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The
Build Up
October/November
is the pre-monsoon season, known as 'the build up'. As the
humidity steadily increases, there can be periods of rain
depending on the monsoon patterns for the year. The rain
is always welcome as it nourishes and renews the dry landscape.
The
Dry Season
From
May to September, during 'the Dry' as it is known, the weather
is idyllic - every day! - with blues skies and sunshine,
light breezes and not too much humidity. Temperatures in
Darwin remain from 31 degrees centigrade maximum to 21 degrees
centigrade minimum throughout the Dry, although in Katherine
temperatures can drop quite dramatically at night, getting
as low as 4 degrees centigrade. That's cool camping - but
don't worry we supply two sleeping bags per guest!
Water
- drink plenty of it!
When
visiting the Territory you should be aware of our climate
and its effect on your body. It is important to drink at
least eight glasses of water a day to avoid becoming dehydrated
- and more if you are walking, climbing, etc. The Top End
prides itself on having some of Australia's most delicious
(and safe) tap water, so locals and visitors alike often
carry refillable drinking bottles.
DARWIN
As any
true blue Darwinite will tell you, once this part of Australia
gets into your blood, it's hard to leave and impossible
to forget. The main attraction is the carefree and relaxed
style of tropical living, our unique surroundings and the
people.
Territorians
are friendly folk and will make you feel at home - and you'll
find about half the population of the Territory within 40km
of Darwin! There's 77,000 people living in Darwin itself,
with 20,000 more in the combined satellite city of Palmerston
and the surrounding rural area.
Darwin
has a fascinating history full of adventure, disaster and
achievement - from its Aboriginal heritage (50,000 years),
early European pioneers and Gold Rush (1870s), World War
II (1940s) and Cyclone Tracy (1974), to the present day.
To learn about Darwin, past and present, visit the Museum
& Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Australian
Pearling Exhibition, Australian Aviation Heritage Centre,
Fannie Bay Gaol and the Territory Wildlife Park - and that's
just for starters!
Of course,
there's shopping galore in Darwin and markets every day
of the year selling arts and crafts, didgeridoos, fresh
fruit and vegetables, clothing, souvenirs - and massage!
The most popular is Mindil Beach Sunset Market (Thursday
nights and Sunday afternoons, April to October) and there
are also great markets at Parap (Saturdays) Rapid Creek
(Sundays) and Nightcliff (Sundays). A night market in Mitchell
Street (the tourist precinct) operates from April to October.
You can also purchase Aboriginal art at any of Darwin's
reputable art galleries.
There's
a great range of restaurants to tempt you, as well as pubs,
clubs and the casino. Bill Zammit, owner of Billy Can Tours
highly recommends Hanuman's Restaurant (beside the Plaza
Hotel) for a truly delicious Thai feast and for the
best coffee in Darwin "by far" try the Roma Bar in Cavenagh
Street.
A Darwin
Harbour Cruise, or Fish Feeding most days (depending on
the tides) at the end of the Esplanade, is a very relaxing
way to spend an hour or so and the Deckchair Cinema for
a cool night under the stars is a must!
AUSTRALIAN
ABORIGINES
A big
part of what makes the Top End such an absorbing place is
that Aborigines with their thousands of years (latest estimates
say 50,000) of history and culture, live side by side with
non-Aboriginal Australians and their 21st century culture.
A visit
to this part of Australia will enable you to learn how the
Aboriginal people thrived for so long before the arrival
of Europeans. The tradition of painting on protected rock
surfaces reached its height in Kakadu National Park. Renowned
rock formations, including Ubirr and Nourlangie Rock, feature
extensive galleries of paintings bearing a record of continuing
Aboriginal culture.
KAKADU
NATIONAL PARK
In 1984
Kakadu National Park gained its World Heritage Listing and
became internationally recognised as a cultural and ecological
treasure. Three hours drive south-east from Darwin, Kakadu
National Park is 19,000 sq km and home to 275 species of
birds, 75 species of reptiles, 25 species of frogs, an estimated
10,000 species of insect and 1,600 plant species - in fact
more than a third of the Top End's wildlife!
Wherever
you go in Kakadu you will have opportunities to discover
more about Aboriginal culture. For at least 50,000 years
Aboriginal people have continuously lived in the area. The
name 'Kakadu' comes from 'Gagudju' the main Aboriginal language
used at the start of the 20th century. Today, Aboriginal
people from three major language groups - Gundjeihmi/Mayali,
Kunwinjku and Jawoyn - live within the park. Aboriginal
rock art 'galleries' such as Ubirr and Nourlangie Rock (among
over 5,000 recorded sites in the Park) reveal sprayed hand
stencils and x-ray style fish, birds and animals, as well
as hunters, spears, spirit beings and early white settlers.
The rock art provides a truly extraordinary insight into
the history and culture of Aboriginal people in this area.
From
Ubirr, a sight you will never forget is the vast blanket
of colour stretching as far as the eye can see, across floodplains
and grasslands to the Escarpment soaring 100 to 200 metres
and beyond, to Arnhem Land over the horizon.
NITMILUK
(Katherine Gorge)
Approximately
300 km down the road from Darwin, the hot red desert gives
way to the lush green of tropical Nitmiluk National Park,
with 13 gorges carved out of the rock by torrential summer
rains over millions of years.
For
millions of years, the Katherine River has been the lifeblood
for the local Jawoyn and Dagoman Aboriginal people and Aboriginal
rock art thousands of years old are among the attractions
of this magnificent Gorge. The river, which is a vital water-supply
to the Katherine township, is also a recreational attraction
for locals and visitors alike, offering swimming, fishing,
canoeing, picnic areas, cycling and bushwalking. Edith Falls,
one of a series of waterfalls on the edge of the Arnhem
Land Escarpment, runs all year, ending in a large pool -
a favourite swimming spot for many.
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Billy
Can Tours to NITMILUK include...
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LITCHFIELD
NATIONAL PARK
Originally
home to the Wagait Aboriginal people, Litchfield National
Park was named for Frederick Henry Litchfield a member of
the first European expedition to the area, the Finniss Expedition
in 1864. From then until 1955, Litchfield was largely a
tin and copper mining area, when it fell under pastoral
leases before being proclaimed a National Park in 1986.
Ten
years ago this 143 sq km area was scarcely known. Today,
Litchfield National Park remains largely untouched and features
monsoonal rainforests, Tabletop Range, Escarpment, large
groves of cycads, spring-fed creeks, magnetic termite mounds
and historic tin mines. Among the spring-fed waterfalls
and rockholes that provide scenic opportunities to cool
off and relax, are Wangi Falls, Buleys Rockholes, Florence
Falls and Sandy Creek Falls. Just two hours drive from Darwin,
it has become a favourite escape for local outdoor lovers
and visitors to the Top End.
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Billy
Can Tours to LITCHFIELD include...
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ARNHEMLAND
Experience
Arnhemland and you will have experienced one of the world's
last remaining, pristine wilderness areas. The area abounds
in a variety of wildlife, birds, animals, mammals and a
huge variety of marine life.
The
area has been home to many different Aboriginal clan groups
for thousands of years and even today as many as 40 separate
languages are spoken. The distinctive x-ray style rock art
and bark paintings of wallabies, fish and spirit beings
seen only in Arnhemland reflect the intimate relationship
the traditional owners have with the land and its bounty.
As the region is Aboriginal Land, there is no entry to Arnhemland
without a permit.
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Billy
Can Tours to ARNHEMLAND include...
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