12th Nov - Alice Springs and Eastern McDonald Ranges

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Really bad nights sleep in the hostel! It will teach me to PAY for accommodation (when I am not with Kim). I woke up at 1 itching like hell on the back parts of my legs. There were bed bugs. I had not had this when camping or staying anywhere else. I had to get up to look for my bug spray and I could not find it and ended up waking up other people. I felt very bad but there was no way that I could sleep otherwise. The others in the dorm were all on a tour that left about 5.30 and so they all woke me up when they were leaving. My alarm then woke me me up when I needed to get ready to go to the airport to meet Kim.

Got a lift with the hostel company to the airport to meet Kim at 10 and waited for her till 11. Organised my photos etc. Spoke to Qantas re my broken Pannier and they said that they would organise to get it fixed in Melbourne. We picked up our tiny red hire car - cute - and drove into Alice Springs.

Went to the tourist info office and the lovely lady gave us loads of useful information about the area etc. We now have a plan for the next few days. After doing shopping for food for camping etc for the next few days and getting a replacement day rucksack and camping gas we headed out to the Eastern McDonalds.

The sealed part of the Ross Highway goes through the Eastern McDonald Range to Ross River with various places of "interest" to stop off at along the way. We went to all of the places that where on sealed roads and we only have a little car.

The weather today was very overcast. It was good as it meant that Kim was not too hot to do the various walks etc but it was rubbish for taking pictures. The scenery and views where great through.





We popped off at Emily and Jessie Gaps. We had been saying in the supermarket earlier today that we would like a cooler to store our food but there was no point in buying one for 1 week. At Jessie Gap someone had left their cooler in the middle of the car park and there was no one else there. Awesome - we now have a cooler for the rest of the week.


We went for a little walk around Cororboee Rock and then tried to drive to Trephina Gorge. We could not get all the way in the little car as it turned into a dirt road. We decided to walk the last few km and walk the gorge walk. It was a very lovely walk up to the top with some good views across the plains.

It was getting dark and the weather was turning worse and so we were very happy when some people gave us a lift back from the foot of the gorge walk back to our car. I drove really slowly back in the dark as it was raining heavily and there are lots of wild animals on the road at this time of day.

We got into Alice about 8 and found a Motel/Backpacker place with a room for just the 2 of us with kitchen and bathroom for $60 (£40)! Awesome.

I cooked us some lovely steak Fajitas in the kitchen using my little pans. I like cooking good solid meals and there was loads left for tomorrow lunch :-)

Me being the light weight that I am got nicely tipsy on 3 gls of wine.... I have lost over 1 stone in weight since I arrived in Aus!

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikenz2uk/sets/72157625470132038/

11th Nov - Flight from Darwin to Alice Springs

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Up at 7 but really tired so went back to sleep. Got up with alarm at 10 and pack all of my things so that I could take all of my heavy things as carry on baggage. I biked to the airport carrying my bike box - I looked like an idiot! I took a while as I had to hold on to bike box with one hand while steering with the other.

I took my bike to pieces and packed into the bike box one of my panniers with all of my lightweight equipment. When it was weighed it was 23kg - perfect :-) I then found out that I am on a different package than is described on the internet! 99% of Qantas customers are on the normal package and so they do not include the info for the other 1%. All that worrying about having to pay $50 per every extra kg of check in luggage and I am allow 32kg! Yippeeee.

Carrying a bike on an plane is a real faff. I need to get to the airport a couple of hours before the flight to pack everything. Oh well, only a few more flights left :-)

I arrived at Alice Springs at 4ish. There was a lady trying to promote the hostel that she works in and was offering 2 nights accommodation for the price of one and free transfer from the airport to the hostel. Rather than faffing around building the bike and then cycling the 20km into town and trying to find a place, I decided to go for it. $11 per night and transfer to the accommodation is not bad....

I rebuilt my bike and took myself off for a little ride and explore round town. Alice is pretty small and mainly full of tourists. It has a desert/outback feel to it.

I spent the evening in the McCafe as the internet is free. Ended up spending far too long there and got back to the hostel about 11.30. Should have gone earlier as tired but got engrossed in diary and photos.

10th Nov - Wetlands Cruise Kakadu National Park

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Up at 5.30 to go on a Sunrise Wetlands cruise. It left at 6.30 and the sun had already risen by 5.30 but the light when we got on the water was fantastic. The boat tour took 2 hours and the scenery was different to anything I have ever seen. Really enjoyed taking photos and just sitting and watching. We saw thousands of birds and tens of eagles. We also saw about 5 crocodiles (nasty creatures).

