Willis's Walkabouts Web Magazine
September 2002
Welcome to the third of our web magazines. The peak season rush was such that adding another issue had to be left until things quieted down. It's quiet now, so here it is.
To keep this file small for easy viewing, the small photos on this page do not expand like those on our other pages. If you follow a link to another page, click the photos there to see enlarged versions. Click your back button to return to that page. Hold your mouse pointer on any photo to see a caption.
Everything in red on this page is a link to somewhere else on this website or somewhere else on the web.
Don't forget: your contributions are welcome.
Contents
Seasons past and future Trip reports from our clients What's new on the website 2003 Early Trips How to save on tours and airfares Farewell to Bill Neidjie
What a wonderful Dry!
This year, we had the most consistently cool dry season that I can remember, lovely warm days and crisp, cool nights. My 28 years in Darwin suggests that the weather runs in multi-year cycles so we may be in for a good one again next year. Give that some thought when considering whether or not to come up in 2003.
The Build Up
The Wet
Personally, I think that the Wet is the best time to go bushwalking. The waterfalls look like they do in the tourist brochures. There are more places to swim than in the dry season and every swim is pure pleasure. There are no tourist hordes, no crowded campsites and, no it does not rain all day, every day.
It's not just the locals who enjoy the wet. 80% of those who have done one of our wet season trips, said they'd consider another. You owe it to yourself to find out more. Click the link below and you'll go to our wet season page.
You don't have to take our word for it. Check out the Met Bureau pages where you can study the actual climate figures and compare them to the dry season. Our wet season page has a link to the Jabiru figures. If you want to look at other places, see our Top End and Kimberley pages which have links to other Met Bureau information.
For a client's view of the wet season, click the link below.
Kakadu in the Wet by Colin Johnstone
Trip Reports
Baroalba - Hill 420 Circle, March
We occasionally receive reports from participants in our trips. This was the first time we got two from the one trip.
For an Australian perspective from Peter and Jo Lawrence, click here.
For a European perspective from Ursula Mengel, click here.
Pilbara: Karijini National Park, June-July
John Cannon wrote about this trip in the Sunday Tasmanian over on August 11 and 18. John's original story was cut to fit the space available. He's kindly provided me with the uncut version plus some photos.
Click here to see John's story and photos.
Watarrka (Kings Canyon) National Park, June-July
Alan Shell wrote a brief description of this year's Watarrka trip and Robert Hock provided us with some beautiful photos.
Click here to see Alan's story and Robert's photos.
South Africa, September-October 2001
Ron Blomfield produced a magnificent 23 page booklet about the trip. I couldn't work out how to make it a reasonable size on the website, so I've just scanned in the cover page and kit list as jpeg files and the rest of the booklet as a Word document. It's lost the illustrations, but at least it is small enough so you can download it in a reasonable time.
Click the picture at left for an expanded version of the cover or click the links below to see what Ron had to say or to look at some photos from the trip.
What's new on the website
Our website should be one of the main ways we get information across to you, our clients and potential clients.
There is far more information there than we can possibly get across in any other way. For example:
- There is an ever increasing amount of information about the different trips.
- There are links to other sites where you can find out detailed information about the regions where we operate.
- There is the most up to date version of our trip list.
- There is a regularly changed list of featured trips. Sometimes there are special web discounts on some of those trips.
- There is information to help newcomers decide whether or not our trips would suit them.
If you have never done one of our trips, click the "Is it for you?" link below and follow the other links to how hard our trips are, rock hopping, climate, how we rate the trips, etc. The photos there will give you a much better picture of our trips than anything we can put in writing.
If you haven't explored the website recently, click on the what's new link below or on the menu at the left. There are a number of new photo galleries which should give you a better idea of the attractions of some of the areas where we walk. This page is regularly updated to show you what changes have been made to the site.
If you have trouble finding your way around the website ...
Please Help!
