Darwin and Bamurru Plains

(Lots of videos in this post. If you get the email version, please remember to click on the title of the posting above so that the videos will load for viewing.)

Here’s a wonderful photo Tertius took of a yellow-footed rock wallaby mom and baby at Arkaroola in the Flinders Ranges.

Great moment, great framing, great colors. Thanks, Tertius.

Darwin

Henry and I spent a quiet few days in Darwin in an apartment overlooking the harbor. Just enough commercial traffic to be interesting, but not too much. Nice warm temperature with sea breezes.

A few colorful birds in the town…..

No visit complete without a trip to the local markets and a goofy photo op

Bamurru Plains

Bamurru Plains is a lodge located on a water buffalo station about 3 hours east of Darwin on the edge of Kakadu National Park. It’s intended to be very much like an African safari experience, with game drives on land and by airboat on the floodplains. The concept and location of the lodge are outstanding; the service was odd and inconsistent, but did not interfere with our enjoyment of the surroundings.

Accommodations are small tents with mesh walls so you can hear and see the surrounding wildlife.

The best part of our stay was waking at sunrise to the first bird calls and the sound and sight of buffalo drifting by the tent.

Airboats conduct visitors through the marshes and floodplains, an environment very different from Australia’s dry center…..

Lots of birds and other wildlife…..

And a special sighting of a lone dingo – or wild dog – galloping through the watery plain.

Land drives usually focus on plant life, although it’s hard to miss the termite mounds, that sometimes grow to tremendous size…..

Brumbies are wild horses. They are not native to Australia; instead were brought by European settlers and later made an escape of their own.

Big kangaroos have not been in abundant evidence so far, but wallabies (their smaller relatives) are great fun to watch. This is a beautiful clip that Henry created.

A wallaby face-off – starts with a handshake, becomes a three-way brawl, and ends with a friendly amble.

The lodge area is overrun at times by raucous corellas, a variety of cockatoo.

Will end this post with a series of sunset views over the floodplain…… which obviously became a compelling photo subject.