Wednesday...3 August 2011

Today we were due to move toward Darwin but instead added another day to our stay and drove into Jabiru. Seen one mining town seen em all! Well actually this one is very very different. We asked directions to the bottle shop. Seems you can drink all you like at any of the several licenced premisis in town but no one can buy take away alcohol. Part of the governments clean up program.
So here we are, middle of nowhere and just as well we are not dying of dehydration. We have heaps of soft drink and even a bottle or two of wine but no beer!!!! Himself has gone off to the bar in our caravan park to sit and drink a beer.......poor love, he will probably have himself a wonderful time chatting to other parched travellers as they try to decipher the governments logic.
I will just sit here writing the blog listening to the group of camper trailer campers that just came in. They sound loudly happy.
The other thing we did today was to drive out to Ubirr Rock. It is out near the border to Arnhem Land. You walk for a kilometre and climb a lot of rocks and you end up on top of the NT with 360degree views of the magnificent countryside in this area of Australia.
At Ubirr you can see a range of different art styles and how new paintings are often superimposed over older ones. Most of the paintings in the main gallery are from the freshwater period meaning they were done in the last 1500 years!

I climbed to the top of the Ubirr rock, the view was wonderful. Lots of green floodplains and some water visible.  I would not have made it up or down without help from Himself. My agility is limited. Am glad I made the effort. Very much doubt I will be climbing such rock faces for much longer.

Himself was most taken with the various rock formations and vegetation in this part of Kakadu.

On our return journey we stopped off at Cahills Crossing which requires a permit to cross as the other side is Arnhem Land and no one may enter without permission from the aboriginal owners. While admiring the river we noticed some extra 'logs' floating up and down. Yep we spotted three and some backpackers insist there was actually four, but one was submerged just near the end of the boat ramp that most of us were standing on to take our pics!!

So tomorrow we pack and move toward Darwin. (maybe)