Environmental Anecdotes (Episode 1) Beating BHP with Bravado and Blue Tarps

Late on the 13th a white land cruiser, with our team of three, approached the first locked gate on the road on the road to Coronation Hill. The least organised, most impromptu and most poorly resourced "blockade" in Australian history was about to start.

Beating About the Bush, 60 Days in Northern Australia (Part 6 Jasper Gorge)

We decide on our route beyond Katherine as we are leaving Katherine. As a group advance planning is clearly our forte. We all have jobs that require immense planning and so we are avoiding it like the plague. But we are at least managing to buy diesel before leaving town.   We plan to stay...

Beating About the Bush – 60 Days in Northern Australia (Part 5 – Katherine)

Beyonce has returned!! Our vehicle which suffered a cracked brake line has been returned to us but with no guarantees. The mechanic believes the repair will last for our trip, at least, but someone, somewhere in the future, will suffer the same fate. It appears that the original modifications to the vehicle were not carried...

Beating About the Bush, 60 Days in Northern Australia (Part 4) – Kakadu Pt. 2

The end of week one sees us heading for Cooinda to do the obligatory Yellow Waters Cruise and, beyond that, further south to Gunlom and Koolpin Gorge. We are booked in for a sunset cruise and arrive in time to set up camp and head down to Yellow Waters, a part of the South Alligator wetlands....

Beating About the Bush, 60 Days in Northern Australia (Part 3 – Kakadu, Pt 1)

We approach the Kakadu Highway the main road between Pine Creek and Jabiru. Kaylee complains about the brakes, they are spongy and it takes a while to stop. But we think maybe it is just dust or water in the brakes. Next stop is Nourlangie Rock. The car park is packed. It is a chaos...

Beating About the Bush – 60 Days in Northern Australia (Part 2) – Twin Falls

To Twin Falls and Jim Jim Falls At noon, Darwin lies 200 km behind us. We have entered Kakadu National Park. The blind have commenced to lead the blind, as Roger asks me for dirt road driving tips. It is true that I spent four years driving four-wheel drives around the NT but I also...

Beating About the Bush – 60 Days in Northern Australia (Part 1 – Darwin)

Culturally Darwin is like a cup of coffee made with an espresso machine but using instant coffee in the handle, all nice froth and bubble on top but underneath the colour and flavour is pretty ordinary.