10 March 2016:-AUSTRALIA & NZ :- Darwin>>Kakadu>>Jabiru

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND :- Darwin>>Kakadu>>Jabiru

5th Day  : 10.03.2016 

Since I have got my rental car and I will drive independently to the Natural Park KAKADU I do not hurry today. I woke up around 07:30 and prepared my stuff. I took the breakfast at The Palms Resort City Hotel. I am happy with this Hotel. Rooms are on the ground floor in a yard having a lot of palms, trees etc. It is very green and natural outside of the door.

I paid 23.-AUD for the breakfast. There is no big variety but good enough. At 08:30 I drove away from the Hotel Palms Resort. Since I paid also for GPS when I took the car from Bargain Car Rental the life is easy. There was heavy rain in the night I heard but there is almost nothing left on the streets. The weather is hot and humid as well. This makes the life worse.

                         

My route from Darwin to Jabiru (north) and next day from Jabiru back to Darwin (south)

Referring to the map posted on top, I took the upper route –Arnhem Highway- in the direction to Jabiru which is a very small town in the core of the KAKADU National Park. The distance is around

250 kms. Highway means not the same thing as know. Paved road with two lanes in general is meant highway here. After a long time I am driving on the right hand side of the car. I am getting used, I hope in a few hours. After one hour I saw the sign “Fogg Dam”. I drove to the left of the road and reached after 12 kms to a wild natural place. The road was constructed on top of the dam

which is but only 2-3 meters high from the water level at both parts. On the left and right of the road

there is big area where water is accumulated. Everything looks like natural in the wild nature. At one side of the road I saw an irritating note for the visitors.

Fogg Dam on the way from Darwin to Jabiru

Lilly Flowers on the Fogg Dam-Darwin

Do not worry ! I did not entered the water.

In one of the balconies I saw one bird watcher. I took some pictures of the lilly flowers and the dam. I drove on the same road back to the main road. I took again the direction to the east.

Around 10:10 I came to the intersection with the Adelaide River where I saw the signs of the “Jumping Crocodile Cruises” on the river. On a boat (approx. 10 meters in length and around 30-36 passengers capacity) named Pathfinder II they arrange 1 hour tours on the river and the guys are feeding crocodiles and crocodiles are jumping almost with 2/3 of the body outside of water.

I took the tour at 11:00 with three other guests. The boat was under the control of the father and son and they were really funny and special guys.

Together with the crocodile guides-Father&Son

Occasionally two of the guests were from Stuttgart and we chat with the daughter and the mother

During the tour and after the tour while drinking Cappuccino at the Café of the Crocodile Cruise Co. The crocodiles are well known figures in this part of the country. It is something very common for the people who are leaving in this region. As per the boat owner, sometimes happen fatal accidents as well. But the life goes on!!

I recommend: Take part in a crocodile cruise whenever you visit Australia, but in natural habitat.

I had never seen the teeth of the death in such a close distance!

I drove further and made a lunch stop at the Bark Hut Inn. It was a big bar-tavern located at the side of the road. Because of the furniture and the ambiance it was dark inside. The Inn was giving an impression that it was established for the cattle owners and (water) buffalo people. Darwin was settled in the early 18 hundreds and the people started with cattle business at first.

I ate my beef burger which was accompanied by the Australian Beer. I gave 20.50 AUD. The other customers were 14-15 years old kids; most probably sport team of a school from the neighborhood.

I drove further and stopped at the Northern entrance of the Park. I talked to the girls there and tried to get some hints for the visiting areas. In the meantime I found out that every visitor should pay 25.-AUD entrance fee. I paid. The girl gave me a ticket with my name written on it. I took it seriously, but nobody asked me within the National Park for my ticket. I could not to pay for the ticket.

AS per the girl‘s suggestion I visited “Mamukala Wetlands” on the way to Jabiru. 1 km on the South side of the road. I parked my car and walked to the bird watchers’ balcony at the side of the lake. It is around 200 meters paved path but both sides were covered with bush and trees.

