Kakadu National Park, staying at Jabaru and then Cooinda

Stayed at the Aurora Tourist Park, no free camping at the moment because of the hot weather, 38 degrees every day now so electricity for the air conditioners now.

11th Sept: Mamukala Wetlands, went for a 3 km walk around the wetlands to see thousands of Magpie Geese, the noise was a hum like a bee hive. We drank about 4 litres between us, by the time we had finished it was getting very hot.

Rested in the afternoon heat and then went to Ubirr to see the sunset from the lookout and also to see the heritage rock art by the aborigines ancestors, very old, 20,000 years of more.

12th Sept: rest day and work/school work catch up. Organised the permit into Oenpelli. Talked to our neighbours, Linda and Jamie who were camped in a open walled tent with only flyscreen. Jamie from Thursday Island had been catching and researching crocs and had got a job at the caravan park as the chef for the bistro. Linda was very shy at the start but eventually talked non stop about her aboriginal family and spiritual stories of the land. She made bead jewelery, which the kids helped her with and then started to paint. She was originally from the central desert and also had family in Darwin and Arnhem land so she had a blend of dot painting and xray painting.

13th Sept: Drove into Oenpelli, 13 km's into Arnhem land to go to the art gallery. We weren't allowed to stop anywhere apart from the art gallery but managed to take some shots of the Red Lily pond and some nice scenery. The landscape was much nicer in Arnhem land. The gallery was full of all types of aboriginal art and they were sitting around the building making didgeridoos, grass baskets and painting xray art. One artist, Graeme, was making paint from ochre, glue and waters, the real deal! We crossed the Alligator River at Cahill crossing back to Kakadu and saw looks of big salties, when the tide went out, 2 crocs crossed the road.

Rested for the afternoon and then went to the Jabiru Festival, ate bush pig and barramundi cooked under the ground on paperbark, nice, we missed sampling the magpie geese. We listened to the band, walked around the stalls and finished off watching fireworks the went on and on.

Kids were taught how to do the dot painting by Linda and sat with her all day working on their paintings while listening to her dreaming stories.

Went for a walk around aboriginal rock art at Nourlangie Rock and the Anbangbang billabong with Linda and Jamie. Heaps of different birds. Linda tried to find a turtle with a stick for the kids and us to eat but she only found a rock. She was great for the kids, a priceless lesson for them.

Bought painting that Linda had been painting for us day and night for three days. Linda gave up necklaces with seeds on them to keep spirits away, Brett's has a big croc tooth on his.

Tuesday 16th Sept: Moved on to Cooinda to stay at the resort, caught up with a bit of work and then went in the pools for the rest of the day.

Thursday 18th: Went on the Yellow Waters walk with the ranger at 8 am, lovely. Saw little frogs, lots of birds and burramundi.

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