Darwin to Kakadu to Kununurra, WA

Monday 17 June 2013 – Darwin to Kakadu 

View from our table - Wharf Precinct, Darwin

After one of those perfect evenings at Darwin’s Wharf Precinct last night where we had a table right on the wharf’s edge, clear skies above, a still ocean in front of us and another fine Asian barramundi meal; today we are packing up and heading into Kakadu. 

We only travelled around 60klm towards Kakadu and pulled into Corroboree Tavern and Van Park.  This park has its own resident 4 metre saltie and 2 metre freshie, housed beside an albino buffalo and a couple of wild boar.  Something for all the family.

We booked on a billabong sunset cruise 15 klm into the wetlands near the van park.  The cruise ended up being fantastic.  The highlight had to have been while sneaking up to a 5+ metre saltie sunning itself on the bank and sitting in our 6 metre boat and just about to nudge the shore and we cracked a twig, it suddenly rushed within 5-10 metres of our boat slithering into the water.  For a while I was sure we were about to get a croc in the boat.  It gave the tour guide such a fright too - she couldn't get the boat in reverse quick enough.  The rest of the cruise, while not as terrifying, was just beautiful.  There was heaps of wildlife, especially birds, most of which we were able to get really close to. The sunset was just beautiful.  All-in-all we had a great day.  So our crocodile count for the day was one large blonde female saltie on the bank, one very large male saltie on the bank and into the water, another large male saltie on the bank, one small freshie on the bank and one indeterminate size saltie floating like a log with only eyes and head showing then diving as we neared. Following are just some of the beautiful scenes we encountered:

Count the legs ....

Tuesday 18 June – Day 2 Kakadu: Merl Campground, East Alligator Region

Merl campsite

We packed up and left the Corroboree Van Park at 10am.  The late start was due to the fact we had a relatively short travel day of around 240 klm.  The weather is hot again (35 degrees) and it is best to travel in the air-conditioned car during the heat of the day.  We set up at Merl No 2 campground which is large with plenty of good sites and a great amenities block.  Unfortunately it had be the mosquito capital of the Northern Territory.  They were so bad we didn’t even put out our outdoor chairs.  On arrival we set up the outside bit very quickly and spent the afternoon in the van avoiding the flies and mozzies. 

This is something to think of when choosing your rig for travelling in Australia.  What will you do when the campsite is fly blown, mosquito infested (or both), pouring with rain each potentially in 35+ degree heat. We watched Brits 4WD campers set up at night with millions of mosquitoes, no breeze and having to sleep with all windows and doors closed when at 9pm it’s still 32 degrees.

Our main aim in camping at Merl was to visit Ubirr (pronounced oo-bir and not ubirr). This is a site rich in aboriginal history dating back over 20,000 years, with magnificent art sites located in caves and overhanging rocks with a nearby escarpment overlooking Arnhem Land.  We joined in the free Ranger (yes they do have free range Rangers up here) art site talks at the Rainbow Serpent gallery and the Main Gallery culminating with sunset viewing from the Nadab lookout overlooking the plains below stretching into Arnhem Land. 

At the lookout in the late afternoon the setting sun settles over the lush green, bird laden floodplain below you, while the sky is orange from the many controlled burns around Kakadu.   With 50 or so other people watching with us, the sun drops from the sky into the orange pool of smoke laden sky in the distance, while the last bird calls fill the air soon to be replaced by the chorus of crickets signalling the start of the nocturnal prowling of the crocodiles in the floodplains below.  All this being a scene played out for tens of thousands of years and for us an opportunity to witness it just once. What a beautiful end to the day.

Next comes the stumbling down from the escarpment in the half-light of 50 people still mesmerized and partly blinded from the beautiful scene they just witnessed.  Coming the other way are the latecomers, huffing and puffing as they race up the track with cameras armed all in hope of getting that sunset photo that they won’t get, while we smirk knowing that our cameras are bulging at the seams with megapixels of scenes they will never see.  What a beautiful end to the day.