Commencing the walking I saw a sign at the side of the path, saying that the guests must be careful about the crocodiles. Sometimes they attack! What can someone do when the croc is attacking? It is too late.

Around 15:30 I reached to my Lodge: Kakadu Lodge. I had booked on the internet and it was not irreversible. But no worries! I am at the reception doing check-in. The guy gave me politely the key of the bungalow #2 which is a container-house of 22-25 sqm with a balcony outside. Every bungalow was having kitchenette, WC+Shower, TV, cooling and A/C Unit mounted on the wall.

Jabiru:- My bungalow in the Kakadu Lodge

Other than the key the guy at the reception handed me also a map of the Lodge where I can find bar-bistro, swimming pool etc. Since the spirits buying is restricted in the Kakadu National Park

The guy also gave me a ticket for buying alcoholic drinks from the bar.

I think the government holds the native people (Aborigines!) under control and does not let them reach alcohol simply in this region. As a general rule on the Kakadu NP there is no take away alcohol buying possibility! Drinkable in the lodges, hotels, but not outside and at home. There are some stories related to some parties given at the riverside. After a couple of drinks some people have died bacause of the attack of the crocs .

From Wikipedia :

"The category "Aboriginal Australians" was coined by the British after they began colonising Australia in 1788, to refer collectively to all people they found already inhabiting the continent, and later to the descendants of any of those people. Until the 1980s, the sole legal and administrative criterion for inclusion in this category was race, classified according to visible physical characteristics or known ancestors. As in the British slave colonies of North America and the Caribbean, where the principle of partus sequitur ventremwas adopted from 1662, children's status was determined by that of their mothers; if born to Aboriginal mothers, children were considered Aboriginal, regardless of their paternity.^[6]"

After getting fresh in the swimming pool and having a bottle of Crown Lager Beer I decided to walk to the town. It was 18:15 and I started to walk. On the way to the Jabiru town center I saw the big hotel “Crocodile Hotel” constructed in the shape of a crocodile (On the google earth it is also clearly to see). I saw few Aboriginal Artwork at the entrance hall of the hotel.

Art Galery in the Jabiru 's Crocodile Hotel

The town center is in 20 minutes walking distance. When I reached to the center I was astonished. The town center was in dead silence, nobody was there. ATM ‘s where active, a silent and peculiar music was coming from somewhere. It was sun set time and the colors where changing in a spectacular way. Greyish red and orange was dominating the sky color. It was like I was acting in a “Twilight Zone” movie. There was no sign of life. Only white tropical birds were making noise on the trees.

I walked further to complete my round tour and came back to the Kakadu Lodge. I proceeded to the bar-bistro at the swimming pool and ordered my big prawns with garlic and vegetable side dish. I also took a white wine from the South Australian choices.

After coming to my bungalow I decided to write my blog. In all rooms there is free café and tea facility. Someone may prepare his own café or tea. Having my café after a short but tasty dinner I wrote a few pages to my log.

I attempted to sleep around 23:50. No hurry because I am independently travelling with my rental car and I have a whole day tomorrow. I will drive back to Darwin in order to have the flight to Cairns at 20:15.

Good night to everybody!

09 March 2016:-AUSTRALIA & NZ :- Perth >>>Darwin

4th Day  : 09.03.2016 from Perth to Darwin

I woke up early this morning. I haven ‘t slept well last night. There is still some jetlag I am suffering, I think. Around 02:00 o’clock, when my sleep was interrupted I read several pages of my book related to the life of Tevfik Fikret, a well known Ottoman poet lived at the end of 19^thand beginning of 20^th century. Thanks to my son; I had borrowed this book from him.

I took my standardized breakfast at the Hotel: Egg, cheese, mushroom, café, etc.

While finishing the check-out procedure at the reception I gave the adaptor plug back and I received my 50.-AUD deposit. The Chinese receptionist, Mr Chen Lieuw was friendly.

(For those who travel to Australia and NZ, a plug adaptor is highly recommended. Otherwise no chance to charge telephones and computers). The Hotel did not charge anything even the extra breakfasts. Most probably they will charge from my credit card data. We will see soon.

