Saturday 6 June 2015

Day 55 - 6th June

Kakadu -Just outside Katherine

Distance Travelled - 443.1 km

Woke up and started counting mosquitoes hovering outside my tent. Gave up when I got to 150 and could still see stacks to go. As the sun rose, some of them departed and about 8 am I decided to get out of bed and run the risk of being eaten alive. Went and had a shower - what a surprise, more mossies in the toilet block, and then packed up trying to get rid of many mossies off the tent as I could as I packed it away.

Took a few photos of a nearby rock formation and then went in to the Jabiru town site to go to the shop. Last night I set up the two citronella candles I had bought in Darwin but they seemed to beckon the mossies closer and by morning one had about 100 dead mossies in it, the other about 30. Bought some fly spray and Aeroguard at the shop in order to be better prepared in the future.  Also stopped in at the medical clinic as I had somehow bitten the inside of my cheek during the night and there was a significantly sized cut on the inside of my mouth. There is no issue with it they say and all I need to do is keep it clean by drinking lots of water and sloshing it around the inside of my mouth.

Left Jabiru and looked at a few places on the way out of Kakadu. Anbangbang Billabong was quite nice, low lying water with lots of different birds hanging around. Nearby Nawulandja lookout gave an impressive vista to look at and Yellow Water once again had a few birds as you walked along the metal boardwalk but nothing exceptional to see, unless you consider 3 wild pigs with 6 piglets exceptional. You can pay about $90 to go on a boat ride from there to hopefully see crocodiles but was not overly interested in that.

On the way to Gunlom waterfall I spotted some wild (I think) horses in the bush. Got the camera out and took a photo and then as I took the second one heard a large clunking noise coming from the camera. Tried to take a third but couldn't. Took the camera back to the car and removed the lens to find the mirror from the camera was loose and falling out. Replaced it as best I could but still could take a photo. Very disappointed but I still have my main camera and the small point and shot so not all is lost yet.

Continued on to the Gunlom falls,meant to be quite good. After finally getting there was very disappointed. Only a relatively small trickle of water going over and whilst the waterhole did look lush and green it did not appeal as a swimming spot today. Left there and headed out of the park. Drove about 18 km north of Katherine and pulled into the same place I was at last Monday night, 1st June.

Tomorrow I will head into Katherine and on towards Tennant Creek, looking at a few things I missed on the way up and then at some stage tomorrow or the next day will start the trek along the Barkley highway into Queensland.

                                                 Rock formation near Ubirr, Kakadu N.P

                                                 Aboriginal rock art, Ubirr, Kakadu N.P.

                                                  Anbangbang Billabong, Kakadu N.P

                                                        Bird at Anbangbang Billabong

                                                        Bird at Anbangbang Billabong

                                                         Bird at Anbangbang Billabong

                                                                Wild horses, Kakadu N.P

                                                           Gunlom Falls, Kakadu N.P.

                                                             Gunlom Falls, Kakadu N.P.

                                                     Katherine sunset from my campsite

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