Northern Territory - Australia - October 2007

We've been wanting to go to the Northern Territory for quite a long time, but could never justify going there due to flight costs for traveling within Australia, compared to the cost of traveling overseas.

Nevertheless, we've decided to make the trip on “Frequent-Flyer” points and also for taking the opportunity and as a test for our your son Max and see how he reacts to the harsh tropical weather, and specially the humidity and heat, before taking him on any overseas trips in the tropics.
I'll have to say that young Max, passed his fist initiation to travel with flying colors at the age of 5 Months old.

We left Melbourne on the 13t of August on JetStar at 7.30 PM and arrived at Darwin Airport at 1.30 AM , local time. The flight was quite pleasant with not too many people on board which allowed us three seats, which was great as our boy could sleep on the middle seat quite comfortably, once we had the arm rest folded up.

We've pre-booked an apartment style our accommodation in Darwin via the Internet for $95 per/day, but managed to get it for $85 through some negotiation for a total of 2 weeks and we had the B Type Studio including a cot, with Kitchenette, Air-con and Ceiling fan, and a balcony facing Cullen Bay.

Luma Luma Holiday Apartments is located in the heart of Darwin's Central Business District and walking distance the central shopping Mall and popular restaurants and night spot and only a 10 minute drive from and to the Airport..

DARWIN CITY

Darwin is much more than we expected. The first thing that struck us was the friendliness of the people and the ease to get not only around the city but to other parts of outer Darwin. At first our intention was to hire a car so that we could get around, but find out very quickly that it was not necessary and that there was sufficient, affordable alternative transportation other than hiring a car or catching a cab. We mostly traveled on the local bus if the place we wanted to go was not walking distance, walked a great part of the time or rang the local shuttle bus if we felt lazy.

Darwin, is very multi-cultural and has over fifty nationalities living and working together, that at times you feel as though you are either in Malaysia or Singapore, rather than being in another part of Australia. With such diversity in the population of Darwin, you can imagine that for a food lover like myself, the place offers an international feast for visitors, a matter of fact I found that at the various places that we've eaten, that the is better than any other cities in Australia and not once we've could complain about the food and service.

RESTAURANTS VISITED IN DARWIN

The Jetty – Located at Strokes Hill Wharf.

We had the Steak & Seafood Buffet and cost $27.50 PP.

Rendezvous Cafe – Located at Shop 6 Star Village, The Mall

Authentic Malaysian Style Laksa and Thai specials, including curries, Satays, Pandang Chicken and Barbecued Pork.

Vietnam Saigon Star – Located at Shop 4, Smith Street, Darwin

We had the Chicken with Cashew Nuts & Vegetables: $13.00 – Fried Egg Noddle Seafood: $16.00 -Rice Noddle Soup with Wonton & Barbeque Pork: $9.50 – Chicken Spring Rolls (8): $7.00

The Noodle House – Located in Mitchell Street, Darwin

We had Roast Duck (Half Bird): $15.00 – Steamed Boiled Rice: $3.50 – Singapore Noodle: $8.50 – Prawn In Ginger and Shallot: $13.50

Thailicious – Located in Mitchell Street, Darwin

I had the Thai Spicy Chicken with white rice and Pat had the stir-fried noddle chicken.

We also ate in many small eateries throughout the city and also at the Mindil Beach Market, The NightCliff Market, Mandorah Beach Hotel.

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AQUASCENE FISH FEEDING

Located at Doctors Gully, right in the heart of Darwin and within walking distance from our hotel. Aquascene is where hundreds of fish come to shore at high tide to be fed by hand. Various species of fish but mostly Milkfish, Mullet, Catfish, Bream and Barramundi can be seen close enough to touch as they compete with each other for food. Other species including rays, cod, mangrove jack and diamond fish may also be seen.

Apparently, this daily fish feeding ritual began over 40 years ago when a nearby resident started throwing bread scraps to a few small mullet at high tide. Since then it has grown to the amazing spectacle it is today.

Entry Fee is $8.00 P/Adult.

MANDORAH

Mandorah is a 20 minutes ferry ride from Cullen Bay, Darwin City and one and half hour car trip.
Mandorah is a good day trip to fill in the “I do not want to do much today” type of trip.

