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Published: July 22nd 2010
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Daly River
The river crossing where we saw our first salt water croc. In our last blog we mentioned the capture of a large salt water croc in a trap at the Douglas hotsprings. After seeing a picture of it in the NT times, we continued on our journey with our eyes vigilantly peeled looking for the ever present but elusive salties. After setting up camp at Daly River we journeyed over the river crossing and were finally graced with our first sighting. A large croc lay in the river eying us as we drove over the crossing. Was he waiting for us to skid madly off the side and into the water ? If so today was not his lucky day. No Barretts for tea. We camped at a mango farm. Sadly, no mangos for another few months though. The kids were delighted with the large number of frogs here. They were everywhere. As I quickly showered , I didn’t feel so delighted by the many frogs watching from the top of the shower stall. We left our green friends behind and made our way up to Litchfield NP. On the way we stopped at Adelaide River to tour the Railway precinct. Jack thought it was the best day ever. We chose to
Adelaide River
Railway precinct set up camp at the Florence Falls camp ground and after lunch made the climb down to the falls. Unfortunately for us our visit coincided with the arrival of several busloads of US sailors. We did manage to find our way into the water but the dip was short lived. A snake slivered past us in the water and we made a quick exit , nearly knocking down some old Italian woman. Oops. The following day we toured the other sites of the NP. The magnetic termite mounds were huge but we think the red ones in the Kimberley look more impressive. We viewed the Tolmer falls from the viewing platform. It was amazing . Public access is no longer allowed due to the (nearly extinct) colony of Ghost bats that live there. A 4x4 track lead us out to ‘The Lost City” - an impressive sandstone formation that seemed like the ruins of some ancient civilization. A well deserved swim at Buley rock holes was the highlight of our day. However there were still loads of people. We decided to beat the crowds the next day and went to Wangi Falls early. It was great to enjoy the walk
Litchfield NP
Field of magnetic termite mounds through the forest without the noise and bustle of a Christmas sale. There were lots of bats through the upper canopy of the trees, which Finn delighted everyone who went past, by using his new word for the day - bats. Being unable to swim at Wangi due to the presence of a croc we decided to check into a caravan park and spent the afternoon in the (safe) pool. Continuing north we came across a lovely caravan park in Berry Springs. We ended up staying here for 4 days (instead of the planned 1). We spent a day at the nearby NT wildlife park. The 4km loop lead us through a great collection of native flora and fauna. Paul and I like the massive walk through aviary the most whilst Jacks favourite was the train that you could take around the park. Finn preferred the frogs in the nocturnal house. We all loved the whip rays. In Berry springs, as the name suggests, there is a thermal spring. We spent an afternoon swimming here, enjoying the warm clear water. A drive out to Mandorah, on the other side of Darwin Harbour, gave us a great view of the city.
Litchfield NP
At Tolmer Falls The locals on the jetty were catching huge fish which was exciting to see. Paul was disappointed he didn’t have the right gear with him to join in. It rained for a couple of days which was pleasant as we hadn’t seen rain for some time. The kids got stuck into the mud and Finn came out looking like a panda. The caravan park had a freshwater crocodile enclosure with about 10 crocs lying around. They were only kept in by some chicken wire but seemed to have no interest in trying to get out. That is until we arrived and parked across from them. I walked out of the camper one morning to see a croc sitting on the grass. At the same time the park owner rode up on his bike. He jumped off and grabbed our totem tennis pole and wacked the croc on the head and then jumped the fence to pull it under. Not a happy snappy. The fence has been reinforced and our totem pole returned, after retrieval from under another croc. We left the next day and tried to check into our booked caravan park in Darwin 1 day early. Not possible. 3
parks later we found a vacancy for the night. We drove into the city arriving just in time at Aquascene. It had been voted Darwins number 1 tourist attraction. What a dud. We stood 2 metres above the water and dropped in bread. What a waste of $. If you go to Darwin give it a miss. We do, however recommend the NT museum. It was fantastic. The cyclone Tracy exhibition and the Crocodilian display were superb. The council at Leanyer have built a (free) water park which the kids loved. It was loads of fun with water slides etc. We spent a morning there and then headed to the airport. Lucky for us mum and Peter decided to join us for a couple of weeks. We were excited to share some of our journey with them. The kids were excited to see nanna. The first outing we took together was to Crocosaurus, a reptile park in the city. We were able to get up close to crocs. The boys were holding a baby croc until it moved, and scared Jack who threw it up in the air. Oops. Poor baby croc. Jack also went fishing for crocs. They attach
Lichfield NP
The lost city a piece of meat to some rope hanging off a fishing rod. This is then held over the croc pool. The juvenile crocs jump up and snap off their dinner. Some of us held snakes (not mum of course). We ate lunch in the Bicentennial gardens with a view of the harbour while Finn had his nap. That night we were treated to dinner at the Palmerston tavern. It was so nice not to cook. The kids played happily while we enjoyed the best curries and the company of family. The next 2 weeks will be bliss, after 24/7 with the kids. Thanks mum. Until the next blog.
N, P , J & F
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Edmondo
non-member comment
Bald Parrot not on the CROC menu
Hi all, Great to see you survived the CROCFEST. Some fantastic shots and a great story too..... You all seem to be having a great time and thats whats its all about! Its great to see that caravan living has turned Paul into a new age Albi Mangles...cause he aint no Crocodile Dundee... Stay safe and looking forward to more...Edmondo from EXCOM