Returning to Mt Martha - Australia

My final day in Darwin was fairly uneventful as I spent the day by the water in the waterfront section of the city waiting for the late night flight. I got a bus out to the airport for what is known as the read eye flight. The flight which leaves Darwin at 1.30am bound for Sydney.
I did have to stop in Sydney although it really only meant I got to read the Northern Territory papers, the Sydney papers and the Melbourne papers all in the same day. Mums car was at the airport having flown to Perth the day earlier which made it a simple trip back to Mt Martha where I got home and started organising my next trip which was to Thailand in less than two weeks time.

Arnhem Land and Darwin- Australia

Darwin seemed to be full of end of season footy trips on the weekend I spent there. With the AFL finals, rugby finals and the rugby World Cup on television the pubs were full of drunk men. I did watch the AFL but the rugby was no interest to me and I was wandering the town at night not knowing what to do when I spotted a couple of the film crew I knew from the few days earlier. They were heading to dinner to celebrate the end of the shooting of the film. I sort of invited myself along to their dinner which was at one of the most expensive restaurants in Darwin.
The crew decided we would all order a load of food and share. It was a good idea and the food was great, fish, oysters, some Thai food. As I was eating though I couldn't help but think how much it was all going to cost me. To my surprise and pleasure at the end of the night the main cameraman offered to pay for everybodys meals. What a bonus.
The following day I did not get up to much in Darwin just explored the coastal areas and set out to find the Darwin Surf Life Saving Club where one of the Mt Martha members used to patrol. I found it after visiting a couple of markets then headed for Fannie Bay goal for a quick walk through. I was too hot though to stay to long and wanted to get back to the pool at the hostel.
I spent a full day on a tour to Arnhem Land as it was somewhere I had wanted to visit but it is difficult to get to and get permission to visit unless you are on a tour. The tour left Darwin and drove through Kakadu to Arnhem Land the aboriginal owned land in the top west of Northern Territory. I booked the tour but was not really sure what it included. The drive to get there took over three hours each way and we stopped at Injalak Hill where a aboriginal guide we had collected in the local town described to us for about four hours all the different paintings we could see on the rock.
The paintings were similar to what I had seen in Kakadu although there were no barriers here to stop people from getting right up close. A couple of times I had to be careful not to brush against the paintings when squeezing between rocks.
The views from the rock were quite spectacular as well and we stopped for lunch on the side of the rock with seemingly endless views of trees and mountains. The tour also took us to the Injalak Arts Centre where we got a tour of the way aboriginal art is produced today. We met the very shy Glen Namundja whose aboriginal art is sold and displayed all over the world. The art while being produced is thrown around and left on the ground but when it enters art galleries it is only touched with gloves.
The journey back was another three hours at one point we completely ran over a small wallaby and the driver thought she had damaged the bus till we pulled into the roadhouse and got one of the guys there to check it out giving us the all clear to continue. The strange thing was where we had hit the wallaby was on the same stretch of road Campbell's tyre had blown up on the week before.