About 10 minutes into the journey Emma, the guide, pointed out a water snake. We followed it for about 10 mins and watched as it curled up next to a tree. An eagle flew over the top and swooped down to try and catch it but pulled up at the last minute - much to our disappointment. The guide Emma said that it was the first time that she had seen such a snake alive in the river. She was very excited and was taking loads of photos herself.

As it turns out the river boat cruise on the Yellow water was a better cruise than the one down the road at Mary River as it was longer and at sunrise. The size of the wetlands is also supposed to be better with more birds and so it all worked out really well - however it was more expensive per hour. I really enjoyed the trip - well worth it.

I found out today that few days ago a German tourist had died on a 12km hike. He had gone off with out any water and got lost and died from dehydration 3km from the hi-way. Very sad. It really shows how careful you have to be traveling in this countryside. I was not sure whether it was the same German that was trying to walk to Alice Springs that the man in the camping store in Darwin was talking about..... it turned out that it was not (http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2010/11/01/190951_ntnews.html)

I met 2 lovely people on the tour, Dave from Sydney and his mum Carol (born in Wales) who lives in Darwin. They were on holiday for 1 week traveling round Kakadu area. Their camera ran batteries ran out and so I offered them my photos and we got chatting. After stuffing my face at the free buffet breakfast (that came with the river boat cruise), David and Carol kindly gave me a lift to the Aboriginal centre just down the road. It was really interesting to chat to Carol about the Aboriginal culture and their issues while walking round the centre. She is a associate professor at Charles Darwin University working in the field of infant mortality. They then dropped me in Jabaro around midday.

I had a lovely chilled afternoon at the town swimming pool. It was great to have a day off biking and out of the midday sun. The swimming pool is one of the main features of the town. It is a very well maintained 50m pool. I was just going to laze about in it but once I got in I ended up really enjoying doing some lengths. A big group of school kids (mainly Aboriginal - the mix is very different in the Northern Territories to else where in Aus) arrived later on and I really enjoyed people watching while eating my lunch. Sat and read my book in the shade - this is the life!

I caught the Greyhound bus (using the free ticket I had received from Ilona at the accommodation in yellow water) at 4.30 for the drive back to Darwin and wrote my diary and organised the photos from this morning.

Thanks to the amazing generosity of the Australians I have managed to stay for 1 week in Darwin and Kakadu and not paid as single dollar for accommodation or camping :-) From Sydney to Brisbane I spent a total of $10 (to camp for 1 night - discounted from $25). Traveling with Kim is a little different..... For some reason she is not happy to curl up in a ball literally anywhere that is free (even in 80% humidity and 35C in a tent) and wants things like air conditioning and a bathroom (madness ;-))! Equally though, she has been very generous with the cost sharing of the accommodation.

I am very glad that I have been managing not to pay for accommodation as Australia literally costs double in comparison to the UK with the current exchange rate! Food is double and when ever I do a tourist thing it blows my budget for the week. However, when I am not traveling with Kim I have been very contented to explore by hiking or biking and so fortunately there have been many days when I have spent nothing :-)

I am having a more awesome time than I knew was possible. I love the variety of traveling and seeing new people and places every day. Not missing England at all at the moment. It does feel a little strange being in just a hot climate in November though.

I think about my friends and family a lot though. Luvs you!

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikenz2uk/sets/72157625470071862/

9th Nov - Mary River to Yellow Water

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Up at 7ish and backed up - getting a bit faster at it each time. I love my little separate bags to sort different things. Hair bobbles are very useful for tying up cables, food packages and anything else.... I am getting used to putting each item back in exactly the same place so that I do not lose it.

I don't think I can stomach another day of porridge....

I left the campsite a bit later than I had planned as I got chatting with some people. I decided that I still wanted to try to do a wetlands cruise at Yellow Water (160km away - the cruise up the road that I missed yesterday is not running today or tomorrow) and so I biked down the road to the petrol station and got chatting with customers until I found a nice person to give me a lift some of the way (it took 7 mins :-)). Paul, who works for a flour distribution company, was going to Jabaru for business and was happy to give me a lift. It is always good to meet new people and have company and natter on the way.