At 06:54, I was ready for departure. Taxi had been called yesterday night by the reception and is now ready in front of the hotel. We headed to the Perth Airport Terminal 4 where the Qantas Flights are departing. The traffic was good enough and we haven‘t got stuck on the way. I thought that the driver is an immigrant and we started to chat. Yes. He had immigrated to Australia in 1974. And from Bosnia. His name is Ahmet. He is around early sixties and likes very much to be in Istanbul when he is travelling time to time to his origin. He mentioned proudly his boat tours on the Bosporus and nice fish he had used to eat at the Bosporus.

Ahmet is happy that he was not involved within the war in Bosnia and mentioned that “the Bosnian people trusted” a lot to the Yugoslavian Armed Forces at that time but they were disappointed when the Armed Forces suddenly changed and switched to opponent forces for them. This is what Ahmet explained.

At 07:34 we reached to the Perth Airport Terminal 4. I paid 33.-AUD to the taxi driver and things have been finalized easily at the check-in. One Qantas guy accompanied me on the kiosk where from I got my boarding card and luggage drop off card. Just a few meters away there were the drop-off conveyors equipped with bar code readers. I left my luggage on the conveyor and the system accepted it properly (No worry, I received my luggage in Darwin).

I proceeded to the gate No.18 where the passengers for the Darwin flight was waiting the Qantas-Emirates Flight EK5792 at 08:35. I bought a café Latte Machiato small. I paid 4,5 AUD. I also bought a plug adaptor at the Terminal Shop for 12.95 AUD, which is very essential for visitors to Australia.

There is a time difference of 1,5 hours between Perth and Darwin. The flight took 3,5 hours. Qantas crew and service was appreciable. The flight attendants where shiny appearing ladies and gentlemen and in average aged around mid-fifties.

I took a few pictures of the earth. The ground is mostly dry in the 2/3 of the route. There are man-made geometrical shapes on the surface. Lines like were forming grids.

Picture taken from 8000 meter on the flight from Perth to Darwin.

In my opinion it is a work done for the mining study. There are a lot of mines in the Western Australia. Some of them are visible from the air plane but most of them are under the ground. I saw a lot of drain flood on the open surface and I think these are the purging water and mud of the mines and ores. I will check.

From 8000 m on the flight from Perth to Darwin:- Probably purged mine sludge.

Coming closer to Darwin:- Rivers from sky

Flying in the direction Nord to Darwin:- Rivers' funny curves on land

From sky:- Flying in the direction Nord to Darwin:- Rivers

Coming closer to the Northern Territory (=one of the states of Australia) the ground changed into green. The surface is mostly wet and a few rivers are irrigating this part of the country.

It was 13:30 with the local time when we landed at the Darwin Airport. Outside it is hot and humid. Same experience I had got also in Zanzibar, East Africa. Hot and humid was it there, too. At the exit of the airport I had got some hassle with the car rental company. I had agreed on the internet with www.airportrentals.com . They are a worldwide agency for various real car rental companies especially of the local ones. They offer less prices with max. discounts. In this case, they have offered me car from the local “Bargain Car Rentals”. This one does not have any office at the airport and I should have been picked up by their shuttle. There was no shuttle to get me to their office and to the car.

I called them and the lady said that I need to take a cab and go to their address in Darwin City. I took a taxi and go to the office of “Bargain Car Rentals”. They are well prepared and organized but they were not aware about the shuttle pick-up service.

I took my Hyundai Accent and drove to my Hotel Palms City Resort. Nice and clean hotel and friendly people. 

Darwin-Hotel Palms City Resort

Darwin-Hotel Palms City Resort- Nice and beautiful yard.

Darwin- Refreshing in the swimming pool of the Hotel Palms City Resort

Big parking place but very slow Wi-Fi connection. After having been fresher in the swimming pool I decided to make a walk in the down town. Darwin is a city named after Charles Darwin.  There are roughly 115-120 thousand of people living. It is located at the sea side and is strategically important as well: the closest part of Australia to Asia and Japan. In the World War II they had suffered some because of the Japanese attacks.

