Category Archives: plains

Darwin, Arnhem Land and Mighty Kakadu

Arnhem Land, Australia, coastal, Kakadu, Kakadu, lakes, Landscape, mountains, NT, plains, Plant, river/creeks

The Doc recently visited Darwin, Arnhem Land and Kakadu on a four day helicopter tour, with a few days each side in Darwin.

The flight was based out of Darwin and Jabiru (the township near the Ranger Uranium Mine), with some landings to refuel from jerry cans in remote parts of Arnhem Land. So The Doc got some ground shots.

The trip was at the end of the wet season and the scenery was spectacular, extensive wetlands, rivers, gorges, waterfalls and escarpment a plenty. These photos have minimal post processing.

Arnhem Land is a up on a plateau surrounded by an escarpment. The rain that falls runs off the escarpment and feeds a multitude of rivers along the coastal wetlands, including the Adelaide River, Mary River, Wildman River, the East Alligator/West Alligator/South Alligator Rivers, Liverpool River, Goomadeer River, White Creek, Julia Creek (tributary of Magela Creek), Mann River and Katherine River. Katherine River being the only one listed that flows south into Katherine Gorge near Katherine.

Along this coastal plain, there was an abundance of water, rivers, creeks, streams and wetlands that have abundant crocodiles and water buffalo. With so much water the crocodiles were very hard to spot.

This area has more rivers and water than either Cape York or The Kimberley and The Doc has flown over both of those areas.

On the way into and out of Arnhem Land you must fly over the escarpment, which is hundreds of metres tall in places. Twin Falls and Jim Jim Falls are well-known waterfalls that flow off the escarpment in Kakadu National Park.

The Doc nicknamed one part of the escarpment the Guard Towers, these massive structures were imposing as we flew by. They look smaller in the photos (The Doc used a 24mm lens), compared to real life.

We flew across Kakadu into Arnhem Land and through and abundance of waterways and gorges. The gorges were often full of dense rainforest, unlike any other place visited by The Doc. It makes you wonder what wildlife it hides.

As we approached one river and waterfall the copter noise spooked a black wallaby. So The Doc managed to see the rare all black wallaby. An All Black Wallaby may do rugby union supporters heads in! It is the male that is black, it is normally nocturnal and only found in Arnhem Land across to Nabarlek.

The abundance of water in the Wet Season means lots of waterfalls. The Doc was most impressed by the Mann River Gorge Waterfall in a remote part of Arnhem Land, even more than Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls in Kakadu. He got both aerial and ground photos (as we refuelled), and a passing thunderstorm made it look even better.

The Doc is now frantically packing the Patrol to drive into The Northern Territory in the next few days. The last blog post for a while, enjoy.

The Savannah Lander – Day 4

Australia, bark, Cairns, Cairns, Gulf Savannah, Landscape, moss & lichen, mosses/lichens, other, plains, Plant, Qld, river/creeks, rock, States, Textures, Uncategorised

The last day was mostly train travel from Mt Surprise back to Cairns. The Doc was up early and walked to the railway station, having a look around the township. There was also a small market in front of the station with locals selling to the tourists. A great idea. However the food was mostly in glass, so The Doc passed on the opportunity.

There was some excitement on the way home including the train being held up by young bushrangers. A great way for kids to earn pocket money! The passengers were warned that we’d be robbed 😉

Instead of repeating some of the earlier photos let’s look at some textures, here bark and leaves.

And some rock and minerals. Enjoy.

Next day the flight home. An enjoyable trip which included a visit to Pungalina and the Savannah Lander train trip. Yes The Doc used the wrong watermark on the pictures.

The Savannah Lander – Day 3

Australia, Cairns, Cairns, Gulf Savannah, plains, Qld, river/creeks, States

The Doc was up before dawn. Near The Doc’s Room was an unusual looking Toyota Kluger, when he looked closer it had Texas numberplates. The US version of the Kluger is certainly chunkier than the Australian version.

Off to have an early breakfast near a very nice infinity pool as the sun came up.

Next stop was Cobbold Gorge itself. After travelling through the Kimberley and Pilbara The Doc has visited many gorges, but nothing like Cobbold Gorge. This gorge was formed when an earthquake ripped the earth apart. Over time it weathered into an extremely narrow gorge, what the Doc calls a Weight Watchers gorge! By narrow, The Doc means a standard tinny could not get through some parts of the gorge.

