Because we’re here a bit longer we decide to book into accommodation with a real bed. And because we’re interested in the news to tell us whether the lockdowns are effective we decide to go back to Jabiru with its 4G. And finally, because it has an outdoor shower we choose Anbinik (Anna: Outdoor bathing is my number 1 goal in life).
We check in and then head out to Bardedjilidji walk. The walk loops from the East Alligator River around a cutting through a rock formation. The first part of the walk is pretty unnerving given how often we’ve been told to stay away from the rivers edge. The track is often very close to the river, luckily there’s not much to see at this part so we walk briskly (I was don’t really know why this isn’t and out-and-back walk).
It’s really the middle part of the track that is interesting. Rock formations stand like castle battlements, with watchtowers. The rocks are unique compared to anything else I’ve seen in the park, appearing to be made up from long pancake stacks. The vertical lines of the long golden grass makes the horizontal lines of the rocks stand out more.
As we wind around the back of the track we find ourselves approaching a cave.
In the cave are some rock paintings and a network of roots from trees upstairs. The sudden cool darkness begins to feel spooky and we hastily move on. But that feeling of spookiness lingers for the rest of the walk, all the rock art we spot looks like warnings. Thus the interest of the pancaked rocks was book-ended by an unsettled sense of being in someone else’s home.
Back at the resort, we dive into the dark room to cool off, cave-like but welcoming. We shower outdoors, suitably luxurious-feeling, and get dinner (Anna: Dinner was accompanied by our first close up encounter with a dingo!].
[Click on a photo to open a full-screen slide show]
