Top End Tales 5

17 January 2005

G’day from the wet Top End.

You might have noticed from the previous updates that we had been struggling with the heat... Well that’s all a distant memory now, as the monsoon has broken. The rain arrived in earnest around about Christmas. The Wet Season is heavenly. Since the breaking of the rains all the locals have rated the 2004 "build-up" one of the toughest in memory. Phew.

We were lucky enough to witness the breaking of the monsoon over in Jabiru, the town mysteriously established within the boundaries of Kakadu (Gagudju) National Park. The town was built to service workers in the even more extraordinarily placed uranium mines in 1982. Now it’s a proud little place, as can be guessed by the dozen or so signs describing yet another "tidy town" victory (or nomination) that greet cars on the road in. CJ & I had a room just forward of the right hind leg at the giant crocodile resort. We arrived around lunchtime on Chrissy day and took part in a gluttonous buffet feast in honour of the festive season.

And then the rains came.

Whoah.

In between torrential downpours we saw quite a bit of the Park. All of the waterways were flowing (as distinct from October), and many new crocodile warning signs had been erected. Had a terrific few days over there; will tell you about it next time we see you, otherwise photos are at the usual spot.

Since the new year CJ & I have each been working in Darwin town so we’ve been back on the bikes together of a morning. CJ continues at Dept of Health & Community Services (the big boss is fighting in her corner). And I’ve started at the NT Office of Environment & Heritage, assessing a large Environmental Impact Statement, on a 4 month contract.

The past couple of Friday nights have been out & about with work mates at a couple of brilliant pubs/clubs around here. Last week we met up with CJ’s crew at the Trailer Boat Club. This is a very relaxed club tucked into the beach at Fannie Bay where you can grab a scotch fillet large enough to feed a small army, wash it down with schooners of your favourite ale, and do it all while sitting at a plastic table on the lawn as the sun sinks spectacularly behind palm trees over Beagle Gulf and the Cox Peninsula. And this week we checked into the Nightcliff pub – the Beachside Hotel – where the pub & front beer garden are perched right on Nightcliff beach (so you see the pub is very thoughtfully named). Today I was told that the pub has recently undergone yuppification to the extent that you can no longer turn up in muddy cycling gear & expect to gain entry to the beer garden. The front of the pub certainly looked flash. But the renovations have stalled half way through, as when you head out the back you are transported into a room full of chesty bonds, cigarette smoke, trots on the TV and fluorescent lighting. The REAL Beachside Hotel lives on.

Not too many croc stories to regale you with this time. A couple of guys were out surfing off Nightcliff when they happened across a 3m salty about 2 weeks ago. And a little fella (1m) was found in a suburban swimming pool last week. No cause for alarm. Our loveable frogs have gone missing since the monsoon arrived; must have enough water elsewhere, I guess. We fished another one out of the loo just before Christmas & took his photo for later identification. They can’t have gone too far, though, as some nights their croaking fills the air in much the same way as cicada calls down south. Other wildlife news: mosquito population seems to have jumped by a factor of 120.

This week we’ll switch the old Vic car rego across to the NT system. With so many transient people blowing through the Top End, they are fairly serious about their registration policy, which says that new comers must have switched to NT rego within 3 months of taking up residence. The carrot of the deal is that we get to sport some exotic NT plates. The stick of the deal is a lazy $2000 fine if you fail to make the switch. Like I said, they take it seriously up here.

That’s it for now. The monsoon is here and it is wonderful. So far my leather sandals are the only items to have been consumed by mould, but we’ve been told to expect anything & everything in our house to cop the same fate at some stage (photo at the www site).

Hope all is well for you wherever you are. Thanks for the news that filters up here from time to time – it is always very well received.