Up in the air

Despite the fact that I adore living in Darwin, I am conscious of not being here forever and endeavour to squeeze as much out of my time here as possible. There are many places to see while I'm here, and I've collated a list of to-dos while living in the Top End. There's the road trip to WA; Bali for the Ubud Writers Festival; Gunlom Falls; and another wintery desert getaway to Uluru. So for M's birthday, I decided to give him an experience; a flight over Kakadu. We drove out on Saturday afternoon, and attempted to cross the wet roads to Ubirr but failed, so did a steep walk up Mirai Lookout. The walk hurt, yet it was worth it for the spectacular view and experiencing the complete stillness of being so high up. All we could hear was the birds and the distant rumble of a car driving through the national park. We checked into the hotel, in the belly of a crocodile at Jabiru. Then early the next morning we drove to the Jabiru airport and climbed aboard a tiny plane to embark upon a one hour flight down the Arnhemland plateau, taking in Jabiru, Nourlangie Rock, Jim Jim and Twin Falls. It was a truly amazing way to experience Kakadu in the wet season when most land-based activities are closed.