Darwin:- Birds in the Esplanade Park

Darwin:- Birds in the Esplanade Park

There is a big park in front of the hotel and goes on the left side up to the center of Darwin.

It is the so-called Esplanade. There was a big cruise ship trying to depart from the pier. I used the route through the Government House, Parliament House, Supreme Court and some other official buildings of the North Territory. Darwin is the capital city. From the security point of view, the buildings are even not comparable with ours in Turkey. It is obvious that they do not have any risk for being attacked. The fences are very low.

After a while I came to a calm and nice area where there are restaurants, bars at the sea.

The Convention Centre and a big park was also within this area at the coast. I enjoyed the sunset here and walked on the long jetty up to the end where there is the Wharf-3.

It was also the best time for taking pictures of the sun set.

There were also a few people training boxing on the promenade. It was a nice and peaceful scene even they were boxing.

Darwin:- People training boxing on the promenade

Darwin:- Ladies training boxing in the sunset

Darwin:- Boxing Coach is giving instructions

Darwin:- From the jetty 

Darwin inner harbour right after the sunset

Darwin:- A sea bird is trying to hunt

Then I sat in a restaurant (Wharf One Food Wine) there and have tried Barra Fillet with a glass of Pepper Jack Shiraz. After all I found the Crème Brule perfect with a ball of vanilla ice cream on it.

It was time to go to the Hotel and to get rest for the next day.

08 March 2016:- AUSTRALIA & NZ :-Perth>>Fremantle>>Perth

3rd Day : Local Tour :- Perth>>>Fremantle>>Perth

In order to be picked up by the ADAMS Tour (www.adamspinnacletours.com.au) at 07:00 o’clock, I woke up early in the morning at 06:15 and moved to the breakfast hall of the Hotel. Breakfast is served on the entrance floor looking to the Street. Breakfast is well enough and is responding to my tastes: Plain egg, cheese, croissant, boiled mushroom, some fruit, toast bread and cafe.

At 07:00 o ‘clock I stepped into the coach waiting for me. The old bus driver who was a well experienced and funny guy (around 70 years of age) collected some more people from various hotels and took all of us the Convention Centre where all the tour passengers of the day  accumulating.

I remained in the coach and some others who were also taking this “Half Day Morning Perth and Fremantle City Explorer” Tour came to my bus.

At 08.10 we departed to see the highlights of the City Perth. Our bus driver took us first to the Riverside Drive. Perth is located at the Swan River approx.20 km away from the coast. It is an internal city like Lisbon, has a connection to the sea but not at the sea coast.

All along the Riverside Drive we saw a lot of parks, Langley Park –maybe in length of 1,5 kms-, WACA (=Western Australian Cricket Ground) , Gloucester Park Race Course and then East Perth. Our driver took the Hay Street from the east end and drove up to the pedestrian zone in the middle somewhere. Hay Street is the longest street of Perth.

From Kings Park to the South (All water is Swan River)

From Kings Park

Second bulb (=enlargement) of the Swan River on the downstream side.

Perth City is located right at the Swan River. The river makes a wide enlargement and both banks of it is populated. There is also a narrow part on the river and then it enlarges again in the west direction to the Indian Ocean. Nights are similar to our Istanbul Bosporus. Lights from both banks of the Swan River makes the city beautiful.

Perth City by Night

At 08:50 we were at the Kings Park which is the most famous and biggest green park located around at 60-70 meter from the river’s water level, at the west end of the City Perth. It is a kind of botanic garden, with long walking lanes through the green trees and gardens maintained in a very good condition against this much warm weather conditions. There are also lots of birds belonging to this fauna.

Birds in the King's Park

Flowers in the King's Park

Trees of this region are under protection

Another beautiful flower in the King's Park

Dedicated to those soldiers died in the World War 1 (Gallipoli etc.)

Perth City in the backround from King's Park

Other side of  the Swan River

After finalizing our free time in the park we all came to the coach at 10:00 o’clock and our tour continued in the direction to Fremantle.

