Choosing a park in Darwin, we got ourselves settled in (which was surprisingly more like a resort) and headed off to the infamous Mindil Markets. First stop….Mick’s Whips! Imagine hearing what sounds like a heap of firecrackers going off, so of course we went to investigate. What we found in fact was this guy with a stock whip in each hand, happily cracking them almost as if it was a music beat. Amazing to watch! He welcomed members of the crowd to give it a go, and with little encouragement required, Grant was in the ring having his first go at whip cracking (the guys from work might think otherwise!!??). Well the first couple of shots he nearly cleaned himself up, but before you knew it, he was making that whip sing!…where did he learn to do that?????
The markets were abuzz with plenty of locals and tourists alike. There were heaps of food stalls from all nationalities….too many decisions! We were in food heaven trying a variety of food…it was all pretty good. Watching the sunset at the beach was good, then back to the markets to see high tech didgeridoo player, Emdee. Hearing great reports from people whilst travelling about this guy, his ability for didg playing was excellent, as was his ability to pull in the big crowds.
Not spending a lot of time in Darwin, we moved down to Litchfield National Park. We enjoyed it here much more than in Kakadu, swimming at Florence Falls and Buley Rockhole. There was heaps of water flowing at the falls, so strong in fact, the current was a little scary. It’s understandable that other places around the park and at Kakadu had been closed due to the fast flowing water. At Litchfield, we also visited Wangi and Tolmer Falls (heaps of water), and observed the incredible magnetic termite mounds.
Back down at Katherine, we took a morning cruise on the first couple of gorges – no swimming due to strong currents, but moreso due to salties. A visit to the Hot Springs there was also welcomed – not real hot, but a great way to start the day on a cool morning, and what a great bubble bath it was! We took a look at some more indigenous art, and came across Manuel, one of the resident local artists at Top Didj & Art. We really liked his style and decided on his newly finished “two brolgas feeding” piece.
That’s it for now – now heading back to Kununurra to dust off our akubras and join in at the Ord Valley Muster.
Join us next time to find out all about the muster including Grant’s first visit to a rodeo, and his effort at “digging for Kimberley diamonds”.
Keep safe,
Grant & Linda.
| Kms Travelled Total 15,752 |