2 Day Kakadu Tour

Up at 6am to be picked up by the Tour. Our guide for the tour was Luke. There were 16 in total on the tour. There was a mixture of English, Aussie, French, German, Swis, Japanese & Chinese. By 6.30 we were on the road. First stop was about half an hour into the trip for brekkie, then it was back on the road, stopping briefly to pick up firewood from the side of the road. We then arrived at the Mary River for our river cruise. Even before we had set off down the river we saw crocs.... We then went on a 2 hour trip along the river, spotting Freshwater and Saltwater Crocs, and many different bird wildlife, we even spotted a dingo in a nearby field. After this it was time for lunch, hotdogs cooked on the barbie.

After lunch we were back on the road, heading towards the entrance of the Kakadu National Park. We stopped off at Bowali Visitor Centre, for refreshments and a look into the history of the National Park. Our next stop was at Urbir Rock. On the walk up to the rock we passed many Aborignial art drawings on the rocks. Then it was the climb to the top of the Rock. It was hard work on the old knees but people in the group were happy to help me and I am so glad I got to the top, the views were amazing and it was so peaceful up there, apart from when the other tour groups were coming up. After about an hour it was back down and back into the 4wd and off to our camp for the night.

The camp was in the bush within the park and consisted of a communal kitchen eating tent, a communal sleeping tent and a few private tents but there was no electricity and the toilet block was a short walk away... So the fire was built and lit and candles lit in the tent. Dinner was cooked over the fire, chicken, buffalo sausages and Kangaroo!! I tried the Kangaroo and I have to say it was very nice. Once dinner was over and the dishes were washed we sat around the fire, drinking talking, playing didgeridoos (sp?) and also learning some crazy swis dances. It wasn't a late night as we were to be up early..

5am wake up call, we packed up the camp and had a quick cuppa then it was back on the road. We were now hitting dirt roads. We arrived at Ganamurra campsite for brekkie then it was back on the road for some serious 4wd driving along sandy narrow tracks towards Jim Jim Falls. We arrived at the entrance to Jim Jim Falls were we had a half hour walk along the creek. This was a really hard walk over rocks and boulders. I only managed it three quarters of the way as it just got too difficult for me, so the guide left me at a really nice spot by the creek and I had a really nice time on my own relaxing. Its a shame I didn't get to the falls but I still had a nice time. After about an hour and half it was back into the 4wd heading towards our next stop, Twin Falls. Again it was dirt road and this time we actually had to drive through a river. To get to the falls we first had to take a short boat ride, then it was a 20 min walk over rocks again to get to the falls. This time I managed to get the whole way with the guide, Luke helping me finding the best paths to take. After an hour there it was time to head back on the road, back to the camp that we stopped for brekkie, for a quick picnic lunch, then on the road to meet up with another driver who was to bring us back to Darwin.

We said our goodbye as some people were staying with Luke as they had an extra day tour, then it was on an old dirt back road back to Darwin. On the way we saw wild horses running around.

It was a great trip and was sad it had ended but I was also glad to get back to the hostel for a shower and change of clothes..........