Cairns&Darwin.

Cairns. The final destination on our long old road trip up the coast of Australia. We arrived to a beautiful sunny afternoon and parked our dear little car for a well deserved rest.

Cairns is a pleasant city, very busy and full of other backpackers and tourists staying over to explore the Great Barrier Reef and the jungles just North of Cairns.

Of course our first day was spent on a boat trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. This is something I had been looking forward to ever since I knew I was definitely coming to Australia. Being a biologist and also a huge fan (probably the biggest ever fan EVER) of 'Finding Nemo' I was so excited to see the reef close up and swim among all the crazy fish and stunning coral.

We booked our tour with a company called 'Passions of Paradise' ... yes, I know what you are thinking. It does sound like a dodgey adult film or something weird like that but it was in fact the best deal we could find for a snorkeling day trip out to the reef. We booked it through the YHA and with our membership discount we saved about $30 getting our cruise ticket for around $135 which was very good.

It was an early start as we met the boat at 7.30am on the harbour. There was tea and coffee and even a muffin; all incredibly chirpy and civilised for that time of day. 

As we set off the captain announced "should anyone wish to get a seasickness tablet, please see the desk now". As my dearest Lydia turned to me and asked whether she should get one, I reassured her that we would be fine and it is a psychological thing, so we just need to not think about it... well talk about seal my own fate. I was so bloody seasick. In fact, it was so bad I had to practically crawl to the other side of the boat, whilst getting weird looks from the other passengers and jeering from the crew, until I found a spot which was about 1 metre by 1 metre, where I didn't feel THAT bad... and I just stood there, with my eyes shut, trying to think of anything that wasn't how much I wanted to be sick.
Thank goodness for Lydia who had to run around like a loop, collecting our snorkeling gear and relaying the safety brief back to me whilst I stood there like a zombie, scaring young children.

When the boat finally stopped we got straight out and into the water. Snorkeling is not exactly as you would imagine. Firstly, if you think you are going to look like a stunning mermaid, gracefully moving through the water, with your hair all free and shiny and the beautiful creatures of the deep surrounding you, then you are wrong. Flippers or 'fins' are the hardest things to walk in and swim in. Snorkeling masks do not fit your face or gel with your hair and that dreamy mermaid movement in the water does not come naturally...

Once we were in the water it took a bit of getting used to but once you get going and your snorkel has filled with water a few times and you've accidentally breathed in through your mouth and nearly choked yourself and once you have stopped wondering if you are swimming alongside Darth Vader, realising that it is just you, breathing...you are onto a winner!

Alas, most of the above probably only applies to me as I did catch a glimpse of some true diving professionals. Although sadly, the only thing about me that came close to 'Ariel' was how red my hair looks in the photos!

It was so surreal to see the reef right there in front of you. After seeing so many pictures, it still looked different from what I had imagined. It is so awesome having fish swimming so close to you; not just your average gold fish either, huge fish of all shapes and sizes and bright colours.. it was amazing and we got some great pictures with our waterproof camera (which was so nearly lost to the depths of the ocean on many, many occasions).

There were two diving locations on our cruise and they were broken up by an onboard buffet lunch which was really nice. We met some crazy Americans and some others Brits too, so it was a really good day and we even saw a turtle which was a total day maker.

We couldn't stay in Cairns and not visit the jungle. So we decided to take our little car on one last trip to Kuranda, a village that lies in the jungle, about one hour North of the city. 

Kuranda is a tiny little place with a lot of character and possibly the cutest little information lady ever! We explored all three of Kurandas amazing markets; selling everything from the worlds hottest chillis to bottle openers made of kangeroo scrotums! (That was very nearly Mums travelling present but I figured it wasn't a safe move) 

We sampled an interesting beverage called 'fruit poo' ... very weird but very delicious! It was basically a mixture of mushed up frozen fruits, very exotic and refreshing in the heat. 

There were a lot of walks to do around the village too. After a solid lunch of nutella sandwiches we walked through the jungle to follow the railway around the river and up to the village. There was another walk to a beautiful waterfall which we drove to on the way out of Karunda, just in time for the rain to come! It was a really lovely day.

The rest of our time in Cairns was spent at the Saturday markets which were absolutely huge. We wondered around them for ages, exploring the many stalls selling fruits, vegetables, jewellery and other interesting things! Alot of time was also spent at the lagoon, sunbathing and relaxing (we did earn it though!).

All in all Cairns was a lovely few days and although action packed, we did find time to relax and catch some sun! ... The free pancakes in the hostel were a particular highlight too. It was a little bit of a sad end to Cairns though as we did have to give back our dear old car, Rigby (yes we named him) back. He had been our trusted friend and companion all the way from the Great Ocean Road and he had put up with a lot of my antics and heard a lot of my worst singing. He was a hero and I grew very attached to him.

