and dog poo. I won't be carrying water on my head or firewood in a basket on my back. My family will not be depending on me to bring food from the farm. But I will take my 10,000 steps a day as consciously as I can with gratitude for how easy my life is.

The campaign aims to raise $1.2 million to support CARE projects that remove the burden of walking like providing clean water close to homes. I'm hoping to contribute $1000 through my fundraising.

Find out more about the Walk In Her Shoes challenge and CARE Australia.