Darwin Australia - Batchelor

When traveling around we set up a basic travel schedule, but also leave a bit of room for other options.  The Kakadu National Park is about 280km away from Darwin, and Darwin is 278km from Pine Creek, so if you connect all the spot you get about 280 km on each side of the triangle - good for  a days run on each side.

We pulled into Pine Creek, and being less than impressed with the Holiday Park options, we choose to push on.  While driving I was looking though any guide books we had to find the right spot.  We choose to keep going past Adelaide River and go right into Batchelor.   This put us within 60k or so to our next days' adventures at Litchfield National Park.

Batchelor Holiday park, like many here is a large plot of land.  This one has mature trees with camp site spread out amongst the trees and open spaces.  The current owner is Jim, and he's had it for 5 years.  He inherited, with the campground, a tradition started by the previous owners - feeding the wild birds twice a day.   Tom was pretty happy with this.  So at 5:45 the first night we headed over to the feeding area where there are benches with leaning platforms for arms and cameras!

Show offs! Hanging upside down!

I would guess that the first night we saw 75 Galahs, and 100 Rainbow Lorikeets.  What a racket they can all make, but it was great fun to watch them.  We timed it right as the next night about 20 Galahs, and 30 Lorikeets showed up, fussed around while waiting for food and then once it was served, took off and didn't return!

And not to be outdone by the Galahs.. a bit of upside down preening! Just because we can!

This is one of those lucky stops.  Tom spent every daylight minute that we were in the park off shooting birds.  And I have to say that the rest of us spent a fair bit of time just sitting watching and listening to the birds.