Australia Adventures: 20. Kakadu National Park and a Taste of My Own Aborigine Art ...

G'Day! Thanks for checking in to my latest instalment of my adventures on the Aussie road...



Up at the crack of dawn, I took day trip to the famous Kakadu National Park a 22,000 sq region east of Darwin on route to the only really place that traditionally Aboriginal people still live in the Top End - Arnhem Lands. A four hour trip first to the wetlands we met an Aboriginal Man 'Graham' from the Limi Ingan - Wulna tribe and his family who educated us about the Didgeridoo, ochre painting, basket and dilly bag weaving and Dreamtime Aboriginal Stories they base their life on. Even got an arm painting myself! Dots signify the desert, and stripes and cross hatching are more accustomed to the Top End and Arnhem Land Area representing the land and waves of the land. His daughter gave a demonstration of weaving baskets and dilly bags. Indigenous people are great craftsman. Didjeridoo's actually come from Darwin originally, whereas the Boomerang actually originates from South Australia.

Australia Adventures: 19. Meetin' an Aborigine, Darwin Bush Air Rescue and Swimmin' with Crocs

Hello from Australia's Northern Territory!

I'm finally here, the vast, rugged and edgy province of this great continent's 'Top End'. As this blog shows, I'm extremely interested in the mechanics of Indigenous communities in each country, which is my main drive to travel and explore this world.
Like I say meeting the REAL people and not just the safe and secure chocolate box experience that cushions many travellers. The Northern Territory to me is the gateway to understanding the foundations and culture of the 'First Australians' so without haste, I left Brisbane on Australia's fabulous no frills budget airline 'Jetstar' to get me to Darwin.

Australia Adventures: 3. Australia Day, Neighbours and Getting Arrested?!?!

     

January 26th is 'Australia Day' where it's the National holiday when they celebrate the arrival of the first immigrants and when the '£10 Poms' came to Australia from England when it was just £10 - blimey why couldn't I have been born then? Everyone is off work, kitted out in Aussie gear in the bars, in the parks, Federation Square is alive with street performers and a concert of didgaridoos and the like. It was cool to see some real Aboriginal people play their music and of course lots of fireworks. There was even Aboriginal people in the audience with fair hair and dark skin - my first glimpse of indigenous people of Australia.

           

                                       

     

Of course, I couldn't come to Melbourne and just stay for the tennis - I was tempted to go and see the famous Aussie Soap Neighbours set at 'Ramsay Street' (which in real life is sooo small) but it was cool to see the street with all the famous houses and think this is where Kylie Minogue and Jason Donavan first started out. Having not watched the show since the 90's, I was really in the old school knowledge, so it was pretty funny and cringe worthy to have some people on the tour who knew the entire show inside out! (slightly out of my depth) was so funny when we met one of the actors who was having a break from filming and I had no idea who he was! but everyone was cooing over him and he plays the mechanic Lucas in the show. Still, how many times are you at the Neighbours Set in Australia? It's good fun, recommend it....

Neighbours Actor....no idea

I've spent most of time just hanging out in Melbourne City and watching the tennis - but Aussie people just tend to smell so good, like constantly, they always smell nice, but danger came my way when I saw...........the BILLABONG store......oooooo (not that I have the money but it's BILLABONG!) hopefully I get round to some surfing and put the stuff to use. Oh, and I got arrested!?!?!......drinking in a public place......nah not really, you are apparently not allowed to drink in a public place, but you know of the famous Australian Outlaw Ned Kelly? (Heath Ledger played him in a movie of the same name and freaky enough, he actually looked like Ned Kelly). Well I went to the Old Melbourne Gaol where I was arrested like in real life (not that I've been arrested of course ) and got myself locked in a cell in the dark for 'possession of a dangerous weapon' yeah yeah heard that before, under the name of Miss Shoreland ha! it wasn't Shawshank but would have been pretty grim back in the day when they really imprisoned people. Well 136 people were hung in the Gaol and you can see Ned Kelly's death mask (the mould they take of their dead face) was pretty creepy.......

I swear I didn't do it...

With Lonely Planet Travel Guide Australia