10 people each got into the 2 custom-made boats. The boats were narrow and long with an electric motor at each end (a trolling motor). Silica has leached out of the sandstone rocks forming an extremely hard but polished surface, making it very resistant to weathering.

While the gorge is not particularly long, it is unique. There is plenty of freshwater fish, including the resident freshwater crocodile.

We headed back to the camp, collected our gear, and were loaded onto the bus. We were driven back to Forsayth but the train had already left earlier in the morning. The bus drove us to Einasleigh to meet the train at lunch time.

We ate a simple lunch at the Einasleigh pub and were back onto the train. We travelled back over the rivers and waterways to Mt Surprise. We were booked into our rooms at Bedrock Village.

We had to be on the bus within 30 minutes and were taken for a tour of the Undara Lava Tubes. Gary was our guide.

‘Undara’ is an Aboriginal word meaning ‘long way’. The park protects one of the longest lava tube cave systems in the world. About 190,000 years ago, a large volcano erupted violently, spewing molten lava over the surrounding landscape. The lava flowed rapidly down a dry riverbed. The top, outer-layer cooled and formed a crust, while the molten lava below drained outwards, leaving behind a series of hollow tubes. (Department of Parks)

We visited The Archway and the nearby Stephenson’s Cave. The stairs and walkways made the whole experience enjoyable (as well as protecting the caves). The archways, colours and textures were extraordinary and the size of the caves bigger than what the pictures show. These are lava tubes so they don’t have stalagmites and stalactites like limestone caves.

Look closely and you can even see Tweety bird on the wall.

The Doc also saw 2 Mareeba Rock Wallabies darting around. Gary said it was the first time he saw them in this area and The Doc saw two! These wallabies were fast and agile across the rocks.

We travelled back to Bedrock Village for a meal that night. A simple meal well done is one of the simple pleasures of life. It was a full day and probably the highlight of the trip.

The Savannah Lander – Day 2

Australia, Cairns, Cairns, Gulf Savannah, Landscape, landscape, plains, Qld, river/creeks, States

The Doc was up early, we had a simple breakfast and were transported back to Almaden and boarded the train.

The Savannah Lander soon turned off onto the Etheridge Line where the rail was lighter and the trip now quite rough.

Plenty of water crossings like Sandy Tate River, Rocky Tate River, Saltwater Creek (no it is not salt water) and Fossil Brooke. It is the dry season, so only a little water – actually more than normal, due to recent rain. Unfortunately the train does not operate in the wet season as the water would transform the landscape.

The morning tea stop was at the Bullock Creek Café. OK it was an enjoyable morning tea beside the train, prepared by Wil and Leigh.

Lunch was at Bedrock Village, Mt Surprise. Yabba dabba doo! It was owned by Joe and Jo not Fred and Wilma. I did not see Betty or Barney either.

Then a long but picturesque train trip to Forsayth. The Doc took a turn up the front pretending to be train driver Casey Jones (played by Alan Hale Jr. later to be even more famous as the Skipper in Gilligans Island).

There are an historic train and car near the Railway Station. It included the Desert Rose, a Dodge truck used by the old dunny carter, I kid you not.

We meet the bus and were driven to Cobbold Gorge. We arrived after dark and enjoyed a nice dinner. Off to bed for an early rise and tour of Cobbold Gorge.

The Savannah Lander – Day 1

Australia, Cairns, Gulf Savannah, landscape, plains, Qld

The Doc spent 4 days on The Savannah Lander historic train, based out of Cairns, Far North Queensland. On Day 1 we arrived around 6.15 am at Cairns Railway Station to be met by Wil and Leigh our drivers, porters, hosts, tea makers and guides.

Our trip followed this map.

Before long we were aboard. It is a steep, but scenic, climb from the Coast up the Macalister Range towards Kuranda on the Atherton Tablelands. Our first stop was Barton Falls Station overlooking the Barron River and waterfalls. This part of the trip took us through some of the oldest rainforest in the world.

Then a short trip to Kuranda Station were Queensland Rail wanted us gone as soon as possible. $500 dollars for a 5 minute stop!

