As we are now in the tropical climes of NT, we notice the more lush and water-rich environment, evident in the greener landscape, taller and more variety of trees and plants, and the humid quality in the air.
Some of the team took a detour from the road running and went to the Mamukala wetlands.
The wetlands were fascinating and a joy to run thru. :-)
We had some very exciting encounters with wildlife. including a drove of wild pigs and some very large monitor lizards.
We met a lovely Swiss running couple that very enthusiastically took the torch and ran with us. Wonderful to meet you both!
Abhinandan cleverly found a mudslide near the river. He was luckily able to stop before splashdown but not before covering his shoes, hands and bottom. We laughed for a good solid ten minutes and it brought a smile through the day.
There was almost no breeze which was in stark contrast to the past week.
At first, it was nice not to be running into a headwind, but we soon noticed that without the cooling effect of the wind we heated up quite quickly.
Wildfires in the vicinity lent a haze to the air. For safety, the teams running near the fires ran without the torch lit today. Though the torch flame wasn't physically present, we carried the aspiration-flames of peace, oneness and world-family in our hearts.
We had an engaging afternoon ceremony with the Litchfield Shire Council.
We met Mayor Barden and the council workers in the gazebo outside their offices.
The acoustics were perfect for a rousing rendition of the Peace Run song in which the mayor held the torch high.
After our presentation, we then went into the offices to mingle and chat and they offered us a delicious afternoon tea which we devoured like hungry crocodiles.
Many of the peace runners were drawn to Vanessa, the supervisor of rangers. She is a volunteer rescuer of baby wallabies and she was nestling a little joey in her arms.
We all took turns holding the adorable little one.
It will be nurtured for 8 weeks before going to wallaby kindergarten and then, ultimately released back to the wild.
Our day finished in Darwin with a trip to the rental company to do a van swap.
The local Woolworths were very kind in offering us supplies for our journey ahead. Thank you Woolworths Karama...
and Woolworths Gateway. We're very grateful for your support!
Our gratitude also to Tumbling Waters Holiday Park for generously hosting us for 2 nights.
Their grounds are rich in biodiversity, in a beautiful and lush jungle of palms and other tropical trees and plants.
A chart showing all the butterfly species found in our campground.
Our dinner today was lángos, a Hungarian fried bread made by master chef Attila, assisted by Tamas and Todor. The fresh hot bread was topped with sour cream, garlic and cheese for main course, then we had the dessert version of honey or Nutella. Delicious!
