adventures, travel
Published on July 11, 2019
Comments 24

Bushwalking off-track in Kakadu? I needed a snorkel (Part 3)

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Selfies in sunnies are essential in Kakadu

I love the bush so much #Australia #Kakadu #wild

Where am I/what am I doing? PART 1 HERE & PART 2 HERE

With over 20,000 square kilometres of bush in Kakadu National Park, we chose to stay as close as possible to waterways; the thrill of simply filling my bottle from the fresh creek did not wane.

When we did have to ascend to the escarpment to get past an overhang, I noticed how instantly relieved I was when we came back to the river’s edge. Imagine those first white explorers, setting out from Sydney to see what they could find… the bush both delights and terrifies me, and water is an essential comfort.

As you can see, the views were stunning, and these are all unedited, with no filters, just snapped on my smartphone.

I love the bush so much #Australia #Kakadu #wild
I love the bush so much #Australia #Kakadu #wild
I love the bush so much #Australia #Kakadu #wild

But I haven’t told you about the Big River Crossing Fiasco have I?

*sighs

So ‘off-track walking’ means there’s no path; you have to meander/explore/experiment to get ahead. Luckily my companion had lots of energy and enthusiasm for both map-reading and ‘I’ll-just-leave-my-pack-here-and-see-if-we-can-get-through’ reconnaissance missions.

The Australian landscape can be tough

I love the bush so much #Australia #Kakadu #wild

You can see it’s not an easy landscape at times.

And then the moment arrived when we decided we had to cross the river, as the walking looked gentler on the other side.

boneAndsilverBlog_Kakadu_creek

Nothing like a Pano of a creek #Australia #kakadu

‘Let me go first,’ I said. ‘It’s about time I did some leading,’ I said. ‘I’ll roll my trousers up to my knees, hold aloft my boots & precious phone, and just wade across… it looks quite shallow here,’ I said.

Famous last words.

‘Ooh, the sandy bottom’s a bit soft, I’m sinking! No, wait, it’s OK, it’s just up to my knees, it’s fine… well, it’s halfway up my thighs, but that’s cool…’

‘It’s reaching my hips now, shit, my backpack’s going to get a bit damp on the bottom, but I’m halfway across…

‘Damn, up to my waist now, surely it can’t get any deeper; I’ll be damned if I’m turning back…’

‘No, I will NOT stop, so quit yelling at me… OK, it’s up over my chest, but I’m within 2 metres of the edge… and my boots and phone are fine…’

‘Made it! Hello? I made it, where are you? What do you mean “going back and the long way round”, you wimp. Fine, I’ll wait here and wring everything out, including my bra…’

boneAndsilverBlog_Kakadu5

I love the bush so much #Australia #Kakadu #wild

Then after 2 mins walk, we realised we had to go back to the original side after all… and yes, we both went the long way round this time.

I love the bush so much #Australia #Kakadu #wild
I love the bush so much #Australia #Kakadu #wild

With gratitude for my stubborn streak, & the quick-drying Australian climate, G xO 

 

24 Comments

  2. gigglingfattie says

    Look at you!! You are strong and amazing and adventurous!!! When I grow up I want to be you 🥰💛😘

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  4. acflory says

    -giggles- stubborn indeed! You’re so lucky you didn’t step into a pot hole. Btw…are there crocs in that part of Kakadu??? Ahem. The pics are superb.

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. zlotybaby says

    Great pictures! Well done for crossing the river and managing without proper trails. I’m not sure whether I’d be brave enough to do it…

    The Otter Trail I mentioned last time, is much easier as it’s reasonably well marked. There are a few river crossings there and one is pretty (in)famous as people have died there. It’s just very close to the ocean and it can easily suck you in with your heavy backpack. You need to plan it well to arrive at the right time of the day when the tide is low.
    The funny thing is that I was scared of it even before we started the trail and when we arrived there, there was not water whatsoever at the crossing yet and we didn’t even wet our shoes 😀

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