northern territory: nitmiluk national park, leliyn

Also known as Edith Falls, Leliyn is a beautiful spot. There are a few bush walks from the campground ($25/n for the family) and we chose to take the kids on the 1.6km loop to the Upper Pool and back down the other side. We also left our camera behind so there are no photos of the gorgeous rock pools. 

On our second day B got through some school work before heading to the huge lower pool. It wasn't as warm as the springs though! 

B has taken to whittling again and made this neat spear. The hammock was a good spot to read the afternoon away with a new book. 

Initially we thought we'd stay a night but ended up staying three at Leliyn. The grounds are pleasant with actual real green grass! Fellow travellers will understand our excitement as we had somewhere the kids could run and Little A could practice his walking. We were pleased to not be packing, unpacking and racing off. 

Little A is cutting a good set of (five or more) teeth at the moment and whilst we've noticed he's a slightly more demanding version of his usual happy-go-lucky self, he's coping pretty well with the pain. After thirteen months he's finally going to have some teeth to gnaw with!

northern territory: tjuwaliyn hot springs

We'd planned to farewell my parents from Kakadu but it made sense to change (ever changing) plans when they mentioned a possible return to Tjuwaliyn (also known as Douglas Daly). There are exceptions to the rule of never going backwards and this was one of them. The campground is by the banks of The springs and its a short walk down to the water which is a woman's sacred site. Visitors are asked to bathe only in the sections of the springs close to the campground which were mind blowing. Although the water temperate varied in pools some of the water was too hot to touch let alone swim in. 

A bunch of kids lined up to do bombies. The pool came with its own springboard.  

Little A had a ball sometimes crawling, sometimes swimming, sometimes walking through the water. The temperature was bearable for the little lad. 

And the rest of us! 

It was a sad farewell with my parents who we had such a memorable holiday with. We're all going to miss other!

Ochre paints at the springs. Thanks Mum for this photo. 

northern territory: anbangbang, yellow waters

There's no better way to experience the wetlands of Yellow Waters than on a crocodile-proof cruise which we did with Ma and Grug. The kids were just as excited for the five-minute bus ride to the jetty as the boat ride. 

An egret, a shag and a whitebreasted sea eagle on the banks of Yellow Waters. 

There was so much wildlife to see on the cruise - dozens of huge (and smaller) saltwater crocodiles and beautiful water birds including eagles, kites, egrets, brolgas and rainbow bee-eaters. The billabong was lined with the beautiful lotus and pandanus plants. It must be magic to see this place teaming with wildlife during the wet and at the beginning of the dry season. 

Anbangbang (wrongly but more commonly known as Nourlangie) is about half an hour by car from Cooinda and the site of more incredible rock art. Sheltered by huge overhangs much of the paint has remained intact over thousands of years. If you're in the area be sure to tack on to a free ranger guided talk. The national park rangers present informative and engaging talks about the sites. 

Thanks to my mum for these two photographs. 

On our tour with Animal Tracks Patsy taught us how to identify a green ant's nest. Green ants are a bush medicine used to relieve a headache and quell a sore tummy. We showed the children how, with a quick movement, Patsy quickly removed a nest and squished the ants before producing the medicine. Strangely the ants do taste like salt and vinegar chips. 

northern territory : kakadu, gagadju, maguk

Maguk Falls was a short drive in (on dirt) from the Gungurul free camp ($6.60/n) on the Kakadu Highway. It's about a kilometre up to the falls on a raised boardwalk and then along a rocky path. The waterhole is huge and beautiful.

Thanks to my mum for these three photos. 

We needed a swim after a hot walk in to the falls and it wasn't long before the kids and J were jumping off the rocks in to the cool water. Soon after B was scaling the five metre high cliffs and jumping in to the water hole and coming up beaming. Our boy has certainly gained a mountain of confidence since we left Sydney eight months ago. 

You can just see the colours of Bs rash vest as he's plunging in to the water hole!

Nothing can compare to the black kites which soar the Kimberley and top end skies. You'll be outside only to have a shadow fly overhead and look up to see the unmistakable outline of the scalloped tail and distal wings of the black kite.  

Slowly the black kites have been replaced by the whistling kite with their distinctive cries. These birds both hone in on the fire fronts when traditional burning takes place in the Kimberley and Kakadu, searching for small prey who scuttle out from the bush in search of safety from the fire. 

