Primary Research In The Field: My Australian Driveabout

Note: Yesterday I also added a post about some bike rides I took in the nearby Korean islands before I went to Australia, so if you're interested and haven't seen that yet you can find that in the post preceding this one. And if you've already seen that I also added one picture and a couple videos (from Eric) which I forgot to include the first time. They're mostly at the end of the post. The only one which isn't is a video of seagulls which is pretty miss-able.

I'm going to take an impressionistic approach to this blog about Australia because my visit was 4 weeks long and a narrative approach would take nearly as long to create and tomorrow I'm leaving for 3 weeks in Denver already! Yahoo!

Big Picture: I was there for 4 weeks which included a couple days in Darwin both at the beginning and end and about 3 weeks on the road in a rented 4WD campter vehicle driving from Darwin to Broome and back (about 5000 km round trip, or around 3000 miles) much of the time on dirt roads, including the famous "Gibb River Road" which runs through the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia. Despite all this I saw a tiny fraction of the huge country/continent but everything I saw (and heard, and smelled, and experienced) was fabulous.

Have you ever been to the dioramas in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science? They have one I remember from childhood about Australia and the termite mounds and it felt like I'd walked into that diorama. It was great. The weather was beautiful (clear and sunny every day, temps in the upper 80s during the day and cooling off, sometimes significantly, overnight), the scenery gorgeous, the stars unbelievable (literally, since I couldn't recognize anything in the southern hemisphere other than Ursa Major - the big dipper - which kept 'dipping' down over the northern horizon, and Scorpio, which crossed straight overhead.) and the bird sounds just before dawn were stupendous. I don't know what they were but there were dozens of varieties every morning.

If you're looking at a map, the rough outline of my journey was south from Darwin on the Stuart Highway with a detour through Litchfield Nat'l Park (many waterfalls and swimming holes), to Katherine (unavoidable crossroads, but with a nice visitor center with free wifi!), then west on the Great Northern/Victoria highways toward Broome (via Kunumurra), taking the northern route along the Gibb River Road (to Derby) on the outbound leg and the highway route to the south on the return trip, passing through Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek, with a detour north to Wyndham.

Australia is very expensive. Lodging, groceries, restaurants, alcohol, gas (petrol): everything is at least twice as expensive as it is in the US, and that's taking the exchange rate into account! It was for that reason, combined with the huge scale of the country, that I thought it would be best to rent a camper and in that manner cover my transportation and lodging needs with one fell swoop. It also meant that I didn't have to hurry away from a destination in time to get to a motel for the night but rather could just open my "fold out" tent on top of the vehicle and have a ready-made place to stay.

There are lots of "caravan camps" and 24-hr rest areas which permit overnight camping but the former charge (usually at least $30 for an unpowered site!) and they're all super crowded with other campers, most of whom are towing large trailers. Those places felt more like going to a concert parking lot to me so I usually opted to "bush camp" which meant just pulling off the main road on a dirt side road and looking for a wide spot to park and set up overnight.

Driving on the left took a little getting used to, especially since I haven't driven for 11 months. But it quickly felt natural, though when I started walking again after I turned in the car during my final days in Darwin I still made the classic mistake of stepping off the curb without checking to my right!

Besides stepping out in front of a car, the major danger in the regions I was were salt-water, or "estuarine" crocodiles, which unlike their freshwater cousins, are not to be trifled with. I never saw a live one, though I did see a "freshy" and her progeny on the Katherine river as the park service boat returned me to the departure dock after a day of kayaking, and I saw numerous wallabies, a few goannas and several smaller lizards, some dingos, a cat (in town), and a couple small wild "bush pigs" I flushed near a river on a morning walk. Hearing their grunts and initial rustling on the bank I mistook them for a croc and was immediately running away from them as fast as they were running away from me! I also saw scads of butterflies and especially birds. Wow, what a lot of beautiful, varied, and noisy birds! Oh, also some fish.

