I Am...? You Are...? We Are...?

What is Australia Day anyway?

God knows. Aside from representing the ultimate in Australian pragmatism (celebrating the real one would mean we lost a public holiday because January 1 is also New Year’s Day), what else is it? Invasion day? Well yes, absolutely. Triple J hottest 100 day? Considering a few things that have happened in the last few years, I’d also have to go for Yobbo Day.

Exacerbating the confusion is the aforementioned issue of the date. I mean, celebrating the Federation of our nation now that would be one thing. But celebrating the first establishment of a penal colony on a continent that was already populated?

Woo hoo.

Anyway, this entry is not about the philosophical conundrum that is our nation’s identity: there’s always Anzac Day for that.

No, this entry is about my Australia Day. I’m celebrating today by a road trip, the Hottest 100 (I'm up to Number 10) and some of the most beautiful sights in our country. Today I drove down to Katherine and toured the Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park.

Moving to Darwin so close to the Wet, I had decided to wait until the Dry before getting out of Darwin and doing the sights. But the thought of spending a long-weekend by myself in my Unit with perhaps the odd East Point Reserve walk left me slightly cold. Screw the wet - I'm out of here!

I left Darwin around 6am and drove straight down to Litchfield National Park, near Batchelor. Only a hour from Darwin to the Park entrance, the Buley Rockhole is a favourite weekend hangout for Darwinites.

I'd been meaning to get down here for weeks so was glad to finally make it. I had my caffeine fix at a Caravan Park and then headed to the Termite Mounds. The mounds are made by both Magnetic and Cathedral Termites and are very impressive. Unfortunately, the photo doesn't quite capture the majestic beauty of the mounds. It's almost like a cemetary full of silent headstones that are found to team with life when you approach.

(Triple J Hottest 100 song number 8...and counting down).

From the termites to the Buley Rockpool, which was magical this early in the morning. Only 8am, no one else was there and the pool's bubbling serenity was all for me...oh, and the Goanna.

Apparently, the pool is teeming with visitors in the Dry, so I'm very lucky.

Small photo problem there, which took a while and now it's - NUMBER 4. It's, that song. Oh, what's that song? You know, Jon Butler Trio..."Life's not about what's better than..." Actually, I think it's called "Better Than"... Good to see JBT up there 'cause they are truly exceptional.

Where was I? Florence Falls. Just up the road from Buley is Florence Falls. Unfortunately the plunge pool is closed this time of year but there's a lovely lookout and 1km walk back to the carpark, which was great.

It was 9:30am by then and I drove off to the Adelaide River War Cemetary, which was...well, it was a War Cemetary. Beautiful, well-kept gardens and graves of people who died too young.

And now we're gearing up for Number 2. It is...Silverchair with one of my favourite songs - Straight Lines. Yay!

Already past 10am, I powered on to Katherine and booked into my motel before scooting off to the Gorge for a cruise.

What can I say about Katherine Gorge except...Wow! and I'm sorry that words should fail me so horribly at this stage. It was almost indescribably beautiful.

Seeing my photos when I came back was disappointing because they didn't capture it. What would be beautiful would be cruising down there alone. You can canoe the Gorge in the Dry and I think this would be wondeful. Just padding quietly through this impressively serene canyon, red and brown stone towering above the water.

And now I'm back in my room typing this out and watching a Top End storm roll in. Daniel John's is being commiserated for only coming second and they're about to announce Number 1.

Ok, I'd prefer a BBQ, a beer and the family but this has been a pretty good Australia Day (whatever that is).

And Number 1 is...wow they're really dragging it out...drum roll...it is...

Muse: Knights of Cydonia

Happy Invasion Day, everyone

This little piggy went to...

On a Saturday morning in Darwin, there’s only one thing to do and that’s Parap Markets. While it’s not a patch on Mindel for atmosphere and Rapid Creek markets (Sunday morning) is definitely the place for fresh fruit and veg, Parap are open all-year round and locals literally flock to buy delicious food, arts and crafts. And I will admit to a fondness for the ‘Soy Whip’ the local lassi place makes...Yum!

Here’s some more photos of the favourite Saturday morning hangout for a city of 100,000 people.

Apropos of nothing

I've stumbled across a fantastic blog, one I know many members of my family would enjoy. A gentleman in England has put up his ancestor's war letters exactly 90 years after they were written. WW1: Experiences of an English Soldier

The blog has an astonishing readership of people breathlessly waiting Pte Harry's next letter. Will he make it home? I'm only up to the end of 1917 (2007) myself, but the blog is ongoing so I don't think the ending is spoilt yet, however some comments have led me to think it doesn't have a very happy ending.

The morning after the night before

All things considered, I have come through my "first cyclone" relatively unscathed. I didn't even lose power. Tropical Cyclone Helen has passed south of Darwin and is starting to degrade into a Category 1 cyclone. It's expected to become a tropical low later this morning.

Aside from the whistling from the cyclonic winds, last night was uneventful. All I can say is thank goodness for the portable music revolution. I went back to bed about 2am or so and hooked myself up to my MP3 player of unspecified brand. Listening to music, I went off to sleep and didn't wake until my parents rang at 6am to make sure I was still alive.

After the cyclone and my unfortunate moisture problem that caused mould to grow all down one of my walls while I was away over Christmas, I almost feel like a local.

Gone with the wind? Let's hope not.

How does this begin?

It's 1:30 am and the soundtrack of my life is the roaring gusts of wind: 130kmph.

Cyclone Helen, Category 2, is roaring around my ears, although Darwin is still far from the epicentre. It is expected to pass just south of the city, however, so more fun will ensue over the next day. I'm all prepared, with canned food, gluten-free snacks, water, a torch and spare batteries, candles, matches and a portable radio.

Having said that, I still have power! Amazing and welcome. I went to sleep this evening about 9:30pm but slept fitfully until 1:15am when the winds struck. I'm surprisingly hot, mainly because the whole place is shut up.

I'm watching TV, monitoring the weather and wishing I had some friends hanging out on Facebook at the moment. The sound of gale-force winds is one of the eeriest in the world. Oh, I forgot to add the most important provisions: a copy of Orhan Pamuk's "My Name is Red" and the first five Discworld novels.

The lights dimmed slightly so I'll sign off and try to write later. Adieu