Friday, June 27, 2014

Aboriginal People Part 2 - Post Contact

After European contact in 1788 the Aboriginal People were not united to aggressively resist the invaders the same way the N American Indian tried.  While some tried to adapt and work with the white man, there were many skirmishes and some attacks on the pastoralists (farmers).  But the death ratio of cross cultural conflict was a lopsided 10 to 1 aborignial killings to white.  More than that, western diseases wiped out over half the population.    

In the mid nineteenth century British Imperialism, science, and pseudo-science rationalized the ursurpation of the the land and paternalism toward the original inhabitants.  For example, Darwin's Survival of the Fittest was used as Social Darwinism to explain why europeans can and should take over other cultures and impose their will.  They were a superior race.  


It ignores history and perspectives of the time to judge those original colonists and viewpoints.  One of the most influential books for me that examines why one culture or race dominated another is in Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel".  It puts aside the racism of Social Darwinism and instead looks at geographic, economic, and environmental factors.  

In the nineteenth century there were Royal, governmental, and humanitarian efforts to treat the aboriginals more fairly and humanely, though still never quite equally.  In addition, there was an Aboriginal movement called Radical Hope in an attempt to keep their culture, but participate in the economy like a white man.  It was impossible to live in the bush as they did before because of environmental damage caused by invasive species and ranching eliminated the traditional bush tucker (food available in the wild).  But fear, economics, and racism ultimately prevailed in legistlation at turn of the twentieth century in the Aboriginal Acts at both a state and federal level.  These codified further atrocities against the Aboriginal People.  Unlike the US policy of segregation, the Australian policy was of assimilation.  The word sounds more benign than the intent and application.  The goal was to wipe out the Aboriginal People through separation of parents from children (the Stolen Generation), blending of races, and destroying their culture.  The United Nations eventually called assimilation genocide.   

Modeling the civil rights movement of the US, Aboriginal People in Austraila began a slow process of using the white legal system to eventually get civil rights and land ownership.  One unique aspect of the colonization of Australia vs North America is there were actually few treaties with the Aborginal People because they didn't acknowledge their ownership of the land.  The British just occupied it. Thus, once the legal framework was established that they actually "owned" the land prior to colonization, then the legal right that they still owned it could be established.  After this transfer of Crown Lands and eventually National Parks to Aboriginal communities occured relatively quickly in the scheme of politics.  These included the right to veto, or receive royalties for, mineral exploration on those lands. Thus, as previously noted Uluru, Kata Juta and Kakadu are in the possession of the Aboriginal People, leased back to the Federal Government, and jointly managed.

Aboriginal Flag in protest march.

In 2008, PM Kevin Rudd issued a Federal Government apology "for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians."  And "for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country."  This has gone a long way toward improving relations.  

After Kevin Rudd's "Sorry" speech.

Today there is less than 10% of precontact people who claim aboriginal ancestry and only about 10,000 non-mixed peoples.  Aboriginal People still have a shorter life expectancy, less educational achievement, and less economic opportunity.  An MPs review this decade of their living conditions in Western Australia reminded me Bobby Kennedy's review of Appalachia in the 60s.  Horrid and unbelievable for an undeveloped country, let along a first world country. Discrimination and cultural conflicts still exist. Alcoholism is a serious problem and has created two sets of liquor laws. The cultural clash that Aboriginal People's kin relationships take precedence over western work ethic still creates challenges in particiaption in the economy. And policies that recognise the need for social aid creates disincentives in a culture of working only when necessary, and the necessity of hunting and gathering is no longer an option or too difficult. But with the long lens of history, things continue to improve for this oldest human culture.

End of Australia Posts.  Thanks for reading - hope you got something out of it.


Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Aboriginal People Part 1 - Pre Contact

The Aboriginal People of Australia have a long history on the continent and a complex history post European contact.  Needless to say it is not possible to adequately cover this in a blog.  But it seems to me avoiding the topic would ignore an ever present issue here - like race in America. Yet I am aware that in a short piece I potentially offend or ignore other valid perspectives.  So take this as a snapshot in time of one man's evolving perspective.  While I have consciously left this discussion for the last post to incorporate conversations with locals in different regions (including playing pool with an Elder in the Red Center), internet searches, and books it is not a scholorly research paper.  If interested in this topic I highly recommend "Aboriginal Australians: A History since 1788" by Richard Broome.  

