Cahill's Crossing

Cahill's Crossing, along East Alligator River, is the road which links the Kakadu National Park to Arnhem Land (Aboriginal Territory), although the road gets flooded every day when the tide is high.

Some brave souls attempting to cross at high tide.

Why is it called Alligator River? That is a good question, since there are no alligators here. The first explorers here thought that the crocodiles were alligators.  By the time anyone realised they were crocodiles, all the rivers had been named and mapped and apparently it would be too much trouble to rename everything. Hence, the East Alligator, South Alligator and West Alligator Rivers have no alligators in them. They do have lots of salt water and river water crocodiles though.

Not my picture - I was never so lucky to see a crocodile in such good view here

The river here is full of fish, making it a popular fishing spot. Since the water is also croc-infested, it makes it a particularly dangerous fishing spot. In recent years, many people have been killed here.  You would think that this would make people nervous to walk into the waters to fish, but locals especially are quite complacent about the dangers.

Crocodile safety signs are up everywhere in NT

And I mean, everywhere

We went there a few times, and unfortunately did not spot too many crocs. Which I suppose is why people get complacent.  The Aboriginals have a saying that for every croc you see, there are seven more that you don't see.

No crocodiles

Still no crocodiles

Crocodiles ... no

Wait is that a ... no

So you end up playing the "Is that a log or a crocodile" game a lot.  They were all logs...

Log or crocodile

I think it's a crocodile

It IS a crocodile

And another crocodile

So, after visiting here a bunch of times back in 2012, and again this year ... I think I was lucky enough to see 2 crocodiles. From a distance.

Jumping fishy things

One thing I did see lots off at Cahill's were these little mudskippers, which are amphibious fish. They use their fins to walk (aka jump) on land.  It's actually kind of cute to see this little fishies jumping around on the mud.

I seem to have bad luck when it comes to spotting crocodiles.

In case you are wondering, the car from the first picture did make it across the river. But some people are not so lucky...

A pic from NT News

I certainly wouldn't want to be in that predicament with all those crocs swimming about. 

Day 2: Ubirr - the number 1 natural attraction in Northern Territory

Ubirr is one of the must-do things when visiting Kakadu National Park, and it is no surprise that it was recently voted the number one natural attraction, and the tenth overall attraction in Australia. It is also a World Heritage Site


The rocky site has a lot of cave-like structures where Aboriginals made their homes, taking refuge from the sun and the other elements, making it one of the most historically relevant sites in the Northern Territory. Archaeologists have found many relics there which have given insight in the Aboriginal lifestyle for the last 15000 years (although it could be older, no carbon dating has been done)

Holes left in the rocks from grinding ingredients for food and paint. 

It is also religiously relevant to the Aboriginals, in the Dreamtime the Rainbow Serpent travelled through this area in human form. As she crossed the land, she "sang" the rocks, plants, animals, and people into existence.

However, what makes it a major tourist attraction is the number of rock art galleries.  The paintings represent various styles of art over the ages, as well as various subject matter.  

Black pigments are derived from charcoal, while red, yellow and white were made using rock coloured by iron deposits. 

A menu of various types of food - probably used to help identify food sources. This 

Long necked turtle, painted in xray style

Barramundi and other fish

Footprints

Even the roof is painted

Fish, painted in xray style

X-ray style is the latest art style in Aboriginal art, and has been used for the last 5000 years. It depicts animals or human figures with the internal organs and bone structures are clearly visible. 

Besides painting scenes from everyday life, Aboriginals also used art to tell stories of the Dreamtime, such as the Rainbow serpent below.

The Rainbow Serpent

As with all cultures, folk stories were/ are used to teach morals to keep society in line.  The main story depicted at Ubirr is that of the Namarrgarn Sisters, who could turn themselves into crocodiles. This story is used to teach the dangers of crocodiles.

Rock art is not the only reason that this site is so amazing - but first, you have to climb a bit...

And here it is ... the view from the top....

