Darwin to Alice Springs

Sat 31 March 2007

After a quiet night out in Darwin with a few friends from the last trip and a few hours sleep in the top bunk of a very cramped dormitory I rose at 5.am to get the next 3 day bus tour which has brought me down to Alice Springs.

The tour leader is Sharra, a cheerful and energetic Australian girl. This time there are 13 of us on the trip including Roland and patrick, two french guys from the last trip. It soon became apparent this was going to be lively affair as the two Irish girls, Neave and Nadine, describe their tactics to win 18-30 party style games the previous night. Others are Jess (UK), Kate (US) Joe (Ireland), Maria aka Pilly (Chile), Mikaela (Czech), Billie (UK), Claudine (Oz), and Lucca (nick named the Italian stallion by the girls) . With the exception of me and Roland everyone else is of another generation but nevertheless welcoming, entertaining and inclusive.

On the first day we drive to Katherine with hopes os seeing the gorge but concern that the roads may be impassable due to the rain. We stop at various road houses (garage, come cafe come shop) including another chance to see Charlie the Buffalo and handle snakes etc. We arrive in Katherine, stock up on supplies (beer, wine and Champagne for Mikaela) and then drive out to the campsite 10k's outtowrd the famous Katherine gorge help make the dinner by peeling the potatoes. After mentioning my snoring I'm allocated a tent to myself. Bliss! Joe strums his guitar and before long there is a good camp fire (without the fire) atmosphere. Sharra gives an excellent talk on aboriginal culture but I'm afraid I was too tired to concnetrate properly and soon retreat to my sleeping bag. Next morning, the weahter is fine and hot we make our way to the Gorge. Its a couple of kms walk to the look out point over the gorge and a fair climb but its well worth it for the view.

Next day we drive on southwards. Most of us sleep for large sections of the journey. We stop for lunch at the at Daly Waters. This has the oldest pub in Northern territory and the bar is such a joy I don't feel the need to use the pool for refreshment. We then drive on to Tennant Creek, an old gold mining town, which is bit run down. We collect the night's supply of booze and drive out to the camp site again a few kms out of town. We were hoping to sleep out unde the stars in the swag bags available but the clouds are threatening rain , which it does later in the night.

Next day we drive on to Alice Springs. Its surpisingly cool today. I had been anticipating blistering heat out here in the 'red centre'. Our first stop is at the Devil's marbles, a remarkable area covered with rocky out crops topped with spherical boulders.

Then onto more snakes a pinkpanther and then aliens at at Wycliffe Wells, where they claim to have the highest number of UFO sightings in Australia.

Eventually, and after crossing the Tropic of Capricorn, we arrive in Alice Spring where we check in to the lodge , and i upgrade my self to a single room as I'm staying three nights, while others join another trip next day. Led on by Neave and Nadine all the young ones do their their best to win the prizes at the party night in the Lodge. . Also there is an air guitar competition which is totally wacky.

Yesterday I have a quiet day walking around the centre of Alice and visiting a cultural centre. Although its not raining it is quite cool. i have to wear my fleece for the first hour or so. In the evening I meet up with Joe and we try getting to know the locals. In the pub/bar they have a live internet broadcast so i text the boys to let them know they can see me now!. Tom, who is at work, text's me back to let me know me he can see me by the DJs podium.

Life at the top end (continued)

Monday 26th March
On Saturday I started the first part of my 14 day tour. This was to visit Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks which are within 200 miles of Darwin. Jouneys were longer as a key bridge has been swept away due to exceptionally heavy rains .

Our first stop was a little snake charming follwoed by the Jumping crocodile Cruise. This compises of going on the river in a boat with pieces of meat hanging over the edge and letting the crocodiles leap out of the water. A good jump is measured by if their back legs come out of the water. Teasing crocodiles may not be the most sensible thing to do especially when they start crawling up onto the deck. If you ever get tosee the video clips I took you' see the camera moving back quickly. I don't really want to be that close again to the gaping jaws again.

Later I was hanging out with a star of Crocodile Dundee in a bar. To be precise, this was Charlie the water buffalo (yes, you remember him don't you?) who was stuffed a few years ago, after a long happy retirement from show business in the field behind the bar as a local celebrity.

The first night camping in Jabiru (home of uranium mining) was a bit damp, but still hot, due to day of rain. In fact the campsite was covered in streams which made going to the bathroom a paddle.

