Ngukurr cont...

The original plan was for me to be in Ngukurr for 3 months. A fairly daunting idea, but one I had no less signed up for. On Thursday I was called to inform me that I was being 'redeployed' to Barunga and Jilkminggan.

So I pack up my worldly belongings and do the reverse trip back out to Katherine. Katherine, was once (apparently) a charming little town, I'm struggling to see any remaining evidence of it. After driving down every street I could see I ended up at Red Rooster for lunch. I was craving a homemade milkshake and a burger but it was not to be. However, I do have an airconditioned room, a swimming pool, and access to beer again. So how could I complain.

Monday morning I'm off to my new accommodation in Barunga, only 100ks from Katherine.

Ngukurr

So after a brief rest in Perth, I was off to Ngukurr via Canberra, via Sydney, via Darwin. Ngukurr is an Aboriginal community around 310ks from Katherine. I drove 3 hours in a brand new Patrol to Katherine feeling like I was in a bus and worried about the tyres shredding. The 3 day 4WD course did nothing but make me fearful for every possible car disaster (tyres shredding, feral animals crashing into your car, snakes flipping up underneath, overheating, fan belts breaking).

After a night in Katherine, a brief swim and my last beer for 2 weeks, I took to the dirt road the Roper Highway out to Ngukurr. Highway is not the right word for this road, in most places its a one lane black top and for about 80ks its a dirt track...and a dirt track in the wet season is fairly challenging (read=I can't believe they sent me here alone!).

There are 2 options for getting into Ngukurr by road and crossing 2 rivers or getting on the barge to cross the river. As one of the rivers was at 1.8 (higher than my car I think) I chose the latter option. I think my heart actually stopped beating for a moment when I saw the barge, it looked like a tinny. Upon driving onto it, which was no mean feat, there was about 10cm on either side of the car - not even room enough to open the door.

But I arrived, in 1 piece, with 10 years taken off my life and all tyres in tact.

I've been to....

After my stint in Maningrida, I flew back (again on the pencil of death) to Darwin to hang out for 12 hours for a plane to Canberra - you'd think there'd be more than 2 planes a day and at slightly more convenient times than at 12 40 midnight. But who am I to complain where there's beer?

Leaving Darwin at 1240 saw me arrive bleary eyed to a rainy cold Canberra morning - the 3 hot chocolates I had a Sydney airport did nothing to awake me. And at 5pm that night I was back at the airport to fly to Perth via Melbourne. Thats right I flew from NT to Sydney to Canberra - back to Canberra airport to Melbourne to Perth. That's 5 airports and 3 states and 2 territories in 1 day - has to be a record.

I arrived in Perth at a reasonable 11pm to be picked up by my lovely friend Lisa, who drive way out of her way and braved the traffic in Perth. I was a bit shellshocked and not quite sure where I was but keen to have a great Easter break.

Cheryl's place in Perth is like heaven. Right on Scarbrough beach, 2 swimming pools (one with its own fake beach), a sauna and spa. Alana and I even had a room each - luxury compared with the Donga. We shopped, we ate, we drank, we saw Freeo (Freemantle), Rotto (Rottnest Island) and caught up with some long lost friends. Rotto was great fun with gorgeous little Quokkas (sp?) everywhere, we hired bikes and cycles around for hours stopping for a swim in a gorgeous bay that Alana still swears had a jellyfish (I'm still not convinced).

After Easter and much eating, it was time to do the multi-state trip in reverse. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.