Sun, Sept 9 - Kakadu to Katherine

(photo: Red-tailed Black Cockatoo)

Checked out of the Crocodile Hotel and headed south, past Nourlangie and Yellow Water, through 120 km more of Kakadu National Park. The southern end has more hills and therefore is more interesting. Stopped at several billabongs and overlooks, leaving the park and drove into Pine Creek and up to its water tower where Bob’s bird guide said the Hooded Parrot was supposed to be, so we stood there on the dusty hillside in the blazing heat for a while before driving back into the tiny town for a sullenly served and overly fried chicken burger and their featured treat, a mango smoothie, that tasted very tinned. We were feeling a little discouraged by then, but spied a huge windmill at the end of the street and discovered that somebody in this micro town had had the gumption to pump water from a nearby lake and create a marvelous water park right in the middle of town. A series of lily ponds surrounded by lush vegetation had been constructed in an old railroad right-of-way and the parrots, being no fools, were right there! We only saw females, but they were a lovely lime green with turquoise rumps and yellow under parts. There were also Sulfur-crested and Red-tailed Black Cockatoos, and Rainbow Lorikeets.

We continued down to the town of Katherine and turned east off the Stuart Highway toward Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park. We drove 30 km to Maud Creek Country Lodge, where Wilhem greeted us with his rambunctious dogs and took us to our wonderful cottage complete with swimming pool, shady porch, kitchen, ceiling fans. We sat on the porch, rehydrating with Cokes while Nina, one of the dogs, kept bringing us a slobbery chewed-up ball to throw. She was thrilled to find two pushovers like us to play with.

Places to eat at are a good distance away, and the Lodge had stocked our frig with wine and beer so we decided we’d rather relax and cook than drink and drive and went back to Katherine to “Woolie’s”, the local grocery chain, and stocked up on eggs, mushroom, tomatoes.

Good dinner of wine and scrambled eggs.