Ciao a tutti!
we actually arrived in the cinque terre last night at 7.30pm after about 11 hours of continuous public transport trying to get here - 7 buses, and 2 trains later. the trains were on strike all day until 5pm (which we didnt find out until about 5pm - language issues and people at the station in siena not very helpful) so we had huge trouble trying to get here. we ended up just travelling in this direction on buses - any buses we could find- until about 5.30 when we hopped on the train to la spezia and then the next one to vernazza. crazy day- v.stressful and tiring, but i guess thats what travelling is about - not all holidays here! on the upside, we saw five times as many towns and countryside villages that we weren't anticipating - some of which were quite beautiful - close to the snowy mountains, yet right on the beach.
our initial impressions of vernazza screamed tourist! we hadnt even stepped off the train before we were asked if we needed a room - in english!! the dinner we had was pretty poor compared to our montalcino experience - i think we have been royally spoiled. it was packet pasta and gnocchi, and probably jar pesto. sheesh. its like little america here as well.
however, the views are amazing, and the water crystal clear. just as the guide book says, you put up with the negatives above, to just experience the place. we are in a cute little room with a sea view away from the train and the bells, so the sleep last night was fantastic, and we woke this morning to sounds of the waves sweeping onto the rocks. We are off to explore further today, and will probably do the famous five town walk tomorrow, starting in riomaggiore.
thats all for now, will post some more photos soon - have to share the views!
Cheers,
sim and em. xx
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adventures in the top end
Nhulunbuy/Gove - an intro
Gove Peninsula (including Nhulunbuy and Yirrkala)
An important mining town on the edge of Arnhem Land. At the northeastern corner of Arnhem Land lies the Gove Peninsula and the mining town of Nhulunbuy. It is accessible, on a regular basis, by air from Darwin (650 km) and Cairns (1190 km). During the dry season, and with the appropriate documentation from the Northern Land Council, it can be reached by 4WD from Katherine. The journey which passes through the Arnhem Land Aboriginal reserve is 700 km over rough dirt roads and takes approximately 14 hours. There are no fuel stops on the way. The current attitude of the Northern Land Council to such journeys is that there must be some reason beyond sightseeing or simply wanting to travel around the edges of the continent. Consequently applications to travel through Arnhem Land are not easy to obtain.
The Gove Peninsula was originally occupied by the Yolngu Aborigines and its proximity to the Arafura Sea means that for centuries the locals traded with the Macassan trepangus which visited the coast. In 1931 the area was included as part of Arnhem Land but during World War II, with the imminent danger of a Japanese invasion of Australia's northern coastline, the area became a major air force base with a population of over 5 000 servicemen. The peninsula was named after a young Australian airman, Pilot Officer William Gove, who was killed in action in 1943.
In the 1950s the Commonwealth Government carried out mineral exploration and in 1952 bauxite was discovered. The bauxite deposit covered 65 sq. km and contained an estimated 250 million tonnes. Initially the government resisted demands to mine the deposit but in 1964 Nabalco was set up and with a commitment to spend $100 million and build a port, township and mine, the company was granted a lease.
The town of Nhulunbuy (the word is the term used by local Aborigines to refer to the hill named Mount Saunders by Matthew Flinders) was started in 1969. Today it has a population of over 4 000. With no easy land links to the outside world all supplies are either shipped or flown in.
The establishment of the town did not occur without resistance from the local Aborigines. A land rights court challenge was mounted in 1968 and currently the participants in the Gove Joint Venture (Swiss Aluminium & Gove Aluminium Ltd) pay $9.5 million royalties each year.
Part of the royalties go to the local Aboriginal community. The rest benefits Aborigines throughout the Northern Territory.
To the south of Nhulunbuy is the Aboriginal community of Yirrkala. The settlement, which was probably inhabited for tens of thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans, was set up as a mission station in 1935 and was run by the United Church of North Australia until 1976.
In 1976, after four years of preparation, the Church handed ownership of the mission site back to the traditional owners who had set up the Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association Inc. This subsequently came to incorporate the Yirrkala Town Council. The arrival of a large number of Europeans at Nhulunbuy and the mining of the area saw many of the traditional owners leaving the area and moving back into the hinterland regions of Arnhem Land.
An important mining town on the edge of Arnhem Land. At the northeastern corner of Arnhem Land lies the Gove Peninsula and the mining town of Nhulunbuy. It is accessible, on a regular basis, by air from Darwin (650 km) and Cairns (1190 km). During the dry season, and with the appropriate documentation from the Northern Land Council, it can be reached by 4WD from Katherine. The journey which passes through the Arnhem Land Aboriginal reserve is 700 km over rough dirt roads and takes approximately 14 hours. There are no fuel stops on the way. The current attitude of the Northern Land Council to such journeys is that there must be some reason beyond sightseeing or simply wanting to travel around the edges of the continent. Consequently applications to travel through Arnhem Land are not easy to obtain.
The Gove Peninsula was originally occupied by the Yolngu Aborigines and its proximity to the Arafura Sea means that for centuries the locals traded with the Macassan trepangus which visited the coast. In 1931 the area was included as part of Arnhem Land but during World War II, with the imminent danger of a Japanese invasion of Australia's northern coastline, the area became a major air force base with a population of over 5 000 servicemen. The peninsula was named after a young Australian airman, Pilot Officer William Gove, who was killed in action in 1943.
In the 1950s the Commonwealth Government carried out mineral exploration and in 1952 bauxite was discovered. The bauxite deposit covered 65 sq. km and contained an estimated 250 million tonnes. Initially the government resisted demands to mine the deposit but in 1964 Nabalco was set up and with a commitment to spend $100 million and build a port, township and mine, the company was granted a lease.
The town of Nhulunbuy (the word is the term used by local Aborigines to refer to the hill named Mount Saunders by Matthew Flinders) was started in 1969. Today it has a population of over 4 000. With no easy land links to the outside world all supplies are either shipped or flown in.
The establishment of the town did not occur without resistance from the local Aborigines. A land rights court challenge was mounted in 1968 and currently the participants in the Gove Joint Venture (Swiss Aluminium & Gove Aluminium Ltd) pay $9.5 million royalties each year.
Part of the royalties go to the local Aboriginal community. The rest benefits Aborigines throughout the Northern Territory.
To the south of Nhulunbuy is the Aboriginal community of Yirrkala. The settlement, which was probably inhabited for tens of thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans, was set up as a mission station in 1935 and was run by the United Church of North Australia until 1976.
In 1976, after four years of preparation, the Church handed ownership of the mission site back to the traditional owners who had set up the Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association Inc. This subsequently came to incorporate the Yirrkala Town Council. The arrival of a large number of Europeans at Nhulunbuy and the mining of the area saw many of the traditional owners leaving the area and moving back into the hinterland regions of Arnhem Land.
2 comments:
HI Simone and Em,
Bad news about the travel problems but good news about where you are now! It is a bit touristy but look past that and enjoy the fantastic area that you are in. I know you will love it.
On your walk you will see the most amazing views and look out for the man selling lemons. Is it warm enough to swim?
Keep those blog messages coming - really enjoying the read - am picturing you there!
Love Mum xx
[url=http://www.pi7.ru/main/3063-putin-rossiya-ne-dolzhna-boyatsya-kitaya.html ]Вице-президент "ЛУКойла" признан в ПОТЕРПЕВШИМ нашумевшем ДТП [/url]
это не шутка. его уже ищут правоосторожные органы, он не явился для съемки программы и два дня его не видели родственники. как вы думаете, где он?
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