We took the Stirling HW and first saw the Swanbourne and Cottesloe Beaches. On the West Coast there are a lot of public places free for the people who want to step into the Ocean: Long and wide beaches at the Indian Ocean just in the north part of Fremantle.

Finally, our funny bus driver drove us to Fremantle Centre. Fremantle is a port city and was established most probably close to the end of 19. Century (?) There are a few buildings of the colonial type from the beginning of the 20.Century. Two storey buildings out of brick with a balcony is the typical view. Some shops on the streets are still resembling old fashioned shops serving to the sailors.

Fremantle-From the café where I wrote my postcards.

Fremantle-Old Brewery

Frematle-Town Center

Fremantle-From the Round House over High Street

Fremantle-One of the sculptures in the towncenter

Most of the passengers of the tour bus decided to stay here as I did, too. The weather is hot (around 30-31 deg C) and the city is friendly giving some flavor from the old maritime life. There are almost 10 cranes at the port and this port is in great portion handles containers. This port had been designed by a Japanese Architect.

As I saw the main post office in a refurbished but old looking building at the entrance of the Market Street, I decided not to share any picture on Facebook and neither to send picture on Whatsapp and bought some postcards and stamps in a small local shop.

I sat quietly in the shade of the Back Café on the South TCE, having café latte and lemon pie I wrote my postcards to my family and friends wide away from Fremantle-Perth. Most probably they will be surprised as soon as they receive them in a couple of weeks.

It was around 11:30 when I paid the bill. I walked to the old fashioned post office and let the postcards go. Then I walked to the “Round House” which is a round building out of stones at the sea side just behind the Bathers Bay in the type of a small fortress. Having inside circumferentially 8 separated cells was used as a prison. The people have refurbished and cleaned the building and is now an attraction for the visitors.

Frematle-Round House from High Street

Fremantle-Inside of the Round House (previouly had served as prison)

Exactly at 13:00 o’clock every day, they also use the canon in front of the building to make a fake

Shot which makes only sound. There is also a time ball showing the time to the ships (of the old times).

After the visit of the Round House –old prison- I walked to the corner of the High Str with the Market Str. There is a brewery there and I would suggest to have cold beer there. It really has a recharging effect.

I bought some souvenirs and walked to the Fremantle Rail Station. The train took me in 30-35 minutes to the Perth Station. It costs 4,50 AUD. There were a lot of high school boys and girls getting into the train on various stations. The summer holiday is finished in Australia and the schools are open after 7 weeks of break.

In Perth, I walked in the city heading the Kings Park which I saw in the morning as well. I am sure that the sun shine will be on the opposite direction and it will give very nice color to the city.

From the St. Georges Str. I took the bus 37. It is very practical and nice that some buses on three routes in the city are serving for free to public. And 37 is one of these lines running to Kings Park.

I was approx. 16:40 when I was at the top in the Kings Park. I took some pictures. There is also a memorial obelisk to the honor of the victims of the Western Australia during the 1^st WW between 1914 and 1918. Most of them were fighting in Gallipoli against our Turkish soldiers headed and commanded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Memorial dedicated to Anzac soldiers died during WW1

Around 18:30 I walked down to the city. I walked through the streets all the way down to my Hotel. There were altogether 23,670 steps done today as my IPhone tells me (?).

Just before entering the Hotel I made a stop at the Vietnamese Restaurant at the corner to my hotel. Chicken soup with sour veg and stirred lamb with veg and garlic was nice after this long day in Perth and Fremantle. A glass of red wine left also a nice taste in my mouth.

Tomorrow morning at 08:30 I will have the flight to Darwin.

05-06 March 2016:- AUSTRALIA & NZ : İstanbul >via DUBAI>PERTH

1st Day  : 05.03.20156 – 06.03.2016

It will be a long day on the Emirates Airlines. My first flight is at 15:30 from Istanbul to Dubai.

It is EK 124. The weather is clear and cool in Istanbul.Taxi took me to the Ataturk Airport.
I was lucky; there was no heavy traffic on the way to the the airport and we reached around 13:40.