Northern Australia, to oversimplify, has a wet season and a dry season. This time of year is the coolest time of year in the north, since it's winter in the southern hemisphere. But it's not that cool since it's near the equator. However, it is the dry time of the year, which is important because the rest of the year the entire area is flooded by constant rains and much hotter and steamier. It sounds miserable. When I was there it was nice, though. The vegetation was drying out, but there was still water flowing in many of the streams and rivers which necessitated some water crossings, and in one case prevented me from crossing a river because the crossing was still closed.

If I think of more tidbits I'll add them in the picture captions. But for now, let's get to the pictures!

Prelude: I had a 12 hour layover (11 am to 11 pm) in Manila on my flight down to Darwin. The Manila airport is terrible but they let you leave during long layovers so I ventured out to see what I could see of the city during my time there, which didn't turn out to be much. I caught a bus most of the way then had to walk the remainder to "Mall of Asia" which is exactly what it sounds like, an Asian version of Mall of America, indistinguishable except for the clientele. I've temporarily forgot what these Philippine buses are called, but they're like the Thai tuk-tuks on steroids.

A view of Manila Bay from the Mall of Asia. I was thinking about Neal Stephenson's "Cryptonomicon" which is about all I know about Manila Bay. Sure was gorgeous.

However, it was a mall. And it was crazy HOT (and humid)! Having still another 8 hours until my next flight I decided to walk from Mall of Asia back to the airport (probably 8 km or so) in order to see more of the city up close than I'd seen from the bus on the way out. As it turns out, I nearly expired from heat exhaustion in the effort. I met these street sweepers on my journey who were very friendly and gave me directions and their Facebook contact info.

Finally in Darwin, taking a walk around the city. This is an old fuel-oil storage tank left over from WWII. It turns out that Darwin played a major part in WWII. It got bombed shortly after Pearl Harbor by the same Japanese force which attacked Pearl Harbor but more than twice as many bombs were dropped on Darwin. It was taken over by the Australian military along with most of the surrounding area for the remainder of the war and still has many visible installations. This particular tank has been turned into a rock-climbing gym, as shown below.

Interior of the old oil storage tank shown above. I thought of Max and Owen.

First night in Darwin I walked to Mindl beach for the sunset. Tide was out.

On the road now in Litchfield Nat'l Park at a site called Wangi Falls. All the waterholes were a lovely cool but not cold temperature and made for a very refreshing dip after a long dusty drive or hike.

The water was wonderfully clear most of the time.

First night's campsite.

Tuley Rockholes in Litchfield. Many nice spots for a dip during a 4 km walk along this river.

Florence Falls in Litchfield.

Another view of Florence Falls from a vantage point on the loop hike.

Magnetic termite mounds. These are not magnetic mounds but rather mounds made by magnetic termites. Note how they are all elongated in the same direction, and thin and flat on the long sides, like rows of headstones. That's (according to the info plaque) to control the temperature of the mound, and "they" (scientists) know it's done magnetically (rather than based on sunlight) because they modified the magnetic field around some of the mounds and the mounds were reoriented with the artificial magnetic field.

A more normally (or at least common) shaped termite mound, though a particularly large version. Apparently about 30% of Australian termites build mounds as opposed to living in wood or other places like the remaining termites. And different types of termites build different types of mounds (duh) in somewhat different environments (maybe not quite so duh) based on type of soil (drainage) and climate. Apparently termites mainly eat grass and other plants in Australia and serve the same purpose as large herbivores in other ecosystems, which is to say converting the plant matter into food for other animals up the food chain.

This was a place called Edith Falls just north of Katherine. It had a huge lower pool I didn't go in but instead hiked a ways back to the upper pool, where I did swim.

On the way to the upper pools.

The upper pools at Edith falls.

Boab trees started to appear as I passed through Timber Creek. These are babies. Boabs are part of the family which includes the African Baobabs. These types of trees are only found in Africa, Madagascar, and Australia.

The Victoria River.

Typical scenery from the road.

From my camping site in Keep River National Park

On an early morning hike at Keep River

So many interesting and beautiful plants. I didn't take many pictures of them, though. I'd still be there.

Starting another hike at Keep River.

I love the combination of the sandstone and spinifex grasses. I think the tree on the left is called a "Woollybutt".

