July 12

Alex’s highlights #1

DUBBO

In Dubbo we stayed at the Zoo and we fed carrots to a giraffe called Kindu and we saw someone feeding a Black Rhino. We learnt that black rhinos feed from trees and shrubs and have a thing like a finger to help get the food in their mouths and white rhinos have a wide mouth and feed off the ground.

   
 COOBER PEDY

In Coober Pedy we stayed in an underground hotel which was 25 metres under the ground!!!! Before we had dinner we climbed to the top of the hotel which was cold and windy.

 

Cold sunset on top of the hotel

  
 ULURU

In Uluru we walked around the bottom on the Base Walk it was 10km and very long and tiring. We watched the sunset and watched Uluru change colours, first it was brown, next orange, then red and finally purple.

  

KINGS CANYON

In Kings Canyon we climbed up some steep steps to the top and walked around the rim. The Canyon was made a long time ago by water breaking the rocks and making a deep crack called a canyon. 

  
WEST MACDONNELL RANGES

We did a 4 hour walk around Ormiston Gorge which was so long but it was amazing as we saw lots of wildlife. We walked through the dry river bed which had lots of rocks to climb on. 

   
 DALY WATERS

We stayed in a lodge at the pub and I got to have a ride with my dad in a 3 trailer road train that usually has 4 trailers. It was delivering fuel to Daly Waters fuel station and we had a ride when it turned around. As it was Territory Day in the Northern Territory we watched some people lighting fire crackers.

  
DARWIN

In Darwin it was so, so hot and we stayed there with our friends Paul, Emma, Tessa, Gabe and Luka and went in their pool. We went to Crocosaurus and saw someone feeding a crocodile and we got to swim with the baby crocodiles and feed them.

swimming with crocs at Crocosaurus

KAKADU

In Kakadu we went on the Yellow Water cruise where we got to see crocodiles and lots of birds. The lady who was guiding us told us all about the birds and we saw Jacanas (known as Jesus birds as they can walk on water), Egrets, White-bellied Sea-eagles, Jabiru, Kingfishers, Pied Heron, Whistling Ducks and Brolgas.

 

Jacana, long toes let it “walk on water”

  

Jabiru

    

White-bellied Sea-eagle

    

Egret

 
ARNHEM LAND

In Arnhem Land we went on lots of tours, my favourite one was the Billabong swim as we got to swim in a lake like a freshwater pool. We have seen lots of Aboriginal paintings and some of them are years and years old and some are 50,000 years old. The paintings are done by the men and the women and children do handprints. 

 

Billabong swimming

  
  

Angry men painting with a modern extra!

  

Xray Barramundi

  

Sea Serpent

  

hand prints, done by children and women, men do the paintings