Hectic times with no time for blogging at the moment, so why don't you head over to Viator and take a look at our piece 3 Days at Uluru, on Australia's star attraction and one of our favorite spots in the country.Have you been to Uluru? If so, what did you think? I went the first time with my parents in 1980, just a month before baby Azaria Chamberlain was supposedly taken by a dingo from her parents tent. It was a very different place then with a far fewer tourists, just a service station, general store and a simple camping ground close to the base of the Rock near the Aboriginal community. Now, it boasts a handful of brilliant hotels and restaurants, with loads of activities and tours. It was a completely different experience this time, but I loved both. To me, it's a magical place and an unmissable attraction, and should top traveller's lists of things to do in Australia. Is it on your travel list? naruto wallpaper 4:32 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
Check out our latest piece on Australia's Top End on Viator, which is running a series of posts by Terry and I on destinations we've covered and things we've loved during our road trip Down Under. Here's a bit of a taster, but read the full blog over at Viator, where you can also book tours to these places.The tourism machine of the tropical Top End (the northern half of Australia's Northern Territory) is just now shifting into top gear as the spectacular storms of Banggerreng (the ‘knock ‘em down storm season’, as the Aboriginals call it), become less frequent, marking the end of the Wet Season (October-April). National Park staff begin to grade recently-impassable roads, clean up previously-flooded camping sites, and remove new residents (saltwater crocodiles!) from the swimming holes and the region teems with life. This is by far the best time to visit the Top End, so where should you go?
1. Kakadu National Park - Australia’s largest National Park (all 20,000 square kilometres of it!) is World-Heritage listed for a reason - for its impressive natural and cultural values. The natural significance comes from its myriad ecosystems and extraordinary diversity of flora and fauna, while the cultural importance comes from evidence of more than 40,000 years of continual inhabitancy by local Aboriginal tribes, including stunning rock paintings.
2. Arnhem Land (pictured) - designated an Aboriginal reserve in 1931, you can only visit Arnhem Land with a permit or with tour operators who have the confidence of the local elders, such as Sab Lord who runs Lord’s Safaris. Sab grew up with the local indigenous people and Aboriginal artists such as Thompson lead some of his tours. The Injalak Arts and Crafts Centre is excellent, and the 91,000 square kilometres of wilderness is staggeringly beautiful.
3. Litchfield National Park - 100km south of Darwin, this popular park boasts numerous waterfalls, natural waterholes, intriguing magnetic termite mounds that resemble a graveyard full of tombstones, and the striking sandstone pillars of the Lost City.
4. Tiwi Islands - Bathurst and Melville islands, just 80km north of Darwin, are home to the Tiwi Aborigines and a tour here (the only way to visit) allows you to experience an Aboriginal community, and learn about their history, culture and ‘bush tucker’.
5. Territory Wildlife Park - this exceptional wildlife park, 50km from Darwin, features a range of Territorian habitats, including wetlands, monsoon vine forest, and woodlands, nocturnal houses, aviaries and walk-through aquariums, as well as presentations such as “Tucker Time at the Billabong” and “Birds of Prey”. naruto wallpaper 12:03 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
Here's part 2 of our piece just posted on Viator on Australia's Top End. Read part 1 here and the full piece on Viator:6. Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve - the result of an abandoned experimental rice project, this lush dam is a paradise for bird-spotters, with plenty of jacanas and egrets, and the omnipresent magpie geese.
7. Windows on the Wetlands - the impressive Windows on the Wetlands Visitors Centre, 60km from Darwin, gives a great introduction to the northern coastal wetlands. Situated on one of the highest points on the Adelaide River floodplain, there are outstanding views and the chance to spot wallabies, buffalo and feral pigs, especially early morning or late afternoon.
8. Jumping Crocodile Cruises - one of the most popular aspects of a Top End tour is a jumping crocodile cruise. While crocodiles can and will jump to get food (and we’ve seen them do it in the wild), we’re not sure that encouraging them to jump at these extraordinary heights is such a great idea, but it certainly makes for an incredible spectacle.
9. Termite Mounds - the otherworldly termite mounds (enormous ant hills) are found all over the Top End, but one of the best places to see them is in the Litchfield National Park, just after the town of Batchelor. The massive ‘cathedral’ mounds which can be up to 4m high and the ‘magnetic’ or ‘meridian' mounds that resemble tombstones are quite a sight.
10. Adelaide River - Adelaide River played a significant role in WWII as a supply base and today the tiny hamlet with its handful of historic sites is a peaceful place, particularly the perfectly manicured lawns of the town’s war cemetery where many air raid victims are buried. naruto wallpaper 12:02 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
And here's part 2 of our Top things to do in Kakadu; visit Viator for more our more detailed story:6. Jim Jim Falls - this is one set of falls that requires real effort to get to – it’s a bumpy four-wheel-drive, four-hour return trip from the Kakadu Highway, but the rewards when the water is flowing freely are definitely worth it. The falls are at their spectacular best right after they open again after the Wet season ends, around April-May.
7. Twin Falls - you need a high-clearance 4WD (there are deep creek crossings) and a seasoned driver behind the wheel to get to these spectacular falls, but once there, access up Twin Falls gorge is by a boat shuttle service where a boardwalk takes you to the lovely waterhole.
8. Maguk - also known as Barramundi Gorge, this is a fine natural waterhole to visit, even at the driest period of the year – because unlike many others it doesn’t run dry - there is a wonderful walk awaiting visitors through a tropical monsoon forest that thankfully provides some shade, and swimming here is a real treat.
9. Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre - this engaging cultural centre has a circular design based on the shape of a Warradjan (pig-nosed turtle) and the interpretive displays are quite wonderfully immersive, providing excellent details about local aboriginal life in Kakadu, with some fine storytelling.
