Who goes where?: Nourlangie

We set up camp for the night at Murella campground, a "luxurious" shaded gravel car park with toilets, sinks and a shower!! We had the place to ourselves until just after sunset when a car of 4 people appeared, parked 3 feet from our van and started to put up their tents. One acre of campsite and they choose a spot right on top of us!! They looked most put out when I moved the van 50 yards away so we could get some sleep and space.

Up at 5.30 to avoid the midday heat and a hearty bush tucker bacon and egg breakfast meant we were off just after 6am to Nourlangie. We were planning a 12km route called the Barrk Walk which passes a number of Aboriginal rock art sites before trekking round and then over a large sandstone escarpment. Unfortunately the route was closed due to temperatures on the escarpment exceeding 50C and a collapsed trekker having to be rescued last week.

Instead we turned our sights to the Anbangbang Billabong. This 2.5km circuit gave us great views of wallabies all out at the waters edge getting their morning drink. They were shy yet inquisitive so they held their ground, nose and ears twitching, as we approached until their nerve broke and they bounded off into the bush.

The billabong was also teaming with bird life, shoveler ducks, magpie geese, black billed storks, cormorants and soulful-crested cockatoos screeching in the trees. As it was near the end of the dry season the waters were very low, more a series of small pools in the middle of a muddy hollow, with a very low risk of saltwater crocodiles, thankfully!

Warmed up from our stroll we headed to the Nourlangie Burrunggui rock art sites featuring great look out points part way up the escarpment over Kakadu and wonderful rock art of kangaroos, dancing men and the Lightning Man. He is a powerful spirit from the Aboriginal creation period, the "Dream Time" who brought life giving rain and also destructive fire.

The billabong was teeming with egrets, herons, stalks, ducks and geese

Plus the occasional wallaby

Overlooked by the high crags of Nourlangie outcrop

A flock of Corella cockatoos

Cheeky Kangaroos

A member of the cormorant family drying off in the morning sun

Magpie geese

Exploring the Nourlangie outcrop

Namarrkon is the Lightning Man. His body is shaped like a praying-mantis. He makes lightning flashes with his lightning rods that go around his body. This is Namarrkon’s power source to light up the clouds and the sky. Namarrkon has axes on his shoulders and his knees. When he comes to earth as a lightning strike, he uses the axes to split trees and make the sound of thunder.