The Northern Territory is its own state in Australia and it is a huge mass of land! However, it is so sparsely populated due to the harsh conditions of the land. The Northern Territory experiences heavy monsoons and cyclones that cause flooding and destruction. Houses have to be built on stilts to be flood prepared for the rain. The winter Contiki itinerary is different from the summer itinerary as the roads are closed due to floods in the wet season.
Today we were traveling from Darwin to Kakadu National Park. We spent two nights in Darwin but in all honesty there was nothing really there except the Crocosaurus Cove which I went to learn more about crocodiles. On our way from Darwin we had a quick stop at Dudley Point which was a lookout point. After all the amazing beaches we have seen so far though, it was alright.
On the way to Kakadu National Park we stopped at Pudakul for an aboriginal tour led by an aboriginal man himself. The Aboriginal people are the black people of Australia and like black people around the world, they were horribly mistreated by the British except most of it was as recent as the 1960s. When the English arrived in Australia, they seized all of the land from the Aboriginals and claimed it in the name of the British crown. The Aboriginal people were then forced to work for the white people on their land but given nothing but scraps and unsuitable living conditions. The English had promised it was a free land without slavery but the Aboriginal people were still basically enslaved. As the English brought in Western culture, it put Aboriginal people behind in society as they had their own traditions. It was not until 1965 when the Aboriginal people were recognized as a people and counted toward the census.
Kakadu is home to 2 Aboriginal tribes and before the Europeans arrived, there were 12 languages spoken. The man we met today was 54 and started with a little walk of the Aboriginal land. He pointed out different trees and plants along with their purpose. When we came to a termite tree, he said that if you have an upset stomach, eating a bit of the termite dung would cure it. Another tree of note he pointed out was the Kakadu plum which was used for curing headaches. I informed the guide I currently had a migraine but sadly there were no plums on the tree for me.
He took us to a shaded spot in a clearing where he brought out an Aboriginal instrument called didjeridu. A didjeridu is a long piece of hollow wood with a hole through the entire instrument. It is a wind instrument played with vibrating lips. He demonstrated how to play one and then passed me a bamboo one. The bamboo one is a beginner instrument that is actually harder to play than the wooden one. The idea is that you learn on the harder one first so the bigger ones will be easier. I put it to my lips and blew into it and the most horrendous farting noise came out. Everyone giggled and I tried over and over. I never really got the hang of it but I kept trying.
In the Aboriginal culture, relations are very important and everyone within a tribe is related. Everyone within one generation is a sister or brother and your sister and brother’s mother-in-law is also your mother-in-law. Therefore you would likely have a lot of mother-in-laws. As a sign of respect in Aboriginal culture, you never make eye contact and face your mother-in-law. The guide said his brother had 9 wives so just from that he had 9 mother-in-laws he had to constantly avoid. Our guide had been married in the Catholic church so he was a little removed from tradition and his three girls have all integrated into society. Only a couple hundred of the tribe remain on the land we were.
Talking with the guide about his customs and traditions was fascinating. There are very strict rules about dating and marriage to avoid inbreeding as well. A lot of times you cannot even look at women of other tribes to avoid the chance of inbreeding.
Following our cultural experience we drove the rest of the way to Kakadu National Park to where we were staying. We stopped along the way to look at the Kakadu National Park sign and see the two animals that dominate the Northern Territory - the crocodile and the Asian water buffalo. Both are massive creatures and should be avoided at all costs. All the waters up North are infested with both.
We were staying at the Kakadu Crocodile Hotel which was actually a very cool hotel. It cost a whopping 16 million to build and is built in the shape of a crocodile. At night the eyes even glow red like a crocodile.
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