Arriving back at camp, we pay our camp fees to the fee Ranger (as opposed to the free Ranger) cleverly located at the park entrance awaiting everyone’s return from Ubirr, and park our car in front of the van.  All that lies between us and a good night’s sleep is a trillion mosquitoes lurking between the car and the van door.  On the count of three we both burst out of the car hoping to confuse the enemy with glut of blood available from two sides of the car at the same time - all was to no avail as we were attacked from all sides.  Julie fumbled the keys, I took a strike in the neck and ankle, Julie slapped her face, too late, it was the hand with the keys in it.  “Noooo” I shouted as they fell to the ground.  Julie sustained more hits as the smell of blood started to fill the air.  I threw my lithe and sensual body over the keys, just like they do in the WII movies.  Julie shouted “It’s not a hand grenade you fool!” Looking over my shoulder for crocs I pick them up, unlock the door, another hit in the neck, Julie is in first, I stand guard slapping everything in sight, the fee Ranger falls to the ground, “Oops sorry” I shout, I burst through the door and slam it closed behind us.  Safe!  Aah there’s nothing like camping. What a beautiful end to the day.

Showering and retiring to bed we tease the trillion mozzies now buzzing the flyscreens all around us by lying with our bare arms just centimetres from the screens.  They retaliate by buzzing loudly all night - are they inside or are they out, what was that a bite or an itch from an earlier war wound?  We, as the mozzies do, have a restless night’s sleep as we both know that tomorrow morning is a whole new day and we have to get to the car again……

Next day we packed up and left, as did everybody else.  The mozzies won!  If fact there is talk of closing the campground as the mozzies are that bad.

Wednesday 19 June – Day 3 Kakadu: Muirella Park Campground

But, before leaving our camp and our mozzie friends at Merl, we drove to and then walked a surprisingly wow factor sandstone track called the Bardedjilidji Walk. 
  
We weren't put off by the signs at the start of the track warning of wild water buffalo and crocodile sightings in the area.  Well we were a bit put off but we thought we would give it a go.  Julie always follows on our walk, so I offered her the opportunity to take the lead – I went first.  

The track took us through this ancient land and to wonderful sandstone shapes.  The rock is 1.5 billion years old, some of the oldest on earth, and has weathered away leaving some amazing monoliths, caves and overhangs. Again the local Aborigines lived for 1000’s of years in the caves, evidenced by the thick build-up of ash mixed with sand and the blackened walls and ceilings.  We did become a bit alarmed as we heard repeated blasting ahead of us and we were the only people in the place.   We convinced ourselves it had to do with a nearby quarry.  After the walk we discovered that there are no quarries in the area.  

Arriving back at camp we hitched up the caravan and travelled the 40klm to Jabiru to fuel up.  We revisited the Bowali Visitor Centre to get some wash water and have morning tea at the little café there.  I connected the hose to the tap in the caravan parking area and turned it on.  Out came dehydrated water – nothing, the line had been turned off.  We then travelled about 35klm south-west and arrived at Muirella Park campground to set up for a couple of days.  Fortunately there is good drinking water so I emptied out the dehydrated water and put in some lovely local spring water.

That afternoon we took a short 6klm 4WD track to nearby Sandy Billabong. We stopped at the water’s edge but didn’t get out of the car as this is serious croc country. The billabong was full of water and teaming with wildlife.  We didn't see a croc here but given there are around 10,000 in Kakadu there was likely to be one lurking nearby somewhere.  In the evening, we attended the free Ranger slide show opposite our van and learned more about the crocodiles and the history of the water buffalo in the region.  Another great day had by all.

