Fortifying ourselves with a sumptuous breakfast for the long day ahead, we set off for Ubirr which has several fascinating Aboriginal rock art sites. Before we started the climb, we paused to hear a talk given by a Ranger on the subject of kinship among Aboriginals and their deep empathy with Nature.
Soon we were negotiating our way up to a rocky look-out, a 250 metre steep climb which rewarded us with great views over the Nardab floodplain. As each level was reached and the mandatory stop made to admire the set of paintings, I pondered over the possibility of contenting myself with the distance I had travelled and letting the others make their way further up. Saying a cheery 'see you later' I watched my companions slowly disappear from sight.
A long while later, with no signs of their return and having memorised the art work in this area, my resolve to entrench myself here was jolted by the sight of what seemed like groups of hardy pensioners taking the ascent in their stride. Shamed into motion, I propelled myself into action and found that the experience was less than the sum of all my fears.
After several stops to catch my faltering breath, the ascent was accomplished. The sense of triumph was akin to what Hillary and Tenzing must have felt decades ago. The only thing missing was a flag to plant as a symbol of my conquest. Flushed with success, my reward for my perseverance was a breathtaking panorama of landscapes spread out below me like paintings spread out for my personal perusal.
We took our time to savour the uniqueness of our surroundings and after having filled our senses we made our way to Manngare where we did a rainforest walk. Walking on a narrow trail with dense foliage on either side, we stopped at several look-out stops to see if we could catch a glimpse of yet another crocodile. A friend who is also a keen photographer insisted on going right down to the water's edge, convinced she would be able to outrun the reptile if it tried to clamber onto the shore. Little did she realize how swift these creatures can be on land. I admired her bravado even as I wondered at her sanity considering the fact that she had hurt her foot rather badly the day before and had been limping ever since.
Back to camp
And then it was time to make our way back to camp. This time, the leaders of our expedition decided to show us some mercy and took us to a camping site closer to paved roads, full of campers in close proximity to each other. Considerate enough to think of those who hadn't exactly had the most comfortable sleep the night before, they hid their disdain at such obvious signs of civilisation after having come all the way to experience the outback. The tents were soon set up and we tucked into a hearty meal. This time round, the weather was much improved, making our spirits rise. And the unwanted guests (mosquitoes, moths and other such insects) seemed to keep a respectful distance. Content and at peace with our surroundings, we sat around the fire for a long while.
The next morning we did a billabong walk. That's when two among us swore they had spotted a crocodile in the water. We stood there for a long, long while, hoping for a repeat performance but were disappointed when nothing broke the placid surface of the river. Of course, the croc-spotters were accused of letting their imagination run wild, which they furiously denied, speaking in derogatory terms of the others' poor observational skills.
The long drive back to Darwin was punctuated by several mandatory stops for coffee, souvenir purchases and picnic meals. That evening it was back to Mindil beach, a fitting finale to our holiday. This time it was to watch the fireworks celebrating the 30th anniversary of the formation of the Northern Territory. As the sky lit up with bursts of colour, we held on to every minute, mindful that all good things must come to an end.