We got into Jabaru before midday and Paul kindly bought me a pie and a cup of coffee at bakery at Jabaru. I then pottered round Jabaru for a couple of hours, exploring the very small town and walking round the lake.





I headed out for Yellow Water about 1.30. The route from Jabaru to Yellow Water is 60km. Again it was slow going and hot but the roads are awesome and quite. I am very much enjoying my audio books and music.





To split the journey took a turning off and hiked up to Mirral look out. It was amazing to get above the tree line and see all of the region. Absolutely beautiful. There were trees as far as I could see.






Yellow Water itself (where there is a resort and petrol station) is about 6km off the main highway. I needed to go there for more water. The free camping is 6km back to the hi-way and then a further 2km down the main road. The lovely guys at the resort let me put my tent up by the resort and use all the facilities :-) Perfect as that is where my tour goes from tomorrow morning at 6.30 - so it meant I did not have to pack up everything and bike 8km before 6.30.


I used the facilities and went for a swim for 1 hour in the big pool and chatted with other people staying in the resort. Used the BBQ facilities to cook my exciting stew and noodles. Chilled evening. I have to say the restaurant looked very lovely and I felt a little disappointed with my stew....



Over all the day worked out really well as when I woke up I had no idea whether I would be able to get to Yellow Water or on a cruise. As my bus ride back to Darwin leaves tomorrow at 4.30pm, the 6.30am cruise is the only opportunity I will have to do a wetlands cruise - and I managed to get there, on the cruise and to stay in the resort.

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikenz2uk/sets/72157625344495717/

8th Nov - Bird Billabong Run

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I got up today planning on biking most of the way to Jabaru (or to Jabaru if feeling really energetic). I stayed up later last night than I should have done as I got into my book and so had a slow morning. Cooked porridge and made coffee, had shower, packed up tent, organised food and water supplies for the next 10 hours (as there is nothing for 90km towards Jabaru). It all took a while and I was ready to go at 10.30. I popped into reception and got chatting with Ilona on reception. I said that what I really wanted to do in Kakadu was a wetlands cruise. It turns out that the closes place to do this was 27km back the way that I came rather than further into Kakadu as most of the ones further into Kakadu had shut for the wet season. She kindly booked me on to the tour at 4pm today. I was also saying that I really wanted to stay in Kakadu longer but have to catch a plane on the 11th and so have to start biking back soon. She had a Grayhound bus voucher that will expire soon that she will not use and so booked me on from Jabaru on the evening of the 10th Nov back to Darwin! It was really nice of her. She is from York and been traveling in Aus for 23 months.

As I then still had several hours to get to the Wetlands cruise I asked another guy about the best walks round the area and he suggested Bird Billabong just off the main hi-way 5km up the road from Mary River. The walk is 4.5km - perfect length.

Yippeeee - I can stay in Kakadu exploring longer and get a bus back for free, walk Bird Billabong, stay another night at Mary River and go on a Wetlands cruise! Awesome. Everything seems to be slotting into place for me at the moment.

All plans for the day having changed, I repacked all of my stuff so that I just took the things that I needed for the day and left all of my camping equipment etc at Mary River. Another 30mins of faffing!

Biked to the Bird Billabong turn off and set off on the walk - sign posted as 4.5km - as the guy had said. I walked along the dirt road for 6 km (I was wondering when I would get to the Billabong) only to find the sign for the start of the 4.5km circular walk - oops. The signs had been very amibous and the guy had said the walk was "just off the high-way". I could have biked the 6km to the start of the walk and saved myself 1 hour of time.

I decided that I should just about have time to go as I only had 15km to go to the turn off to the wetlands cruise road (and then another 20km on a dirt road), that I had enough time to go as long as I ran back. Jogged to the Billabong and I was really glad that I had gone. I was the only one out there will thousands of birds. It was absolutely beautiful. On of the advantages of going in the wet season is that there are very few tourist and so I get to experience the magic of the place without loads of other people.

Got some really awesome photos :-) I have started compressing the photos that I upload to FB as it is taking too long on slow internet connections to upload them in high quality and so many of the strong colours are lost - but you get the idea....

I ran back but in the heat of the day I really had to push myself to do the 8km back to the road. Although it is the wet season for the 5 days I was in Kakadu there was hardly a cloud in the sky. I just missed the heavy rains over the last 2 weeks. It was about 42C and very humid. I was then worried about the time and so biked really hard to get to the turn off for the wetlands cruise. I had been told it was only 15km from Bird Billabong but it turned out to be 23km. That extra 8km made a real difference when I am only managing 15km per hour (carrying so much weight with extra water/food etc).

