It’s balmy.
The dry season has slipped away and the Build-Pp casts a doubtful glance at those who protest “don’t worry, we’ve still a month before the heat sets in!”
You’re getting your last adventure in before the rains flow, rivers run, roads flood, and parks close.
A sunset at Ubirr is a must!
You pull into the carpark and pull up the handbrake of your trusty, and perhaps a little too rusty, four wheel drive.
Water, phone, camera, sunglasses, good to go.

The last few steps are more of a sure-footed scramble, but you’re up!
You look up from your Blundies, letting the fresh Kakadu air fill your lungs.
A breeze swirls across the open flood plain.
It’s like you’re atop an upraised hand jutting from the vast, green Earth.
Smoke from a near off bushfire abandons the spear grass for the sky.
Scattered storms dot the horizon.
Colour raining down in little archways from a storm building in the east.

A hissing from the trees below draws your attention.
When did the sky behind get so dark?
Terracotta-coloured dust lifts through the eucalyptus canopies.
A whirly-whirly rushes through the bush, decorating everything ochre.
A distant rumble grumbles from the sullen sky.
A breeze of changed seasons blows.
Like a little reminder of the Wet on its way.

The first droplets, large and swollen, take you by surprise.
Like the clouds were holding on and on and on, until you least expected.
They fall thick and fast, and the beat down begins.
Chaos breaks out. Rain! In September!
The phones…the cameras!
A strong wind sends the rain careening.
It’s LITERALLY raining sideways.
Facing away from the onslaught, your front remains dry, offering protection for your devices and senses.
A prayer answered!
Like someone has traced an invisible line on your body; separating your front from your sodden back.
The swollen droplets pepper the ground, sending the light of the setting sun dancing and scattering.
Akin to tiny glass pendalogues on a chandelier.
Jaw left ajar, you do nothing else but take it all in.
And as quick as it came, it’s gone.

Standing on breathtaking country, watching and feeling nature do its thing.
Ingesting life, letting it fill your body from toe to top, until it spills out into a laugh.
A type of laugh indicative of shock, awe and wonder.
A moment that compels you to look mother nature in the eye and be in complete gratitude for her purchase on your soul.
A moment that feels like magic, like being a kid again.
A moment that makes you swear to protect this sacred land.
A moment that satiates your thirst for adventure and leaves you craving more all at once.

This category is sponsored by Freely Travel Insurance.

 Freely is a brand of Cover-More Insurance Services Pty Limited ABN 95 003 114 145 (AFSL 241713) (Cover- More). The information provided is only on the availability of Freely products. We do not give advice and the information provided is not intended to give an opinion or recommendation regarding the product. For information on what’s covered and how to contact Freely, refer to the PDS, FSG & TMD which can be found here: freely.me/au.