The last few weeks have seen the weather really heat up. It seems as though we went from putting on track suits at night to sleeping with the fan on in one day and things haven’t looked back since.
We hit Katherine and contacted the local schools only to find that we needed a “Relief Teacher Card” as well as NT Teacher Registration. This meant more form completion and seeking copies of qualifications etc. Christine found this easier than me because hers are more recent so in the end we got a card for her to work and I am reduced to her volunteer lacky. The plus side of this is that schools can’t talk both of us into working.
Our time in Katherine consisted of working, lazing around in the hot springs and a breakfast cruise on the gorge (Nitmuluk). Unfortunately, this was just before the hot weather arrived and we were absulutely frozen for much of the cruise. The scenery was certainly spectacular and the guide entertained all with his well-rehearsed commentary.
With the hot weather really lifting water temperatures, we got hopeful and tried a couple of times to fish on the Katherine River in the little boat. Nothing doing however. So we made plans to head North up to Daly River. Unfortunately, we both came down with a really nasty flu. By the time we arrived at the Daly, we just wanted to curl up and sleep but it was too hot. Somehow, we packed again and drove up through Litchfield National Park across a tiny track. In other times, it would have been a wonderful adventure but all we wanted was the shortest route through to Berry Springs and an air-conditioned cabin at Tumbling Waters. We hired a neat little cabin for a couple of days and lazed around in the cool until we felt well enough to venture out.
The schools around Berry Springs seem to be quite well off for relief teachers so we haven’t been picking up work, although we are booked for a day at Humpty Doo tomorrow. We have done some more fishing, with mixed success. We even went on a charter on Darwin Harbour but that was also pretty poor. Our best effort just got us tea with a small golden snapper, a small jewfish and a javelin fish. Catching fish up here is not as easy as the books make out. Most days, we find ways of avoiding the heat of the middle of the day. Yesterday, we spent the day at Berry Springs with a BBQ, lots of swimming in the crystal clear warm waters and snorkelling with some wonderful fish life. I guess we can’t complain.
Derek and Joy will arrive in a couple of days and we will start a week of “tourist adventures”. We can’t wait.
Friday morning greeted us with dull overcast skies and the distant rumble of thunder. The temperature had dropped to a level that puts barra to sleep. Despite this, we launched the boat and spent a very pleasant morning trying hard to wake them up. There were lots of others out and about as well and no one was doing any better than us. The only fish caught was a 45cm sleepy cod, a northern species of freshwater gudgeon. As the name suggests, it fought like a paper bag. The fish guide gave it the thumbs up for edibility so we kept it for lunch. By the time we got back to camp, the chance of rain looked much higher. We cooked up the sleepy cod, It proved to have very white flesh in big flakes and was quite tasty, certainly worth eating.
that varied from becoming slushy to bone dry. The rain increased to the point where we were mopping up around the place and getting thoroughly fed up. This was our second lot of top-end unseasonal rain. In fact, we were getting off lightly, with some areas receiving 25mm. The system that caused it then drifted South East and caused extensive flooding and damage down in Southern Queensland.
The birds were in great numbers and we marvelled at the magpie geese and jabiru storks. The warm weather was encouraging the crocs too, and we realised just what a large population the billabong supports. At one point, I wanted to navigate down a narrow channel to get to another billabong. The channel narrowed to about 4 metres across but right on the point was a crocodile of equal size. In a boat that measures only 3.1 metres, we took the safety option and turned around. Another time we saw a bloated wallaby travelling at speed cross the top of the water. The explanation for this strange sight proved to be a crocodile carrying his prize away to be consumed.
Tuesday morning we had planned as a trip highlight – hot air ballooning at dawn. This meant getting up at 4:30 to be ready for a 5am pick-up. The recent minimum temperatures of 1 or 2 degrees had us worried but luckily the weather had warmed and we could expect a very comfortable 6 or 7. With several layers of clothing and a beanie each, we waited out the front for the bus.The trip had two options; the half hour flight or the one hour flight. We figured half and hour of floating away with little to no control was enough. Each balloon was capable of carrying 16 passengers and a pilot in a segmented wicker basket. The bus arrived towing a trailer with the basket aboard and the balloon stuffed into a large canvas bag. Once out into the desert, the pilot launched a couple of helium filled balloons fitted with LEDs to track the wind before selecting a launch site. Then it was a matter of setting up the gear and inflating the balloon. I got the job of holding the balloon up in the air until the hot air would support itself. The heat from the burners was welcome at first but before long I started to feel like a crumpet. Once the balloon reared overhead, the pilot called for “all aboard” and we clambered over into the wicker basket. Thankfully, it was still dark because I don’t think the sight of lots of ballooning newbies spilling over into the basket was all that inspiring. Christine and I were still wondering what was next when I suddenly realised that we were off the ground and moving away.
The flight and the sight of the approaching dawn was amazing and justified the whole experience. We looked out over Alice Springs and the East MacDonald Ranges as the balloon drifted away at a lazy 10kph. The burners continued to lift us up to around 2000ft before the descent commenced. The pilot was in constant radio contact with the bus and as we drifted North-West and descended, he directed the bus along tracks, through gates and across the desert to the predicted landing site. They had obviously done this before because everything went smoothly, although the 10 metres drag across the ground on landing was interesting. Once down, everyone was pressed into service to deflate the balloon and pack things away. Once done, we headed off to a bush camp site nearby where a sumptuous champagne and chicken breakfast awaited. This was a never-to-be forgotten experience and one that I would recommend to all. What a blast!
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