Off the grid

Hi there!

I decided to put on another story already, cause after today I will be off the grid for a while. Anko and I are going on a big roadtrip from Darwin all the way through the center of Australia to Melbourne! Get a taste of the real outback! So for the next few weeks, it will be just the two of us, a (orange!) car, and a whole lotta nothing. The car is supposed to be big enough to sleep in, and there it a cooking kit and a small fridge on board. So this is where the adventure really starts! Im not expecting a lot of internet spots on the route, perhaps in Alice Springs, and when we are on the other side in Adelaide ofcourse. From Adelaide to Melbourne we'll get a nice dessert after the outback (desert) in the shape of the Great Ocean Road, which is famous for its beautiful scenery.

The last few days are worth mentioning as well, since we did a 3-day trip to Kakadu National Park. This is a giant area (size of Denmark) which was once Aboriginal Land, but is now a popular tourist destination. There are a few very nice spots with waterfalls, where you could dip in for a swim. Furthermore there were a few Aboriginal art sites, where aboriginals painted drawings on rocks. It was very interesting to learn more about the Aboriginal culture. They have deep respect for the nature around them, and see themselves as owned by the earth (before you are born, you are earth, and when you die you return to the earth). It is one of the reasons they were able to maintain a perfect balance with nature and never ran out of resources. At the same time they hardly changed their way of living in the past 20.000 years, so the way they live is still very very primitive.
One of the things I will remember most from this trip was the heat, though. At 9 in the morning it was already really hot to be exposed to the sun, and around noon all you can wish for is a dip in a lake, pool, waterfall or cold shower. We did a lot of hiking, climbing over rocks (really cool!) swimming in small lakes, and more hiking. Since it is near the end of the dry season, most water has dried up and the waterfalls hardly were running anymore. In the wet season a couple metres of rain falls down here and the waterlevel at some places must become really high!
Furthermore Kakadu park holds a large population of salt and fresh water crododiles. We did a boat cruise and saw a number of them from up close. Cool creatures! Next to that we saw heaps of wildlife, mostly birds.

Our guide made a campfire every night, and cooked delicious meals. We slept in so-called swags, a sleaping bag which is also a matras, so you would sleep in the open air. In total blackness you have a beautiful starry sky, so that was a cool experience.

Darwin itself isnt very special. It is quite small, and not a lot going on. Someone told us its a good place to go out at night, but we decided we've had enough of that for now. Both Anko and me are really looking forward to our outback adventure! On our route we will stop at Lithcfield national park, Katherine Gorge and then make our way to Alice Springs. From there we will go to the legendary Uluru Rock and Kings Canyon. Between Alice Springs and Adelaide there is supposed to be nothing worth stopping for. Sounds awesome to me!

So, this is where i leave you for now. I will see you on the other side!

Ciao, Jelle