Over the past decades the date of the first humans to arrive in Australia has steadily been pushed back from 20,000 years ago to the recent estimate of 70,000 years ago.  Homo Sapiens appeared in Africa about 200,000 years ago and this migration is the earliest and furthest of our species - before we even settled in Europe.  In fact, the Aboriginal People carry a different pre-Homo Sapien DNA than Europeans, who intermixed with Neanderthals.  Since then, due to isolation by sea rise, they have occupied this continentalong with all the flora and fauna, without other specie contact.  They are the oldest continuous culture in human history! 

Nomadic Aboriginal People in bush.

While referred to as Aboriginal People they did not view themselves collectively. There were over 600,000 people in over 500 mobs (their term for tribes) prior to European contact.  They were also not the Noble Savage of nineteenth century romantic myth.  They warred with each other, practice infanticide, and had customs far from noble and closer to savage.  However, living in this harsh land they adapted to it.  They were a hunter gatherer culture that evolved to put in effort when necessary to eat and survive; but not to expend energy unnecessarily.  

Map identifying Aboriginal Mobs

They developed their culture, rules, sacred sites, rituals, and myths in relation to spirituality, kin, and nature.  This was maintained and passed on in their art, music, and stories through "Dreamtime", that all worldly knowlege is accumulated through ones ancestors.  

Spirit in Rock Art

Elder Graham playing ceremonial diggeridoo and clap sticks

I don't have a full understanding of the meaning of this word, but this is what I generally get. They were nomades and, while having a deep relationship with the land, did not own it in the Western sense.  In this context the Aboriginal People lived in harmony with the land - and "owned" it spiritually.

Next Post:  Aboriginal People Part 2 - Post Contact

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

The Bug Guy and Brisbane - Last stops in Australia

Sunday - Monday,  15 - 16 June 2014

Our Seattle friends had one more day in Port Douglas, but Robin and I had the opportunity to visit her second cousin Dr. Scott Ritchie - "the bug guy" - in nearby Cairns.  We stayed with Scott and his charming wife Julie in their sweet Queenslander bungalow.  A Queenslander is similar to a California or NW bugalow except that the main floor is above the ground so the tropical air circulates to keep it cool.  It's single wall construction meaning they have no insulation, and the dining room is outside on a covered porch with a pass-through from the kitchen.  The weather being such that you can dine year round with a breeze to temper the humidity.  
Julie and Dr. Scott Ritchie

Scott and Bill on the Queenslander dining porch

Every summer in the 60s Robin's mom Avis took the four kids on the train from California to Marnie, Iowa to visit the family farm.  Avis' cousin, Scott's mom, lived in Council Bluffs, IA, about an hour away.  Being only a year apart Scott and Robin often played together as preteens.  Even as a 10 year old, Scott had a facination with bugs.  When Avis saw a poisonous black widow spider, Scott asked to see it.  He'd trap ants and other insects to the disgust of Avis' little girls.  It was only natural that Scott would end up in Cairns, Australia after getting his PhD in Entomology - bug capital of the world.

I've met Scott a couple times in Seattle and I like him and his wife.  We are politically aligned and have good conversations.  Scott and I also share an appreciation of fine wines.  Scott and Julie made us our best meal while in Australia - coral trout on the barbee and home made cherry cobbler - complete with a selection of Australian wines.  

Dr. Ritchie's specialty is Mossies (mosquitoes).  We toured his lab, which includes a replica of a Queensland bunglow back porch complete with landscaping and yard furniture.  They rear mosquitoes  from the same gene stock as the wild ones.  But infect them with a bacteria called Wolbachia. They are not genetically modified as I previously noted. They then spread it sexually when they mate.  Thus all offspring become infected with the bacteria.  And this bacteria acts like a vaccine, reducing the probability that mosquitoes will be infected with dengue virus.  Very Cool!
He suggested to check out this link if interested  http://www.eliminatedengue.com/en/program

Plaque on Lab.

Within several generations (weeks in a mosses' case) the new mossies are disease free in the lab.  They are now implementing this protocol in neighborhoods of Cairns. To pass through the containment protocol of the lab was like the book/movie Andromeda Strain. Scott and his team are partially funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and they have visited Scott and his lab.   Pretty cool stuff - if you don't mind constantly scratching.  
Scott in one of his labs

Scott immune to mossies landing on him in the lab.  Robin was not so sanguine.