Traditional Burning takes place in the dry season and continues to be a practice used by National Parks to maintain biodiversity in this region. Fires are critical for the reproduction of some plants while others suffer under the conditions so a balance is necessary in considering the needs of a range of species in the parks. 

northern territory: kakadu, gagadju, animal tracks

It seems like a lifetime ago but about 18 months ago we were sitting a fancy Christmas dinner in Sydney with a bunch of Js colleagues. We were discussing our plans to do the big lap of Australia when one colleague insisted we do Patsy's tour in Kakadu. "If you are a foodie," he'd said, "you'll love it." 

I did a bit of research and a few weeks ago I found the notes of made for the Animal Tracks tour which leaves from Cooinda Lodge where we were staying with my parents. 

My parents were happy to mind the big kids while J and I headed out for the evening. I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone who might take this tour but it really was a great experience. 

Attendees collected seasonal produce - fresh water mussels, bush carrots and what was left of water chestnuts at the end of a dry dry season. 

Preparing the magpie goose. Pluck, singe feathers, gut, portion, cook, eat. 

Patsy taught us some bush medicine and then her and our host Mark cooked our dinner the traditional way - on coals in a paperbark oven. We ate buffalo, magpie goose and barramundi on the edges of wetlands where thousands, some say millions, of magpie geese were nesting. 

It wasn't long before the loveable whistling kites came in for their share.  Back in the bus two dingos could be seen circling what was left of our feed.  

Thanks for the tip Paul. We are so pleased we took this tour. 

northern territory: kakadu, gagadju, ubirr

The lookout provides an insanely awesome vantage point across the wetlands at Ubirr and in to Arnhem Land. We took our picnic dinner up the hill to watch the sun set on another day. 

B said that he always does the "thumbs up" so people know it's a good place to visit. 

After our very disrupted sleep the night before we bunkered down with sticky tape across the window seals. We bombed the inside of the van with a generous spray of mortein in the afternoon which we usually avoid but bought especially. It was a huge relief when we all woke up after sunrise the next morning. 

The free ranger-lead talks throughout Kakadu provide insight in to this sacred place. There's also weaving workshops run by local women. We caught up with Ranger Glen at Ubirr and joined him on a 2.5 hour long visit to the art sites. 

In addition to the history of the ancient artworks we heard a lot about the hard work that the community put in to have Gagadju recognised as a national park and eventually as a World Heritage Area. 

A figure with swollen limbs is depicted in the image below. It is said that swollen joints are a common side affect on the body after exposure to radioactive material. You may or may not remember that the Jabiru Uranium Mine is located in Jabiru. This image is thousands of years old. 

This is the place where locals say the Rainbow Serpent left its imprint in the rock after creating the surrounding parts of Kakadu. It may not be convincing to everyone but right across the world people have creation stories. 

northern territory : kakadu, arnhem land

We wanted to see Kakadu and Arnhem Land. It's a part of Australia we've seen on doco's and featured in films but we came with fresh eyes, not really knowing what to expect. Once again a part of this country has been forged in our hearts as a treasured place. 

We pulled in to Merl campground at Ubirr late in the day which is never a good sign of things to come. It was too hot to cook in the van (high thirties) and mozzies were already starting to take their place against the fly screens so we bunkered in for a mezze platter. 

The kids are still adjusting to the 1.5hr time difference with Western Australia and getting them to bed early is proving difficult. The heat coupled with hundreds of mozzies getting in somewhere wasn't a good combination for getting to bed early or having a good night. And we didn't. I think we had four hours sleep that first night between smashing the little blood-filled blighters and tending to hot thirsty kids. 

We were easily distracted from our mozzie bites and the elements once we looked out of the van at Merl. It is a stunning place to wake up set amongst the pandanus palms. We pre-booked our permit in to Arnhem Land and tour to Injalak Hill and it was an early, hazy start to cross the East Alligator River by 8:30 in the morning. 

Roland was our guide up Injalak Hill. It was a privilege to see artworks on the walls of the rocks dating back 20,000 years. Here lies evidence of the longest continuous culture on the planet. Our short time on Earth and contribution to the world pales in to insignificance. 

The artworks here depict foods and other plants and animals endemic to the area including long-necked turtle, barramundi, mullet. Legends told and retold over thousands of years are also painted here. 

Here you can see the palette and the canvas. These grind holes, used to grind rock in to ocre paints (from about 50km from this site) are literally thousands of years old. 

There are three brothers - making up Injalak (Long Tom Fish) Hill, Leech Hill and Magpie Goose Hill. These places are sacred sites for the locals. 

