Started our mornings off with some trail runs near our hotel. I was a little nervous when I saw these signs shortly into my run…
And then a little more nervous after reaching the billabong and seeing more signs….lets just say I ran quickly and kept listening for any rustling sounds. I was much happier when I met a trail walker coming from the other direction…he must not have seen any crocs and he cleared some spider webs for me! The things we do to try to stay healthy!
The morning sun on the billabong was beautiful!
We had a couple visitors in our room during our stay. This tree frog was in our shower and there was a little gecko in our room.
Hallie has the best mad/pouty face…I know taking a picture of her didn’t help, but it’s so cute! (and never lasts long, so easy to get her to crack a smile!)
Our first stop for the day in Kakadu National Park was to Nourlangie Rock. Non-Aboriginal people came here and named it this after mistaking this place for Nawurlandja. They forgot the details the Aborigninals told them. The upper area of this rock outcrop is actually called Burrunggui and the lower area, Anbangbang.
Our first stop was to Anbangbang Shelter where ancestors lived, worked, cooked, and painted on rock walls. Aboriginal people have been coming home to this shelter for about 6,000 years and occasional use dates further back to 20,000 years. Due to its dry, covered location – a rare find in these parts – objects left behind over the centuries remain preserved and make up the shelter floor, making it possible to date its use.
The art in the Incline Gallery is relatively recent compared with other paintings in Kakadu. It was probably painted during the last 1,000 years.
Handprints were like signatures for the Aboriginal people.
Aboriginal men and women dancing-In traditional dance, the steps and movements depend on the meaning of the ceremony, the part played by the dancer, and the rhythm of the clapping sticks and didgeridoo.
We made our way to Anbangbang Gallery. Rock art (gunbim) here was painted to illustrate an aspect of a story, such as a creation story, a hunting experience or some other aspect of life. The explanations are incomplete: non-Aboriginal people are not entitled to know the full story. For over 20,000 years, Aboriginal artists have illustrated aspects of their lifestyle by painting on the sandstone rocks of Kakadu. Najombolmi (Barramundi Charlie) of the Badmardi clan repainted this gallery in 1964. Repainting designs was a traditional practice.
Nabulwinjbulwinj-He is a dangerous spirit who eats females after striking them with a yam.
Spiritual ancestors created the landscape, its wildlife, Aborignal people and their way of life today. Important information about traditional Aboriginal land and laws is passed through generations through these paintings. Here are some examples.
1). Namarndjolg and his sister broke the incest laws (extends to community members of same culture) on the rock ledge above this gallery. He later became Ginga, the great saltwater crocodile.
2). The spectacular electrical storms, which occur here every year, are a reminder of Namarrgon, the Lightning Man story.
3). Barrginj, Namarrgon's wife
4). Family groups of men and women on their way to a ceremony. Flecks on the breasts of women indicate they are breast-feeding.
5). Guluibirr, the saratoga fish, is a poplar food fished from the nearby waterways.
The last known art in Kakadu National Park was done in 1986
We then headed up to Gun-warddehwarde Lookout
The distant solitary boulder is the feather which Namanjolg's sister took from his headdress after they had broken the incest laws. She placed it here to show others what they had done. Later she became the rainbow serpent.
The series of three tall pillar-like cliffs along the Arnhem Land escarpment is the home of Namarrgon, Lightning Man. It is a dangerous, sacred place and if disturbed, wide trouble will result.
After leaving Nourlangie, we visited the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre and learned a lot more about Aboriginal life.
A short distance further, we arrived at Yellow Water Billabong, part of the South Alligator River System (an early explorer misidentified crocs for alligators and the name stuck).
Birdwatchers paradise!
Leaving Yellow Water, we spotted some water buffalo along our drive.
As we were leaving Kakadu National Park, I was really hoping to see Brumby (wild horses). We saw the signs, drove slow for awhile, and saw nothing! So we sped back up and just before leaving the park, I spotted some! We had a bit of a stare down as I was outside the car photographing them. Beautiful animals!
We stopped in a small town called Pine Creek for the kids to run around and grab some dinner before continuing on to Katherine. Pine Creek began as a small camp set up by an overland telegraph wiring party in 1871. Gold was found shortly after in post holes and the creek itself. The town remains the center of a rich mineral field and despite the boom and bust cycle of the mining industry, this historic town lives on. The railway came to Pine Creek in 1889, establishing it as the southern terminus.
We had fun playing hide and seek around the heavy machinery.
Station Masters House-1889 (though actually used as employee residences)
After a lovely encounter with an Aboriginal woman asking me to buy her beer, we grabbed dinner and drove south to Katherine. We got in late, put the kids to bed, then enjoyed some wine & chocolate over a game of cards outside on our patio.
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