Various people have told us that it is hard to find the information they are looking for on the website. Fair enough, but not very useful. We need people with little or no web design experience to tell us how they think it could be better organised. If you are willing to spend some time exploring the website and tell us how you think it could be improved and then give us more feedback when we start to make some changes, I'll put your name in a draw for a $500 discount voucher.
2003 trips: January to March
Have you ever experienced walking in tropical rain? It's infinitely more enjoyable than walking in the cold rains you get in temperate climates. Discount airfares are relatively easy to get. Our wet season trips are not endurance tests, they are holidays you'll wish could go on forever.
For more information about the trips, click the links below.
Kakadu Super Circle No. 1: Jan 19 - Feb 8: a major expedition.
Kakadu Birdwatching Special: Jan 6-15: a joint venture between Willis's Walkabouts and George Swann's Kimberley Birdwatching; two sections, either can be done on its own.
Mitchell Plateau No. 1: Jan 26 - Feb 8: a major expedition.
The following will require Adobe Acrobat Reader. All of the following consist of two or more sections, any of which can be done on its own.
Kakadu Highlights No. 1: Jan 5-18: two walks with a night's accommodation in between. Kakadu Light No. 1: Feb 5-14: medium to long walks by day, air conditioned accommodation at night. Green Kimberley Light: Jan 31 - Feb 16: a mix of day walks and easy overnighters. This is the first time we have offered this trip. It was inspired by the success of our Kakadu Light No. 1 this year. Green Kimberley: Feb 16 - Mar 1: two walks with a night's accommodation in between. Bungle Bungles in the Wet: Feb 23 - Mar 8: two weeks exploring the Bungles when the park is normally closed. This is the best chance you've got to see the Bungles creeks flowing.
Save $$$
You may be a winner already. I badly underestimated the cost of some of our Kimberley flights this year. If you did a Kimberley trip which included a flight, you are a winnner already.
Some of our othercosts have risen quite substantially so when I've finished doing a complete recosting, prices will rise. Anyone booking before the new prices go onto the website gets the trip at the old price. And don't forget our advance purchase discounts.
When booking flights, check both Qantas and Virgin Blue. And check their web booking only deals. These are often cheaper than you can book any other way.
On a recent trip (August), someone coming from Sydney on Virgin Blue via Brisbane paid $300 less than most of those who had booked on Qantas. He didn't get a meal but $300 is a very expensive meal. Click the links below to see what the airlines have to offer.
Farewell
Farewell to one of Australia's most loved and respected Aboriginal elders, Bill Neidjie. He was a key figure in the creation of Kakadu National Park and was strong on continuing traditional culture and explaining some of its essence to non-Aboriginal people.
Below is his advice to bushwalkers.
"Walking is good. You follow track……you sleep, wake in morning to birds, maybe kookaburra. You feel country. You follow that water, you see other way, no matter, you stay on track. You go wrong place, those Namarnde [bad spirits] they might get you. You see that rock, want to climb it. Keep away, may be dangerous you don't know, might make you sick. Don't bury [your rubbish], dingoes dig up ground and maybe water wash it away." - from "Bushwalking in Kakadu", pamphlet, Kakadu National Park.
Click here for a link to more quotes from Bill Neidjie and a link to a Kakadu wep page with more information about the man and why, contrary to normal Aboriginal custom, we are using his name here.
Contribute to this Web Magazine
If you're a previous client of ours and would like to pass on an account you've written about the trip you did with us, email it to us. We're looking for interesting stories and pictures to give people an unbiased idea of what our tours are like.
To send us your story or if you have any questions about making a submission, click the magazine link below.
Submissions to Willis's Walkabouts Web Magazine
If you know someone you think would enjoy this newsletter, please click the link below to send it to them.
To see the first two issues. (November 2001 and March 2002) of our web magazine, click the links below.
That's all for this issue. If you have any good photos or stories from past trips, I'd really like to hear from you before the next one.
Russell Willis