Our tour finished at the Arts Centre which houses a large number of artworks by local artists and sales are used to fund the running of the centre and community workshops for tourists. We bought a beautiful painting of a barramundi by

?? Glen 

who uses only ocres in his paintings. It has its place in our caravan now. 

northern territory: darwin

We initially thought we'd just duck in to Darwin, meet Ma and Grug and head back out of town but we needed to restock the fridge and get a few odd jobs done. Standing in the Optus shop for three hours isn't my idea of fun but it had to be done! 

Free Spirit Caravan Park had been recommended to us by travelling friends and with three pools, jumping pillow, a free kids club and usual amenities it was a comfortable place to stay. Whilst it was a bit of a drive in to town it was close to the free and awesome YMCA water park in Palmerston! I should have done my research because our dearest girl didn't meet the height minimum of 110cm for the big slide (but she may or may not have got two slides in before we realised). 

Rapid Creek Markets is a foodies heaven and you can buy anything from the freshest Asian fruit and veggies to soups, homemade rice noodle and egg noodles for your own cooking. There's herbs and Asian desserts. Our daughter asked that I bring back a pineapple and a mango. I also grabbed veggies, a bright sweet watermelon. And I had the tastiest laksa for brekky. 

On the way to Darwin we met a grey nomad couple who suggested we go to Mindil Markets. "Take your own chair. Take your own drinks and take your own food," they said, "then you don't have to buy anything." Instead we took our picnic rug, our drinks bottles and ate this feast of treats from across the globe. We had Thai, Vietnamese Japanese Sri Lankan Greek and Indonesian! We love that we can sit back in an Aussie city and experience our country's diversity.

J had himself volunteered at the foreshow. That's him holding the ladder just before the entertainer juggled flaming machetes. Truly. He thinks he's going to take up a new vocation. We're not convinced. 

northern territory: litchfield national park

You can enter Litchfield from the north nearer to Darwin or the south through Batchelor (formally known at Rum Jungle). A little shout out to my uncle here. His sister, my mother, used to threaten to take him to Rum Jungle and leave him there. It's not as bad and scary as you might think Uncle. (I'm hoping I've allayed his childhood fears.)

Wangi Wangi Falls is the national park run campground but we pulled in to the last site at 11am. Once again, if you want a site, you've got to think and act like a grey nomad. Pack your van and head off at 5am to ensure a site. 

Wangi Wangi Falls is accessible from the campground and day carpark. We happened to be there over the Darwin long weekend and watched as cars circled the campground in the hope of scoring a site. Sadly many campers also took the opportunity to light their own campfires despite warnings not to do so. 

We swam at Wangi a few times over the weekend and met a lovely ex-Darwin family with grown up children who had travelled extensively through Australia when their kids were young. They are now grown up and fondly reminisce about those times. They were visiting Wangi and, more significantly, Giants Pocket because it was a place their son wanted to see again. It's not nearly as big as he remembers. 

We hope that when our children think back on the adventures we've shared together they also think fondly of them. 

Florence Falls walk includes about 130 stairs right down to the bottom of the falls. It was a beautiful beit challenging walk but there were barely any complaints from the little people. P did come a cropper and landed on her back after slipping from a large rock. She was as brave as could be but it gave her and I a shock.  

One morning before breakfast the kids and I did the walk from Wangi Wangi up to the lookout at the top. We loved looking out through the treetops and J and the kids repeated the whole loop later in the day. 

western australia, northern territory: lake argyle to litchfield national park

There are a few rest stops between Lake Argyle and Litchfield that aren't too rough. We did venture in to Mary River rest stop one afternoon only to be mightily disappointed with the countless vans (over 100 camped in total) who were clearly set up for a stay longer than the 24 hour maximum. Sadly individuals had left their rubbish by the bins only to have it blown about the place by the wind. It's stories like these that will have people like them complaining when free camps are closed for good. A council somewhere has to pick up after these grubs. 

Late one afternoon we pulled in to the Mathison Rest Area just as a few grey nomad couples were stirring their camp oven stew. It looked and smelled amazing and they were really accomodating of our loud and tired family. I loved that these guys, who'd been on the road together for a couple of months, use their camp ovens each night and combine meals. 

I can't even remember what we ate for tea that night but we watched on in fascination (& envy) as they topped their stew with a damper mix (in scone sized drops) 22 minutes before it was due to come off the heat. When the lid came off each diner was treated to a hearty stew and a perfectly cooked scone to soak up the juices! Brilliant!!

