August 1st, Australia Day 161

Driving out early in morning, around sunrise, we made our way to Nitmiluk/Katherine Gorge National Park, a place known for its beauty and its cultural significance. Most people had opted to do a short canoe/kayak trip up the Katherine River which had formed the gorge, actually gorges, but I was "forced" to hike. I had originally intended to take a helicopter ride over the gorges but I could only do so if someone else wanted to and nobody did. Although not expensive, it was certainly not cheap and I could easily understand that some people would be budgeting quite acutely. Anyway, I hiked to some of the gorges and I wasn't disappointed.

Nitmiluk/Katherine Gorge was formed by water taking advantage of various joints and faults in the rock. The Katherine River eroded away the material to form the feature. According to local aborigine beliefs, Bula (BOO-lah), a powerful but somewhat dangerous spirit lives in the 2nd gorge, which is the deepest one, and so the local aborigines do not take fish or do anything in that gorge if it can be helped. The gorge is actually a system of 13 gorges connected together of which 9 are accessible as far as I understand. The canoe trip that most people took, brought them to about the beginning of the 2nd gorge before they had to turn around but overnight hires are available for those who wish to go to the all the way to the 9th gorge. After this, a 3 meter rock wall prevents further journeying although an information board I read seemed to imply that you could reach to the 13th gorge with some equipment. I opted the hike and made my way around the trails to the 2nd gorge. If I'd had a map, I would have probably been able to make it to the 3rd gorge but such was my luck that day.

After Nitmiluk/Katherine Gorge, we drove a short distance to a lake where we went swimming. This is the location of the famous Edith Falls and although it is definitely not a hot spring, swimming was pleasant no less. I swam right under the waterfall, as did many others, and the water there was slightly warmer than that in the lake.

Form Edith Falls, it was onto Darwin where we would all spend the night in various hostels. Along the way we stopped in the town of Katherine and in a small suburb of Darwin. Katherine is a town which marks the end of the arid center and the beginning of the tropical north of the NT, which is known as the Top End. Katherine was also the site of the most inland Japanese bombing in World War 2 but I'll say more about that when I write about Darwin. The suburb of Darwin has the remains of Charlie the water buffalo who had roles in both Crocodile Dundee movies. Charlie died in 2000 and he is now mounted and stuffed in the local pub. From here it was only a short drive into the capital of the Northern Territory, Darwin.

Photos now available at: http://australiaday161.blogspot.com/