Next day after a short rain shower we had long day hot sunshine and we made a few short hikes to beautiful rock pools with cascading water falls for cooling swims. Later we visited some Aboriginal rock art sites and saw some wonderful scenery of rocky out crops and across tropical forest.

In the evening I had a chat in the camp site bar with a London cab driver. It must have been a huge fare for whoever he dropped off!

Today we moved to Litchfield National Park to see more torrenting waterfalls and then for a change to look at giant termite mounds ( travel to broaden the mind). Now back to Darwin, before moving on again 5.30am tomorrow.

Life at the Top End

Friday 23rd March
After travelling back to Freemantle via Bunbury, on Tuesday I flew the 4000kms (3 hours) to Darwin, in the Northern Territory. This area is affectionately referred to as the Top End.

Darwin is not a big city by UK standards. There are high rise buildings in the centre and suprisingly many modern apartment blocks. You would have thought they have enough land for houses. Like Perth, traffic volume is very low compared to most of the UK.

It has rained every day since I've been here. March is the last month of the rainy season and the downpours are generally later in the day and very heavy. Lightning flashes can be seen over the sea at night.

At the same time the temperatures are frequently in the 30+C, which makes it very humid. Average rainfalls fall significantly in April and May. Nor can you swim in the sea because of box jelly fish which are prevalent from November to May can kill. I'm just too early!

So what have I been doing. Well not a lot really. I'm staying in budget accommodation run by the YWCA, (Servite reminder there!). Its very comfortable and the little swimming pool at the back is very useful for cooling down. I've walked a good deal and I've been to the cinema twice.

On the Darwin tourist trails you are frequently reminded of two dates; 19 February 1942 and 23 December 1974.

The first is the date the Japanese first bombed Darwin. The raid killed more than 200 military personnel and civilians and sinking several ships.

The second is 23 December 1974 the date cyclone Tracey destroyed much of Darwin.

Its also the place where the first intercontinental planes landed

I haven't been too adventurous as tommorow I start a 14 day tour which takes me out to the wilderness north of here, then down south via Alice Springs and eventually Adelaide.

Dunsborough to Albany, Western Australia

Sat 17th March The last few days have become a bit of a blur. One night stops at series of towns along the south west coast. The primary ingredients have been trees, beaches, youth hostels and Friday night in the pub.

From Dunsborough we travelled to Augusta which Australia's most South westerly point, where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean. Naturally there is light house but this time we got there too late for the tour.
Next day we travelled through Pemberton, the centre of the Karri Forrest. Karri trees are form of Eucalyptus tree which can grow to 70 metres high and driving between these giants is a wonder to behold. They let a fair amount of light through the canopy so you don't get that closed in sense of pine of rain forests. Later we reached Walpole, a quiet little town , on an inlet close to the sea. We enjoyed an evening walk through scrub and along the edge the inlet. I saw my second wild kangaroo. Three to be exact, but it was dark so no photos yet.
On Friday we left Walpole for the Tree Top walk in the Giant tingle forest. To be honest I can't see much difference between a Tingle and Karri tree. The tree top walk is a cunning feat of engineering which allow you to walk up to the forest canopy and look down to appreciate the height of these tree. We watched as a couple of climbers lowered themselves over the edge to check the bolts weren't coming loose. The wind was moderate but the walkway was definitely swaying about. I also got pictures of an old tree being felled as it was likely to fall on the ticket office/shop if it wasn't dealt with sooner rather than later. Our night stop was in Denmark, another small town quite near to the coast. We stopped for a few hours of late afternoon sunshine at a beautiful beach called Green Pools. As we got to Denmark quite late Kai and I went for a curry (very disappointing despite a recommendation) and as was Friday we tried the local pub. This was a change from the backpacking crowd; all locals doing their thing, which is pool and getting drunk. By chucking out time the place was reeling.

Today, via another beautiful bay (Shelley beach), I've reached Albany, the oldest European settlement in Western Australia, established 1826. Albany is still a small town (29,000 pop.) and during my short stop appears older than most other places we've been.

I've said goodbye to Kai who has a few more days to stay in this area before flying back to Germany next week.

Tomorrow I head back to Fremantle before flying to Darwin on Tuesday.

Busselton and Dunsburgh, Western Australia

On Monday Kai and I drove 85km from Bunbury to Dunsburgh via Busselton. Busselton is famous for its 1.8km jetty. This is the second longest wooden jetty in the world; only Southend Pier is longer which I am sure will please my cousin Marjory.

At the end of the Busselton Jetty is an under water observatory where you can see the fish in the clear blue water through large windows.

