Author Archives: tbeartravels

DARWIN TO PERTH — THE START OF LEG 3. DAY 1   23RD JULY 2012          GROOTE EYLANDT TO DARWIN STEVE’S DECK CAMP An important note: Tim has taken a new teaching position on Thursday Island. The moving process happened within two … Continue reading →

DAY 5    27th JULY 2012        STREET SWEEPER CAMP to DRY GRASS CAMP  (East of Victoria River) Will I ever cease packing?  First job drag the kayak trailer out and repack and tidy up, a bush rat had made a nest … Continue reading →

GROOTE FAMILY About five years ago a family decided to take Tim into their family and by association that meant Bev and I are also part of the family.  On Groote Eylandt we have aunties, uncles, nieces, nephews and last … Continue reading →

As mentioned previously in this leg of the blog there are a number of places that outsiders are not permitted to go on Groote Eylandt unless in the company of a traditional owner, however because we became close friends with … Continue reading →

GEOLOGICAL FEATURES Many travellers say they are not really interested in geology but unconsciously they are because why else would they flock to the Three Sisters, the Bungle Bungles, Uluru, the Great Ocean Road, the Himalayas and the Grand Canyon. … Continue reading →

EARLY VISITORS The indigenous folk of Groote have had outsiders coming to their land for thousands of years and the reasons, whether it was a thousand years ago or today, are still basically the same. They come to exploit natural … Continue reading →

WEATHER The dry season (April to August) is the time when Bev and I visit Groote. The average low temperature is sixteen degrees and high 27 degrees.  A climate like this beats shivering through a southern winter.  The coldest temperature … Continue reading →

Few Australians, when you mention Groote Eylandt, know where it is. Guesses range from off Tasmania or the Western Australia coast, only a few say the Northern Territory.  It’s understandable that people don’t know because it’s not all that big; … Continue reading →

I am writing this entry on Day 24 Friday 4th May as we wait to board the plane for Groote Eylandt.   When the aircraft wheels leave the tarmac for the flight to Groote Leg 1 of our Odyssey will have … Continue reading →

We are staying in Katherine with Paul and Sam for another night. We met them when we visited son Tim in Numbulwar, an Aboriginal community on the east coast of Arnhem Land. Sam was a teacher at the community school … Continue reading →