The beginning of our road trip from Darwin to the Red Center started out rough in one way, but awesome in almost every other. We loved our van, Bruce, we saw (and swam in) some spectacular natural beauty, and brushed elbows with Australia's traveling retirees. We also got bug-bit to hell on our first night sleeping in that traitor Bruce. We thought we had bed bugs for the first few days, but then again we always think we have bed bugs. We finally decided we didn't have bed bugs, but we also decided Bruce's tent wasn't trustworthy when in areas with mosquitoes. This consensus was reached when we woke up in the middle of our second night to a symphony of mosquitoes. Further inspection with our torch (how Australian of us) revealed around one billion little blood sucking scoundrels sitting on the walls of the tent, fat and happy. We tore off the tent, yelled at each other a little bit (it was 1:30 in the morning, after all), and rigged a makeshift shelter with our mosquito nets (which hadn't been used previously and needed to prove their worth anyway). As we traveled South the bug problem got better, but our fear of nature, while we simultaneously explored it and basked in its glory, continued.
Both Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks came highly recommended to anyone driving from Darwin to Alice Springs and Uluru (Ayers Rock), and we were not disappointed. Annette found a new love for swimming in water holes, particularly ones with waterfalls dropping down from above. The swim-able falls in these wonderful NPs were a highlight for us both, and the perfect way to break up a driving day. However, despite the signs posted nearby declaring that the waters were safe to swim in at that time of year, plunging into these pools (especially if few or no other people were swimming) was a bit spooky because of the presence of vicious saltwater crocodiles. Of Australia's two croc species, salties are the ones to fear. They are the dangerous man-eaters. The other crocs, freshwater crocodiles, apparently attack only when provoked or agitated and are pretty harmless to humans. Still, the notion that the freshwater crocs were
present and that the salties are at other times of year made our swims just a little more exciting. Even with the looming danger of a death roll from below, or even a toe-nibble from one of the many fish, swimming in these holes was memorable because of the beautiful surroundings. The sheer rock faces and picturesque waterfalls created amazing back drops for splashing about while experiencing some of Australia's most beautiful scenery. 
Waterfalls and big simmin' holes weren't all we saw in the L & K NPs. We would have left happy if they were, but we were treated to wallabies, a kangaroo, Aboriginal rock art (in Kakadu), lizards, some beautiful walking courses, and an awesome variety of birds. Most of these animals left us well alone, though kangaroos were apparently waging a (losing) war against motorized vehicles along the highways all the way from Darwin to Alice Springs. It sometimes felt like we saw more dead roos on the side of the road than all other living animals combined. It was both amazing and sad. Sad in the vast amount of dead roos, and amazing for the same reason. Poor Skippy! But the first live kangaroo we saw was a pretty special experience, and helped make up for the mega roo death we would see later. Our first live roo was awesome to us for his size and grace. We saw the kangaroo as we were driving out of Kakadu. He (we're assuming it was a male because he was so big) was easily 6 feet tall. The red giant was bounding freely through the trees toward the road when we spotted him. But he quickly turned the opposite direction when he saw our car coming. He didn't really change his speed, just altered his course, bounding relaxed all the while. We both turned to one another and just said, "Wow!" 
After Kakadu and our roo spotting, we drove to Nitmiluk National Park, just outside of the town of Katherine. Nitmiluk is known for Katherine Gorge, which we saw in all of its glory as part of a cruise. On the way to the cruise, we noticed hundreds of big ginger-headed bats (called flying foxes) in the trees above. The danger presented by these fascinating beasts were mainly aerial guano attacks, which could be avoided simply by observing the foxy fliers right themselves from their upside down hanging position. This meant that they were getting their own heads out of the way of what was coming next. So it was pretty much a non-threat. But still, it is always good to be aware of these things! The park itself was very pretty, with a rocky, desert thing
going on. But the eccentric little Katherine museum we hit in town on our way to the park stole the show. They had collections of everything from old airplanes flown as part of the early days of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, to a snakeskin "found on the front porch of this museum." The museum had interesting information about the devastating floods in the town in 1998, the construction of the telegraph line connecting Adelaide to Darwin and Australia to the rest of the world, and interesting Outback legends who helped shape the face of Australia's frontier. We both delighted in the small, sometimes random museum and its dedication to all things relating to the area around Katherine.
Katherine gorge and museum and town gave us plenty to think and talk about as we drove on, continuing our steady journey south...straight into the depths of the Outback!
(Click here for a rough map of our drive from Darwin to Katherine via Litchfield and Kakadu NPs)
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