After a picnic lunch we continued on to Dunsburgh on the Cape Naturaliste. We visited the light house, built in 1903, and only converted to elctricity in 1971, until whcih time the light house was staffed by three keepers who lived with their familes in three stone cottages. The Cape is a very good site for watching whales pass by but unfortunately for me its the wrong time of year.
After visiting a local beach and "Sugarloaf" rock I dropped Kai at the local campsite and I went to the local YHA, via the supermarket for ingredients for some home cooking.

On Tuesday I took a wine tour (I wasn't driving) around four local wineries, a cheeese factory, a choclate factory and a brewery. All other people on the trip were all Australians and needless to say it was a great day out.

Bunbury: horse racing - with a difference!

I hope Barry and Fred find this amusing. This week happens to be the Bunbury meeting race week and during the weekend before there is a Carnivale which has a gymkana, open air concerts, fair ground and an unusal horse race. It's a swimming race for horses and riders. The horse have to swim with their riders across a creek about 800 metres. The leading horse swerved violently to port just a few metres from the finish line and came fourth, so i think there was definitely cause for a stewards enquiry. Nevertheless the young lady on the first horse over the finish line was declared the winner. And the prize money was Austrailan $2,500. Not bad for a fun event.

Bunbury: paddling with dolphins.

On Saturday 10 March I checked out of the Fremantle YHA and picked up a hire car. Having put a notice in the message book at the hostel, with the intention of offsetting the cost of the car hire and having some company, I have gained a travelling companion at least for the next few days. This is Kai, a 36 year old German school teacher.

We travelled down to Bunbury, a small coastal town approx 185 kms south of Fremantle. I've booked into the YHA while Kai camps in his tent in a site nearby. The big attraction in Bunbury is he dolphins and early sunday morning I went down to the Koombana beach to the dolphin centre where the dolphins routienly swim into the shore to inspect the paddlers. Its well organised to respect the dolphins. When the dolphins appear the people line up in the shallow water on the beach (knee - thigh deep), marshalled by Dolphin centre volunteers and the dolphins glide up and down to inspect us for 15-30mins . Even if it sounds a bit weird it is fantasic to see the wild dolphins so close up.

After the close encounter with the dolphins I went for something completely different; a farm machinery (mainly tractors and bulldozers) museum. These 100's of machines have been lovingly restoed by enthusiasts. The special event of this day was the starting of the Tangyne engines. I'd never heard of these before , but they are huge diesel engines built in Birmingham U.K. about 1895 and used for powering mills and generating electricity. The larger of the two has two massive pistons linked by an enormous crankshaft (apprx 20feet long). When they discovered the rottin engines the disovered a spare crankshaft still n its decaying box, never used. One of the two brothers who restore them (and many other machines in the museum) was there on his zimmer frame tasking charge of the starting, and when the were moving it was poetry in motion.

After this I went for drive around the Ferguson Valley, a farming area with amixture of wineries, forest and some livestock faring, and saw my first wild kangaroo bouncing along the road.

Another day - another continent- Perth, Austalia

Friday 9 th March: On Tuesday I flew from Singapore to Perth. The temperature when I arrived mid afternoon was a mere 41C. I took the shuttle bus, and checked into the Perth City YHA. Costs are a lot more over here so I'm going to have get used to sharing rooms more. It was hot in the dormitory, even with air conditioning and I didn't sleep too well.

I am finding it increasingly hard to remember what day it is as every day is a weekend for me now.

Perth is a major city but somehow it seems very quiet. There is so much less traffic than London or other major cities I've been too. There are some beautiful views of the Swan river, which looks more like a lake. After a day doing a walking tour of the city centre, on Wednesday night to find a bit more life I ventured into the Northbridge area, just north of the centre. Here I found a large bar/ night club where there were hundreds of people were watching live boxing from Sydney (where Russell Crow was in the audience) on a large screen. It was quite a good night as the atmosphere in the bar was lively and the boxing improved into some really interesting contests.

On Thursday I took a ferry boat to Fremantle, approx 15kms and one hour trip by boat. The driver and guide gave the worst commentary I've ever heard. Probably I need some cultural adjustment to the brash Australian sense of humour, but opinionated is an understatement. And totally fixated about the price of riverside property, which in London terms are bargains.

When we arrived I took a short bus tour around Fremantle and then checked into the YHA.