I coined the meal "Quarantine Stew" as it can easily be made the night before you're due to pass through a quarantine checkpoint with whatever fresh veggies are remaining and would otherwise be confiscated. The name was quickly aquired by our new friends.

We got away from Katherine later than we had intended. We needed to restock but the springs in town were such a welcome relief from being confined to the car. 

As usual we planned our stop as we were pulling in and, again, it was late in the afternoon. We weren't the last to arrive at Bridge Creek Rest Area though and the kids soon made friends with some backpackers whom they shared a game of Connect 4 with after dinner. And the rumours are true - Lawrence the rooster is a friendly host. I'm sure he's still crowing for a mate.   

western australia : lake argyle

Lake Argyle is one of those places that is raved about by visitors but not a place I need to return to. It wasn't unpleasant but there are just so many other beautiful spots in the world. Perhaps we just don't see the charm in large dams. 

J, however, did enjoy his kayak on the Ord River along with freshies, whistling kites and a white-breasted sea eagle whom was very interested in the lone kayaker. 

The steps down to the lake from the resort are poorly maintained and very wobbly. The rest of the family jumped in from the aging pontoon though and assured me it was considerably warmer than the infinity pool of which the resort is famous for. 

western australia : purnululu

Purnululu (commonly known as the Bungle Bungles) has a number of great walks some of which are suitable for walking with children. 

Access to the walks is a 1.5-2 hour drive from the highway on a rough dirt road. I decided to take the older kids (4yo and 6yo) while Mummy and Little A stayed behind at the Bungle Bungle Caravan Park.

The big kids were really keen to go bush walking and were very excited to be camping in a tent. Our daughter was up and ready to go first thing!

The kids and I drove in early in the day to allow enough time to walk to the impressive Cathedral Gorge and The Domes. 

The walk was quite achievable for the kids although the heat of the day got to them as we walked in the creek bed towards Cathedral Gorge. A lovely couple from The Channon (Northern NSW) encouraged and distracted the kids for the final stretch! The cavernous gorge was impressive and the coolness offered by its shade and still pool most welcome. I marvelled at its grandeur while the kids settled into building a dam in the sand by the pool.

On the return walk along the rocky creek bed the kids played in a deep rock hole full of stones (& two dried cane toad carcasses). 

The rock hole became the main scene of the evening bedtime story where the kids met a new character, 'Knotty' the Numbat, who led them to a secret door in Cathedral Gorge and a mysterious world underground!

We had erected our tent at the Kurrajong Campground adjacent to some other families. Alas being school holidays they were on a short trip and we wouldn't cross paths again unfortunately!

A few minutes star gazing through the tent ceiling was all the kids could manage before dozing off into a slumber that only a bush walk and a tent can provide.

The morning light streamed through the tent walls and soon I had two very energetic kids jumping on me! After a breakfast of muesli with warm milk and banana, school journal writing for B, and a play with several kids who gathered at our camp, we set course for Echidna Chasm.

The walk through the stony creek bed up towards Echidna Chasm was a little challenging for little feet although they've conquered far worse of course. A couple of hundred metres into this first walk of the day P was convinced that she was teetering on the edge of exhaustion but they soon thought up some games and before we entered the cool, dark labyrinth P had collected four long sticks to carry on her merry way! We weaved our way through the mighty fracture, two sheer rock walls towering either side above us and although P's sticks frequently jammed between the narrow sides of the gorge and despite my gentle persuasions that we could always pick them up on our way back out she insisted that she really must continue to persevere to the very end, around boulders, past other walkers, up the ladders. Upon reaching the final cavern and while B attempted to scale the sheer rock walls, P dropped her bundle of sticks as though it were common house dirt and began inventing another game. 

We shared a couple of oranges before evacuating ourselves from the tortuous intestines of the Echidna. It was a magnificent finale to our Purnululu adventures and although I had no idea what to expect and didn't plan it that way I feel it was a wise decision to do the southern end of the park first and leaving the impressive Echidna as our last stop.

We didn't muck around getting on our way back to 'our roaming home'. We know very well where the best cook, cooking and catering is in this vast brown land and we were famished!!

Although it didn't stop us taking a break from the rough 50km road about half way for a cup of tea and a spot of cow shit cricket! Oh and two separate trips off piste to dig a hole for number twos that didn't exist five minutes before when I had asked!!!!