Nitmulik

..comes from the local Aboriginal name given to the main gorge system in the area. One of the most popular activities to do here is canoeing or kayakking. Fran had recommended this to us before we left so for $80, a double kayak was ours..

The map didn't look too bad nor did the attendant's comments that after gorge 1 we needed to swap and that after gorge 2 we'd need to drag our kayak into the next one...hmmm.

I suppose we didn't even realise that the gorge was more than one gorge. Who knew that there's actually up to 13 that you could travel too but would require extraordinary fitness and an overnight camp. Needless to say we didn't do that for both reason..
Amber hadn't kayakked before so started off by giving a few lessons in to make sure that we didn't crash and kept going in the same direction. This proved more difficult that expected to the point where splashing began and both of us were soaked. A couple passed us in their own kayak, powered by pedalling rather than arm power so whilst we were puffing and panting they calming talked to us asking difficult questions and wondering what plans we had for the trip. Grrrr.

On top of this we had the tourist boats passing us but creating a fearsome wake that made us bob up and down rather worryingly. Fortunately we didn't sink! Being close to the water allowed us to get really close to some cormorants nesting on the shore marked as crocodile nesting areas...Hmmmm its gets better.

The views, however, were stunning. The tall rockfaces loomed high above us that would have been more helpful if the guide wasn't a paper copy. By the time we'd got to anywhere famous or of worthy note the paper was soaked. It made us feel very small amongst this amazing natural wonder but also how important it must be for the local Aboriginal community who only had it returned to their ownership 15 years or so ago.

Lunch was had floating under a big undercut in the rock that led to us drifting downstream for a bit. Very calming I can assure you. After a while we pulled the kayak out and rested before heading into gorge 3. It was very relaxing reading whilst watching other kayakkers struggle pulling their kayaks over the rocks. Hehehe

The return leg was difficult due to the tiresome kayakking that we'd not realised was over 12km.  A bit of sunburn had been incurred but strangely only on one arm?

After an icecream and a slow walk to the van, a restful evening was required and acquired watching the local Agile Wallabies forrage for food and listening to live music from the pool area.