Nathaniel joined us while we were in Darwin, which was fantastic! We had a few worrying moments before he arrived however with the city going into lockdown; luckily it was lifted and he arrived at the van park about 2 AM, after taking a direct flight from Melbourne.
Our first big trip was to the Tiwi Islands – two and a half hours on the ferry and we were there. We had booked in for a tour and we weren’t disappointed! We started off with a smoking ceremony and traditional welcome to country. After that it was off to Tiwi Designs were we learnt how to screen print and were able to print our own tee shirts. After lunch we were taken on a tour of the island and learnt some of the history. Bathurst Island was where the Japanese were first sited on their bombing raid to Darwin. One of the priests radioed Darwin but it wasn’t acted upon. A Zero that had been shot, crash landed on the island and the pilot was taken prisoner. You can see the Zero’s propeller in the photos below. Neighbouring Melville Island is the second largest island in Australia and there are still people living traditional lifestyles with little to no contact with the outside world.
We went to Parap markets on the Saturday and were overwhelmed by the choice of food – Nathaniel and I both started the day with a yummy laksa.
On the Sunday we went off to Kakadu and said farewell to Hank and Deb who we had travelled with for the previous three weeks.
Kakadu was stunning! Our first morning started off with a dawn cruise on Yellow Waters. The birdlife was prolific – complimented with water buffalo, crocodiles, brumbies and wild pigs. Later that day we travelled to Burrungkuy (Nourlangie Rock) and looked at some of the ancient Indigenous art sites.
Next day and we were off to Ubirr to see the rock art there. We also stopped at the Border Store which is now a gallery and bought some hand woven baskets. Cahills Crossing (the crossing over the East Alligator River and access to Arnhem Land), was busy! People were crowded around the viewing area with their chairs, cameras and lunch! I guess they were waiting to see one of the fishermen maybe get eaten by a salty! We did the rainforest walk and were the only people on it. We were rewarded by seeing a large saltwater crocodile up close.
Nathaniel was keen for a swim and there aren’t many places in Kakadu you can take a dip without getting eaten! Maguk (Barramundi Gorge) is one place you can so we drove in along the very corrugated road and then clambered over the rocks for the last kilometre to get there. When Jude and I were there 31 years ago there was us and two other couples. Not the case anymore! Lots and lots of people.
That evening we went to Nawurlandja lookout to watch the sunset over Burrungkuy – very special.
The next day we drove back to Darwin and went to Mindil Markets for dinner and to watch the sunset.
Our last day with Nathaniel was spent at the Darwin Museum and then a very pleasant dinner in the City where we tasted some local dishes made with native Australian ingredients.
Nathaniel’s flight was changed so luckily it was a 10.30 AM flight the next day rather than the original 2 AM flight.
Lots of pictures this post! Remember to click on a photo to see the full gallery.
Pauline
20 Jul 2021Fabulous narrative and photos, I had booked a holiday to Darwin and Tiwi Islands last year with two friends and of course it was cancelled. So great to see your adventures and to think I was nearly there. xx
ian.rose
21 Jul 2021Thanks Pauline. Yes, we have been lucky so far with our travels. Also, we’re very conscious of family and friends who have had their travel plans put on hold and feel for them.
Ross Plant
21 Jul 2021Great read and lovely photos. We did both the sunrise and sunset tours on Yellow Waters but thought the sunrise was by far the best.
ian.rose
21 Jul 2021Yes, the bird life is much more prolific!
Chas
27 Jul 2021Great pics… I remember the art shed on Tiwi from program with Ernie Dingo… cave art looks great… they certainly had big balls in ancient times ha ha!