There is no phone signal out here and so I popped into the cafe to call the people saying I was at the junction with the dirt road and that I had just over 1 hour and 20km to go so I might be a bit late or could someone pick me up for the last 5-10km. They said that a group "Adventure Tours" where coming down the road for the same cruise and I could get a lift with them. I left the cafe just to see the Adventure Tours bus pass me and turn into the dirt road. I tried to flag them down but they did not see me. If I had not gone to the cafe I would have caught them :-(

Not one to be broken, I went down the dirt road hoping that someone else might come along. It was really sandy and hard work. When I hit a particulary deep part of sand and fell off my bike, I decided that I was not going to make the cruise at 4 and decided it was time to sit in the shade and eat a banana sandwich. I then biked back 10km along the dirt track to the main road and then back the 30km to Mary River (at a rather slower pace).

When I got back to the camp I decided to go on one of the local walks for sunset and take some more photos. Once again I ended up putting up my tent in the dark - which always takes longer particularly when physically tired. When will I learn????

I had spent the day covered in a mixture of sweat, sun lotion and insect repellant and was very glad that there were showers where I am staying. I drank 15 litres of water today!

I was disappointed not to make the cruise but I had really enjoyed the day. I had really challenged myself physically and felt nicely exercised by the time I set up camp again for the day. I had also seen some amazing wildlife.

7th Nov - Biking to Kakadu

7th Nov - Biking from Darwin to Mary River (towards Kakadu National Park)

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Woke up early and packed up but then waited around for a while. I could not get on the road as early as I wanted as the place that I picked up gas from did not open till 10. Left home about 9 and biked the 20km to the get the gas. i have been asking loads of people about where the stops are on the road where I can get water to ensure that I will always have enough for the journey and then some extra for emergencies. The guy in the camping store said that a German guy had been in asking for dehydrated food to take on his walk from Darwin to Alice Springs! I have no idea how he will be able to do that. I am having enough problems with water stops and I can travel up to 150km per day and carry loads of weight. It is worrying that he does not realise the distances and the lack of services etc on the way....

After stopping for gas I then started off on the main bike ride of the day....On the way out of town I saw my first Road Train. I was very excited and took pictures and a video. If only I had known that I would see loads of them through out the day.... (this photos is as the sun is setting).

Had to go part of the way on the A1 - like a UK motorway. Bikes are not permitted but there was no other road that I could use instead. I biked on the hard shoulder for about 10km and then turned of on the 39 to Kakadu.




About 40km outside of Darwin I stopped in a place call "Humpty Doo" (very cool name) to get enough water for the rest of the day (12litres) as there were no other stops on the way for at least 60km. Many of the stretches between towns/cafes/services in the Northern Territories are 80km-100km apart and so I need to be really careful out here.



The road was really lovely without too much traffic and beautiful scenery but it was hard going. I have enough food for 4-5 days (as I am camping and I am not sure what supplies there will be on the way that are cheap) and enough water for the day and so my bags are REALLY heavy. I usually do not mind the heat, sun or humidity but today after being out under a cloudless sky, with temps of low forties and 80-90% humidity for 7 hours solid, even I was very glad to arrive at the cafe in Corroboree and stop for a cold drink in the shade.

The last 10km to the cafe felt like I was biking for hours. They had put a sign up advertising the cafe 10km before the stop but they had not written on it how far away it was. Therefore I thought that it must be just round the corner, or the next corner, or just over this next hill....



After stopping in Corroboree, I then had another 27km to bike to the campsite for the night. I did 130km today - which would be nothing on my road bike carrying no weight in England but was hardwork under these conditions. Very rewarding though as the scenery was amazing. I had my cheesy tunes on for most of the day and sang along to myself. I also kept myself entertained by waving at the passing Road Trains! I got many waves and 5 honks of horns :-)





I stopped for the night at Mary River Lodge. It has a small pool, cabins, restaurant and a camping area but is very quite at this time of year as it is coming into the Wet season. Ilona on reception very kindly said that as I am trying to raise money for charity I could stay for free. Yippeee.



I am sitting writing this on the verandah of the lodge having put up my tent, cooked and eaten dinner (veg and egg), had a shower and it is only 9 and I am thinking about bed.....

