13 June 2011 - Litchfield National Park, N.T. Australia



Edith Falls




Jan by termite mound




Cycads after a burnoff

 Sorry to have left Mataranka & it's wonderful thermal springs, but nomads must keep moving so we hit the road again.  The highway is quite busy as far as Katherine which is the turnoff to W.A. so we lose many of the caravans at that stage.  Katherine is a lovely town with a big information centre & many tourist attractions in the area.  We however,  will not be partaking of any of them at present.  Stu visited here about 8 or 9 years ago & loved it, but the weather is a bit windy & cool, & we have to revisit this route on the way back down from Darwin so hope it will be more condusive to kayaking & swimming in the gorges then.  So we stock up our 'pantry' & fill up with fuel which thankfully has become cheaper @ $1.56 per litre.&  head on.  The road conditions have deteriorated slightly but still OK.  There have been some big 'burn offs' on the roadsides which rather spoils the look of the scenery, still it is obviously a necessary detterent during this dry period of their year.  Our next camp spot for one night is at the Edith Falls National Park, basic but clean.  It's a busy little camp, & a day stop for small tour groups.  Once we are settled we head off to view the well known water falls & walk for an hour to the top where there are wonderful swimming holes - it was  quite idyllic but not warm enough for us oldies to join the many young folk who were.   Next morning we're on the road again for anoter 200kms.  We pass some Brahman cattle on the side of the road, again no fences to prevent them wandering.  For the most part the cattle stations are so large & expansive that the cost of fencing their stock is too prohibitive so losing a few to road accidents is the cheaper option though not so good for the poor beasts.   We pass through Pine Creek which was an old gold mining town, then further afield there are lots of historical small airfields from the WWII period.   The roadside scenery changes a little, still burnt, but there are hundreds of small cycads & palms in the regrowth stage - they look soft & feathery in a delicate green.  The plants here are so tough or they wouldn't survive.  It's surprising how many pretty little wildflowers there are here & there.  One thing which is obvious to us now is the lack of rest areas, either daytime ones or overnighters.  There are still roadhouses with fuel stops occasionally.  As we near Adelaide River the small termite mounds change to quite large ones about 2 metres tall.  Unbelievably, there is also lush green grass & waterholes intermittently   Further evidence of WWII is apparent as this was the frontline, & we see a sign to a war cemetary from that period.  Although we have followed the Ghan railway track for most of the Stuart Highway, we have still not witnessed a train.   We enter the Litchfield National Park via the tiny town of Batchelor, gateway to the National Park.  Despite it's size it is known as one of the greenest towns in the Territory & consists of more parks than anything else.  In one there is a blue replica castle - no idea what it represents!  Shortly after we have found our caravan park for the next 3 nights so after a quick bite of lunch we make the most of the afternoon by driving to Tolmer Falls 42kms further on, most impressive & high with a viewing platform at the top.  It is also  home to colonies  of rare & protected bats, but being nocturnal beings we were not honoured by their presence.  Heading back we visited the Buley Rockhole, a very popular attraction with a series of  wonderful swimming holes.  It's a lovely hot afternoon so we take the plunge ourselves with many, many others of all ages.  Very refreshing!   Next stop Florence Falls which has a great lookout at the top but to swim here there are 135 steps to the bottom pool.  Alternatively there is an easy track of 1km to another set of smaller swimming holes.  All of the above are really photographic & in a lovely setting with lots of cascades & wonderful reflections along the still parts of the river.  Last place for the afternoon was to the Magnetic Termite Mounds.  Termite mounds are one of the most distinctive features of the N.T. landscape.  These earthen structures ranges from small domes hidden in the undergrowth to giant monoliths in the Top End.  Some exceed over 6mtrs in height but I must say we haven't witnessed any so large as yet.    There  are several types in Australia.  Termites are tiny pale skinned creatures (3-5mm) & slightly resemble ants & sometimes referred to as white ants.  One variety build at the base of trees & hollow out the trunk causing the tree to eventually die.  These hollowed out branches are those used for didgeridoos.  The magnetic termites build their structures with a flat surface to the north to provide maximum exposure to the morning and afternoon sun & so control the temperature of the inner chambers, especially as nights can be so cold in the north.

Day 2 we have a full day planned, so with picnic hamper & swimmers packed & hiking boots on, we head for the rest of the sights.  First off is to The Bamboo Creek abandoned tin mine.  There are still thousands of tiny pieces of tin on the ground although it was closed in the 1950's.  Interesting little place.



Pool in the Cascades




Curtain falls along the Cascades




Wangi Falls

 On to Walker Creek, with a lovely riverside walk of 4kms with various swimming locations  along the way.  Saltwater crocs are washed up into this area during the wet & have to be cleared out before the tourist season.  A bit offputting but the water is so clear you would see a croc quite clearly, though to be honest, the banks would hide them quite adequately.  The monsoon tropical forest reminds me very much of the 'Crocodile Dundee' movies.  As we venture further there are 8 little tenting campsites about 250 mtrs apart beside the river with their own table & BBQ,  really idyllic and all for $3.30 per person per night.  Of course all your gear has to carried in.   Several of them are occupied, but Stu manages to have a quick 'skinny dip' at the best one.  We continue on to the very top of the walk through burnt out sections which although they are not beautiful are interesting & quite photographic.  There are burnt cycads & palms with their black trunks & now dry golden leaves, some with new growth appearing from the top, some with seedheads as well. 
Next stop is The Cascades,  only recently opened, which has been recommended to us by the receptionist at the caravan park.  She tells us if we like walking it is fabulous at the top as few people are willing to walk that far & requires crossing the river several times by rockhopping or wading -  well worth the trouble.  We reach  'Curtain Falls' which  has a wonderful large pool at the bottom &  two young female backpackers are having the time of their life.  Apart from those two there is not a person in sight, so we venture further up & find a gorgeous sandy bottomed pool in the sun all to ourselves & oh so clear.   How can it be better than that?.  The rocks are beautiful colours, slightly marbled in tones of pink, white, grey & ochre & mostly smooth like granite.  There a lots of tiny pools where the small birds come down to drink & chirrup or chatter.  Wonderful place to open up the picnic hamper & lunch in peace & quiet, before we have to move downriver again through the tropical jungle-like forest.

Last stop for the day is yet another waterfall called Wangi Falls, actually two falls one much larger than the other but both falling from a great height.  The pool here is very large indeed but is now closed for swimming for several reasons.  Mainly I think that it is difficult to clear of crocs, secondly there are apparently a lot of fish & snapping turtles present.  It is very popular with the tour buses so is exceptionally busy so we take snaps & climb the many, many steps to the treetop lookout.  On the way up there is a magnificent spider in it's web on the railings & several people were trying to photograph it, some unsuccessfully including me.  Somehow my camera just would not focus on it.  Looking down from the lookout over the tops of the monsoon forest is lovely with distant ranges in the background.  Everything is so, so green.

Back at camp we relax with a nice glass of wine, & while dinner is cooking I do my usual wander with the camera trying my utmost to snap birds so that I can identify them.  I am surprised at the length of my list of identified species IF  I am correct.  It's not easy as they vary so much in colouring etc from juvenile, female or male.  Great fun though just the same.

Next morning it's off towards Darwin, only 2 hours drive.  Again we are surprised that it is not all flat, in fact quite hilly in places, & the road is so pretty with all the NT wattles clothed in golden bloom.  The outer suburbs of the city begin about 35kms out from the city & it's always great to have the comfort of our GPS to guide us to our caravan park.  That accomplished we can breathe easy in the lovely warm temperature & realise we have finally reached 'The Top End'.