The temperature was still in the 40's but when we visited a high spot the bus driver (a much more digestible commentary) pointed out the cloud on the horizon indicating a change in weather. During the evening the breeze began and when I went to a famous fish and chip restaurant, Cicerrelo's, it was quite cool and I ate indoors. Although it is still sunny and warm, the breeze makes the YHA dormitory a lot more comfortable, as there is no air-con here.

Today I went to the maritime museum where I spent an hour plus on a submarine tour which was fascinating. I had intended to go to the Cottesloe beach but the stiff breeze put me off although I did make a token visit to Fremantle's South Beach, but the sand was too cutting to sit down.

Tomorrow I'm hiring a car and will be starting a tour down to Albany and back.

Singapore, my last day in Asia.

Monday 5th March. On Sunday I took the MRT and a bus to the Changi Prison museum, which was very well presented and therefore interesting although there wasn't much original material/ artefacts to see. And of course very, very sad.

Changi is almost on the eastern tip of the island. As I went through the suburbs Singapore's reputation for being amazingly clean and tidy and was sustained. I was also struck by the number and density of high rise apartments all the way down the island. Houses are a rarity and must be only for the very rich. All the grounds around the blocks are clean and tidy and lots of trees and plants line the roads.

Following a cheap breakfast at a suburban food-court I came back into the centre to take in the full benefits of the city landscape and the early happy hour, before meeting Doug and Jette again, for a vist to their apartment and to a hill top bar, over looking the harbour and oil refinery, which looks lovely at night.

Today I did go to the Australian Tourist board to get some information for my next stage. I also tried to sell my SE Asian Lonely Planet. I don't want to carry it around with me for the rest of the trip but I've grown very attached to it. I want it to be useful and hoped to sell it in exchange for a book on New Zealand but the only second hand bookshop I could find didn't buy books.

Later I went to Raffles hotel for the obligatory Singapore Sling and then returned to Boat Quay happy hour and alte lunch.

I will have an early night tonight as I have to leave the hotel at 6am to get to the airport.

Thanks to Doug and Jette for their great hospitality and for my washing safely returned.

Singapore

Saturday 3rd March. I arrived on Friday, after an easy 4 hour coach journey and border crossing from Melaka. Making my way first to a bank to change into Singapore dollars and I then negotiated the excellent MRT (under ground system) to China Town where my hotel is located. As I arrived it began to rain and was glad of the umbrella I'd bought a couple of days earlier.

My intial impression of my hotel was gloomy as it is located down a passge full of toilet rolls, very small (twice the size of the single bed) , the carpet looks dirty, a 12"x12" window and it smelled of damp. Nevertheless it had all the facilties claimed i.e aircon, ensuite shower/wc and TV.

Rather than depress myself I decided to get out but it was now torrential rain, so I amused myself on the internet, planning some of the activities I want to do in Australia. Eventually the rain eased off and I went out to explore the city, first with a walk through China Town and visit to the China Town cultural museum. This is an old house restored to the multi-occupancy conditions it was in in the turn of the century. This made me feel somwhat better about my hotel room.

I then made my way down to the Quays which is the newest tourist bars area located on the river about 1km north of China Town. The bars were busy with thousands of office workers and tourists. I had a pizza and a drink in the Penny Black, Boat Quay, before going back to hotel for a good nights sleep. The hotel room seemed better in the morning.

Next day, Saturday, I set off for the Australian Tourist Board only to find it closed. After a breakfast in a MacDonalds (I do feel ashamed about this but I couldn't resist) I then walked about 1 km down to the Orchard Road, the mega-shopping area of Singapore. There are more shopping centres than I've had hot dinners (but less than the beers I've drunk) on this trip. It is hot and humid and I eventually reached the old city centre on the riverside where Raffles established the City. The time it takes to walk around is not so much the distance but the pace you want to walk in the heat and waiting for traffic lights to change. Many roads are very wide and there are stiff fines for jay walking. Such is the culture of Singapore.

After taking in some of the major landmarks I went back to the hotel for a rest and shower before meeting Matthew's good friends, Doug and Jette. Doug comes from Reading and Jette is married to Jette, who is Danish. They have recently moved to Singapore from Brisbane.

Doug and Jette took me to the Swisshotel 70th floor cocktail bar and then to the Chijmes (sic) which is a Church and cloisters turned into cafes, bars and restaurants. As we discussed at lenght the stae of the world, travel and foreign living we could hear the ooohs and aaahs of Manchester United vs Liverpool.

Doug and Jette's generously offered meet up again on Sunday evening and to do my laundry.