5th Nov to 6th Nov - Bike Tour of Darwin

5th Nov - Bike tour of Darwin


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Got up latish and did a big bike tour around Darwin. Firstly headed up to Casuarina and the shopping center to get some supplies and then headed out to Dripstone Park and Casuarina Coastal Reserve. I did venture to the nudist beach as well....





The beach was deserted and beautiful. I sat and had lunch there. I then biked south parallel to the coast and into Nightcliff. I then road along "Dick Ward Drive" in "Fannie Bay". Seriously, people in Darwin need to think these names through before writing them on street signs for children to see!



I popped into the sailing club for an hour or so to chat with some sailors there and see if anyone was heading out this weekend that I could get a ride with. I am missing sailing a bit. They said they would call me if anyone was going out.

Biked around Darwin and down to the water front. Darwin has had a lot of money spent on it in the last few years and has a new harbor front with shops, restaurants, cafes, an outdoor swimming area separated from the sea by nets (to keep out the box jelly fish) and a separate swimming pool with a wave machine (there is no naturally occurring surf in Darwin).


It was quite up market. Darwin felt more wealthy than Cairns (which felt a little run down).







I watched the sunset over a cup off coffee and took loads of pictures of the seagulls as a exercise in trying to improve my shooting skills.






On the way back home stopped off at the McCafe half way between where I am staying and Darwin Downtown. I would never normally venture into a McDonalds in the UK but in Aus they have McCafes - all of which have free internet access. I had not spent long on the net for ages and so I decided to contact everyone and upload photos etc. Ended up getting carried away and did not leave until 1am.....

I biked back to Jonathan's for 1.30 seeing loads and loads of drunken/high Aborigines on the way. I did not feel unsafe though. I found it really very sad. Several people had told me to expect it but I did not realise how bad it would be until I saw it with my own eyes. Biking through the parks today there were loads of Aboriginal people at the free BBQ sites (available for public use through out Aus in parks and beach areas) who were asleep under blankets or sitting around drinking. Apparently, most of them do not feel like they fit in anywhere now - the lost generation. They are not happy in the bush and they can't fit into western culture. Very sad.

6th Nov - Bike tour of Darwin *2



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Got up about 9.30 and felt a bit groggy as up late last night and also have a chesty cough. Not a cold. Biked to the local supermarket and took a while to get supplies for the next 4-5 days. Had lunch at the Chinese buffet :-) I also tried to get gas for my stove but they had run out and suggested that I go into Darwin (12km away) to get some.

Biked to Darwin via a different scenic route to yesterday and went to the tourist information place to find out about water stops and conditions of the National Parks etc. I had thought that I might do to Lichfield (which is closer) but after speaking with the people, I have changed my mind. Kakadu is wetlands and different to anything that I have ever seen where as Lichfield is apparently forests and waterfall like around Cairns.






Loved this bike path that just stopped!







Spent a couple of hours biking round various shops trying to get gas for camping. The place that was suggested to me by another shop in the morning shut at 1,30. Darwin is very quite for a Saturday. It turns out that a lot of places close on Sat afternoon and Sunday. I phoned a camping store that is on the way out of town and they said I could pick it up on my way to Kakadu tomorrow morning.

Went to another McCafe and did my blog and uploaded and organised my photos for an hour or so and then home to do laundry, organise equipment, cook dinner and read my book. I had to organise all of my things really well as for this next leg I need to take enough food for camping for 4-5 days and be able to carry 12 litres of water! I left behind a few things that I will not need in the Northern Territories (such as a warm coat) and had one side pannier for food, the top pannier for 10 litres of water, the other side pannier for trainers, clothes, electronic stuff, toiletries and cooking equipment. All of the food I have bought is cheap and easy to cook. At the moment I am living off porridge, banana sandwiches, apples and canned soup/stew - my trousers and shorts are falling off me....

A good chilled day - shame it took so long to faff to get gas and supplies and organise the trip for the next 4-5 days. However, I did get to see a lot more of Darwin.

It is very hot here and there are loads and loads of insects. I have to put on insect repellent like no-where else I have ever been. I am also using factor 30 sun cream every hour and still going browner (not burning though :-)). It rained a couple of times today really hard for about 10 mins each time but then stopped straight away like nothing had ever happened.

Loads of beware of crocs signs!