Time to be a movie star - Australia

The Sattelitte Boy shot

The big day of acting had arrived and we waited around all morning before getting the call up to go to the post office for a costume check. We needed to wear non-white, non-brandname clothing of which I had none so I stopped by Target to buy a plain blue t-shirt. Campbell took his whole wardrobe and with the help of the costume designer we found clothes which were suitable. Until getting there I had no real idea of the role I would be playing.
My role was to act as a photographer working with a journalist. I was told to take photos of the young boy, the star of the movie, while he came out of the police station with his mother. It seemed straightforward enough. The first angle was a wide angle from across the road, they filmed from opposite the road while we did our thing in front of the police station. The same shot was filmed about three times I was told to act more.
Then the cameras were moved closer in the filming began again with the camera about three metres from my face. A mix of nerves, the humidity in the enclosed location and the fact I was wearing a long sleeved short over a t-shirt with long pants made me pour with sweat. I am fairly sure if they use the close up shot in the film you will be able to see the sweat pouring from my forehead.
A couple of takes at that angle and the camera was moved again. In the final shot the camera was placed where I would have been standing so I was not needed. The whole process took a couple of hours for what I will be guessing is about ten seconds in the movie. If it makes it at all.
Campbell's scene was shot inside a Target store and he was told to act as a shopper and pick up the biggest item he could find which did not have an obvious brand name. He collected a BBQ till the director told him the branding was to obvious, then he was given a vacuum cleaner. I was waiting inside the Target store trying to watch what was going on although I did not want to get in the way.
The following day after the shoot one of the editors invited me to the production house to watch the film. I watched and was shocked how close the angle was when the camera was pointing directly at me. I said to the editor 'Wow that shows everything.' 'Wait till you see it all on the big screen when it is released next year.'
If they do use the shot I am in there is no denying it is me. For the whole couple of days I could not believe I was actually acting in a film in Kununurra. A place I had rarely even heard of before arriving.
With the fun of the film shoot over we were hired again to work a couple more days packing up the tents as the filming in Kununurra was complete.

Goodbye Western Australia, hello Northern Territory - Autralia

A backyard sale was set up selling tents and everything the film crew had brought and used while filming. Campbell and I had first pick though and collected a couple of good torches, a sleeping bag, a matress and a couple of chairs. I also donated a few of the not so good but still usable tents and chairs to the international backpackers who were all in Kununurra to pick fruit in order to get a second year Australian visa. If you are in Australia on a working visa and wish to stay more than twelve months you have to undertake three months work in a job and place Aussies wouldn't usually do. Many of them work in Kununurra and from all reports it is hard work but they all say it is worth it to stay in Australia the extra twelve months.
The producer of the film Satellite Boy was so happy with the week or so of work we had done for the film that she told us just before we left she would be putting our names in the credits of the film. It was an unexpected thank you and will be rather exciting if it does happen when the film is released next year.
Campbell had decided while in Kununurra he wanted to visit Mum in Broome for a couple of days where she would be to start a trip down the Western Australia coast. This left me needing to get to Darwin where I was due to fly home from but it was not too much of a hassle getting a lift. The lady who had hired us to work on the film had to drive a Maui campervan back to Darwin to return it to the hire company and she offered me a lift.
This meant the end of the trip for Campbell and I together and I said a quick goodbye, not knowing when I would see him again and climbed aboard the Maui as we started towards Darwin. I have never been in a campervan like it and it was a comfortable ride although on the first stretch of road to Katherine the petrol gauge started to drop rapidly as we were nowhere near a petrol station. Not a very good start to the journey. We decided it was best to pull to a side of the road stop and hope somebody would have a spare jerry can of diesel. Luckily after about ten minutes a well prepared couple of foreigners arrived in a similar looking campervan with a spare share of diesel. We filled up and were back on the road. For the journey everything was paid for by the film company because I was keeping the driver company which made it a really cheap way to get to Darwin.
We stopped the night in Batchelor, just south of Darwin and I slept the night in the Maui while the driver stayed in the hotel. The following morning we drove around Darwin till we found the hire company shop and dropped the Maui back.
I rode the local bus into the centre of Darwin and spotted a YHA hostel and checked in.