We left early the next day for Brisbane where K&A lived for four months.  We only had a half day here before our departure for Fiji.  We wish we had more time.  It's been said "if you want to visit Australia go to Sydney, if you want to live in Australia go to Brisbane".  Sydney, as I've written, is big, sophisticated, lots to do and places to see - Like a smaller NY.  Brisbane is more like San Francisco or Seattle.  Smaller scale, cool neighborhoods and manageable by walking or biking.  We stayed for the first time in an Air BnB in the South Bank along the Brisbane River.  This neighborhood across the river from downtown was redeveloped for the World Expo celebration of the 1988 Bicentennial of European settlement - a longer discussion is needed for the Aboriginal reaction to this event.  Manmade beaches, mile long arbor of Bougainvillia, restraurants and residential line the river.  The University of Queensland has a georgeous Botanical garden nearby that we strolled through before walking their pedestrian mall (street closed to traffic) Queens Ave in the downtown core and then across the Victoria bridge back to South Bank. 

Bougainvillia arbor of South Bank

Restaurant along manmade waterfront.  Downtown in Distance

Victoria Bridge and Downtown Brisbane

Next Post:  Aboriginal People - Part 1


Monday, June 23, 2014

Port Douglas Part 2 - The Great Barrier Reef


Friday, 15 June 2014

The day following Daintree (we should call it Raintree?) we scheduled our dive training.  Aaron and I were both certified divers for life, but it had been 40 years since my certification, and about 30 for Aaron, and we have't maintained it in decades.  It seemed a refresher would be prudent both for our rusty skills and confidence as well as the new technology in dive gear.  Kate and Robin have been snorkeling, but never diving. It seemed a shame to be on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and not dive.  But PADI has a program called Discover Dive where, with minimal instruction, limitations on depth and literally handholding by an instructor, they can dive with scuba gear.  Both had mixed feelings about the success of this, but the opportunity and confidence prevailed after lessons.

We met K&A and Helene and Terry at their rental house, which had a pool.  Jay, the dive owner, came by and we all decided that he could do the instruction for all six of us at the house.  Aaron and I for recertification, Kate and Robin for Discover Dive, and Helene and Terry for snorkeling.  

Robin and Kate figuring out the gear with Jay in pool

Saturday, 16 June 2014

The Great Barrier Reef extends some 2000 miles down the entire length of Australia's east coast - the longest in the world.   It is closest to land at Port Douglas.  This is our last of eight World Heritage Sites in Australia. It is also here where the true story of a couple diving on the reef takes place and were left behind by the dive as told in the movie Open WaterNo one realized they were missing until the next morning. The end of the movie suggests they were eaten by sharks.  See it to be creeped out. The locals have a different ending - it was all a scam.  Who knows?  But after finally leaving all the snakes, spiders and crocodiles on the mainland, Robin is now concerned about sharks.  Jay does a much better job to assuage her fears than I can - maybe.
Robin and Kate before first dive.

For our four and a half days in Port Douglas it rained three and a half.  But!  It was sunny and warm for Saturday, our dive day.  The corals and fish were the best I've seen anywhere.  I have an underwater camera case so took these.  But as part of our fee Jay provides us videos and stills with much better camera and light.

This spiney fish was lit by Jay's lights.  Big difference.

Robin and Bill together at last.  VERY proud of her.  



These were among my favoite.  All colors
Brush by them and they disappear into the hole like above left.


Matt, one of our two guides, among plate coral.  

Next Post:  The Bug Guy and Brisbane - Last stops in Australia





Sunday, June 22, 2014

Port Douglas Part 1 - Daintree RAIN Forest

Wednesday - Thursday, 11- 12 June 2014

After our tour of Kakadu we had a layover day in Darwin to see the sites previously described and do some laundry.  We took a late flight Tuesday night into Cairns and stayed near the airport.  The next morning we picked up our rental car and drove Port Douglas, about an hour north in Queensland.  

