Day 54 16/05/2011 Mardugal Campground to Merl Campground (Kakadu)

Day 54 16/05/2011 Mardugal Campground to Merl Campground (Kakadu)

After some investigation through the onsite ranger we discovered that the Mardugal Billabong walk was closed due to flooding …no wonder there were so many mozzies around.  So we packed up camp and headed to Cooinda.  At Cooinda we were advised that their boardwalk walk was closed due to flooding, when we enquired about a fishing charter they advised that they had not employed a guide for the season yet so all they could offer was a cruise up Yellow Waters.  Whilst the idea of a 2 hour cruise was inviting we decided that the cost was prohibitive and that really we didn’t want to go without eating for a few days!!!

We did though stop at the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre, this was a fabulous place that gave all of us a ton of information about the local Aboriginal people and how they lived before colonisation and how they live and manage Kakadu now.  The kids really enjoyed the cultural centre and it was well worth the stop.

Just before lunch we headed off to Mirral Lookout. Hhmm I guess every now and then I have to get it wrong as the official itinerary writer and tour guide for the great adventure, well the decision to go to Mirral Lookout was one of those decisions.  It wasn’t that the lookout wasn’t good, you could see all the way to Arnhem Land it was just that it was lunchtime, it was hot, the kids had thongs on and the walk was steep and rocky!!  All of that added up to not a very good walk, so it was with delight that we all jumped in the car for aircon!!

After lunch we took the opportunity to explore Nourlangle and the surrounding area. The walk was fabulous because it was in the shade and it took us past a couple of Aboriginal shelters, as well as some fabulous Aboriginal Rock Art sites.  The art work was amazing and it was here that we really came to understand that Aboriginal rock art wasn’t really about the artwork but rather the story that was told whilst someone was doing the painting.  The act of painting is generally more important than the painting itself so many older paintings are covered by younger ones and this is why it looks like some have been rubbed off / painted over.  We all enjoyed looking at the art works and trying to guess what some of the stories were.

Then it was off to Merl Campground.  I know I complained yesterday about the mozzies but really compared to the one’s that reside at Merl all other mozzies pale in comparison.  Tonight was the first time in my life I have showered and had to swat mozzies at the same time, going to the toilet was a nightmare, to the point that I had to go with Claudia to stop the mozzies biting her on the bottom whilst she was on the loo…..Pete came back from the shower complaining about the formula 1 buzzing he experienced around his ears whilst showering!!  I won’t even begin to document his complaints about how hard it was to go to the toilet and swat mozzies at the same time.  Seriously I have never experienced anything like them, the mozzies were thick!! Inside the van and out!! They were even happy to bite us through our long sleeves and pants!!  So again we bunkered down in the van with the fan on, sweating because it was still very warm and very humid!!

After speaking to a number of people camping in tents and their description of how they survived the mozzies here I am so grateful for the caravan!! We have all become excellent mozzies whackers but we are now also all bitten and itchy!!  Oh yes we have tried everything aeroguard, bushmans, rid!! The mozzies are determine up here!!  The rangers told us nothing really works as there are 29 different types of mozzies in the Kakadu wetlands…..unreal!!