Across Australia
in 80 days

November 2000 till January 2001

Australia Tour - Part 2 - the North-West
Launched, January 4, 2001 - Links update, January 21, 2005
Ronald Langereis - Amsterdam


links maps and tools                            Nederlandse versie  
NW Australia
SW Australia
Flags & Facts
ANZwers
Discount tours
Discount vans
safe touring
Map Australia NW: Darwin, Kakadu, Ayers Rock
Map Australia SW: Perth, Albany, Esperance
Flags & Facts on Australia - and on every country in the world
A very apt search engine for Australia and New-Zealand
Elkes - Discount adventure tour and accommodation directory
Discount Campervan, 4wd Car and Motorhome rental operator
Transport - Safely touring the roads of Western Australia

links Petra's report
Darwin


distances
Darwin
Kakadu Park
wild life
aboriginal art
monsoon forest
didgeridoo
aborigines
waterfalls
Mary River
saltwater crocs


Katherine Gorge



2-seats chopper

canoe

freshwater crocs




Stuart Highway
mr. John Stuart
overland telegraph
ghost towns
Daly Waters
Devils Marbles
Devils Marbles
Devils Pebbles
Tennant Creek
Alice Springs
A town like Alice
Then by airplane to Darwin and its tropical damp heat. At first, too damn hot, even for me, but I quickly got the hang of it. From now on I'm constantly travelling with other people. As distances here are enormous, having company is nicer than being alone, and you get to know lots and lots of people. Setting out from Darwin I reconnoitred Kakadu park, where I saw much wild life, aboriginal art, I walked in a monsoon forest, and played didgeridoo with the aborigines. There were scores of waterfalls (only to be approached by swimming) and I made a trip in a fisherman's vessel on the Mary River, which is swarming with saltwater crocodiles.

After this, I went south, to Katherine Gorge. At first, I made a reconnaissance flight over the gorge in a 2-seats chopper, and then I paddled up and down the gorge in a canoe. In this river there are mostly freshwater crocodiles. Generally, they're not a dangerous species, but to pass them by in a canoe causes a strange sensation in your guts. Anyway, you're dissuaded from leaving your vessel, or setting foot on the river banks. You might crush their eggs, or maybe the crocodiles would come after you all the same. But by times you can't help getting out of the canoe to give it a heave over some rocks (especially, while going upstream).
Travelling farther south by the Stuart Highway, I followed the track of the Overland Telegraph Line. I went to see completely desolated airfields and ghost towns à la Daly Waters, of which the latter takes pride in having even 10 inhabitants (still alive), and a much frequented pub. And of course, I paid a visit to the Devils Marbles and the much smaller Devils Pebbles, at the side of Tennant Creek, to put up at Alice Springs, eventually, 'a town like Alice'.


Across Australia - next pages
Part 1 - The South-West   |   Part 3 - The Red Centre   |   Part 4 - The South-East
Part 5 - Brisbane ~ Fraser Island   |   Part 6 - Noosa ~ Tasmania   |   Part 7 - Tasmania ~ Sydney


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