Dreamin’ country

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 | Australia

DARWIN to KATHERINE (via KAKADU NATIONAL PARK)

It’s when you start “doing” something that you realise just how hot it is up here. Your sweat even sweats when you’re cycling! For six days, there hasn’t been a moment when we’ve been dry – now that’s gross, huh?

Leaving Darwin, it didn’t take long to work out the “road train” is king of the highway and you had better give them plenty of room. Towing four trailers, these trucks roar past, and if you get too close – suck you in towards them! It definitely keeps you on your toes.

By chance, while looking for a place to put up our tent, we bumped into territory legend, Terry Baldwin. He has lived around here for over 50 years and is about as “fair dinkum” as you’ll ever get. We spent a memorable night, sitting around the table in his “bush camp” style home, listening to tales of crocodiles, buffalo, cattle and adventure. Terry, you are what makes our country great – good luck with the Buffalo Industry Hall of Fame!

Kakadu National Park is wild and stunning. For three days, we cycled through its wetlands – over rivers filled with crocs, past sacred aboriginal sites, all the while, listening to the constant call of birds, swatting flies by day and mozzies by night. If there is ever a reason to take climate change seriously – then the risk of losing a place like this must surely be it.

After Kakadu, we passed through the historic gold mining town of Pine Creek. There is still gold to be found here, as we discovered, finding a half buried $2 coin on the roadside out of town!

Now in Katherine, we are having a rest day before we continue south along the Stuart Highway to Tennant Creek.

Stay tuned and enjoy the ride!

Jules & Jess

Want to learn more? Then check out the link below;

http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/kakadu/