Thursday 20 June – Day 4 Kakadu: Muirella Park Campground

Muirella camsite

We were busy sightseeing today.  We spent the early part of the morning at Nourlangie with its many amazing aboriginal rock art sites at Anbangbang Shelter, Indine Gallery, Anbanbangbang Gallery and then on to Gunwarddehwarde Lookout via a 1.5 klm loop walk.  All these names are big point scorers for when I next play Scrabble Susie and Dave.  We really enjoyed this walk as there were no crowds and we had the galleries to ourselves. 

Given we had seen all there was to see at Nourlangie by 9.30 am we decided to bring tomorrow’s activities into today.  We returned to the van, packed our lunch, topped up with drinking water and headed to Jim Jim Falls via 55 klm of rough dirt road, 10 klm of real 4WD track and then a somewhat difficult 1 klm walking track to the spectacular falls and its beautiful plunge pool below.  Jim Jim Falls was a real treat for both of us as I didn’t realise they were accessible by 4WD and that we would see them this trip.  I thought access was by air only as with Twin Falls nearby (still closed).  Additionally, thanks to an Easter deluge this year, the falls were still running so late.  Also, the track in has only been open for two weeks. Plus, it was by sheer chance Julie was talking to the Campground Manager (Mike) who happened to mention we could get in.

The road in is corrugated for the whole 55 klm, the 4WD track has several creek crossings, is sandy and rocky in places and has one particularly difficult jump-up.  A couple of 4WD’s didn’t even try to go past the jump-up.  Leaving the car in the carpark, it is still another 1 klm track over rocks and later, large boulders near the plunge pool at the base of the falls.  The large crocodile trap in the flood pool downstream is a stark reminder that putting ones toes in the clear cool water is not recommended.  It is OK to swim right at the base of the falls – sort of – we told a French couple it was fine to swim. We later saw both of them back at camp, so our advice was sound.  The best thing was that we had the 4WD track and dirt road to tackle on the way out.  I was very pleased to have unexpectedly crossed something else off my bucket list.

It is fair to say that by the time we returned home this afternoon we felt that we had had a great day.

Friday 21 June – Day 5 Kakadu: Gunlom Campground & Gunlom Falls

Leaving Muirella we continued to drive south-west through Kakadu and took the turnoff to Gunlom.  The 37 klm of corrugated red dirt track into Gunlom - with the last 5 klm being quite rocky - shook us and the van all the way in.  Had we known how rough the track was we probably would not have gone in. Everything survived the bouncing including us.  We jagged a really good campsite with views across the park to Gunlom Falls.  There are very few caravans here – mostly tents & 4WD campers.

Gunlom Campsite

In the afternoon, while still quite hot, we hiked up the rocky track beside the waterfall to the rocky plateau that provided a sweeping view of Buladjang country below.  A short walk further brought us to Waterfall Creek at the top of the waterfall.   A series of rock pools joined by slippery rocks between the top and lower falls provided a natural infinity pool experience as we submerged ourselves in the cool water after our hot walk - and best of all it is crocodile free.  

(Jeff) Swimming on top of Gunlom Waterfall

Here we stayed for over an hour soaking in the cool water and the views below. After climbing back down and looking at the clear freshwater plunge pool at the base of the falls near our campground, we settled in to a mozzie free dinner and drinks looking up to the falls as our backdrop for the evening.

Gunlom Falls from the plunge pool below

The evening was relatively cool with a breeze (very unusual) providing us with a lovely night’s sleep.  The campers around us were just as tired and the park settled early with only the rustle of the leaves and the calling of the night’s birds.

Saturday 22 June – Kakadu to Umbrawarra Gorge

We had planned for two nights at Gunlom but, with all the sights done, and the fact that Julie discovered a new camp – Umbrawarra Gorge – amongst her many collections of travel articles gathered from caravan magazines, we headed off.  Car, caravan and passengers all survived the road out of Gunlom OK and we headed to the pretty little town of Pine Creek for fuel and an early lunch as they had a nice café opposite the garage. 