Though Mandorah has quite a nice beach, unfortunately swimming is not possible during the month of October to to box gelly fish. However, the Mandorah Beach Hotel provide a good selection of counter meals, specially the Barramundi in batter and chips and a few gold beer. There is also a camping site, great fishing from the jetty and apparently is quite busy on Sundays with out of town tourists and locals alike, with live entertainment.

The Mandorah Hotel is quite old and was told by a local that the hotel is due for demolition due to building structure damage due to the sea air and that they will close down by the 1^st of December 07.

The ferry leave Cullen Bay every hour starting from 6.30 AM To 12.00 PM daily and depart Mandorah every hour from 6.45 AM to 12.00AM

A return trip cost $20 P/Adult, $10 P/Child or $50 Family.

MINDIL BEACH MARKET

Now.. This is a must visit market if you are a food lover.

Mindil Beach Sunset market featuring a multitude of stalls offering international cuisine, arts, crafts and live entertainment. The unique combination of great food and an electric atmosphere make a visit a must do on any ones list. The beauty of this place is that you can enjoy a picnic dinner on the beach whilst watching a spectacular sunset to rival that of Kuta Beach in Bali and while doing so, you can on keep on going back to the food stalls for some more.

The Mindil Beach Market is located at Gilruth Avenue, Darwin. We walked casually approximately for one hour to get from our hotel to the market and took a Taxi back.

The Market is open every Thursdays from 5.00PM to 10.00 PM April to October and Sundays from 4.00 PM to 9.00 PM from May to September – Free Entry

NIGHTCLIFF MARKET

The Nightcliff Market is not as good as the Mindil Beach Market, but is worth a visit on a lazy Sunday for some lunch or fresh produce.

The market is actually set in the Nightcliff Shopping Centre and a wander around the markets will likely unearth a bargain as I did. I bought 2 shirts similar to a shirt that I am very fond of and that I bought in Thailand.

Also available at the market are your usual crafts, plants, recyclable goods and you can even get a massage, including reflexology and card- reading if you are in the hocus-pocus thing.

Nightcliff Market is located at Progress Drive, Nightcliff and is open every Sunday from 8.00 AM to 2.00 PM – Free Entry.

NightCliff Market

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TOP END TOURS

After shopping around for suitable and value for money tours, we chose Topend Escapes, mainly for the reason that their tours were more oriented towards the casual day tripper, rather than the young backpackers crowd in need of some extreme challenge and adventure, and also that we were traveling with a 5 month old.

What sold us is that they were the cheapest of all the tours operators and offered the Combo Pass for the price of $198 pp which include Litchfield National Park, Kakadu National Park and Katherine Gorge, all on separate days.

LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK

Litchfield National Park attracts more than a quarter of a million visitors each year to view the monsoon rainforest, perennial spring-fed streams and waterfalls, Magnetic termite mounds, the weather eroded sandstone outcrops and historic ruins..
Just 129 km from Darwin and 268 km from Katherine, this fascinating 143 sq km area was designated as a National Park in 1986.

Originally, the Park was home to the Aboriginal Wagait people. The Finniss exploration was the first European connection within the area and the Park was named after Frederick Henry Litchfield, a member of that expedition. For 75 years, until the mid 20^th Century, the area was the centre for tin and copper mining. It then fell under a pastoral lease until it became a designated national park.

We got picked up at our hotel at 7.30 Am by our Tour bus and made our way towards Humpty Doop along the Stuart Hwy to the Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruise, where we stopped for a coffee and to allow those booked for the cruise to get on. We didn't book the crocodile cruise as we've already done a similar one when we were at Cape Tribulation on a last trip, but instead we dropped off at the Windows on the Wetlands, located at Beatrice Hill along the Arnhem Highway.

Built in 1994 this interpretive centre provides visitors with an insight into this sensitive ecological region of the Adelaide River Wetlands. With fascinating and informative visual and interactive displays, the Centre provides detailed information on the Wetlands, the variety of bird life and animal groups it supports and fascinating historical details of local Aboriginal and European settlement. From its location on the crest of Beatrice Hill, the Centre's observation deck offers the visitor stunning panoramic views across the Wetlands.

FLORENCE FALLS

Our next stop was at Florence Falls, where we had a swim to cool down and the tour operators also provide fresh towels. Florence Falls is a spectacular double waterfall set amid monsoon rainforest. It's a fairly long walk to get to the bottom and worth the effort, however if you do not feel like walking all the way, there is a nearby viewing platform.

