Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Old Update # 16 - Mataranka, Katherine Gorge & Edith Falls

MATARANKA THERMAL SPRINGS (26/05/08)

After an enlightening and encouraging week-end at Jilkminggan, we headed North again in the direction of Darwin - keep saying that don't I ?
Mataranka Springs was a favourite of both Heidi + I from previous visits when we were kids.

We were both wondering though just how different it would be - 30-ish years later.

Well - still beautiful - but now it had concrete steps, grab rails etc etc.

We 'fluked' a non-busy' time and left once a tour-group showed up (There's so many of them up this way)


Still beautiful water - very relaxing - still just about perfectly body temperature.




UNTIL! ! ! !


This is when we left. "Curse those tour-groups" (We'll probably be on one someday).






KATHERINE GORGE (27+28/05/08)

Again - fond memories of this from years ago.

But this time - not so grand. Maybe because it's quite commercialised now - or perhaps we have been just 'plain-ole' spoilt with what we have seen up to now.

Still good though.

Lookout to only the 1st part of the gorge.






Salt-water crocodile trap at the early part of the gorge. A definite warning !. They don't set these just for "Freshies".


Boat cruise up 3 sections of the gorge.

Swimming hole at end of Gorge 3. The swimming hole was cool enough !- but the waterfall was freezing!!!!!


Me + Emma - IT WAS SO COLD.


A Fresh-water Croc - They don't bite too much.






KATHERINE GORGE CAMPING AREA.


This roo is obviously very used to visitors.




"Come on -put 'em up !"

James hand-feeding it. Funny story about this Roo. At about 2am I awoke to the sound of it mucking around outside our van. It sounded ominous - I got up just in time to see it make off with a sheet of James schooling work. How about THAT for an excuse to the teacher??


Check the eye-shadow this "bird's" got on.


Movie-time for the kids. A rare treat - not that we with-hold it. They just seem busy with other things. You can see our Aust Map on the RHS - with the on-going trail of our journey.











EDITH FALLS (29/05/08)

Another memory from years ago.

Great spot this.

Fresh - sweet water. Cascading waterfall.

AFTER SO MUCH DUST on the weeks before this - this was so refreshing.

ALSO Months of chilly nights and no warm 'swimmy' type weather - it was a real welcome change.

In the past week we had swam a few times (Katherine Gorge, Jilkminggan) and we were starting to LOVE this part of the NT by this stage. This part of the NT has so much to offer in this type of thing. (So has the Kimberley in WA for that matter)

Start of the walk to Edith Falls (roughly a 1.5 hr return walk)

View of Edith Falls while on the walk. - we swam at the upper falls (at the rear of the photo)




Only a small part of the swimming area. Emma & I were later jumping off the Left Hand Side. It was sooooo good to be in this part of the country.




That's Emma & I at the bottom right of the falls.


Mmmmmmm...... not really too sure why we took this photo.... or why I loaded it onto the blog?????.. Oh well...it's there now !!!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Old Update #15 - Jilkminggan/Duck Creek Aboriginal Community

Jilminggan (30 kmE of Mataranka) 23/05/08 - 26/05/08.

After Devil's Marbles we continued heading North towards Darwin.
We had heard along the way of a family serving where the need was great in an Aboriginal Community just near Mataranka. Jilkminggan or 'Duck Creek' are it's names.
This was about 30 kms East from Mataranka along the 'Roper Hwy'. Part of 'Elsey Station' Ref: "We of the Never Never".


We had arranged to visit Col & Barb Goodvin for a week-end.


We were keen for the kids to see another side of Aboriginal life as compared to what we had seen in Coober Pedy.
This was Phil & Vicki Pollock's(Now Surfers Cong) ole' stomping ground.
This was an awesome experience - living in a community for a few days. And seeing a glimpse of the effort that some of our Bro's & Sis's go to for the sake of the good news.


Of course - I am writing this 4-ish months later. Nothing has really changed with our view of the work that's going in these areas. There is only one thing that's changed - our surprise at the AMOUNT of people that are extending themselves in remote areas.


Just on the side of the Roper Hwy.



Signs like this kind of un-nerve me with 2.5 tonne of van on the back!!




Entrance signs to the Community.