Three kilometres south of Pine Creek is the turnoff to Copperfield Dam and Umbrawarra Gorge.  20 klm of comparably good dirt road, with one relatively deep creek crossing (half way up tyres) and, for a while, a raging bush fire heading towards the road we arrived at a little bush camp near the start of the walking track into the gorge.  It was a tight fit getting the van between low hanging trees in the small camp, but once set up we headed into the gorge for an  afternoon hike.  All the effort was worth it.

The gorge is small compared to something like Katherine Gorge, but more intimate as the sheer cliffs are right there either side of us as we rock/boulder hopped along it downstream.  Small sandy beaches invite swimming in the clear flowing pools, interesting weathered rock formations frame our view of the sky above and, as we choose, large flat sandstone rocks broken off from the cliffs above provide a comfortable viewing platform to sit and watch this pretty and unspoilt part of Australia.  While we sat on our rock, numerous fish swam in the stream below us; bubbles broke the surface from a spring feeding the stream and the peace and quiet was only broken by the local bird life.

Umbrawarra Campsite

Having had our fill of this interesting place, we retraced our steps back upstream returning to camp with six other sites now occupied.  It is Saturday night and the start of the Northern Territory school holidays for the next four weeks.  There are two family groups here with young school children all enjoying the outdoors, in particular their campfire.  We can expect a few more travellers from now on as the peak season of July/August approaches coinciding with the NT then other state school holidays.

Sunday 23 June – Umbrawarra Gorge to Katherine

We don’t often revisit places we have been during our trip so it’s enjoyable when out of necessity we do so.  We needed to return to Katherine to have a caravan park and grocery shopping experience after 5 nights in National Parks in order to get ready to head to Western Australia which is our next destination.  We even returned to the same (Shady Lane) caravan park. 

Monday 24 June – Day 2 Katherine

On entry into Kakadu we sustained a windscreen hit from an oncoming car creating a large star chip on the lower driver side windscreen.  We discussed the option of returning to Darwin to have it either repaired or having the widescreen replaced entirely given how bad the chip was and the risk of the windscreen cracking further.  There is little between Kakadu and Broome should the worst happen.  After ‘seeing how it goes’ and it not worsening after the hard trips into Jim Jim Falls and Gunlom I decided to see if it could be repaired in Katherine.  I ended up purchasing a windscreen repair kit from Repco in Katherine and I must admit I had my reservations about its usefulness.  Following the instructions the windscreen is almost as new, much to my surprise and pleasure.  The hole and most of the star cracks have disappeared completely.  The next thing to buy is another repair kit for the ever increasing tool box if and when it happens again. 

The caravan is surprisingly dust tolerant.  We have travelled 100’s of kilometres over very rough and dusty roads.  I have made a foam pad that fits between the van door and fly-screen that seals the mandatory air vent for gas compliance purposes.  The foam pad is installed before we start on the dirt roads and does a perfect job of stopping the dust entering through the vent.  Although we are yet to use it, the caravan has a forward facing air scoop mounted on the roof that pressurizes the caravan with clean air from above the van on dusty roads thereby keeping all the dust out.  Some dust does enter a couple of cupboards on very dusty roads, so in Katherine I spent a couple of hours playing under the van inserting some No-More-Gaps in any crevice I could find.

Tuesday 25 June – Katherine to Keep River NP

After two nights in Shady Lane Van Park, Katherine washing the car and caravan inside and out, catching up on the washing, shopping for food and bits and pieces and doing the above maintenance, we were ready to head west towards Kununurra, Western Australia (WA).  With no real plan other than to head west and maybe stay at Timber Creek, some 300+ kilometres away we left at around 8.30am under cloudless skies and a surprisingly cool 15 degree morning.  The drive was beautiful travelling on good roads through the spectacular deep red coloured escarpment of Stokes Range.