After Florence falls we had lunch at a little outback inn, which unfortunately I cannot remember the name of the place, but reminded me very much of some little Warung in Bali

WANGI FALLS

After lunch we all got back on the bus to Wangi falls for another swim. Wangi Falls is an easier walk and has a camping ground with all amenities including toilet and showers and kiosk with waterfalls surrounding a cool freshwater swimming pool .

LOST CITY

After approximately 1 hour at Wangi Falls it was time to go again and this time it was a quick trip through “The Lost City”. This impressive site known as The Lost City, reminiscent of the ruins of some lost civilization, is a formation of sandstone block and majestic pillars formed and weathered by the elements.

TOLMER FALLS

Through “The Lost City” we pushed on to Tolmer Falls. One of the most spectacular falls in Litchfield. Tomler Falls cascades over two high escarpments into a distant, deep plunge pool. The bottom of the falls is home to several colonies of the rare Ghost Bats and orange Horseshoe Bats and no access to the bottom is allowed.

MAGNETIC TERMITE MOUNDS

Finally our last stop of the Litchfield National Park was a stop at the magnetic Termite Mounds on our way back.

Some of the mounds stand up to two meters in height, are in the north-south orientation. This configuration acts as a built-in temperature control mechanism, allowing the least possible surface area to be exposed to the heat of the sun.

SOME PHOTOS OF OUR SON Max ON THE LITCHFIELD TRIP

Kakadu National Park – Yellow Water Billabong Cruise

Yellow Water Billabong is a pristine environment supporting a variety of plants, animals and birdlife. Daily cruises departing Gagudju Lodge Cooinda offer visitors the opportunity to witness the tranquil habitat at close hand.

Located 6.5 Km Off Kakadu Highway at Cooinda

Nourlangie Rock – Kakadu National Park

A 15 Km circular walk takes visitors past an ancient Aboriginal Shelter and outstanding examples of Aboriginal rock art. A short climb will take you to Gunwarrddehwardde Lookout to experience the Stunning views over the Kakadu Escarpment.

Warradjan Aboriginal Culture Centre – Kakadu National Park

The warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre situated off the kakadu Highway enroute to Cooinda, features the creation era as interpreted by the Bininj/Mungguy people – the culture that spans millennia as Kakadu’s traditional owners tell their story through displays. Local arts and crafts are on display.

Admission: Free

Anbangbang Billabong

Anbangbang Billabong is on the way to Edith falls and has no real significance, for the exception that a scene from the Movie “Crocodile Dundee” was filmed at this location.




Katherine George

While its star attraction is undoubtedly the famous Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge), Katherine and its surrounds include great fishing, hidden natural wonders and a rich indigenous and pioneering history. The region stretches from the Gulf of Carpentaria to the West Australian border. Around 300 kilometers south of Darwin, Katherine is set on the banks of the Katherine River.

Katherine was named by explorer John McDouall Stuart in the late 1800s after the daughter of one of his expedition sponsors. The area was renamed “Nitmiluk” – meaning “Cicada place” – in 1989 when traditional owners, the Jawoyn Aboriginal people, gained title to the land.

The Katherine River flows through 13 separate gorges that carve their way through the Arnhem Land Plateau. You can canoe, cruise and swim between sheer cliffs to the sandy freshwater beaches of the main gorges, and view ancient Aboriginal rock paintings high on the rock faces. Waterfalls and rock pools are found along over 100km of walking tracks, beginning at the Park’s visitor centre.

Adelaide Inn

Our first stop for breakfast was at the Adelaide Inn.

They say the history of the world is encompassed in a single grain of sand. In a similar manner, the Adelaide River Inn encompasses a large chunk of the Northern Territory’s history and is a great place to stop for a snack or a light lunch on your way through.

It’s situated in a township of just 250 people which began as a stopover between Darwin and Katherine and became an army base during WWII. The Inn itself was established in 1873 on the southern side of the Adelaide River (notorious for its large population of saltwater crocs) and has seen a few name changes in its time as well as witnessing a murder in 1975! It is also home to the Charlie the Buffalo who you may remember from the Crocodile Dundee movies.

These days the Adelaide River Inn is a great place to stop for a snack or a light lunch on your way through. The leafy surrounds and proximity to the river lend a relaxing feel to the outdoor dining area; the easy pace of life overtakes you. The menu offers a good selection of pub favourites: think steaks, burgers, salads and chips. Their barra and chips is famous.

