Sharon
5/5
Well, what can we say! The holiday was incredible. This was facilitated by just how well you at Hello World - The Range organised us, thank you. Special mention to Karen who was our agent and her very efficient assistant Tiara.
The Heritage Adventurer was perfect; food great; accommodation more than adequate; staff brilliant, friendly and funny.
The activities – unbelievable! Every member of the Expedition Team was very knowledgeable about every activity we undertook. Each day we experienced something amazing and different. Words, even photos, can’t do them justice. Each day one of the Expedition Team gave a presentation about something from the trip - like one on turtles or whales or the geology of the incredible terrain (one of the team is a Geologist – nicknamed ‘rocky?). These were all worth attending and we learned something new each time.
We saw an amazing amount of birdlife, whales, turtles and even a lazy salty on a sandy beach.
It is impossible to nominate a favourite thing, but the trip down the King George River to the Falls had the most spectacular landscape – it was like being dropped on to another planet. And as for a sight-seeing thrill, our helicopter ride to the Mitchell Falls was breathtaking. Not to forget to mention the Horizontal Falls. It was awe inspiring to be in the middle of the Montgomery Reef with the tide going out.
Our visit to Country; a Welcome to Country and a short trek to a cave covered with ancient art and have a local Indigenous custodian local tell us the stories of the art was a highlight as well.
TOP END HIGHLIGHTS:
I preface these comments with, ‘we were there for the scenery’.
The Travelodge is very tired. Although the rest of the tour group went to the Mindil Markets for dinner, we decided to stay in, but the Travelodge does not offer dining facilities!!!
The Tour Guide (Dave) and Bus Driver (Darren) did a great job. Dave’s breadth of knowledge of the Territory was fantastic and that made things that much more interesting.
Florence and Wangi Falls were great to swim in – part of the experience that had to be done. Amazing Termite Mounds.
Nitmiluk had two highlights for us; a) the cruise down the Gorge – awesome, and b) our time spent with local Indigenous custodians. We split into male and female groups and talked of women’s business and men’s business (not to be discussed with the other group). This was so enlightening and made us appreciate even more the connection with Country our Indigenous people have.
Another dip, in Edith Falls, this time. Beautiful and refreshing!
Pine Creek was yet another place for us to see more ancient cave art – wow!
Kakadu Crocodile Hotel was very comfortable and met expectations.
Our plane flight over part of Kakadu was a real eye-opener. We of the ignorant east coast, think the whole of the NT is like Alice Springs with vistas of scrubby and bleak landscapes. Not so, even though it is the dry season, we were amazed at how tropical and ‘lush’ the land is. This was the start of a great day. Our trek through land around Ubirr, with the plethora of rock art and the climb to the top of the escarpment gave us a breathtaking view of the area. Green as far as the eye could see.
Dave promised us crocodiles and at Cahill’s crossing there were about 20 up to 4 metres plus in length were ‘fishing’ as the water flowed of over the levee.
The Yellow Water Billabong cruise finished off the day. We were ‘up close and personal’ with crocs resting on the bank. Prehistoric monsters 4.5 metres long and looking mean and hungry.
Overall, scenery to die for.
We are so grateful and appreciative of your professionalism and diligence in organising this for us.