Here we settled into our new home for four days Thala Beach Resort.  
View from restaurant of Thala Beach Resort - in the rain

The day after arriving we met up with our Seattle friends as originally scheduled to tour Daintree National Park with Pete, owner of Heritage Tours.  Daintree is our seventh World Heritage Site in Australia.  Kate and I discovered Pete separately - a good omen.  When I was researching how to explore this WHS I emailed Pete and inquisitively asked "why you over other guides".  He was good humoredly dismissive replying that if I wanted the tourist viewpoint I should not go with him.  It was our bond throughout the trip.  He specilizes in experiencing the rainforest the way the aboriginals did - eating bugs, licking spiders, getting leaches, and learning medicine by exploring the untoured forest.  Robin was NOT enthused.  The forest has venomous snakes, stinging spiders, deadly plants, poisonious frogs, and of course, crocodiles.  
Poisonious Cane Toad on Thala Beach path to room

Pete is an interesting guy.  Whip lean at 77 years old and doing this for over 20 years with his recently deceased wife.  He was born in Kenya, grew up with the local black boys eating ants out of the anthill and other ritual stuff.  He learned the survival craft out of necessity.  He and his buddies split when "they became the bad guys, and I was a good guy" in their civil war.  He then became a mercenary and then moved about managing plantations in Paupa New Guinea with his wife.  A gentle soul, but I wouldn't want to be a contestant on Survivor or other Reality TV with him.    

Pete explainging some medicinal (or killing) plant to K&A

Port Douglas is decidedly tropical but we seemed to hit an off year.  Everyone said how cool the temperature is and the rain should have stopped by now.  But if it had to rain, what better place to have it than in a rainforest.  I personally think it only added to the experience.  

Pete leading group through leach filled stream.  Terry was the lucky recipient.  

Daintree is unique for many reasons, but the one that sticks in my mind is that it is the oldest surviving ecosystem in the world.  For eons (this is hard to really think of in human terms) in which the continental plates have moved around, joining and seperating, this portion has always remained a rainforest.  Remarkable considering that diverse continents of Antarctica and South America were once connected to Australia and shared similar climates.

Next Post:  Port Douglas - The Great Barrier Reef

Top End Part 2 - "See Australia and Die"

Saturday - Monday, June 7 - 9 2014

Robin's natural fear of being eaten in Australia was reinforced by Bryson's book and the book "See Australia and Die".  High on the fear index is the esturaine crocodile.  The esturaine crocodile hasn't changed in over 200 million years because it perfected two things - Kill it and eat it. 

Despite this, a good portion of our Top End tour was in search of these prehistoric creatures. We cruised a billibong, overlooked streams, and stood on river banks (far away) scanning the shore.  Robin was right there with the group's disappointment each time we didn't see one.
Cruising the billibong looking for elusive crocs, but seeing great birds.

Our first sighting was at a road side stop where they had a live croc on display.  There was only a two foot high open railing separating us from his jaws.  When I came to the rail to take a photo his dead eyes followed me and,  e  v  e  r    s  l  o  w  l  y,  moved toward me.  It creeped me out knowing I was prey.  
Small 12' long Croc stealthly moves toward his prey - me!

As we drove down a dirt track in the flood plain a police car, followed 15 minutes later by a news car, raced passed us.  It was unusual to see any other vehicle on these remote tracks, and that it was official vehicles at high speed made us all keenly suspicious.  At the next cell reception later in the day one of our guides informed us that the day before, on the very river we drove across, a 62 year old fisherman leaned over the rail of his boat to retrive his catch and was "taken" by a croc in front of his family.  The police we saw trapped and killed two crocs recorded by the news, and found human remains inside one.  See Australia and Die to be sure!

Our favorite stop on the tour was Jim Jim Falls.  Our guide heard that this fabulous site would open to visitors that day and we were going.  The falls and swimming hole close during The Wet because the dirt road is meters under water.  Then, after the region drains, the road is impassable and needs regrading.  It was still a spine rattling 4-wheel drive journey.  I have friction burns on my knees from bouncing against the seat in front of me.

The other reason they close it is that when flooded the outfall stream and swimming hole are connected to the estuary and the crocodiles move in.  Once the flood water drains the stream and pool are sequestered from the estuary and park managers go in and trap "all" the crocodiles before allowing tourists.  We were in the first day after they gave the "all clear".  Needless to say our group had a great deal of speculation on how successful they were.  But there were enough other people we figured the odds were individually in our favor. 
Warning sign - our guide said not to worry, it was only for legal reasons

Croc Traps - we placed a lot of confidence in these

The falls are 600 feet high (height of the Space Needle) and during The Wet are about 60 feet across.  We swam to the base where you can climb on a flat stone under the falls.  Close up the smooth flow of the falls become periodic surges, like a bathtub emptied on you at once.  Robin was pounded and laughed so hard she couldn't get up.  
Terry and Robin bouldering across trail to Jim Jim

