Kakadu

After leaving the family I rented a small SUV and hit the road traveling west to Kakadu National Park. As  I got out of the city the road began to be surrounded by wildlife. I drove by hundreds of wallabies, as well as, flocks of kites, black and white cockatoos, magpie geese, brogla, herons, and many other creatures. I made it to my campsite for the night at a small brewery where I had a turmeric ginger beer and tucked myself into the back seat of the car for the night. I got up early the next morning and drove the rest of the way to Kakadu. I visited the really fantastic visitor center which had a great array of different displays talking about the history, wildife, and ecology of the regions and got some advice on places to go. I went for a short walk before heading to the east alligator river for a cultural boat tour. Along the tour an aboriginal guide told us about the geology of the region, his local customs, and showed us lots of wildlife. We saw a few sea eagles, which are beautiful and majestic, as well as, salt and fresh water crocs. It was really lovely and an enjoyable trip. After the boat ride I headed to a rock art trail, Ubirr. It had a really great collection of really old and new rock art. I learned that the Tasmanian tiger used to span across all of Australia, and not just in Tasmania like I previously thought. As the sun set, myself and many other tourists headed to the top of the rock where we overlooked the freshly burned marsh below. White cockatoos foraged in the fresh grass as the sun set over the marsh. It was gorgeous. I headed to a nearby campsite, and prepared for another day. 

I didn't have any major issues, but I definitely wasn't prepared for how cold the nights would be in NT. It was in the mid-80s during the day, but the low 60s at night. I ended up wearing a lot of my clothes to bed every night to keep warm, as I hadn't anticipated being so chilly in the evenings. 

The next morning I went to an art gallery in the crocodile hotel. A hotel, amazingly shaped like a croc. The architecture of the hotel is actually really neat, and I found the stylistic incorporation of function and design really fun. Next I visited Nagulururr Art site and saw a lot more rock art. It's so cool to see all the different styles of art work, and see all the wildlife that they painted. After, I went to a billabong (depression marsh) and sat on a bench in the shade and read for a while. It was a really pleasant way to spend the hotter part of the day. I went further to another art gallery and tried to go for another billabong walk, but the trails were still flooded from the wet season, I wasn't too disappointed though, and instead went for a short walk before going to my campsite to relax and read. This is where I made my big mistake though.... I sat and read with all the doors open in my car. Unbothered and comfortable I relaxed into the evening, not a care in the world. Later I closed the doors and went for a small walk before sunset and came back and set up my bed for the night. As the sky got dark, I learned about my mistake. My car was absolutely chock-a-block with mosquitoes. They must have entered in the day, but weren't biting so I didn't notice, but when I closed the doors and turned on the lights.... I probably killed over 100 mozzies that evening over the next half hour. I ended up covered in my own blood and mozzie guts. It was quite the experience. 

The next morning was my last in NT, I got up early, went for a small walk before driving back to Darwin. In town I got a nice lunch and some snacks for the car before heading to the airport to return my car and kill a few hours working. Domestic air travel in Australia is a good reminder of how things could be. I didn't get any sass from the security, you don't have to have an ID or ticket to get through security so you can just go and sit at the gate with people if you want, you leave your shoes on... its just easy, and not so stressful. I wish the states could revert to this more calm version of travel. Alas. My flight went smoothly and I landed in Adelaide late before picking up my car and heading to my hotel.