Nitmiluk Visitors Centre & Katherine Gorge

After breakfast we proceeded to the Nitmiluk Visitor Centre which offers the opportunity for visitors to discover more about the magical and diverse National Park – to learn about the geology, the landscape, wildlife and native plants, and the history of the Aboriginal inhabitants of the fascinating area.

The Centre has a restaurant overlooking the Katherine River and is walking distance to the 2 hour Katherine Gorge Cruise.

Nitmiluk Visitors Centre Photos

Edith Falls

After the cruise we made our way to Edith Falls (Leliyn)

Located on the western boundary of Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge), the paperbark and pandanus fringed natural pool at the base of the falls is safe for swimming throughout most of the year. The area is also great for bushwalking. Edith Falls is the finishing point of the 66Km Jatbula Trail walking track, which begins at Nitmiluk National Park headquaters.

Pine Creek

Fascinating historic town full of unusual buildings and memories of the old railway and telegraph line.
Located 248 km south of Darwin on the Stuart Highway Pine Creek was named after the local creek which was crossed in December 1870 by the teams constructing the Overland Telegraph Line. The creek was notable, as the name suggests, for the many pines on its banks. One of the OTL workers, Sydney Herbert, noted 'This creek was by no means large, but was remarkable for the pines growing there'.

Ironically, although the town was always known as Pine Creek it was officially named Playford on the 24 January 1889. At the time Thomas Playford Sr was the South Australian Commissioner of Crown Lands. Playford's desire for immortality was misplaced. The town continued to be known as Pine Creek in spite of the government's attempt to honour him. It was not officially gazetted as Pine Creek until 20 September 1973.

Pine Creek was, until the turn of the century, one of the major centres of the Territory's mining industry. Consequently the history of the town is largely the history of the Territory's goldmining industry.

In December 1870 a work party drilling holes for the Overland Telegraph Line discovered alluvial gold near Yam Creek. The following year attention turned to Pine Creek and overnight, in spite of warnings that it 'would be foolish for people to come running here' it became the site of one of the Territory's most frenetic goldrushes.

Significant deposits of alluvial gold had been discovered either by the overlander, D'Arcy Wentworth Uhr or by G. G. McLachlan - credit for the discovery is somewhat blurred. The Eleanor Gold Reef was opened in late 1872 and the following year the Union Gold Reef established the area as a major goldfield.

The town grew rapidly. In 1873 both the Pine Creek Repeater Station and the Police Camp were established. The following year the Royal Mail Hotel, the town's first, was opened and a year later it had competition from The Standard.

The surface gold disappeared rapidly but the goldfields were kept active by Chinese miners who entered the area in considerable numbers. Initially they were brought in as 'coolie labour' with the South Australian government paying £20 per person. However the coolies, who were virtual slaves, were in ill-health and unwilling to work.

The coolies, who had come from Singapore and Malaysia, were followed by Chinese diggers from Hong Kong who poured onto the goldfields. By the mid-1880s there were over 2000 Chinese in Pine Creek.

The Railway Museum
The railway buildings in Miller Terrace are now of heritage significance. Built in 1888-9 they include a station building, water tank, residence, weighbridge and goods shed.

The Railway Museum, located in the old station building, has displays which give a detailed history of the district. A couple of excellent booklets Early Days in Pine Creek and Pine Creek Heritage Trail are available. The latter is a fascinating tour of Pine Creek's historical past.

Adelaide River War Cemetery

The Adelaide River township is situated on the Stuart Highway 112 Km from Darwin south of Litchfield National park. The town history is immersed in the legends of pioneers, buffalo and crocodile hunters. The Adelaide River Township came to prominence following completion of construction of the Overland Telegraph line, followed by an hotel, a police outpost and a railway station.

From 1939, with the build-up of WWII military activity, the town took on major responsibility in the war effort as the location for a huge military base, with the 119 Australian General Hospital, army camps and thousands of service personnel stationed in the town surrounding areas. Following the bombing of Darwin in 1942, both the Australian and American military headquarters were relocated from Darwin to the Adelaide River Township.

The site most visited in the town is the impeccably maintained War Cemetery, the resting place of some 63 civilians and 434 Australian, British, and Canadian servicemen and women who perished whilst serving in the Top End during WWII. The centre stone of the cemetery is a memorial to 287 service personnel lost, in the Timor Northern regions, and who have no known grave.




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