Kakadu - Australia

The Northern Territory is a big state with long drives between sights although somehow we were able to see the whole top end from Kununurra and back to Kununurra in five days. First stop was Katherine where I wanted to paddle in a kayak down the (Nitimuluk) Katherine Gorge. Due to our tight time schedule we only had a half a day so we got ourselves a couple of kayaks and started paddling. It was only a taste of the endless hours you could spend paddling the gorge, the paddle upstream was a workout but getting back we drifted the whole way with the end at our backs.
In the car again and we set out for Kakadu. We entered from the south stopping at Edith Falls just outside Katherine on the way. Kakadu National Park covers 20,000 square kilometres and I read if you drive every road and walk every track you can still only see 1 per cent of the whole park. The sun was setting fast late in the day and although there was still so much to explore it was too dangerous to go driving at night so we set up camp at a spot just south of yellow water.
The sun in northern Western Australia sets around 6 pm and rises somewhere around 5.30 am in September so there was no chance of a sleep in. The early sun was a good thing as we set off early and were all alone at yellow water, one of the most famous spots in Kakadu. The salt water croc swimming in the water with the eagle flying overhead and the wild brumby in the background made for an almost too perfect setting.
Again we didn't stay long and made our way to the Nouralangie Rock to hear a talk about aboriginal life. The talk was undertaken by a non-aboriginal ranger which was a little disapointing as I was hoping to hear from a local. Jabiru is the main centre for Kakadu, it is the main shopping centre and where the hotels are located. There really was nothing there though and after five minutes we got back in the car and set for the Northern exit of Kakadu.
There is a crocodile jumping boat on the Adelaide River where crocs jump out of the water for food. I thought it would be quite interesting so we set to catch the last boat and were making good time till the back left tyre on the car decided to blow up. Without any warning or hitting anything the tyre exploded and Campbell swerved to get off the road with the car trailing close behind only just missing us.
I let Campbell set about fixing the tyre in the very hot afternoon sun and he got the tyre off but when doing so the whole car dropped off the jack. We were in trouble. Campbell put the jack back under the car and started winding but it did not seem to be doing anthing. There was no coverage so calling for assistance was not happening instead he stood by the side of the road and waved down the next car to see if they could assist.
It just so happened the next car was an army truck as part of a convoy and they pulled over got out and started winding the car back up and put the tyre on. The army crew were on their way to get some lunch and were not hassled by having to stop. All things back to normal and we were driving again. The croc show was now a no go and we would have to keep moving to get to Darwin before dark.
The only other stop we made was at the Humpty Doo Hotel for a drink in what is a world famous pub. I am guessing its world famous for the name rather than its location or the pub itself but I was happy to be able to say I have had a beer at the Humpty Doo Hotel.

Kununurra - Australia

Kununurra main park was full of life as we arrived in the town amidst their 50 year celebration as a town. Campbell and I took a quick walk through the activity and then set about finding a caravan park to stay. We did know a couple of people who were due to be at a caravan park although we were unable to get in touch with them. As we checked in we noticed a sign advertising work for people to put up and pull down tents. It seemed fairly straightforward and when Campbell called the following morning we were given the job.
The caravan park we found also happened to be where the Kombi driver Eitan and his girlfriend Hannah were staying, the two people we were looking for. For a few days we explored the sights of Kununurra even hiring a boat one day and cruising up and down the Ord River. We watched crocs swimming around the boat and drove under trees full of bats.
The end of the week was when we were due to work. We were told to wait at the caravan park for the tents to arrive. It turned out to be a film crew who were shooting a movie in northern Western Australia and were moving location from Wyndham to Kununurra. Campbell and I had set up the most of the tents the film crew were staying in in no time so Campbell spent the rest of the day driving a hire ute back and forth between the two towns collecting gear. In one day he drove 800 kilometres as the drive was 100 kilometres each way.
The following day was similar to the first although we were given breakfast and dinner. While working we began to make friends with the crew and before the day was done we were offered a role as an extra in the film.
That weekend was also AFL finals weekend where Campbell and I spent most of the weekend visiting each of the three pubs and watching the footy with some of the film crew. It was the weekend the Saints lost and our finals were over.
Campbell and I were in no real hurry to get anywhere and we thought if we hung around we would be able to get some more work. Which was the case, on the Monday and Tuesday we got paid just to wash cars.
Our big film day was not to be till the following Monday so rather than just hang around not doing much in Kununurra for a few days I convinced Campbell to go on a quick five day tour of the top end of Northern Territory.

