Heading down from Kakadu national park towards Katherine we passed a few places that deserve a mention, Pine Creek and Emerald Springs... i thought Hebden Bridge was small back home...
Emerald Springs is three buildings on the side of the road, and Pine Creek has one of everything, a school, tavern, petrol station (which is also its shop) there great scenic places, it was just an eye openner as to how small they were.
Katherine at least had more than one street in it, even if when we got there on sunday everything was closed. We were also the only white tourist faces i saw walking round the town.
It felt like one of those zombie movies where the tourists in town overnight get assaulted in their hotel / motel room and dont make it through the night.
Though these weren't zombies they were Aboriginal people, and although i'm sure they are (and have been told they are) a gentle and friendly people, they just look so angry! and seem to do nothing but argue all the time, though it does seem to be with themselves.
Monday saw us taking time out in the hot springs in the town, relaxing and swimming was the order of the afternoon, and we came across some strange australian guy talking about how much he disliked Rome for ruining the world, something about jewish people i wasn't listening too and how Kings weren't of this earth
It was an interesting conversation, though one thing he did say i agree with, how amazing the aboriginal knowledge of this land must be if they need nothing but sticks and rocks in order to find enough food not just to survive but to be in some cases fat as well.
Tuesday saw us head out on a tour to Katherine gorge, a system carved out of the rock by the river into 13 gorges. The river had risen over 1 metre overnight while we were there, and we only got into the 1st two gorges.
The views were stunning, the guide very knowledgeable and was just as much fun as the jumping crocodile boat even if not as intense.
Due to lack of accomodation we then began our (or rather my) mammoth 450-500km drive from Katherine (through Litchfield park) to Darwin so we had somewhere to stay.
Litchfield was interesting, magnetic termite mounds that look like oversized headstones, two waterfalls and more of the same picturesque scenery.
The only regret i have of the 1 day mega drive is that i was too tired to want to go down and swim in the waterfalls plunge pool, something on any other day i would have jumped at the chance to get to do
