Fogg Dam

There are way too many photos from Fogg Dam that I wanted to share, but I limited myself to these. Just to let you know that these photos are a mix from mom, dad, and I - the best of them all!

White-browed Crake.

Azure Kingfisher.

Azure Kingfisher.

Royal Spoonbill.

Little Pied Cormorant.

Comb-crested Jacana.

Comb-crested Jacana.

Glossy Ibis.

Australian White Ibis and Glossy Ibis.

Intermediate Egret.

Purple Swamphen.

Kakadu National Park

So Wednesday morning was a sleep in morning for the team, but the Witteveen clan (minus Nic) was up early(ish) and got ready to head off to Kakadu National Park – exciting! Although we had been in Darwin, Australia, for a few days we hadn’t had the chance to be tourists so we were quite happy to head off, even if just for two days. When we booked the Kakadu tickets the tourist advisor suggested we take a turn in at Fogg Dam for some good birding. Well Fogg Dam was just so dam fantastic that I had to do a whole separate blog for those photos – see here.

After Fogg Dam we continued on to Kakadu, stopping at Bark Hut for a coffee. I need to digress briefly to discuss two points. Firstly, it is hot. Like. Crazy ridiculous hot. Humid, disgusting, sweat in the airconned car hot. I though Darwin was hot, but driving towards Kakadu it just got worse! Secondly, I was educated at the Bark Hut that we were moving into croc, buff, and barra country. Crocodile, buffalo, aaaaand.. Kookaburra? Barramundi apparently, which is a fish! A very large, good eating fish, which I regrettably did not sample.

Little Corella. These birds sat during the heat of the day in shady trees or on the ground and groaned (or so it sounded) for ages!

Moving onto Kakadu we discovered there was no manned entry gate into the park, and there was a large national road running right through it, used by road trains! Road trains are long trucks, generally pulling three carriages resulting in the entire vehicle being over 50 m long, travelling at the max speed limit which is 130 km/h on most Australian main roads. So entry into, and use of, Kakadu (besides passing through on the main road) is based on honesty, just hope you don’t get caught by a ranger on patrol without your entry pass. I do wonder how well it works.

Much of where we were travelling through was in the floodplains.

Spot the Wallaby!

Our first wild Wallaby!

On the way to our accommodation we stopped at the Mamukala Wetlands for some more birding, before continuing to Anbinik and our bush bungalow – our bush bungalow which had no aircon! Horrors! But at least there was a fan! Our nearest neighbours roosted in the trees behind our bungalow, and were beyond awesome!

Magpie Geese.

Plumed Whistling-duck.

Black-winged Stilt.

Magpie Geese. Bottoms up!

Red-kneed Dotterel.

Black-fronted Dotterel.

Comb-crested Jacana.

Australian Pratincole.

Our bush bungalow.

How many bats can you spot?

Black Flying Foxes (Black Fruit Bats).

Double-barred Finch.

Pheasant Coucal.

Another day in Darwin

Tuesday was an important day for the solar car team as the car had to undergo static scrutineering and the team needed to register – see more about that here. Our team was the first to undergo scrutineering and so we had another early morning. For mom, dad and I things were a bit boring after the first hour. We weren’t able to be on the floor where the scutineering was taking place - we were upstairs on the balcony looking down. Dad wandered off outside to go and do some birding, but for the most part I stayed in the comfort of the airconned building. We eventually managed to get a vehicle to go home to get lunch organized for the team, and then back to the showgrounds to wait around some more before, finally, being given the nod to leave for the day. Dad and I dropped mom at home for a snooze and we hit the shops! Specifically dad was wanting a bird book, and we wanted to pay park fees for a visit to Kakadu National Park. We did a walk through some other little shops and I found some lovely items for presents which I gleefully bought!

