KEEP RIVER

www.johnlovett.com

keepmap

After the workshop finished we flew back to Darwin, picked up our car and caravan, had a cracked fuel tank repaired, replaced the caravan springs and stocked up on food and water.

IMGP8493

Our first stop, after crossing the mighty Victoria River, was Keep River National Park. It is listed as one of the 10 best rock art sites in the country.

IMGP8530

The landscape around Keep River is open bush and grassland interspersed with spectacular sandstone escarpments and ranges.

IMGP8525

IMGP8544

IMGP8577

The temperature hovered around 40 degrees most of the time so we did most of our walking early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

IMGP8721

The Jarrnarm walk is an 8km loop that takes you up onto the escarpment and back through a  series of beehive domes very similar to the Bungle Bungles. At the start of this walk is one of the regions most impressive rock art galleries. Unfortunately the traditional owners had closed it to the public. According to one of the rangers they want to repair some damage and will reopen it in the future.

IMGP8620

A shorter walk following the Keep River had a number of interesting art sites

IMGP8635

We could find no explanation for these strange figures. Von Daniken would have seen them as visiting astronauts. Maybe they were pearl divers encountered on the coast?

IMGP8626

IMGP8630

IMGP8744

IMGP8762

300 million year old sandstone domes, ancient rock art, Livistona Palms and pockets of permanent water make Keep River an impressive National Park

IMGP8661

Spinifex Pigeons wander over the rocks.

IMGP8735

Red Winged Parrot

IMGP8766

Small rock lizard

STRANGE ANIMALS

frog1

Small green frog – thinks he’s a handsome prince

hairy chook

Weird hairy chicken

IMGP6038

Turkey with over decorated head

IMGP6089

Small green frog – happy just to be a small green frog.

fishbone

Fishbones from Darwin Museum

IMGP3304

Scrub Turkey with moderately decorated head.

IMGP6070

Children’s Python – not because they eat them, because they play with them

IMGP4329

Brahman Bull profile

IMGP5048-1

Quiet Wallaby – confused by sound of flowing water

IMGP4832

Apostle Birds – because they hang around in groups of twelve

IMGP5007

Fluro Blue Butterfly

IMGP7747

Blue Faced Fig Bird with bad haircut

IMGP8475

Poor old camp dog –  may have been bitten by a snake at some stage. The cure was to cut off the tips of the ears and tail to bleed out the poison! Or maybe he’s just the victim of too many camp fights.

IMGP6462-1

Big Pig

SNAKE IN THE GRASS

ADELAIDE RIVER

map adel riv

We decided to camp at the Adelaide River Race Track before heading up to Darwin. The sun was setting and a few whispy clouds were catching the last bit of light.

IMGP5306

I climbed the judges tower to take some photographs. When I climbed down there was a snake  at the foot of the tower, arched up and snapping at me. I jumped back and he dissapeared into the grass. I couldn’t believe it – after hours of carefully picking my way through spinifex and speargrass the day before and not seeing a snake, to be bailed up by one here  was amazing.

IMGP5314

I snapped a blurry shot of him in the fading light with a wide angle lens as he slithered into the grass.

IMGP5313

Four furlong bend from the top of the tower.

.

.

IMGP5317

Last light as the sun went down

.

.IMGP5319

Next morning I walked over to the railway yard and couldn’t believe my luck. Someone had parked a yellow steam roller next to a purple railway carriage!

IMGP5318