Approaching Jim Jim after 30 minute scramble along stream

Swimming hole at base of Jim Jim

On our last day of the tour we still hadn't seen a croc in the wild.  So we pulled up to a boat ramp for one last scan.  There, on the opposite side of the river over 300 yards away, a croc lay in the water.   We all piled out onto the ramp, a good 30 feet from the water's edge and several feet above it, and looked at the beast.  We needed binocs to see him. Then the croc must have heard us because with a tremendous splash he dove under water.  As we all watched to see where he surfaced, there was a brief flash at my side and Robin was gone.  Someone heard her exclaim as she disappeared into the van, "Bill, get back in the water".  There are times when confusing left with right, or water with van, can have adverse consequences if blindly obeyed.  We never saw the croc again, as they don't attack crowds - typically. 

Next Post:  Port Douglas - Daintree RAIN forest.


Saturday, June 21, 2014

Top End Part 1 - Adventure Tours

Our Top End tour of Litchfield and Kakadu National Park - another World Heritage Site - was with Adventure Tours.  To enlist Robin to participate in more adventure travel I booked this two night, three day camping tour with prepared meals, cots in tents, and hot showers each night.  But none of this would assuage her fear of being outdoors in a region with more deadly life forms than the rest of the world.  The night time journey to the loo was an adventure in itself, and certainly required a torch (flashlight) to be on the look out.

Kakadu can be roughly divided into two portions, the stoneys and the wetlands. The stoneys are, yes again, sandstone cliffs.  The rest is the wetland they drain into.  There are also two seasons here:  The Wet and The Dry.  The aboriginals, being more attuned, have identified six.  During The Wet the lowland of the map below is flooded and the sheet of water drains north into the sea.  As it recedes streams form and some pools are sequestered from the flowing channels called "billibongs".  These are similar to oxbow lakes, but seasonal and refreshed each year.  This is great habitat for crocodiles and birds.  

Since a picture is worth a thousands words I'll keep this post to mostly images.
 Relief map of Kakadu showing stoneys on right and wetland on left.

Swimming hole in Litchfield.  Great fun under the falls.

Robin being welcomed into Village by Aboriginal elder
spitting water on her head.

Aaron trying a diggeridoo - great sounding instrument for ceremony

Herron on billibong - but no crocodiles

Spirit people and animals in prehistoric rock art

Sunset at Ubirr on the Stoneys overlooking the wetland.

Next Post:  The Top End Part 2 - "See Australia and Die"

Friday, June 20, 2014

Surprise in Darwin

Friday, 6 June 2014

After the layover for the  Katherine Gorge tour it was four hours to Darwin.  We arrived as the sun set. Our hotel was on the esplande with a good view of their beautiful bay.   However, we now wanted sustenance and a night cap.  We walked to the restaurant strip one block off.   

Day view from Double Tree Hilton - Museum in Distance

After the peace of our train ride we were assulted by hordes of intoxicated young travelers in flip flops, sleevelesss shirts, and body art milling about the throbbing restaurants and bars.  The majority of Darwin's population are transient travelers and workers, few staying more than a couple years before moving on.  Its a city in periodic state of rebuilding.

Darwin has been completely destroyed twice so there is little unified urban character beyond the restaurant scene.  An important WWII event, untold for those not down under, is that only a couple months after Pearl Harbor, more bombs were dropped by the Japanese on Darwin than in the attack that began US involvement.  The extent of damage and casualties remained classified for years to conceal the government's incompetent preparation to the obvious Japanese threat.  After the destruction of the US fleet in Pearl, and the bases in the Philippines, it should have been self evident that Darwin would be next. The city was the closest port for the Allies to stop the advance of Japan. 

Memorial on Survivors Point

In 1974 the city was again leveled, this time not by man, but nature.  Typhoon Tracey came ashore and severely damaged the city.  But as people emerged into the sunshine and surveyed the wreckage they thought "it could have been worse";  then it was.  The brief sunshine was only the eye of the storm.  The back side winds topped 200 mph and all the debris from the first assult became battering rams and missles in the second.  The city was totally destroyed - again.

