I always try to be different even if it means touring the desert region of Australia for the holidays. The 11-day Territory and Outback Contiki Tour led our diverse group of 39 from Darwin to Alice Springs. Oh, and here's the first of many facts: As we made our way to Alice Springs, we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn! This was our route:
We marveled at sites such as Karlu-Karlu, Kings Canyon, Uluru and Kata Tjuta, all bearing significance within the Aboriginal culture. When we weren't immersed in the rich Aboriginal culture and the history of the Northern Territory, we dined and let loose at local pubs such as Monsoon's, Daly Waters Pub, and Bojangles Saloon. Just make sure they don't put any bitters in your gin-lemon-lime!
The best way to describe the weather, HOT! Temperatures varied from 35 to 42 degrees Celsius (95 to 107 degrees Fahrenheit). To make matters worse (or should I say 'hotter'), Darwin is the most northerly city on the continent, increasing the heat because of its proximity to the equator! And in case you were wondering, no. I never went anywhere without my sunscreen. The Northern Territory is unique in its landscape because the region encompasses two distinct climates, Tropical North and Red Centre. The Tropical North includes Darwin, Kakadu and Katherine and is characterized by tropical storms this time of year. The Aboriginal people in this area believe there are six seasons with January falling within Gudjewg, the monsoon season. The remaining seasons are Banggerreng (Knock 'em down storm season), Yegge (Cooler but still humid season), Wurrgeng (Cold weather season), Gurrung (Hot dry weather season) and Gunumeleng (Pre-monsoon storm season). The Red Centre includes Alice Springs, Tenant Creek, and Uluru/Kata Tjuta and is known for its arid heat, beautiful landforms and pesky red dust that is sure to ruin your clothing.
We stayed in quad share accommodations at various hotels and motels. For the most part, they were all in decent condition aside from the terrorizing cane toads in Kakadu and the lack of washcloths in most of the rooms. To experience the Outback in its entirety, we also camped out under the stars for one night. The Southern Cross and Orion are such beautiful constellations! Apparently I didn't take full advantage of the swag because I woke up with a puffy eye and several other mozzy (Translation: mosquito) bites down the right side of my face. That's all I'll say about that. Jess, our tour guide, posted bulletins noting brekky, departure, destination, and what to bring. Oh, and if departure was after 8AM, it meant that we could "sleep in". We were also very excited when we shacked up for two consecutive nights because we could do laundry and get partly comfortable before getting back to our nomadic ways! During the lengthier travels, Jess played episodes from "How I Met Your Mother" and films like "10 Things I Hate About You", "The Hangover" and "Priscilla Queen of the Desert". Oops, I almost forgot to mention the intense trivia session that ensued as we neared the end of our 8-hour drive from Katherine to Tennant Creek. Did you know that the kangaroo and emu are Australia's national animals because they physically cannot go backwards? So in theory, Australia is always moving forward!
So how can I begin to make sense of 800 photographs and a running Blackberry memo detailing our daily events? Picasa.The following collages are in order of our travel route and are accompanied by the day's destinations and one interesting fact. If there is no parenthetical, the place mentioned in the fact is the only one pictured. Although there are various photos within a group, not every destination is pictured nor does every photo have a corresponding fact. Click the photos if you wish to enlarge them. Enjoy!
Katherine, Jan 1: Mayses' Cafe and Katherine's Gorge
Katherine's Gorge is a series of 13 gorges along the Katherine River. Watch out for the saltwater crocodiles!
Katherine to Tennant Creek, Jan 2: Daly Waters & Local Pub
We marveled at sites such as Karlu-Karlu, Kings Canyon, Uluru and Kata Tjuta, all bearing significance within the Aboriginal culture. When we weren't immersed in the rich Aboriginal culture and the history of the Northern Territory, we dined and let loose at local pubs such as Monsoon's, Daly Waters Pub, and Bojangles Saloon. Just make sure they don't put any bitters in your gin-lemon-lime!
The best way to describe the weather, HOT! Temperatures varied from 35 to 42 degrees Celsius (95 to 107 degrees Fahrenheit). To make matters worse (or should I say 'hotter'), Darwin is the most northerly city on the continent, increasing the heat because of its proximity to the equator! And in case you were wondering, no. I never went anywhere without my sunscreen. The Northern Territory is unique in its landscape because the region encompasses two distinct climates, Tropical North and Red Centre. The Tropical North includes Darwin, Kakadu and Katherine and is characterized by tropical storms this time of year. The Aboriginal people in this area believe there are six seasons with January falling within Gudjewg, the monsoon season. The remaining seasons are Banggerreng (Knock 'em down storm season), Yegge (Cooler but still humid season), Wurrgeng (Cold weather season), Gurrung (Hot dry weather season) and Gunumeleng (Pre-monsoon storm season). The Red Centre includes Alice Springs, Tenant Creek, and Uluru/Kata Tjuta and is known for its arid heat, beautiful landforms and pesky red dust that is sure to ruin your clothing.
We stayed in quad share accommodations at various hotels and motels. For the most part, they were all in decent condition aside from the terrorizing cane toads in Kakadu and the lack of washcloths in most of the rooms. To experience the Outback in its entirety, we also camped out under the stars for one night. The Southern Cross and Orion are such beautiful constellations! Apparently I didn't take full advantage of the swag because I woke up with a puffy eye and several other mozzy (Translation: mosquito) bites down the right side of my face. That's all I'll say about that. Jess, our tour guide, posted bulletins noting brekky, departure, destination, and what to bring. Oh, and if departure was after 8AM, it meant that we could "sleep in". We were also very excited when we shacked up for two consecutive nights because we could do laundry and get partly comfortable before getting back to our nomadic ways! During the lengthier travels, Jess played episodes from "How I Met Your Mother" and films like "10 Things I Hate About You", "The Hangover" and "Priscilla Queen of the Desert". Oops, I almost forgot to mention the intense trivia session that ensued as we neared the end of our 8-hour drive from Katherine to Tennant Creek. Did you know that the kangaroo and emu are Australia's national animals because they physically cannot go backwards? So in theory, Australia is always moving forward!