Wolfe Creek - Australia

Halls Creek is not a very exciting town. It is known as the 'gateway to the Bungle Bungles.' I discovered when something is advertised as being the gateway to something it usually means there is nothing to do at that town. Campbell and I did venture to the old Halls Creek which was just fragments of old buildings and street signs which lead nowhere. We did also stop at the rock formation China Wall along the way.
The caravan park in Halls Creek is the worst we stayed in on the trip and we were protected by double fencing although the gate was left open all night. The first next the local aboriginals decided to have a shouting match with each other. The second night we stayed they were a little more well behaved.
The drive to Wolfe Creek is almost 170 kilometres along corrugated dirt road. Campbell and I had decided we would not try get the Mothership there so we asked for a ride and took the two and a half hour journey each way with a couple we met on the whaleshark tour. I feel if Campbell and I were not in the car the other two would have not got there. They would have turned around because of the rough ride. We did see one car while trying to tow a caravan had broken its suspension. I saw the same car on the back of a truck in yard in Katherine about two weeks later, so they had done some serious damage to the car.
Wolfe Creek is a meteriote crater although it is probably as well known now around the world for being the setting to the horror film Wolf Creek as it is for being a crater. I walked up and inside the crater and stood in the middle about ten minutes trying to picture what it would have been like when the meteriote struck. Campbell walked down then around the rim and within about 45 minutes we were back in the car on the way back to Halls Creek. I am glad to have seen it although it wasn't very exciting. The setting is also quite a bit different to the setting in the film.
The following day Campbell and I spent playing soccer and riding bikes with a couple of children from the Mornington Peninsula before leaving Halls Creek and camping the night at the entrance to the Bungle Bungles.

Sighting a freshwater croc - Australia

One item I would take if I was to go driving Western Australia again would be a 4WD. Many travellers when they leave Broome, especially in the dry season, head to Derby then take the Gibb River Road to Kununurra. Campbell and I felt it would not be very comfortable to take the Mothership on the 600 plus kilometres of dirt corrugations and so we decided to stick to the sealed road.
We did though bounce our way along the first 40 kilometres or so of dirt to get to a place called Windjana Gorge. I had been told it was worth the trip and I would have to agree. Getting there late in the evening we set up camp and walked down to the sandy beach entrance to the gorge. It is well known for being home to fresh water crocodiles. On our first walk though we did not spot any and thought we would not be in luck.
After dinner Campbell and I started chatting to a crew sat around a campfire and they decided they were going in the dark with torches to look for crocs. It did not take long to spot some eyes in the water and while keeping an eye on them we also walked into a croc resting in the middle of the path. The croc was quick to get back in the water though when it felt we got to close.
The following morning I woke early and headed down thinking I might get to see some crocs before all the people arrived. In about half an hour of walking along the banks I would have seen over 50. All just chilling in the sun, not looking to threatening although I still did not venture to close. By the afternoon I was comfortable around the crocs although a large brown snake in the campground caught me off guard. I made sure after I saw the snake that I went and zipped up the tent. I did not wnat to be finding that when trying to sleep.
We stayed two nights at Windjana Gorge before deciding to back track and follow the same road out that we had made in as we headed back to Derby then on to Fitzroy Crossing. Fitzroy Crossing was not looking very inviting as we checked out a couple of caravan parks before reaching the third and by far the best just past the river.
We only stopped in Fitzroy Crossing for the night and took the boat cruise down the Geike Gorge to see some more fresh water crocodiles before continuing onto Mary Pool a free side of the road stop which is quite popular now amongst caravaners. It was at Mary Pool where we again met Eitan and Hannah, a couple in a Kombi van we had seen quickly a few weeks before in Shark Bay. A long chat lead to spending a while together over the next couple of weeks. At Mary Pool we also planned to get a ride into Wolfe Creek with a couple who we had met on the whalesharks tour.