We have such amazing friends. Andrew and Alex have been our friends for more than 20 years and though we have lived in different cities and different countries for 15 of those years we have maintained a close friendship. The fact that Alex and I coordinated all of our pregnancies definitely helped cement the bond. These kids have known each other their whole lives and though they have always had different lives they have been thrown together during holiday periods so many times that they are close and they get along beautifully together. These guys flew up from Sydney and hired a 4WD with rooftop tent and set of into the wilderness to meet us.
A dawn boat ride on the Yellow River was a spectacular start. The dawn light glowed with thousands of birds overhead and hundreds of crocs below. We had an eccentric and engaging tour guide who kept us interested. Beautiful.
Sunset at Ubirr Rock was a highlight. A short walk through a stunning landscape with incredibly well preserved rock paintings leading up to a magnificent lookout.
It was not the best time of the year to go to Kakadu. This late in the dry season a number of spectacular waterfalls had dried up. The temperature hit 40 degees on most days so long bushwalks were out of the question and some of the more isolated campsites we had planned were unappealing because we wanted to be able to cool off. But the larger caravan parks suited us fine. We spent hours in the pool each afternoon, eating out a few times and having a few drinks while the kids played.
A bush walk and swim at Maguk made for a beautiful day trip. The walk was more gentle than the JimJim Falls walk we did the day before. It was more tropical so felt a little cooler and the waterfall was running into a crystal pool. An excellent day.
We decided to head further south than we had originally planned to stay again at Edith Falls near Katherine. We knew the campsite was beautiful and within 100m of this spectacular waterhole.
We enjoyed the bush walk up to the upper pool enough to do it a couple of times over the last few days.
Of course the evenings were fun. The mozzies and the long days outside had us in bed early most nights but we had enough cheese platers with wine while the children played card games to feel indulged.
The best thing about this trip was further affirmation of this special friendship. We are so grateful that the Reeves gang made the trip to the NT to explore this region with us.
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