So how can I begin to make sense of 800 photographs and a running Blackberry memo detailing our daily events? Picasa.The following collages are in order of our travel route and are accompanied by the day's destinations and one interesting fact. If there is no parenthetical, the place mentioned in the fact is the only one pictured. Although there are various photos within a group, not every destination is pictured nor does every photo have a corresponding fact. Click the photos if you wish to enlarge them. Enjoy!
Darwin, Dec 29: Litchfield National Park and Darwin Museum
Magnetic termite mounds (main) are shaped like tombstones and are built north to south to minimize exposure to the sun. Cathedral termite mounds (upper right) can be as tall as 6m (approx. 20 ft) high. Unlike what first comes to mind, these termites are not destructive but important ecologically.
Darwin to Kakadu, Dec 30: Didgeridoo Hut and Kakadu National Park Site
Kakadu National Park is approximately 20,000 sq. km and is the second largest national park in the world; the largest is the Northeast Greenland National Park. Out of 911 total World Heritage Sites, Kakadu National Park is 1 of 27 to be sited for both cultural and natural importance.
Kakadu, Dec 31: Aboriginal Rock Art, Visitor's Center and Yellow River
The Aboriginal culture is the oldest surviving culture in the world. They believe Earth is their Mother and creator and most landforms are their dreaming ancestors; the dreaming is the stage of the legend. Aboriginals cannot use the name of the dead for a couple of years following the death so there are many stickers covering the identity of the dead persons in the Visitor's centers and museums.
The Aboriginal culture is the oldest surviving culture in the world. They believe Earth is their Mother and creator and most landforms are their dreaming ancestors; the dreaming is the stage of the legend. Aboriginals cannot use the name of the dead for a couple of years following the death so there are many stickers covering the identity of the dead persons in the Visitor's centers and museums.
Katherine's Gorge is a series of 13 gorges along the Katherine River. Watch out for the saltwater crocodiles!
Daly Waters Pub was established in 1930 and is the oldest running licensed pub in the Northern Territory. Much of the decor are items that customers have signed and left. I wrote my name on the back of a boring ol' card, but past visitors have left thongs (both kinds), license plates, bras, baseball caps, saddles and currency.
Tennant Creek to Alice Springs, Jan 3: Karlu-Karlu, Wyecliff Hill, Ti-Tree Roadhouse, Alice Springs Desert Park
The Aboriginal people believe Karlu-Karlu (main) are eggs laid by the Rainbow Serpent during dreamtime (creation). The natural wonder is also known as the Devil's Marbles because when cattle roamed here, they died and people assumed that it was the devil's work. The igneous rock formations are made of molten granite that have come through the sandstone earth.
Alice Springs to Kings Creek, Jan 4: Dreamtime Bushtucker Tour*, Kings Canyon, Kings Creek Station
In the Aboriginal culture, girls would be married off as young as 14 because they had a healthier weight to carry the baby. The mother would be in charge of selecting the husband and making sure that he was a fourth cousin or more. This system of marrying backwards (upper left) would prevent further incestuous marriages. Once the two were wed, the husband and mother never interacted in fear that two may have an affair, since the mom would be of a more appropriate age.
* Con, our Bushtucker guide had a traditionally cooked roo tail (upper right) prepared for us to taste. Yummy!
* Con, our Bushtucker guide had a traditionally cooked roo tail (upper right) prepared for us to taste. Yummy!
Kings Creek Station to Yulara, Jan 5: Kings Creek Came Ride, Mt. Connor, Kata Tjuta
Although Mt. Connor (upper right) is larger than Uluru, this formation has no world significance. Kata Tjuta (main), which means "many heads", is the only Aboriginal name for a landform that has an English translation. Another fun fact, Mt. Connor, Kata Tjuta and Uluru sit in a vertical line when viewed from above or on a map.
Uluru, Jan 6: Sunrise, Base Walk and Champagne Sunset
Uluru is the world's largest monolith and is another World Heritage Site known for both its cultural and natural significance. Within the Aboriginal culture, different parts of Uluru were sacred to men and women, respectively. Women were not even allowed to visit those parts sacred to the men, let alone lay their eyes upon those sections of the rock. Clearly, things have since changed but Uluru is still very important to the culture and sacred sites are not to be photographed.
Yulara to Alice Springs, Jan 7: Overlander's Blowout Meal and Bojangles Saloon
The only facts here would be what I devoured this evening! We began with chicken and asparagus soup, then came the tasting dish pictured above. The light colored portion is some bread-like treat with crocodile and veggies in sauce. In the back, from the left, is kangaroo, emu and camel meats. My favorite? It's a strong tie between the crocodile and camel! The main entree was barramundi with potatoes and steamed veggies. And finally, pavlova for dessert. I could have floated on water that night!
Alice Springs, Jan 8: Simspon's Gap, Old Telegraph Station, Anzac Hill
The Anzac Hill Memorial (bottom right) was built in 1934 and is dedicated to all those who served in any war Australia has participated. April 25 is observed as Anzac Day. The site also has offers visitors a panoramic view of Alice Springs.
Farewell, Jan 8
Special Thanks to Jess & Sheldon!
Boh Boh (Goodbye)
