Kadadu du du, push pineapple, shake a tree

Last weekend we did as many Perthites do and escaped the city for the beautiful area around Margaret River. Mike's cousin Emma, who is currently living and working in Perth, very kindly used her free weekend in a house for us all to enjoy. It was such a luxury to cook in a properly equipped kitchen and without other people getting in the way. Lasagne, mmm.

Despite the rain (yes it does actually rain in Australia), we managed to take in the sights of Margaret River and around. A major attraction of the area is the presence of countless vineyards and wineries. With Mike as 'skipper' -because he is lovely- we visted a number of cellar doors for tastings. Clearly we had no intention of buying the $60 wine but no-one seemed to mind us trying it.

Whilst driving around, we finally saw some Kangaroos! They hop hop hopped right in front the car. We hopped into the bush after them but they were long gone. Kangaroos are amazing- the embryos enter the pouch only 35 days after fertilisation! After this they are reliant on suckling, with little or no placental attachment. Additionally, fully grown kangaroos use only 1/5th the energy of a mammal of the same size. Hopping is blatantly the way forward.

Since flying from Perth on Tuesday, Mike and I have been soaking up the sun of the Northern Territories. Darwin is smaller than I expected but has a lively atmosphere due to the numerous restaurants and bars that line the main street. We have spent the last few days in Kakadu National Park, one of Australia's largest. Having opted for the cheaper option of getting a bus to the park, we had to rely on hitching to get around. This was a bit hit-and-miss, as ever, but we successfully got to a number of the major attractions.


The main draws to the park are the wildlife, of which there is an abundance, and the Aboriginal culture. The countless crocodile warning signs kept us well away from the water but we did see one sleepy croc having a nap on the bank. We were almost constantly serenaded by the raucous birds and also got friendly with a range of different ant species. The park really was teeming with wildlife.


It was also very interesting to learn a bit about the Aboriginal people who own the land. It is thought that they have lived there for about 50,000 years and the Rock Art that we saw has been dated back 20,000 years. It is quite amazing how they adapted as the environment underwent its dramatic changes, always maintaining their laws and partnership with nature. Unfortunately, the destruction of their culture and land in the last few hundred years has completely wiped out many of the clans and left many more in terrible poverty. Sometimes I hate being European.