Some communities are VERY SERIOUS about no grog etc. There are some that will actually exercise their power to CONFISCATE YOUR VEHICLE - FOR GOOD !!!


Others though - couldn't give 2 hoots. This community was mid-way I suppose. Alcohol banned - but not policed too well. We were advised to stash of stuff out of sight etc.


Due to petrol sniffing problems, we also stowed the Jerry Can of spare fuel under lock & key. Unreal ay?



Here's our home for a few days (Between Bro Joe's home and Bro William's home)-Just behind the Kingdom Hall.


Another view - CHECK THE DIFFERENCE ON VEGETATION COMPARED TO THE NIGHT BEFORE (Devil's Marbles).




William and Anna's kids. (Witnesses in the community)


Typical dump area.


THERE IS SOME BEAUTIFUL AND VERY UNTOUCHED scenery through here. Only local knowledge gets you to these spots though.


Here's the local waterfall - absolutely pristine.



This is Col - showing us 'The Junction'.


They're pretty serious about the whole 'Our Land' bit.


There was some beautiful areas (including wetlands around here)




Emma with a couple of witness kids.



THIS IS CLASSIC. Col has a Garden Shed next to their caravan and inside is a LARGE SCREEN PROJECTOR TV. Surround sound - bla bla bla. So here we are, out in the middle of nowhere, watching Andre Rieu on a big screen.


Here's the Kingdom Hall (Our caravan on RHS of screen) The hall part is just the right hand half.

Ummm.. yeah.. this IS Australia.

We have recently heard that they are planning on 'extending' the Kingdom Hall out to the mesh screen. The high attendances have brought this on.
Out front of the hall.


Meeting times - Note the Pidgin English - Creole.

Check the night meeting times. 7:30 "Sangodan" = "Sun - gone- down" (ie Night-time)

Inside the KH - Sunday meeting

This was a unique experience at the time. Quite a few of the 'Isolated Groups' up this way use 'Skype' for their meetings. It enables them to have Public Talks regularly. They can also use it for W/T and Ministry School. Talks and comments can be fed 'both ways'- but not always used for W/T etc (Better to operate as smaller group for that type of meeting). GREAT USE OF TECHNOLOGY though for TMS, Serv Meeting and sharing the load from the Public Talks around.

Again we are writing this 4-ish months later. This 'Skype' thing we have now seen on several occasions. It still blows us away. It must really help those Bro's & Sis's who are isolated - to feel a bit more connected that they would otherwise.

THIS IS MARNEY (From Perth) AND CARLA (Local)! (Obviously Heidi felt immediate friendship)



Lunch-time after the meeting at Col and Barbara's place. Some here from Perth and Katherine also.

After Lunch- a few of us went to swim on one of the local swimming holes.



Lot's of fun.



Plus some archery with the local kids.


Our last night with the Goodvin clan.

Col's part Aboriginal - this is some of HIS art.



THANKS AGAIN FOR A GREAT WEEK-END COL & BARB.


All this fun... in just a few days !

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Old Update #14 - Moon over Devils Marbles

So... The 'Moon' over the Devils Marbles

Here we go again......



See...



Old Update #13-North of Alice- Devils Marbles.

Heading North from Alice Springs we came across this little Cairn...


















and Guess Who was here 31 years earlier?

Check the HOT CHICK in the Commer Van ! ! ! Rdrdrdrdrdrdrdrddrdrdrdrdrd.
Hi Mum ! Still got those Sunnies??? They'd probably look OK now too ! ! !

DEVIL'S MARBLES
Then onto the Devils Marbles where we camped for the night.


Incredible - out in the middle of no-where. Boulders everywhere piles up ontop of each other.
Here's Dad and I in 1977

and this year ???
Come on Emma -you get up here too...
This was a lot of fun - revisiting and re-creating.
Just 1 finger.


Dinner Time.

CAMPING AREA - Check how BUSY it was - yuck !

That's us on the bottom of the photo - 2nd from the right.

Yes, yes... I know.... The SMALL one ! !
Sunrise.
Still Sunrise....
Leaving the Devils Marbles.

This is only a TINY part of many, many piles of these things.

All of a sudden the scenery changed - and there were TREES and what's that other stuff ??.... Oh yeah .. Grass. This change in scenery all happened in the space of a couple of 100 kms.

Boy there's a lot of straight road out here ! !