The Top End: Day 3

Today we had a “slower” morning – only leaving at 7:45. We spent some time in Jabiru while some tour members went on a scenic flight. In town, we got to stop at a coffee shop, so you know I got a cold brew. Then we got to see the interpretive centre for Kakadu National Park, and learn a little more about the flora and fauna of the area, as well as the geologic history. They had a large (~4×6′) map of Kakadu showing the topographic features in 3D, so I spent quite bit of time identifying the route we had hiked the day before. 

We picked up the rest of our group and headed to Nourlangie Rock Art site. There was so much to see, with plaques helping us to better understand the history represented by the depictions. I was able to put into words how I’ve felt in Australia since I arrived: like a foreigner. I had no existing knowledge of the geologic and cultural history of the Australian continent before arriving. While I have found much of this overwhelming, but I am slowly developing my understanding as I learn.

We left Nourlangie, and saw an emu!! Our guide whipped the bus around so we could get a better look, telling us this was only the second one she’d seen this season in the Top End. After ogling at the large and flightless bird meandering between the palms and eucalypids, we continued on to Maguk gorge for a shorter hike and swim. 

At Maguk, we had to cross a creek to follow the trail to the plunge pool. This trail was less bouldered, but still required careful attention to navigate. The waterfall here was not nearly as tall, but had significantly more flow. The gorge was also oriented more towards the sun, so the water was warmer, though still refreshing!

After about an hour here, we got out and headed back to the bus for our drive to Katherine. Natalie told us that we were to be on the lookout for three things: buffalo, donkeys, and brumbies (wild horses). Lucky us, we got to see all three! And many of them. Something about wildlife spotting is just so much fun to do. 

We made a pit stop in pine creek for ice cream, and I got “Hokey Pokey” flavoured which was chocolate/toffee/caramel. Different from my usual vanilla, but tasty! 

Our camp was on the other side of Katherine, but we made a stop at Woolworth’s for supplies. It was here I realized I must have dropped my debit card in Pine Creek, so I connected to the wifi in store and froze my card through my banking app. Thank goodness for technology! I was able to do a cash out at the cashier even without my card, using Apple Pay. I’ve tried to do it in Canada before like this and it hasn’t worked, but here I was able to tap my card and enter my PIN and we went off without a hitch! 

Leaving Katherine, we saw thousands of flying foxes coming out of their trees for the night. It was surreal to see that many massive bats backed by the salmon coloured sky, I wish I had a photo of them! 

Dinner tonight was barbeque, we had steak and sausages and so many laughs. Our guide told us that if we wanted to see a Top End sunrise we could choose to get up and meet her at 5:45 to hike to the spot, which all of us jumped on board with. Did this result in us going to bed early? Absolutely not, it was after 11 by the time I fell asleep. We spent the evening playing games and mind teasers, with me leaving with a couple ideas for time fillers should I ever have a spare five minutes at the end of a class.

– Kate