Back home we were once again cooking for supper. We were just about done when we got a message on the WhatsApp group – drinks on the beach! 30-minutes later the supper was ready and the team in two cars still hadn’t decided on a place for drinks. Sigh! But finally Nic sent through a map and off we went. We ended up having drinks at an awesome fish and chips shop, and we ate supper there too. It worked out very well for us as we planned on heading to Kakadu on Wednesday and returning on Thursday so the team would be able to have Tuesday’s supper on Wednesday, score! After supper we returned home to pack for our night away at Kakadu National Park – looking forward to some good birding!

First day in Australia!

After arriving in Darwin on Sunday afternoon, Monday was our first day on the job. Most regrettably there was no opportunity for a sleep-in and we were up showered and ready to be picked up at 07h00. Of course while we were waiting outside to be picked up (in the SWELTERING heat) dad was already birding!

The team picking us up was late, but over the next few days we were to learn late was normal. It seemed to me the team was rather disorganized and all over the place (though with that many people a degree I understand), but somehow they made it work. To read more about my time at the Hidden Valley race track on Monday with the team look here.

Nic and I at the track.

After our time at the track we hit the shops, unfortunately not Woolworths (so no collectable cards) but a shop called Cole’s. Mom, dad, and I are part of the team as their caterers, so we are feeding 21 people, three meals a day, as we travel and camp through the outback, as well as 20 people the week before, just lunch and supper. That is a lot of food! So Monday’s trip to Cole’s was not the one and only, but one of very many! We filled three trolleys with food and stuff, and went home to recuperate! The trolleys need a mention though. The trolleys look like your normal, average, run of the mill trolleys. But they are not, they are evil crab-walking trolleys! Seriously. Then put a couple kgs of food, water and milk inside, and you need super strength to be able to turn and maneuver the beasts. Then add a slight downhill slope and it is a recipe for disaster! Luckily we avoided the disaster but it was a close call!

After loading the car, we headed back to our blissfully airconned house to offload groceries, pack all the food away, and start cooking the first of many suppers. We had beautifully gas barbequed chicken, potato mayonnaise, and green salad. After supper was done, we washed dishes and cleaned the kitchen, to then start organizing lunch! Cooking and cleaning is also something I will be spending a, sadly, large amount of time doing – that IS my role on this trip in any case!

Our house.

Finally in Darwin!

Well we landed safely in Singapore at Changi Airport, and had a brief time to browse some duty free shops before boarding our next flight to Darwin, Australia. I may be the only person who says this, but I really would have liked some more time at Changi Airport! On our way through to the boarding gates, we walked past the most beautiful orchid garden and obviously needed to stop and take photos (along with many other travelers!). We saw such a small section of the airport but I believe there was a lot I missed out on. What I did find fascinating were the travellators – conveyor belts for people. Instead of walking from one side of the airport to the other, you can catch short rides on these travellators, not that they moved any faster than average walking speed. The next 4-hour flight from Singapore to Darwin was not great, we got food but the seats seemed tiny and, horror upon horrors, there were no movies to watch! That said I ended up sleeping through most of the flight, I was exhausted!

We arrived in Darwin to heat and humidity never before experienced – and that’s saying something from someone who has lived in Durban! And it was one of the cooler days apparently! We drove straight to the house we were staying in (spacious and entirely airconned) for a quick shower before hitting the shops for supplies. As we arrive at the one parking lot near Woolworths (yes they have them here, but not exactly the same) we came across a large baobab! How cool!

Shopping was an interesting experience, and disturbingly expensive. Converting everything is scary! But we have to eat, and so we bought stuff. What’s cool about Woolworths in Australia is that with every $20 spent you get a packet of collectable cards of ancient animals – stickeez got nothing on these! If you get a special magnifying glass with UV light you can see hidden facts on the cards – yes I’m hooked! Each packet contains three cards and a sticker, and I have a happy little collection! Unfortunately Woolworths here is like the Woolworths in South Africa – a little on the pricey side – so most of our shopping has been done at Cole’s, who do not have cool collectable cards. Sigh. Shopping done we retreated home for supper and an early night – jet lag!