The heat began as soon as I stepped off the plane in Darwin. Later, I would find out that there are three temperatures in the top end of Australia: hot, bloody hot, and f*cking hot. The Wet season had just finished a week before my arrival, so the landscape was lush and the temperatures steaming at 35 degree Celsius and 70% humidity.
I was excited to get to Darwin because it was reunion time. Remember Texas Kelly, my best girl from law school in Melbourne? Well, she decided to come back to Australia for another semester and met me for a nine-day tour of the Australian Outback. We ran into each other's arms and hugged...and immediately started chatting like no time had passed since we last saw each other.
Our tour first took us east of Darwin to Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks. We were a group of 16 backpackers in a big 4x4 vehicle with a hilarious Kiwi tour guide and an Aussie driver who would give Crocodile Dundee a run for his money. The group was great: lots of enthusiastic Germans, two pretty Danish girls, a gentle Frenchman, two funny English engineers, etc. Kelly confided to me that she's sometimes embarassed by her countrymen: "The Americans are so loud...but Europeans are awesome!" As for me, I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love ze Germans.
Given the heat, our main activity was swimming. We sampled all the amazing waterfalls and plunge pools around Kakadu...well, at least the ones that had undergone "crocodile management." At the end of the Wet season, the park rangers wait for the water to recede and then check the pools to make sure they are croc-free. Since crocs can't climb over rocks, the pools are then accessible to visitors for the rest of the season.
In addition to swimming, we did some hikes and saw some amazing Aboriginal rock art. At the top of the Ubirr lookout, we gazed from plateau to plain, soaking in all the elements: the lush greenery of the Nadab floodplain to one side, the red rocks of the jagged Stone Country to the other. There was a refreshing breeze blowing the smoke from the backburn which the park rangers were doing below, a rainbow in the distance and sunshine dappled with a few raindrops. Heaven on Aboriginal earth.
We camped in permanent sites in roomy canvas tents and dined on hearty fare in the screened-in cooking areas. Our guides taught us lots of Aussie songs, with accompanying choreography, and there was constant singing around camp: "Gimme a home amongst the gum trees, with lots of plum trees, a sheep or two and a kangaroo..."
After three days, we trundled back to Darwin to re-group before setting off on the long drive south. The Kakadu crew was full of love and laughs - we all enjoyed each other's company and looked forward to continuing the journey together. More news from the Red Centre to follow - lots of love to everyone back home.
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