In the last week life has got very hot. Since leaving Broome it has been over 35 degrees every day, and got increasingly humid the further North I have travelled.
This means you have to drink lots, and put sunscreen and bug repellent on even more often, because you get so sweaty. The mosquitos up here in the Northern Territory carry some pretty nasty diseases so it's not good to get bitten.
Assuming you manage not to get bitten, and avoid sunburn, there's plenty of other things that can get you up here. Let's say you've decided to drive to a nearby National Park...
Before you leave, check oil, coolant and petrol levels. 'Nearby' is probably the same distance as Leicester to Exeter (Devon), with no fuel stops and little shade in between.
Fill up water containers (we carry 25 litres minimum) in case you get stuck somewhere. (There's probably only drinking water at the fuel stops). If you get stuck, never leave the car. It's your only source of shade and it's much easier to spot than a person is.
Drive for 2-3 hours, not leaving too early in the morning, or arriving too near sunset because of animals on the roads.
Going well so far...
Before starting to explore the Park, change into closed shoes instead of flip flops (so no nasty bugs/snakes/diseased mites can get your feet), put on hat and some more suncreen. Make sure you carry enough water for your walk, 1 litre per hour per person.
So now we're walking in 35+ degrees, with a hot head, a heavy bag, hot trainers, and a sweaty-suncreeny mess everywhere. Maybe we'll happen upon a pretty looking swimming hole...
Swimming in un-managed water is a very bad idea in the NT. Crocodiles come in two varieties, the freshwater leg nibbling kind, and the saltwater person-gobbling kind. Confusingly, the saltwater kind are also found in inland river areas, so you're not safe anywhere!
Some beaches are unsafe due to crocodiles (see the picture on the Wild Wild West blog), there have also been two shark attacks on surfers in Western Australia in the last 6 weeks. There's no beach swimming in Darwin at this time of year because of box jellyfish. These nasties are the world's most venomous creature, and people die just from the pain of the stings - no thanks!
Ok, so no swimming. Stick to the marked trails in the park instead. There have been a number of news stories even since I have been in Australia (6weeks) about people getting lost in the bush, two were young children. Fortunately both were found, but I reckon it would be very scary, especially at night. There's a lot of big insects, animals and snakes around when it cools down at night.Sounds like hard work eh?!
Well that's the worst of it, and remember that the scenery and beaches are beautiful, and that bad things generally only happen to people who don't get the basics right, like reading the signs and having enough petrol/water/clothing on to be safe. The biggest problem is just how far apart everything is. At some points even on the main highway there's over 150 miles to travel to get to the nearest hopsital.
So here's a question for you, i'm sure a well-known search engine will be able to help you out with the answer - feel free to post it as a comment - hopefully the comments should work for everyone now...
Why is Clyde Fenton pretty famous up here in the Northern Territory?
Sorry there's no photos today, have temporarily misplaced the camera lead (oops), but will try to get online again tomorrow for some photo uploading, and to put up some other news. There's a vote at the bottom of this page so you can make sure I put what you want on here.
Hope all is well in England,
from a bite-free, un-burnt, well-hydrated, Miss Butler : )
ps. I forgot, watch out for bushfires and cyclones too. I"d say 'extreme' was right as we saw several fires that day...
ps. I forgot, watch out for bushfires and cyclones too. I"d say 'extreme' was right as we saw several fires that day...
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