Arriving at Timber Creek at 12.30 we had lunch and debated whether to check into one of two van parks.  The debate raged all through preparing and eating Pasta Caprese (designed to use up tomatoes and onions that are not allowed through quarantine when crossing the WA border from the Northern Territory).  Eventually we decided to push on to Keep River National Park only 10 klm from the WA border.  Passing a number of roadside stops on the way we started to worry as, particularly at the last one before Keep River NP, was packed out and it was only 3.00 pm.

Huge boab trees started to compliment the scenery through which we were driving.  Finally we came to the Keep River NP turnoff and travelled the 20klm in over very dusty but fairly good dirt roads into the campground.  All I can say is thank heavens for 20 klm of corrugated and dusty roads as there is only one other couple camping here.  The campground is very pretty with a large eroded ironstone boulder as the centrepiece with all the campsites coming off the circular road going around it.  It has perfectly clean fireplaces and tables, well maintained grass (yellow) and a couple of pit toilets.

Keep River NP campsite

Our 3rd full moon of the trip

We set up, cooked the remaining banned substances from our pantry that can’t get through the quarantine station into WA and settled back to watch the stars fill the clear skies above us.  Shooting stars and satellites kept us entertained until about 8pm before we retired to the van.  The crickets are now chirping away and are the only sound that can be heard.

Next morning we did the Gurrandalng Walk that leads off from the campground.  Metre-for-metre this was one of the best walks we have done so far.  It winds its way through an ancient beach that was uplifted and later eroded into spectacular landforms that stand here today.  We walked under a sheer vertical escarpment that towered above us.  Small caves, eroded sandstone monoliths and a wide variety of vegetation easily kept our interest during this 2 klm (1 hour) hike..

Gurrandalng Walk

Returning to camp we were now alone as the other campers had packed up and left while we were away.  Cooking up the last of the banned vegetables we relaxed around camp until 12.30pm before heading off.  The border is only 30 minutes away and once we cross it we gain 1.5 hours meaning we arrive an hour before we left – all very confusing when planning on checking into a caravan park in Kununurra.   Keep River NP was worth all the effort in getting here.  It’s a lovely quiet spot with a spectacular backdrop of an eroded ancient landscape filling our views from camp.

Arriving in Kununurra with car and van covered in dust we can now start cleaning up all over again.

We both remain healthy and loving our travels.  For the next 2-3 months we will be travelling WA. The weather remains hot (mid thirties) although comfortable at night.

JeffnJulie

Katherine to Darwin

Friday 7 June - Katherine to Edith Falls (Leliyn)

In previous episodes readers might remember that it is a long weekend this weekend in the Northern Territory with Monday being a public holiday.  We want to set up for three nights in a fresh location to ride out the long weekend while exploring a new part of the beautiful country.

Edith Falls swimming hole near our caravan site

Edith Falls lies just 50 minutes and 65 klm north of Katherine, 20 klm to the right off the Stuart Highway, the main road to Darwin.  Edith Falls is also known by its Aboriginal name of Leliyn.  After four lovely nights at The Shady Lane Tourist Park, Katherine, we were ready to get on the road again, albeit just a short road.  We invoked our earlier plan of timing our arrival for around 11 am, just after the overnight crowd has moved on and too early for the next day’s campers to have arrived.  The plan, when it works, maximises the greatest number of available sites for us.  Today it worked a treat. 

On the way into Edith Falls we counted five vans and three campers going out the other way and no van in front of or behind us - good odds for getting a site.  With the campground about half full we picked a good site allowing for sun, wind, views and availability.  Again we have a little private corner of the campground, convenient but not too close to the amenity block, with its own table and lush grass courtesy of daily sprinkling.  It’s shady until midday, in the sun until mid-afternoon (to recharge the van batteries via the solar panels on the caravan roof), and shady from around 3 pm – just about perfect.  Edith Falls swimming hole and the start of the local walks are just 150 metres away.