Thankfully we decided to fly to Darwin which made a nice change from all the driving. It was an easy little domestic flight and a definite first for me; made obvious by the fact I carried my passport around the entire time, getting almost angry that no one wanted to check it and wondering where the hell customs was...

Arriving in Darwin hit us hard; mainly because it is so incredibly humid here. I realise I am a single girl who probably needs to be selling herself, but, I have not stopped sweating since I have arrived. I must point out that all thought for appearance has gone out the window now and I know Lydia is with me on that. Make up sweats off, hair triples in volume and sweat patches - you stand out if you don't have them. 

The crocodile cruise was first on our Darwin agenda, actually, lets be precise here, the 'spectacular jumping crocodile cruise'. Well, I must say, it was pretty spectacular! We drove to the jetty which was on the Adelaide River, about an hour from Darwin (or 2 hours if, like us, you miss all the turnings and have to drive the long way around). 

We were greeted by a very friendly, all-female crew (girl power) and had tea and coffee before we boarded the boat. We were surrounded by newspaper articles of recent deaths by crocs, incredibly reassuring. These monsters are such a big thing up in the North. They are respected immensely as pretty dangerous people killers but weirdly loved at the same time. 

We didn't have to wait long to hop on board and after a bit of down time and the opportunity to hold a python (I let Lyd take that one, it was her birthday after all) we got on the boat and headed off down (actually it could have been up, I have no idea) the Adelaide River.

Almost straight away we could spot a croc swimming towards the boat. They aren't the easiest to see in the murky water but the closer they get, the scarier they look! We were told by the crew that they are so used to the boat coming out now that they know it means no harm. Usually these guys are apparently pretty shy and stay under the safety of the water, to assess what is going on. The crew knew their stuff and could even recognise certain crocs coming over to the boat! They were really strict as to which crocs they fed and how far away from the jetty they were as they try to maintain a normal wild instinct within the crocs, so they don't get used to human contact - I liked that. They also make sure that whichever croc they pick to feed, has to work quite hard before they get the meat.

These crocodiles are just so big. We even got to see a massive male come over, fondly nicknamed 'Stumpy' due to having a front leg missing. He still jumped though and the snapping shut of his jaws (which has a force of 2.5 tonnes) sent shivers down everyones spine!

Despite getting a tad (extremely) lost, we had the best day at the croc cruise and got back in time for a quick change before heading out for dinner for Lydias birthday! We went to an aussie grill called 'Ducks Nuts' and had this incredible mixed grill between us which had kangeroo, lamb, crocodile sausages and this amazing fillet mignon which was so good I almost cried.

Kakadu National Park. Now, I am not quite sure how to go about telling you about this place...

We left Darwin, merrily on our way for a two day, one night adventure in the much anticipated Kakadu National Park. It is hard to describe to you just how big and remote this place is. It is about the size of Wales and takes 3 hours just to get to, not even to drive around. It has one main village called Jabiru which has one bakery, petrol station and the tiniest inkling of phone signal and aside from that, it is pretty much the outback. We weren't aware just how interesting our trip to Kakadu was going to be...

It all began when we started to become very aware of just how many crocodiles inhabit the area. Everywhere we went there were warning signs and danger zones. Now, had it been full of people and buzzing with any kind of atsmosphere, it would have made everything much less eery. But as we set off on our first walk at a recommended lookout, we didn't expect to be the only human beings in the vicinity. We also didn't expect the river to creep up on us so quickly or there to be such weird animals making such weird noises in the bushes. We tried to be manly about it all, but we didn't get very far, it was way too scary.

We booked in to stay in a 'cabin' in a village called Cooinda. I say village, it was just the camping resort and hotel. We knew it was going to be basic but I wasn't quite ready for what lay ahead. The room was a tiny little cabin which had only one bunk bed, a mirror and possibly the worst excuse for air con I have ever seen. Although we were very upbeat, as we walked across to the 'outback kitchen' we were slowly losing our sense of humour, especially when we realised that we had no pots, pans, cups or plates. I suddenly wished I had saved that last bite of my cereal bar at lunchtime...

So there we were, stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no dinner or phone signal, surrounded by signs warning us that crocodiles had been spotted wondering around the campsite... brilliant. 

Thankfully, we managed to stumble across a group of aussie campers, about our age, who immediately welcomed us to join them for a beer. We got chatting to them and discovered that it was one of their birthdays and tagged along to get some dinner at a restaurant back at the hotel. Not only did we crash a birthday meal, we also got a free drink, lots of beer and some chocolate cake ... I'd say we landed on our feet there! They were a great bunch.

