Monday...
A cool morning today. After packing up our homes, we returned to Ubirr (pronounced oo-beer) to take in the art sites. There are several of these in this area. The local ranger holds a 15 minute presentation at each site which provides an insight to the meaning of the paintings and some factual and legendary background to the people that made these artworks.
We decided to have smoko at a small shop nearby where out front, there were two aboriginal artists creating their own works of art. Fascinated by this art, I sat and watched them. I asked if they'd mind if I took some photos of them and they obliged. The detail and precision of their strokes is intriguing. His brush was a stalk of grass which was thinned at one end to a couple of mm wide. Brilliant talent!!!
We then headed towards the SW towards tonight's address. Along the way, we stopped off at Nourlangie - here, there is a series of art sites and a lookout called Gunwarrdehwarrde. Yeah - not sure how that is pronounced. The lookout provides a view 'over the fence' to the neighbouring Arnham Land.
We are camped at Mardugal for tonight and the next. Tomorrow, we'll take a drive around the area untethered and see where that takes us.
Links:
Google Maps reference is -12 25.783, 132 32.3
See more images at... https://picasaweb.google.com/106361511620108780730/Day2430072012
Sunday...
We drove out of Darwin at about 0900 and took the turn towards Jabiru which is a small settlement in the heart of Kakadu National Park. To enter the park, you need to get a pass which costs $25 per head and covers you for 14 days. They tell you to keep the pass on you at all times. It attracts a $120 fine if you don't have it.
From what we've seen so far of Kakadu, it is very well presented. By that I mean you can get to all the points of interest via sealed roads and other infrastructure which allows you to behold everything it has to offer with minimum impact on its beauty and environment.
We stopped off at Mamukala along the way. Here, you can view a typical live wetlands habitat from a viewing platform. A very peaceful and calming place to just sit and take in the sites and sounds of the wildlife.
At Jabiru, we headed straight to the information centre and got the good oil on what to see in the immediate area. We are camped overnight at Merl camping ground which is about 35km to the NNE of Jabiru. It's a great little spot where you can choose from many sites, each nestled in the bush separated by 20-50m of scrub from each other. Both of us were able to setup in the same area - such is the size of the clearings. Mozzies are pretty hungry here which I guess is to be expected in this environment.
This afternoon, we took in the sunset perched up on a rocky ledge high above the plains of Kakadu. The short and easy climb to the top of this formation is rewarded by a 'gob-smacking' view. As you'll see from a couple of my photos, the setting sun lit up the western rock faces. Sensational view !!!
On the way to the sunset viewing, the walk takes you past several rock art sites which we bypassed in order to catch the sunset. Tomorrow, we will return and take in these sites before heading to our next unfixed abode.
Links:
Google Maps reference is -12 25.583, 132 57.167
See more images at... https://picasaweb.google.com/106361511620108780730/Day2329072012