Edith Falls has a huge plunge pool with small sandy beaches and is a popular day visitor spot for people wanting to cool off in one of the few places where saltwater crocodiles usually don’t inhabit.  Again the German and also French backpackers have all been returning safely from the swimming hole for over a month, so the Rangers have just recently opened the Falls for Aussies to swim – good timing for us.

The pile of rocks behind me in the photo did not exist until Christmas Day 2011 when 500mm of rain fell in a day and flooded the area, totally destroying the camping grounds and creating this beach of sand and rocks.

Saturday 8 June – Day 2 Edith Falls (Leliyn)

Today we were up and away early (7.40 am) with our intended goal to do the 8.6 klm return walk to Sweetwater Pool located upstream and uphill from where were are camped.  After taking the turnoff away from the shorter Upper Pool walk we travelled about a kilometre along a badly formed track with spinifex growing over it.  Both of us were wearing shorts and eventually the spinifex got the best of us and there wasn't much to see so we turned around and headed back to the better formed track to Upper Pool.  Needless to say we arrived at the Upper Pools quite early – too early if fact for a swim as it was still cool courtesy of a strong breeze. 

Edith Falls Upper Pool

The views, sounds and general ambiance of the place were very relaxing.  We chose several different vantage points and just sat not giving a second thought to the spinifex we had left behind on the other track. 

We spied a seat high above and overlooking the gorge below us so we decided to clamber up the loose rocks just to sit on it.  The seat was located at Bemang Lookout and this is where we had morning tea and again just sat and drank in the scenery below us. 

Eventually the call of coffee back at camp became strong enough to make us retrace our steps returning us to camp at 11am.  Before coffee we had a swim in the main plunge pool near our camp.  The rest of the day was spent talking to Laurie and Denise (a lovely couple camped near us), reading in the shade of trees beside the van and, being a Saturday night of a long weekend, watching hapless travellers trying to find a campsite in the full campground

. 

The temperatures remain quite hot during the day; well up into the mid-30’s. 

Sunday 9 June – Day 3 Edith Falls (Leliyn)

Our third day here was really more of the same.  Having exhausted all the available walks we settled more into a routine.  Up early and away early to the Upper Pools we found a secluded spot in the shade in one of the waterfall channels that are used in the flood periods.  Sitting there we overlooked the waterfalls cascading into the plunge pool below.  It was here we met a young French tourist who was fixated on snorkelling in the pool below the waterfall and wanting to find the highest vantage point from which to jump into the murky waters below.  He didn't speak much English and looked bemused as Julie kept saying to him repeatedly “no, don’t jump!”  He ended up doing the first (snorkelling) but not the latter (jumping) much to our relief. After this we climbed out of the waterfall channel back into the sunlight to have a swim.  Here we met up with our neighbours, Laurie and Denise from the Sunshine Coast and spent a lovely time talking to them some more.

Returning to camp we were very surprised to see it half empty, given it was chockers last night.  Speaking to the Ranger she said that people get a bit scared of bush-fires and tend to take off when one is around.  The Rangers are undertaking controlled burning all around us.  They certainly know about controlled burns but a lot less about controlling smoke and ash fallout.  This morning our car and van were covered in black ash and filled with smoke from the overnight fires. 

Fires behind Bemang Lookout where we were yesterday

All day the smoke billowed around us as the fires burned, in a controlled way, down the cliffs from where the lookout was that we climbed to yesterday.  All afternoon and tonight the lovely fragrant smell of burning forest fills the campground and our caravan.

This afternoon we followed the flies, smoke and ash back to the Edith Falls plunge pool for a refreshingly cool swim.  That’s right I forgot to mention the flies!  Those lovely sticky flies are around at the moment.  They get into every little nook and cranny - I now know why jocks were invented.  It’s a little like living in a military camp - everyone you pass look like they are saluting but in fact they are swatting flies.  Julie has even started swearing; that’s how annoying they are.