I was quite pleased when bedtime finally arrived. We went to brush our teeth and found that the bathroom was a pretty long trek away, across some camping grounds... I joked to Lydia "imagine needing the loo in the middle of the night!" .... but guess who did need the bloody loo at 2.30am.
I so wish I could watch a video of me getting to the toilet that night. I had no torch, no idea where I was going and I was pretty scared. All I can say is that I did end up tripping over a few tents and I did walk into a washing line, taking out various items of clothing and I did jump on several occasions as I saw all walks of wildlife crossing my path. I learnt not to make jokes about crazy scenarios as they will happen to you as a result.

The next day we woke up early to embrace the day and get some sights seen. Alas, we were only an hour into our drive when just up ahead we noticed a car had stopped. Now, when you are in Kakadu and you see another car, it is a very exciting time. It means that there is another human over there... as we drove closer we realised why the car had stopped. On the side of the road we saw a massive, and I mean massive, buffalo.

The next few minutes went a little like this..

Jess: Oh wow Lydia look there's a buffalo!
Lydia: Oh my god, that's insane! Look at those people they are getting a picture.
Jess: So cool! It's so big ... wait ... Lydia why are those people running...
Lydia: Shit Jess the buffalo is running!
Jess: Oh my god it's charging right at us!! GO GO GO!!
*Whacks car into reverse and pops the fastest u-turn ever, driving away up the road followed by said buffalo*

We proceeded to spend the next hour stuck on the road, waiting for the buffalo to move. There are no re-routes or other ways to get somewhere in Kakadu - if a road is blocked, you can't get to where you want to go. 

We did our bit, flashing oncoming cars and helping the big caravans, that had upset the buffalo even more, to turn around and get the hell away from the crazy zone. Unfortunately, this buffalo was having none of it and despite us patiently waiting (from a great, great distance) we had to abandon ship and abort our plans.

It is important to note that seeing a buffalo like that is not normal. We saw no other buffalos that whole entire time, so he was obviously a bit lost. You'd think that would maybe be enough weird luck for one day but oh no... we set off to embark on our new plan and new route and as we drove along laughing about the buffalo incident, we suddenly hit a massive flood. For some reason, the whole section of the road was under nearly a metre of water... plans changed again.

We finally attempted one last walk, choosing a little lookout to trek to; it was only about an hours walk there and back. 

We were enjoying our walk until we saw a sign up ahead. This wasn't just any old crocodile warning sign, oh no. This warned of 'extreme danger' and 'very large' saltwater crocs. 

I can't describe what it was like but it was so eery and so quiet and after seeing a sign like that and proceeding to trek through metre tall rushes, right beside a river, is so scary! 

Now, laugh all you want to but we were definitely chased by a crocodile. We heard a noise and sprinted so fast back to the car; I couldn't look behind because I may have tripped and been eaten, but I know we were chased and I know it was a croc.

We just had to laugh about it, it was funny! Poor Lydia, I did warn her that travelling with me could bring some weird and wonderful situations. It's okay though, we had a great drive home to Darwin. I whacked my ipod on in the car and lucky Lydia got her very own live version of some absolute classics. 'Mariah Carey - Hero' was executed to perfection and there wasn't a 'risk of crocs' warning in sight.

Our last big day in Darwin was spent visiting Litchfield National Park. Litchfield was a much less daunting trip. It is much closer to Darwin, only and hour and a half away and it is a lot smaller, so perfect for a day trip. We had a lot to see in Litchfield and manages to do it all, with no buffalos - hooray!
We saw magnetic termite mounds, we swam in the waters of the Buley Rockhole and visited the stunning waterfalls of Florence Falls, Tolmer Falls and Wangi Falls. 

It was a really beautiful place and so easy to get around. Although you can't see everything without a 4WD, you can still see alot. Being able to swim in the waters and get so close to some of the waterfalls was a great experience and we really enjoyed our day - safe from the crocodiles too!

It has been a very eventful few days, we have diced with death and faced a few fears (ran away from them mainly) but with every mishap or scary moment, we have a hilarious memory to share with you guys, so in the end it just adds to our adventures.

We have come to the end of our time in Australia now. I can't believe how quickly these last few weeks have gone. It's been an amazing stop and I have done things I didn't think I ever could (namely hitting that high note in

'Hero') and I've had the most immense time.

Next stop Asia! We fly to Indonesia tonight.

Standby for the final leg of this crazy journey - stay tuned! X