A sign near the entrance to the Gibb River Road

About to ford the Pentecost river on the Gibb River Road

"I've got maaany rivers to crooosss, but I can't seem to find my way over...." -- Jimmy Cliff

Any crocs in here? Not according to the guy I met on the far side who said he'd just been in for a swim.

Red dirt on the Gibb River road completely coated the car inside and out!

I wish I remembered the name of this place.

Top of Bell Falls.

Having crossed over the river, I'm hiking down to the lower pool.

Lower pool at Bell Falls

This is at an aboriginal art center near Derby, at the western end of the Gibb River Road.

This is called the "Prison Boab" because it was used to house prisoners, I think primarily Aborigines, near Derby. There was a long period of persecution and virtual/economic enslavement of Aborigines by the White settlers which they seem to be making some attempts to compensate for now, such as by returning native lands and offering developmental initiatives.

Spinifex grasses in the evening light.

Camping near Fitzroy River.

Fiztroy River

Many abandoned cars all over the country.

First view of Indian ocean from west coast, just south of Broome, on way to camp at Broome Bird Observatory (BBO).

Mangroves. Broome area has huge tides, like 11-ish meters between high and low. The bay just south (starts with "R", temporarily forgot name) is a major shorebird refuge.

The Broome Bird Observatory turned out to be an excellent place to pay for camping. It was small and friendly and had an enclosed kitchen for camper use and nice toilets and showers and only cost $18. Lots of bird information and a couple nice hikes, too.

Famous Cable Beach in Broome.

Supposedly it's 22 km long!

Oooh, looks like I managed a shave at the BBO the night before!

Since you can't camp on Cable Beach, or anywhere in Broome (at least with any privacy, and for free), I headed about 40 km north along the coast for some bush-camping on the beach.

This was the first place I stayed two nights in a row (and I only did it one other time). I was still trying to get over a recurrence of the head/chest cold (or a newer, decreased strength variety) I'd had at the end of school. It started just a couple days after I landed in Darwin and persisted for most of my trip, unfortunately.

Took a huge walk along the beach trying to reach the far point, which just kept receding as I approached. Never did make it. Very hot day and very little shade. Also this was the first time flies were a bother. But happily it was safe to swim here which (temporarily) got rid of the flies and heat. My calves were sore for a week after this walk in the sand, though!

Reminds me of the shoreline on L. Michigan sometimes, except this material was sandstone instead of sand. Also reminds me of the much larger formations in the buttes near Grand Junctions. Fractals! They're everywhere!

OMG! How much farther to the point! Too far. Must give up and turn back while I still have enough energy to make it back to camp.

After a rest, another shorter hike to watch the sunset.

Is that a fly on my right leg? It is! Darn flies.

Nice sand!

Going...

Gone. And now I must go too, back to Darwin. This was sort of the penultimate destination of my trip.

Another huge boab. This one in a 24-hour, camping allowed, roadside parking area on the way back east again. This was probably my least favorite camping place because of all the other campers, the flies, the toilet paper and smell in the weeds at the edge of the lot, and the cow which terrorized me at night by grazing his way past and sounding like a huge (which he was) carniverous (which he wasn't, which I was able to see when at last he wandered out from the bushes into my flashlight beam) animal.

If you're getting the feeling I wore the same clothes every day on this trip you're only 99.9% correct.

Trees are cool.

The approach to Tunnel Creek, a creek which runs through a tunnel (surprise!) which you can walk through.

Hiking through tunnel creek tunnel. Reminded me of the cave with the temple in it in Thailand.

Coming out the other side. This tunnel was a hideout for an Aboriginal outlaw whose name I've forgotten (starts with a 'J') and who famously fought for aboriginal rights against the white ranchers who where taking over the territory.

Going back again.

Headlamps were necessary as it was pitch black in the center section.

That night more bush camping at a quarry which has become a very nice swimming spot.

Stopping in Fitzroy Crossing to visit Wangki Radio (AM 936) which was the only station for about 500 km and happily played a fantastic eclectic mix of tunes. These guys were recording an informational show about syphilis and they let me record an "identification" spot. "You're listening to 936 AM, Waaaangki Raaaaadio!".