Cooling off at Edith Falls

So today will be our last day at Edith Falls.  Despite all the flies, smoke, ash and dust (ooh I forgot to mention the dust) it really is a very pretty place.  The longer we stay here the more we understand it and appreciate its natural beauty.  Other unknown adventures are calling us further north so with itchy feet we are looking forward to what tomorrow will bring as we head towards Darwin.

Monday 10 June – Edith Falls to Litchfield National Park via Douglas Hot Springs

Douglas Hot Springs campground

Just north of Edith Falls by about 60 klm, to the left a little and along 7 klm of dusty roads and one water crossing is Douglas Hot Springs named after somebody by somebody some time ago.  Its claim to fame is that it is made up of two separate spring fed creeks.  One comes out of the ground at 60 degrees Celsius and the other at normal river temperature.  They come together in a large sandy area shaded by pandanas palms.  By sitting in the combined streams at various locations one can experience different degrees of skin burns.  The closer to the hot spring you are the closer to the burns unit in Darwin you are. 

The 'cool' stream, Douglas Hot Springs

Bubbling up 60 degree 'hot' stream, Douglas Hot Springs

We arrived around morning tea time so we had morning tea and ventured down to marvel at nature’s cleverness.  It was the Monday of the long weekend and although the camping ground was slowly emptying there were still quite a few people around some of whom were just so proud of their latest Country and Western CD they were willing to share it with everyone else.  We had had enough of the dust etc. so we pushed on towards Litchfield NP.  Douglas Hot Springs campground is well appointed though.  It has numerous amenity blocks, fire pits, rubbish bins, water taps and shady trees for those who get in early.  The park also has generator and a non-generator designated areas.  So off-peak it would be a great place to say for a night or two.

We were up for a bit of comfort so we booked into the Litchfield Tourist Park on the outskirts of the National Park – about 14 klm out of Batchelor.  Our site has complete shade throughout the day and is relatively cool compared to camping in the sun.  Given we have a powered site, the air-conditioner works away from mid-afternoon until lights out at night.  The park is very pretty and pretty quiet at the moment.

After setting up, the washing machine got going and we just put our feet up for the rest of the afternoon while we planned our activities for the next couple of days.  We had beautiful sunsets each afternoon courtesy of the smoke from the many controlled fires in the area.

Tuesday 11 June – Day 2 Litchfield NP

Wangi Falls and swimming hole, Litchfield NP 

Today we drove the 52 klm to Wangi Falls which are the main attraction for Litchfield NP.  We walked from the base of the falls, 1.6 klm up over the falls traversing through monsoon rainforest dodging falling bat guano from the roosting colony above.  

View from the top of Wangi Falls, Litchfield NP

From the top we had spectacular views of the floodplain below and out to the distant mountains on the horizon.  Back down the bottom we headed for the café and information centre to get a coffee and find out what there was to do in the area.  Both were closed due to a mechanical failure in the building.  So we made up our own fun.

Next were the Tolmer Falls which had the added benefit of being viewed from the top – no climbing; that was left to the temperature.  We then visited Tabletop Swamp positioned high up on the plateau which had the added advantage of no walking – we parked just 50 metres from the water’s edge.  The swamp fills in the wet season and becomes an important water source for the summer.  The bird and plant life are both in abundance.

Tabletop Swamp, Litchfield NP

Next we visited my favourite, the Lost City. With 10.5 klm of pretty easy but rough 4wd track in (45 minutes drive) we came to a weathered sandstone outcrop high up on the Tabletop Range.  The whole area is like walking through ancient Inca temples.  At the start of the dry season National Parks burn off the area leaving a fascinating array of 10-15+ metre high sandstone outcrops.  After walking through and around these strange outcrops we had the enjoyment of the 4wd track to get back out (25 minutes drive).

With so much excitement in just one day we headed back to camp to rest up and avoid the heat of the day.

