2002/11 Australia trip - Alligator Billabong |
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We moved on to Mamukala billabong, supposedly where millions of geese gather to feed. There were lots of geese there but the billabong was nearly dry so most of them were way off in the distance. There were aborigines digging on the beach. Our guess was that they were digging up turtle eggs, and for some reason this required lots of shouting and gestures. They looked to be enjoying themselves.
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Mamukala (4.07) |  |
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We’d intended taking one of the tracks into the bush and camping at Alligator Billabong that night, but we had trouble finding the right track. The first time we ended up on a very rugged rock track to a hilltop radar station. This was a great test of the equipment, like climbing a wall, but not a good campsite. I think the real track was partly hidden, as the rangers didn’t want people in normal cars accidentally traveling on the road and getting stuck. 
The track turned out to be mainly sand, red, white, or brown as the terrain changed, with the occasional big ‘ole to make sure you were paying attention. The local maintenance crew had thoughtfully partially filled some of these holes with razor-sharp rocks.
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Alligator Billabong (13.00) |
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After 15 miles or so of high-speed bouncing in the twilight we found the billabong and parked on its banks in the last few minutes of daylight. We enjoyed a very peaceful spot, with just a couple of other groups camping there. There were no bugs so we were able to sit outside late into the night. We just had to stay away from the banks of the billabong. Falling in could be fatal. Definitely not the place for a swim.
Sunday October 20th 
A big red kangaroo was munching away outside and watching us in the morning but it bounded away as soon as our doors opened. There were ducks, geese, and kites all around us. We tried a short walk around the billabong but the vegetation was just too dense to get close to the water, without getting too close.
We drove back along the track, more slowly this time so we could see the scenery. Some of this was very strange, especially the massive stands of bamboo. We met the road maintenance man. He was driving 
extremely slowly. I guess that driving in an air-conditioned cab is a lot less effort than digging so why hurry?
Once back on the main road we reluctantly left the park and headed towards Darwin on the Arnhem Highway. We stopped at the bridge crossing of the Mary River for lunch. This was a big river with lots of water even in the Dry, another great spot for feeding the crocodiles, if you aren’t careful.
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Mary River (0.42) |
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We stopped later at the Window on the Wetlands, a somewhat extravagant science building overlooking the wetlands. The wetlands were currently dry, but the displays were interesting, and a good break from the heat. We went past Humpty Doo, where they had the famous rice-growing failure in the 1950s. I guess they found that almost anything would grow faster than the rice.