Remains of Historic Building destroyed by Typhoon Tracey

Reconstruction of similar historic building

The past ten years have seen phenomenal development due to tourism and resource extraction, Australia's primary economy.  Old timers of twenty years say the city is not recognizable.  However, it has an excellent museum of all the Australian flora and fauna that can kill you and a new waterfront development that includes a conference center, residential, restaurants, cruise terminal, and man-made sandy beach protected from crocodiles.  Their beautiful natural beaches are not swimmable, or you risk being euphemistically "taken".  Darwin hasn't seemed to find it's soul yet - but it's trying after two knock down punches.  

Darwin's residences and crocodile protected man-made beach

The morning after we arrived we stored our bags at the hotel and met our guide for a three day camping tour of the Top End. Entering the 15 person, 4-wheel-drive van I saw our companions would be young travelers. But there was one grizzled beard that thrust out from under a weathered straw hat.  "At least we'll have someone our age to related too", I thought.  As his head tilted back and smiled at me my mind scurried to connect the disconnected - the beaming face looks like our good friend Aaron, but we aren't scheduled to meet for another 5 days, and 1500 miles from here.   Kate and Aaron (K&A), our reason for coming to Australia, had our full itinerary for several months.  They surprised us by joining our guided trip without letting us know.  After hugs around and several gaffaws, I settled into my seat.  
Aaron in van on day of pick up.

At the next pick-up stop I gazed out the window and saw another familiar face about to board - Helene.  I hadn't seen her in years.   K&A said they were staying with her in Port Douglas so I assumed she had moved there with her partner Terry.  Again, my mind tried to make sense of things out of context.  As part of their subtrifuge and surprise during our trip planning K&A didn't correct my assumption about Helene moving. Unknownest to us, Helene and Terry traveled with K&A prior to all of us meeting in Darwin.  Now six of us will travel the Top End of Australia together.  

Next Post: The Top End Part 1 - Adventure Tours

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

The Ghan

Thursday, June 5 2014

We sorely wanted to see one more WHS and National Park in the Red Center - Kings Canyon aka Watarrka National Park.  But it was 400 km out of the way on unsealed (unpaved) 4 wheel drive road.  Distances are vast in central Australia and this last day here had a "hard stop"; a 6:00 pm departure on The Ghan, the historic train from Adelaide to Darwin. A flat tire or washed out road and we are stuck in Alice Springs for three more days - not a risk to take.  So we drove back to Alice Springs the way we came.  After lunch we squeezed in a lovey short hike up the Stanley Canyon in the MacDonald range, only a half hour east of town.  Of course we had to stretch it by doing a side trip up the canyon walls.

End of Stanley Canyon                       

Hike up to top of cliff over looking Canyon.                              

We booked the train to try again whether reality could match our romantic vision, but this time our heart-throb is a week-long, trans-continental train ride across Siberia or India.  The Ghan from Alice Springs to Darwin would be a 24 hour test.  The Ghan (not pronounced Gaaahn, but Gann) was named after the the Afghanistan camel herders (get it - see logo) who transported the supplies to Alice Springs and cattle stations before the train was completed. The camels were released or escaped and now are ferrel in the outback.

The Ghan - note the logo.

After being scheduled each day for almost two weeks, we felt this leisurely transport would be a treat.  Robin could catch up on work (her treat, not mine) and I'd read, write the blog, and sample the beverage cart (Robin did her share too).  I booked a private cabin with ensuite WC, shower, and stacking twin beds so we could be rocked to sleep.  The cabin includes a private dining car, full complement bar/lounge car, and a supplementary excursion in Katherine, another World Heritage Site, shortly before arriving in Darwin.

Robin in our Cabin with beverage.  The seatback and panel above fold down into twin beds.

The Ghan was run efficiently by young men and women.  They checked if you needed anything, confirmed your dinner reservations, and advised on supplementary excursion during the stop-over in Katherine.  Each meal you share a four-top and we had delightful companions for our three settings.  The first night we closed down the dining car lost in conversation.

Friday, 6 June 2014
For our tour we selected the river cruise of Katherine Gorge - another WHS.  This gorge is also composed of - guess it now - sedimentary sandstone.  However, instead of plate tectonics tilting it, it pushed it up.  Visualise cutting criss-crosses in a mango half, then pushing it up from the bottom.  All the cuts rise and spread apart.  That's the gorges, now filled with rivers.

Mango cut of the Katherine Gorge.  Water rises over 40' seasonally.

Next Post:  Surprise in Darwin