Wednesday 12 June - Day 3 Litchfield NP

Up and away early we travelled back into the National Park first visiting the Magnetic Termite Mounds.  These mounds face north – south, are very narrow with some easily 2-3 metres tall.  These magnetic mounds are in complete contrast to the many standard, monolithic cathedral shaped mounds just nearby. 

Scientists have established the little termites have an inbuilt compass so that, even when the direction of the mound is artificially moved, they still build north – south. 

Next to these magnetic mounds is a 6 metre high cathedral mound said to be 50 – 100 years old. 

Well, after all this excitement we headed to Florence Falls and decided to put off the 135 step walk down (and later, up) until we are a little younger.  Instead we walked 1.6 klm to Buley Rockhole.  Here we found our own little piece of paradise in the form of cascading waterfalls flowing through several rock holes.  With crystal clear cool waters babbling into sometimes shoulder deep pools we found the whole scene irresistible.  We swam/lazed around in the pools for an hour-or-so with no-one else in sight.  Leaving our tranquil surrounds we walked to the main Buley pools further upstream to be met with an already busy area with even more people streaming in.  We turned around and made our way back down to our pools and had the place to ourselves once more.   With perfect water temperature we enjoyed our piece of paradise once more.  Returning to the car we headed back to camp having enjoyed our two days in Litchfield NP.

The campground at Wangi Falls is great.  It has showers and toilets with good shady sites and is about 100 metres from the main swimming hole.  If it was a bit cooler we would have stayed there but the shade, lack of dust and the air-conditioning of our van park will do us nicely this time around.

Thursday 13 June – Litchfield NP to Darwin

Darwin is very busy this time of year - the first three caravan parks I phoned were booked out for the four nights we were after.  The V8 Supercars are racing this weekend in Darwin which has added to the crowds of southerners arriving for the winter.  The weather was very hot (36 degrees) on our first day in Darwin but we still managed to see a few sights including the Mindil Beach Markets. We arrived early and had our dinner from one of the numerous Asian food stalls.  After 1.5 hours it was still hot, more crowded  and we'd had enough.

Friday 14 June - Day 2 Darwin

Jeff, Johnno and Ruth at the Wharf Precinct

Friday night we caught up with Julie's second cousin and her husband (Ruth and Johnno), Ruth's daughter Tanya and her partner Shaun and their toddler, Seth.  The weather was very mild after the sun went done and we had a great evening sitting on the wharf in the Wharf Precinct watching the boats go past and having some lovely local Asian style barramundi with a bagpipe band entertaining us as we ate. While we were sitting there, along came Carl and Anna so we caught up with them once more.


Saturday 15 June - Day 3 Darwin

Darwin is a small capital city as we found out again today.   We had a bit of shopping to do and ran into Tanya, Shaun & Seth outside a Repco shop which was handy for me because Shaun is a mechanic and helped me buy a couple of tools I needed to do some maintenance on the van.  We then set off to the Parap markets, which is where the locals go. Here we bought some local produce, locally made condiments and locally cooked Malaysian food for lunch.

Sunday 16 June - Day 4 Darwin

Dinner at Stoke's Wharf, Darwin

Another quiet day today spent in the City Centre and wandering along the Esplanade which was rather pleasant.  We finished off with grocery shopping, which was less pleasant then back to the Wharf area for a sunset dinner. Having caught up with all our chores, we're off to Kakadu tomorrow for about a week before we start heading to Western Australia.   

Car, caravan and passengers are all still going well. _______________________________________________________________________

Some of our travels have taken us to places I went to with the family 16 years ago.  This has been quite nostalgic for me as well as interesting to see after all this time how much has changed as well as stayed the same.  The pictures below are a combination of 16 year old photos (on right) and those from this trip (on left) - spot the difference.

Lost City in Litchfield NP (Jeff & Jeff)

The Threeways, Northern Territory (Jeff on left, Ryan & Amy on right)

Combo Waterhole, Qld - where the story of Waltzing Matilda occurred (Jeff on left, Ryan & Amy on right in same tree)