Tonight I am camped at Elsey Creek, just out of Mataranka towards the Roper River. It may be the Northern Territory but it feels more like Pandora than Earth. The creek is no deeper than a foot, and is spread at least 50m wide (I can't see the other side). The creek is dense with palm trees and paperbarks, the water is crystal clear and flows gently, and the air is rippled every now and again by the call of a strange bird. Then a large bird takes off flying quickly through the trees with long heavy wing beats. The closeness of the trees makes the cormorants, and much larger bush turkeys foraging around the creek edge seem like teratactyls swooping above a primal soup which house strange life. There are cute little kingfishers and rainbow bee eaters darting around, and majestic Torresian Imperial Pidgeons flying low over the palms. These large pidgeons are a beautiful crisp white, with black trim along the bottom of their wings and tail, and small black eyes.
As dusk settles the bird calls change, and the air is suddenly full of silent, darting shapes. The bats have come out to play, and their feast on the evenings insects makes no sound.
Magic, incredible, strange, this place is unlike any other I have been.
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