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We have a serious casualty in the night at Ubirr. The generator dies and the starter rope is broken trying to restart it. The serious factor about this is we can’t boil the kettle. Coffee. Must. Have. Coffee. Somehow, I survive. Sarah and the kids have a morning bike ride while I wrestle with the wounded generator. They stumble on a group of sleeping bats suspended in a tree they ride under. At the viewing point several more crocs are spotted, so it is deemed a successful ride. Back at camp they head off to the lesson in painting. A bespectacled ranger is leading the talk but he is assisted by two men from the community that lies just across the river in Arnhem Land. Neither speak much but do demonstrate painting techniques and the kids enjoy having a go. The ranger is a university lecturer on indigenous issues and is knowledgable in all area. But, again, second hand knowledge. We leave Ubirr after lunch and head to the Mary River Floodplains where we will take a cruise on the river at sunset. After arriving at the caravan park and setting up, we make the 20 minute drive to the river and ready for the cruise. The skipper of the boat is incredibly knowledgable and can spot and name virtually any bird we see instantly. A great host of the cruise. His knowledge of the river pays immediate dividends as we round a corner and he spots two crocs, each over 3.5 m, sunning themselves on the banks of the river. He grounds the boat no more than 5 m away from them and we busy ourselves taking photos while he explains that the crocs are passive due to the current temperature being below 30 degrees. When the croc’s body temp is less than 30, their function is limited and they slow down to conserve energy. Eventually, we leave them in peace and continue our cruise. The amount of wildlife is just amazing: crocs, fresh and saltwater, eagles, egrets, Jabiru and more birds than I could ever name are spotted along the way. At the end of the cruise, another glorious sunset over the water as we make our way back to the van. Tomorrow, the kids’ favourite- another pool! Then, Darwin.
I sit here with a morning coffee and contemplate the dire situation that you were confronted with and I come to this conclusion. God looks down on the people who decide it is their right to travel to distant places and have copious amounts of fun, then he looks back at people like us who are struggling in the morning to get 4 kids fed, watered, dressed and on the morning bus so we ourselves can continue on the distorted and broken merry go round we call work routine. So i look at it as a little evener, call it just a dose of parity and fareness, cause I know how much you love your coffee and i'm sure that while i'm slaving at work this will only be a little hiccup and even a distant memory. so excuses me as I chuckle on my way to work and picture you trying to start the generator the same way I battle with my mowere each fortnight back at this little place we call paradise. Now in all seriousness we see that all is well great going, enjoy, have fun, looked at your back yard last week and it is looking fantastic, will mow next week. Love and kisses to the rest of the family TK from CB.
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