It was an easy and comfortable economic flight. They served nice food and tasty white wine. It took 4 hours to the Dubai Airport after our punctual take-off from Istanbul. The distance is around 3,000 kms. There is 2 hours time difference between Dubai and Istanbul.

                       [Emirates Flight]

I need to wait at the transfer lounges for the flight to Perth which is scheduled for 03:00 o’clock early in the morning of March, 6th. I took short dinner package which was offered by the Emirates Airlines and then a small Carlsberg beer to enjoy (?) waiting at the airport.

Dubai Airport is big and crowded as well. Big duty free shops are selling any kind of luxury stuff. As I saw the sculpture of a contemporary young Turkish artist of Izmir in the Centre of the Terminal A , I was excited and proud. “The businessman “was made of lace and embroidery.

I spent a few time at the Asian Bar just facing the gate A8 of my flight to Perth. Having two small pints of beer and having connected to the internet I spent almost 1,5 hour there.

Two beers are 13.-USD almost.

Around two o’clock they took us to the gate. I was astonished when I saw passengers queuing in three lanes in order to be checked for spirits and cigarettes. Australia is restricting the amount of alcohol and cigarettes to be taken by passengers. Punctually, we have been taken to the plane. It is an A380-800 aircraft. Huge and with double floors.

I have my economic seat at the row 45 but I was just 5 meters behind the cockpit door. Most probably the upper floor was allocated to the business class.

A380-800 Airplane of Emirates from Dubai to Perth.

After a long flight approx. 10 hours we arrived at Perth Airport around 17:30 with local time

(Istanbul 09:30 am, Dubai 11:30 am). Total flight time from Istanbul to Perth is something around 14 hours but with stops it took 19 hours.

At the border control they asked me to wait even other passengers mostly went through the border easily. After some time, maybe in ten minutes one border police came to me and asked some questions politely. He wanted to be sure that I will not stay in Australia permanently. I think, since I am alone and coming from Turkey they wanted to check my situation. Showing my travel plan and bookings of hotels at various cities of Australia the guy let me through. I collected my luggage in a short time and then I was outside waiting for the shuttle to the Perth City. It was approx.. 18:45 and the shuttle took me to the downtown for 4,50 AUD. The taxi ought to get something around 40-45 AUD.

When I was at the Great Southern Hotel it was dark outside. Having things laid down in the room I left for dinner. The Hotel is very close to the William Str. which is the heart for having food and bars/cafés.

I had got limited AU Dollars in my pocket. I had changed at the airport only 100.-USD.

The reception of the Hotel took 50.-AUD as a deposit mentioning that they will give it back by check-out. 

On the William Street there are many restaurants and bars. Most of them are serving dishes of the Far East kitchen. There are many people from China, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan and India as well.

I sat in a Chinese Restaurant and ordered chicken soup and boneless duck on noodles.

It was around 22:00 when I came back to the hotel to sleep.

Tomorrow I have got organized tour to the small lobster fishing village 'Cervantes' and some other visits are also covered.

Good night, 

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND Introduction

This time I am flying to discover (?)Australia and New Zealand: the continent on islands.
I have planned to fly to the West Coast of Australia and to enter the continent at Perth.
Having the flight on March,5th, 2016 at 15:30 from Istanbul will arrive at Perth next day 
on March, 6th, 2016 around 17:35 with the local time. I will overnight at the Dubai Airport because my complete travel has been booked on Emirates Airlines.
It costs me 2,500.-USD for 12 destinations at all.
My route will be as :
ISTANBUL-via Dubai-Perth-Darwin-Cairns-Brisbane-Sydney-Auckland-Sydney-Ayers Rock- Sydney-via Dubai-ISTANBUL. I will be back at home on March, 27th,2016.
Within the routes, at the points mentioned, there will be some organised tours for trekking, hiking, diving, and mainly for photography. I will share my experience and info but not the smell of the air and taste of the food and drinks (Sorry !). 
I intend to write my notes for each day starting with March, 5th,2016 as I did it also in my previous publications.