Darwin

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Darwin is located on the North-Central Coast of Australia and is the Capital of the Northern Territory.

This part of tropical Australia gets quite hot and wet during the summer.  Rainfall is measured in meters and temperatures over 40 deg C are common…

Our last day in Darwin was spent around town.  Darwin was quite important during WW2.  Many large oil storage tunnels under the town were all dug by hand.

We took a 3-day bus Tour with AAT Kings.  The first stop was the Jumping Crocodile Cruise.  Estuarine Crocs (considered dangerous to man when over 3 meters) come way out of the water for bait (pig parts) on a string.

 

 

 


 Our next stops were all in Kakadu National Park.  The first stops were spent learning more about aboriginal culture and history.  Cave paintings at Ubirr Rock (where a scene from Crocodile Dundee was filmed) have been dated back 17,000 years (see the painting of the now-extinct Tasmanian Tiger to the right).  Cave paintings like those at Ubirr and Nourlangie Rock were used to pass lessons on to the next generation.

Items of Interest:

  • Kakadu is a World Heritage Area (for nature & culture)

  • Aborigines essentially terraformed the grassland into a forest and created a delicate symbiotic balance with the flora & fauna that evolved

  • Aborigines had an intricate naming system that dictated who could marry (which kept genetic diversity high)

Stops Made at:

  • Ubirr Rock (Cave Paintings)

  • Jabiru (night spent at Gagudju Crocodile Hotel which is shaped like a croc)

  • Bowali Visitor Centre (Park Information)

  • Nourlangie Rock (Paintings)

  • Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre (Aboriginal Culture)

  • Yellow Water Billabong (Wildlife)

Flora & Fauna:  These pics are from the Yellow Water Billabong (an area where there's water year-round).

 

 

Termite Mound: The northern part of Australia has MANY mounds.  These termites feed off the grasslands.

Others hollow out trees & limbs (which gives rise to the didgeridoo).  Mound "fins" are for cooling.

Katherine Gorge: Our last day of the tour was spent cruising up the first and second gorges at Katherine.  Quite scenic.

 

 

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