I had hoped to go on an AnimalTracks Safari (tour day into Kakadu with Aboriginal and Balanda tour guides finding bush foods and having a sunset cook up over the floodplains) but the woman at the front desk said they were all booked out. "Oh well," I thought, "It's not to be".
Turns out I was wrong! Dommie made friends with a little kid in the Cooinda playground, and his Dad turned out to run the tour. We decided after leaving Cooinda for Jabiru, to make a half day trip back. It was so worth it! We did Noulangie in the morning with Pat and Ray and then rushed off.
We met up with Sean, the tour leader and Riley, his seven year old son at 1 pm after a quick fill up on chips and wedges at Cooinda! We didnt know how long it would be 'til we would eat again and what the food might entail. (Isaac was actually finding it hard to go to sleep the night before as I had told him about the tour. He was all worried about what he would eat and how he would cope if he didn't like any of it or feel comfortable etc. I assured him it would be fine, that plenty of kids went and they all seemed to have a good time (see tripadvisor reviews!!). But he remained unconvinced (He rapidly changed his assessment as the day progressed).
First part of the drive we headed out to where our Indigenous guide, Patsy, lived on the remains of the old buffalo farm.
We met up with Sean, the tour leader and Riley, his seven year old son at 1 pm after a quick fill up on chips and wedges at Cooinda! We didnt know how long it would be 'til we would eat again and what the food might entail. (Isaac was actually finding it hard to go to sleep the night before as I had told him about the tour. He was all worried about what he would eat and how he would cope if he didn't like any of it or feel comfortable etc. I assured him it would be fine, that plenty of kids went and they all seemed to have a good time (see tripadvisor reviews!!). But he remained unconvinced (He rapidly changed his assessment as the day progressed).
First part of the drive we headed out to where our Indigenous guide, Patsy, lived on the remains of the old buffalo farm.
Then out for an afternoon of gathering various foodstuffs from the bush. In some ways it was quite depressing and eye opening. Even if you were really keen it would be difficult to maintain the old ways now. The feral pigs had gotten more than their fair share of the fresh water mussels AND water chestnuts we dug for, and the native carnivores eg goannas have been all but wiped out by cane toads. We saw a pool that was completely black in some sections. It looked like plant debris but as you came closer they moved. It was FULL of baby cane toads. Yuk! Needless to say the boys tried to do their part for Australia in squashing as many as they could while the grownups listened to the talk about something or another!
Despite the sad bits above it was overall a fantastic experience for all of us. The boys loved Patsy and her sense of humour which came out more and more during the course of the day. They loved that they were doing all different things and not just sitting still being told about stuff. They gathered bush fruits, ate some ants (remarkably like lemon!), found a mussel or two and a few water chestnuts. Sascha made a small basket out of paper bark after Patsy showed him how. I had a bit of a crack at making some string out of pine leaves - pretty terrible, would need many more hours of practice at this sort of thing!! We ate some palm heart which Paul and Sasch thought was ok ("like coconut") and Isaac and I thought was just pretty bitter! We also helped out Patsy plucking the magpie goose for dinner and preparing the fire and ground oven in which to cook our dinner.
Dinner was really excellent, actually, and mainly consisted of buffalo, magpie goose and sweet potatoes, and a few tastes of the various other things we had collected. The lovely billy tea and damper rounded out the meal. It's funny how being out in the open and having an excellent appetite improves the whole experience so much. Normally powdered milk in my hot drink would not go unnoticed, but on this occasion I truly did not think the drink anything less than excellent! Mmmm sweet, milky tea! Yum!
The offcuts from the goose preparation went to the kites and watching them in a "hide" with Riley was a very memorable experience for the boys. We all enjoyed the spectacular sunset over the floodplain and the space around us, and being away from all our usual cares, felt great!
Despite the sad bits above it was overall a fantastic experience for all of us. The boys loved Patsy and her sense of humour which came out more and more during the course of the day. They loved that they were doing all different things and not just sitting still being told about stuff. They gathered bush fruits, ate some ants (remarkably like lemon!), found a mussel or two and a few water chestnuts. Sascha made a small basket out of paper bark after Patsy showed him how. I had a bit of a crack at making some string out of pine leaves - pretty terrible, would need many more hours of practice at this sort of thing!! We ate some palm heart which Paul and Sasch thought was ok ("like coconut") and Isaac and I thought was just pretty bitter! We also helped out Patsy plucking the magpie goose for dinner and preparing the fire and ground oven in which to cook our dinner.
Dinner was really excellent, actually, and mainly consisted of buffalo, magpie goose and sweet potatoes, and a few tastes of the various other things we had collected. The lovely billy tea and damper rounded out the meal. It's funny how being out in the open and having an excellent appetite improves the whole experience so much. Normally powdered milk in my hot drink would not go unnoticed, but on this occasion I truly did not think the drink anything less than excellent! Mmmm sweet, milky tea! Yum!
The offcuts from the goose preparation went to the kites and watching them in a "hide" with Riley was a very memorable experience for the boys. We all enjoyed the spectacular sunset over the floodplain and the space around us, and being away from all our usual cares, felt great!
Another aspect I really enjoyed was the relationships that developed between us and the others on the tour. Everyone out of their comfort zones, and a new comfort zone of shared industry and experiences made for a some great conversations. A couple from Newcastle and a French family and a Finnish family were our companions for the day. Riley (Sean's son) was already a firm friend of Dom and quickly became one of our family for the day! He was very knowledgable, not surprisingly, and very happy to share his prowess! The kids, led by Riley, lit their own fire to chill out at the end of the evening. The trip back in the dark was filled with some great stories from Sean and Patsy. We also spotted a few dingos and a LOT of tiny frogs!