About 30 minutes later we were in the farmlands of the Atherton Tablelands, where they grow mangos, citrus, avocados, tea, coffee and sugar came. Until the late 1990’s it was the main tobacco growing area in Australia. On to Mareeba where we pass into savannah country – hence The Savannah Lander name. Most of the next 3 days are spent in savannah country.

Morning tea was at Mutchilba and lunch at the Railway Hotel at Almaden, once a thriving rail terminus, but no more.

After lunch Macca, our bus driver and guide, drove us to Chillagoe a mining town (the gold mine is in the process of restarting). We were given a guided trip of the caves at the nearby Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park. Eddie was our friendly cave guide and Traditional Owner. The cave shots are handheld, no flash and only a little bit of light to focus the Sony RX100II P&S – amazing.

Next we had a tour around town, including the dump (yep the rubbish dump), marble pit (there are several), old smelter (the biggest The Doc has visited) and the Creek.

While The Doc was booked into the Ecco Lodge, however he and the unlucky few were driven to the local pub. He was eaten alive by mosquitos that night. A low point of the trip.

Newhaven – revisited

Australia, AWC, bark, desert, lakes, Landscape, landscape, mosses/lichens, Newhaven, NT, plains, Plant, Textures, trees

This time last year The Doc had finished his Kimberley/Pilbara trip and was returning through central Australia using Australia’s longest shortcut – The Great Central Road. After a rest stop at Alice Springs he headed to AWC’s Newhaven Sanctuary for a few days.

This Saturday he heads off to Cairns then onto Pungalina/Seven Emu in Arnham Land.

A few shots from Newhaven. More pictures here.

Kimberley/Pilbara Trip Trivia

Artesian Range, Australia, AWC, Bowra, Broome, Charnley River, Charnley River - Artesian Range, Derby, desert, flowers, Kimberley, Landscape, landscape, Mornington, Mornington, Newhaven, NT, Pilbara, plains, river/creeks, Textures, trees, WA, WA

The Doc decided to put some trivia together about the longest trip so far. Enjoy.

Time, distances and economy

  • the Kimberley/Pilbara Trip lasted 108 days;
  • total distance travelled was 27,000 kilometres exactly (what a coincidence!). The Patrol has now driven over 70,000 kilometres on The Excellent Adventure;
  • most kilometres travelled in one day, 1,032 kilometres;
  • average kilometres travelled each day was 250kms. In reality the figure was less, as 9,000kms was driven to and from the Kimberley which were concentrated days of driving;
  • best fuel economy was 12.4 litres per 100 kilometres. In 2WD, not towing, driving on the bitumen;
  • worst economy 15.1 litres per 100 kilometres. In 4WD, towing the trailer in sand at Cape Peron National Park;
  • average for the trip 14.4 litres per 100 kilometres, which makes sense as the trailer was attached for much of the trip. So the Pod Trailer adds about 2 litres per 100 kilometres, a modest increase compared to towing heavy trailers or caravans;
  • most expensive diesel was $2.50 a litre at Mt Barnett Station Roadhouse, Gibb River Road; and
  • total fuel bill, decided not to add it up!

Flights

Several flights were taken on the trip including:

Corrugations

Over 60% of the trip was offroad. On badly corrugated roads, you can hit over 10 corrugations every metre (the four wheels do). A very, very conservative figure would be the car, trailer and driver went over 20 billion corrugations!!!! No wonder things break and get damaged.

Breakages

The breakages included:

  • hub cover on Patrol, it fell off and was lost on Charnley River Station;
  • broken wire on coolant alarm (it has broken twice before). Field repair that is still working;
  • striped thread on a shock absorber. The front shock was replaced (The Doc was carrying spares). No dramas as the damage was detected early;
  • after a car service an ignition fuse started to blow. It turned out to be a bare wire shorting on the rear towbar and nothing to do with the service;
  • front control arm bushes needed replacement;
  • a broken windscreen 3 days before the trip finished. Thanks to the driver who did not slow down properly on the Plenty Highway. The Doc got more stone hits on the windscreen that morning than the rest of the trip combined;
  • rivets on an awning came out, thanks to the corrugations on the Plenty Highway on the return trip.

Tucker

Best meal, no contest, Restaurant at Mornington Wilderness Camp. Drysdale River Station also put on a good meal.

Cadjeput Waterhole
Murchinson River, Kalbarri National Park
ASCII