PS: You, too can listen to Wangki radio, which I highly recommend. I'm listening to it right now! Just click here: Wangki Radio on TuneIn

Hiking in Geike Gorge. The white part of the cliffs shows how high the water gets during floods in the wet season.

This was the designated swimming area, called "The Sandbar" at this national park. This is where I swam across the Fitzroy River.

An old bridge across the Fitzroy.

Looking for a place to camp for the night.

This is a beautiful place!

D'oh! It's a 24 hour camping rest area and it's full of other campers.

Must drive off and find spot off main road.

Nobody in that direction.

Nobody in that direction either!

I guess this will do.

Turns out I was on the property of an aboriginal community and a carload of a family stopped by and said Hi and I asked if I could camp there for the night and they said yes and I could even have a small fire if I wanted but it was already late and I was tired so I just went to bed. Being close to the equator the sun set fairly early there, like about 6 pm, so my bedtime was often quite early. Happily I had my tablet with the Kindle app and several e-books checked out from DPL so I did a lot of reading during the dark hours.

I think this is my favorite of all my Australia pictures.

But really, it's pretty hard to pick a favorite. Such a photogenic place!

Another night another camping spot. This was another 24 hour camping roadside parking area but it was a little nicer because I got a good spot near the river which was swimmable. The bridge you see is the old bridge, which you can tell by the huge boulder placed on it to prevent cars from entering.

There's a pool down there where I'm planning to swim.

These trees with the yellow flowers were quite common in the same biome with the Boabs. These are called Kapoks and apparently they lose their leaves in the dry season to retain water.

Descending into the gorge.

Here's the pool.

The water is so still!

Heading back up to the car after a swim.

Someone built a nice path here!

Almost there.

Back on the road. Oh look, I've changed my shirt!

From "5 Rivers" viewpoint in Wyndham. Can you make out the cruise ship docked on the shore?

Looking toward the gulf.

Looking east, the direction I have to go to get back to Darwin.

Another evening, another beautiful sunset.

Sunrise over the river.

Many wallabies down there when I arrived. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera ready.

Back on the road. There's a wallaby! (little white-bellied thing standing up on his hind legs in the field to the left of the electrical pole.)

Another wallaby watching me drive by.

Another pool, but this one stagnant now so no swimming for me.

Another pool too stagnant to swim in for me.

This was the river too swollen to cross. I'm glad they put those cement blocks on the road so I wouldn't be tempted to try!

Yeah, it's just as well those blocks were there:

Have to circle back a ways.

A little taste of hundreds (thousands?) of kilometers of driving on dirt roads:

Luckily it's a pretty drive.

Had to do it.

Approaching a spot called Jasper Gorge.

Leaving Jasper Gorge the next morning, which was a beautiful spot but had the worst flies of anywhere, making it difficult to enjoy. I thought I'd experienced annoying flies before, like at the beach north of Broome, but these were little things that would fly straight into your ear (and buzz there) or your nose, or, once, landing on my eyeball! Suddenly my vision was blurry and I realized it was because there was a fly standing on my eye!

Back to the Victoria River.

On a hike called the "Escarpment". Was rated a 3/5 for difficulty but seemed pretty challenging to me, especially in the heat. Was worth it, though, quite beautiful. And tolerable knowing there was a shower, burger, and beer waiting for me at the Victoria River Roadhouse.

There's the roadhouse, actually, the little red patch of parking lot just off the road in the center top part of the picture.

I do so love that combination of red sandstone and vibrant green spinifex.

Woollybutts!

These are bats (small red flying foxes, to be technical), roosting in the trees in the Katherine River Gorge, where I've camped for two nights to go kayaking on the river.

Heading up the first of 13 gorges to go kayaking. They ferry you up from the visitor center to the bottom of the second gorge to get your kayak. Then you can kayak as far up the remaining gorges, with their rockfall portages, as you can make it.

Drying out on the sandy beach (in the shade) at the bottom of a portage I was too pooped to struggle up.

I took this picture especially for Reid to show him the knife he gave me for being one of his groomsmen is still getting good use.

Heading back.

This is a pool reached by a short climb and walk from the river.

It still had a little bit of a waterfall feeding it but overall it was pretty murky so no swimming here for me either, especially with the delightful river so nearby!