10. Bowali Visitors Centre - another very worthwhile glimpse of life in Kakadu is at the park’s main visitors centre, which is also the national park headquarters – Kakadu is jointly-managed by the Aboriginal people and the National Parks and Wildlife department. Once again, engaging interpretative displays, entertaining exhibits on flora and fauna, and a recreation of the Kakadu habitat, make this worth a couple of hours of your time. naruto wallpaper 6:59 PM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
Take a look at our latest piece on Viator, Top Things to Do in Kakadu, to find out why World heritage-listed Kakadu National Park is probably Australia’s best-known national park and one of the country's top sights. It's considered a ‘must-do’ on most travellers’ epic around-Australia journeys, but we think it’s a destination in its own right. This colossal park – over 20,000 square kilometres of it! – boasts fascinating flora and fauna (brilliant birdlife!), ancient Aboriginal art, and diverse range of striking landscapes. And now is the best time to visit - the Wet season is ending so the waterfalls are at their most spectacular, and the heat isn’t too debilitating yet. So here's a taster of the top ten things to see and do at Kakadu - visit Viator for more details. 1. Ubirr Rock - most people know Ubirr from its scene-stealing performance in the Crocodile Dundee movie; the rock galleries here reveal that local Aboriginals have known about the place for tens of thousands of years, with renderings of fish and marsupials, and stick-like Mimi spirits, and stunning views to enigmatic Arnhem Land.
2. Yellow Waters - taking a cruise on the calm waters of Yellow Waters lagoon is a real highlight - the wildlife is staggering and the lagoon is a lush ‘birdhouse without borders’ that you float through. There's also the visceral thrill of seeing saltwater crocs - do an early-morning or late afternoon cruise for the best show and most comfortable temperature.
3. Guluyambi Cruise - the laconic humour of the Aboriginal guides makes this boat tour a delight, along with lush scenery, birdlife and plenty more saltwater crocodiles. On our visit at the end of the Dry season we lost count of how many crocs we saw – you need to keep your limbs firmly inside! The insights into Aboriginal mythology, bush survival skills and traditional life are fascinating, and it’s an Aboriginal-owned and operated venture.
4. Nourlangie Rock - the indigenous art on the rock ‘galleries’ make this a real highlight - the protected Anbangbang Shelter paintings show evidence of occupation going back over twenty thousand years; they represent stories that reinforce traditional laws and social beliefs.
5. Gunlom - also known as Waterfall Creek, it's worth the relatively challenging climb (in the heat anyway) to reach the first level waterhole, where the natural ‘infinity pool’ is as photogenic as Kakadu gets and you’re rewarded with a dip to break the mirror-like reflections - after the obligatory photo shoot. naruto wallpaper 6:22 PM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
How well do you research the best times of year to travel to places before you buy your tickets? I'm asking because I was astonished to see Queensland's Great Barrier Reef listed as a place to visit now on a popular travel magazine's site. This is in fact the worst time of year to visit northern Queensland. Indeed, anywhere in northern Australia, known as 'the tropics' - which gives a hint why! It's currently the Wet season, which means it's sweltering, it's raining constantly, there are regular thunderstorms, high winds, strong chances of cyclones, and frequent flooding. And it's going to stay this way until April. Although the tourism bodies and tour operators still try to encourage travellers to visit now. In tropical Queensland for instance they market the season as 'The Green' rather than The Wet as they do in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The Green (like The Wet) begins in early November with a period called The Build-Up when things start get steamy, there are spectacular lightening displays and the first monsoonal showers fall. The heaviest rains hit in January and February, when the humidity is at its highest, before easing off and stopping in April or May when The Dry begins. As a result of the rain, rivers are full, waterfalls flowing, and everything is lush and green. Some argue this is the best time to visit the NT's Kakadu National Park* for instance - they're probably right, but you must have flexible travel plans. Dirt roads turn to mud (if not raging rivers!) and are closed, and if you get trapped somewhere you could be stuck for days if not weeks. Keep in mind the official tourist season (which begins in April/May) ends in October: many resorts shut for the season, operators stop offering tours, and businesses let their staff take leave, staying open for shorter hours with a skeleton team. On the plus side, hotels staying open offer reduced rates. As for the rest of Oz ... while we're finding it lovely and warm here in the south right now, everybody is talking about the "heatwave", bushfires are blazing in SA and NSW, and because school kids are on summer holiday families take their annual breaks, so accommodation is fully booked and anything near the beach is expensive. As far as I'm concerned, the best times to visit anywhere in Australia are spring and autumn (fall). But before you buy your tickets, rather than following false advice, check Australia's reliable Bureau of Meteorology website.* Take a look at the fascinating six seasons that the indigenous people of Kakadu follow here.
Pictured? Our vehicle on the Mereenie Loop, an outback track west of Alice Springs, just before we were caught in a flash flood in early November. Read about our adventure on Terry's blog Wide angles, wine and wanderlust in his post Staying calm in the eye of the storm, part 1 and part 2.
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Best time to visit Australia? It may be summer, but don't head Down Under
Posted by BEST TRAVEL GUIDE on Sunday, January 11, 2009
We're currently on the road in outback Australia, with little access to the internet, which is why you haven't been hearing from me much. However, my husband and co-writer, Terry, who occasionally posts here, has been inspired by various experiences (which no doubt he'll tell you about), to start his own blog: Wide angles, Wine and Wanderlust. You can read about why he started the blog and how he hopes to differentiate it from all the other travel, photography and food and wine blogs out there, here on the first post: Dear God, not another blog. We're in the Northern Territory and we're hitting the road again now and going bush, so you'll hear from me at the end of the week when we should have access to the internet again. Pictured? That's Terry shooting a pic of a gorgeous lizard on a post recently at Uluru (Ayers Rock).
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