It is hard to describe the peace and tranquility you experience when you reach the top. It is like medicine for your soul.  There is nothing quite like standing on top of Ubirr rock and feeling like you are in the middle of nowhere, with just the natural surroundings in every direction. A little piece of Eden, this is one of my favourite places that I have EVER been to.

It's my land

Introduction to the Northern Territory

Now that we had finally made it all the way to Jabiru, in Kakadu National Park, our first stop was the Bowali Visitor Centre to get our visitors passes.

Anton at the visitor centre

Our passes, visitors guide and holiday planner

The first thing you need to know about the Northern Territory, is that the weather here is so varied and extreme that it doesn't fit into normal divisions.

There are not 4 seasons (winter, autumn, spring and summer), or even 2 seasons (wet and dry), but actually 6 seasons!

The 6 seasons of the Northern Territory

The 6 seasons are:
Gunumeleng - Pre-Monsoon Storm Season - Gunumeleng, from mid-October to late December, may in fact last from a few weeks to several months.
Gudjewg - Monsoon Season - Gudjewg, from January to March, can be described as the 'true' wet season.
Banggereng - Knock 'em down storm Season - Banggerreng, in April, is the season when the rain clouds have dispersed and clear skies prevail.
Yegge - Cooler but still humid Season - Yegge, from May to mid-June, is relatively cool with low humidity.
Wurrgeng - Cold Weather Season - Wurrgeng, from mid-June to mid-August, is the 'cold weather' time; humidity is low.
Gurrung - Hot Dry Weather - Gurrung, from mid-August to mid-October, is hot and dry.

We went during the "Cold" Wurrgeng Season.

Me helpfully pointing out which season we are in, to noone in particular

The second thing that you need to know, is that "Cold" is a relative term. In Northern Territory, cold means daytime temperatures of around 30-33°C and night-time temperatures are around 17°C. And just when you thought that Capetonians had no concept of what cold weather really means.

Weather Warning issued 7 July 2015

For example, this weather warning was issued just after we left Australia, for the extreme cold weather. Why? Because the temperature dropped to below 30°C.

The third thing that you need to know is more applicable to the whole of Australia, rather than just the Northern Territory - and that is there incessant habit of speaking in abbreviated words and slang. 

Here is a handy table for you:

aggro	aggressive
arvo	afternoon
Aussie	Australia
barbie	barbecue
bickie	biscuit
blowie	blowfly
Brissie	Brisbane
budgie	budgerigar
Bundy	Bundaberg, QLD
cardie	cardigan
chewie	chewing gum
Chrissy	Christmas
ciggie	cigarette
cockie	cockatoo
cockie	cockroach
coldie	cold beer
comfy	comfortable
compo	workers' compensation
conchie	conscientious objector
cossie	swimming costume
cuppa	cup of tea
deli	delicatessen
dero	derelict person, vagrant
footy	football
garbo		garbage collector
hollies		holidays
hottie		hot water bottle
journo		journalism
kindy		kindergarten
lippie		lipstick
maggie		magpie
mossie		mosquito
mushie		mushroom
on ya		good on you
pokie		poker machine
pollie		politician
postie		postman
preggers		pregnant
pressie		present
rego		registration (of a vehicle)
rellie		relative
sammie		sandwich
sickie		sick leave
sunnies		sunglasses
swaggie		swagman
Tassie		Tasmania
umpie		umpire
wellies		wellington boots, gumboots

In fact, you watch this video which explains exactly what I mean: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxLebREdVus

The fourth thing, that you need to know about the Northern Territory, is that everything wants to kill you. Spiders, snakes, bugs, box jellyfish and, of course, crocodiles. 

And that, in a nutshell, is everything that you need to know about Northern Territory and Australia. 

Here are a few additional things: The people are super friendly, the food portions are huge and there are loads of free facilities to use everywhere.  Also, it is entirely possible to live off the things that they throw away: from cars left abandoned on the side of the road, to fully functional furniture left at the dump, etc. 

Nitnit at the visitor centre