Billy's Camp No.22, Shady Camp, Mary River Nat Park

31/07/2012

Hi All,
I left Jabiru on 22/07/12 and traveled the Arnhem Hwy and Point Stuart Rd to Shady Camp in the Mary River National Park. The camp is located next to the Mary River and the Mary River Barrage. The barrage is man made and replaces eroded natural sand bank barrages. The barrage is a popular land based barra fishing spot and several 800 + fish were caught. One side of the barrage is fresh water and the other salt, the anglers cast soft plastics repeatedly to the salt side on a high tide, the fish come up to the flowing fresh water to feed. Single hook only and no trebles. A possession limit of two barra applies to the river. I fished by boat on the tidal side twice without luck, but fished the fresh side one day and caught several, with one keeper of 600. The taste is different for the fresh water barra, less firmness and a slight muddiness, but acceptable. The locals throw them back, if they were caught in Lake Burley Griffen, they would be eaten with glee. The crocs are again everywhere, on one bank I counted 15 in 200 meters, all at a stones throw to the boat.
All the camp sites are becoming dry and dusty and I'm contemplating skipping some areas and getting to the coast of WA quicker. I can see them next trip up here :)
I stayed at Shady Camp for 4 nights and am now near Darwin in Humpty Doo.

Smokey sunset

Mary River, low tide

Mary River, high tide, barrage is to the left

Mary River mouth and Timor Sea

Barrage with the fresh flowing

Best to launch at low tide and return at high

Baby Barra

600 fresh Barra

450 HP on not so big a crabbers boat, 45 times more HP than me

Crocs galore

Acres of Lotus flowers

Road to Point Stuart, tunnels of flowers

Tick off Buffalo...

The ocean is behind the mangroves :(

What work !

Fannie Bay, Darwin

I'm going to hang around Darwin for a while. From what I've seen of it to date, it is a beautiful clean picturesque city.

Ooroo for now,
Bill(y)

Billy's Camps No's 19,20 & 21 Kakadu Nat Park

21/07/2012

Hi All,
I left Katherine on Monday 16th and traveled the Stuart Hwy, stopping at Edith Falls for a look before going to Pine Creek and then turning right onto the Kakadu Hwy. The single lane roads are a thing of the past now, for the moment. I camped at Maguk ( Barramundi Falls) for one night, two nights at Garnamarr ( Jim Jim Falls) and then at Jabiru for three nights. From Jabiru I branched out daily for the nearby features.No more breakdowns to date!
Five months have just ticked over and about 13,000k's...should I count those traveled on the back of the truck ? Fuel at Katherine was $1.50/l and is $1.67 at Jabiru.

Edith Falls

The flower from the Kapok tree.....yep same one

Seed pods from the same plant...smallish egg size.

A gum flower..tbc

This is typical landscape in between the rock formations and therefor the features

The camper had its first ever wash in Katherine, it was red again very soon

Disgruntled Parra termite supporters ?

This one is roughly 5 meters tall

Many visitor information signs are past their use by date, but the warning signs are legally very legible

Barramundi falls billabong

Barramundi Falls

No fishing !

The road to Jim Jim Falls x 10k

Jim Jim Falls

To put the size into perspective, thats 3 girls swimming out to the falls

Croc trap, the rangers trap salt water crocs after the wet to return them whence they came...most of them anyway !

Yellow Waters

Yellow Waters... this guy stalked these two birds for 15mins before they all disappeared from site around the corner, result unknown, but he wasnt perturbed by the 10 people watching him.

....closer

More typical landscape

The rock art is a feature in Kakadu and it is at its best at Ubirr

tick off wild boar...still no camels

Wetlands near Nourlangie

Compare my pic to the advisory sign below :)

See ya later Aligator..

Me thinks its the same croc in the same billabong, but this sign was elsehwere

I like the symbol at the bottom..just add a red top :)

My favorite guy...a water monitor not sure what type

I didnt take notice at the time but I'm thinking he would be 1200mm long all up.

Campsite buddy

The best unburnt view available in Kakadu at Ubirr, 360 ', half wetlands half stone country.

Ubirr grinding holes

The pipe says it all..contact with white man

It looks imposing, but in reality its a very small mine compared to the size of its surrounds

???

At the campground in Jabiru, Jabiru, the township was established by the mining company when the mine was developed.

Off to Shady Camp tomorrow,

ooroo

Bill (y)