Advertisement
Published: August 2nd 2015
Sunday 26
thJuly
Up early to make up for lost time. I still can't get the grill to work.
We drive a few minutes up the road and stop at the Mamukala wetlands. It's another large bilabong covered by lillies with dozens of birds feeding. It's a great area for bird watching.
Our next stop is about 40 mins away at Ubir to see Aboriginal rock paintings. Many of them are quite vivid in colour, whilst many more have faded. Still they are thought to be 5,000 years old! We then climb to a lookout point which gives great views over a lot of Kakadu NP and also into Arnhem Land which is Aborginal Land and can't be accessed without special permission.
On the way back to the main road we stop at a boat ramp on the Aligator River. It's a nice view point and then we spot our first crocodile! Laying on the opposite bank is a small one, only about 3.5m long!
We stop again a few minutes later at Cahills Crossing and see people fishing close to the water's edge and then we see two more crocodiles swimming nearby. Driving back we get
a herd of wild horses crossing in front of us.
Our next stop is at the Ranger's Visitors Centre where we get some information about places to visit and the condition of the off road tracks. By now it's getting VERY hot.
From there we drive into Jabiru and park up at lunchtime on the Auroa camp site. It's too hot to do anything more for the day. We have a swim and a rest in the afternoon.
Back at our van the chap next door has a look at our grill and thinks the gas pipe connection is the problem. He offers to let us use his grill for the evening but we have BBQ plans. Nevertheless people are so helpful.
That evening we have our first BBQ and a beer. It's been a really lovely day. Got to get the grill fixed tho!
Monday 27
th July
A few minutes up the road and we stop at the BP service station as apparently they may be able to fix the grill. A big burly Aussie comes out and has a look at the problem. He hand tightens the connection and the grill works!
Only problem is I can't get it undone. We need a pair of pliars to do it up tight enough. Luckily we brought a pair with us, nothing like being prepared!
Our next stop is Jabiru shopping centre. It's not much of a place but we get a few essentials. More soft drink.
A drive of about 30K takes us to Nourlangie. It's full of Aboriginal rock art and shelters. Some art dates from 20,000 years ago and is still quite vivid. The shelters are really cliff overhangs or gaps between large rocks. We climb to a lookout point and again get good views over Kakadu Park.
On the road again for a few minutes before we stop at Warradjan Aboriginal Cultral Centre. Here we see lots of traditional Aboriginal tools, paintings and story boards. It's quite interesting looking at all the different tribes and where they are and what they do.
Finally we pull into Gagudju Lodge Cooinda and park up the day. We head straight for the pool to cool down.
At 4.10 we catch the complimentary bus and head down to Yellow Water Bilabong to board our boat for a sunset cruise
on the South Aligator river. Its through wetlands and we get to see a wonderful number of birds really close up. There's also a lot of crocs laying in the shallows and swimming around. Not the place to fall in! Christine gets some great bird photos and a few of the crocs close up. It's been a great cruise and we actually got to see wildlife!
The cruise ends just after 6.30 as the sun goes down and we return to camp. It's another BBQ tonight.
Tuesday 28
th July
An early start and we batten down the hatches by securing everything we can as we're going off road today. We drive 6K and then turn onto an unsealed road for 50K to Jim Jim Falls. I engauge the 4WD and it's like driving over a corrugated tin roof as we bounce up and down at 50mph! The final 9K is over a 4WD track only and it's like a footpath between trees! The fairly deep sand is fun to go over, like skating on ice.
We arrive at the parking area and check the van and have one broken glass, one chipped mug and a broken
egg in the fridge.
We set off for the 1K walk to the Falls and it takes us nearly an hour climbing over huge rocks. It's hard going. Unfortunately the water over the Falls has dried up but the gorge is spectacular. We paddle in the pool at the bottom for a while before returning.
Our plans to continue to Twin Falls is scuppered when we learn that there is a water crossing of over 700mm deep to be made. I'm wary that our van might flood even though we have a snorkel on the exhaust. Also there may not be any water over the Falls anyway.
We decide to drive back. Another bone numbing 45 mins over the road before hitting the highway. We drive for a couple of hours before turning off for Gunlom and another 30K on an unsealed road before reaching our bush camp for the night. It's a lovely spot with an escarpment in the background and nothing else around.
It gets dark around 7pm and with nothing around we get a wonderful view of the stars. The first night we've been able to sit outside without the mozzies getting us.
Wednesday 29
th July
We do household chores first thing, clothes washing and tidying up. Then it's a 1K walk to a bilabong. It's not much more than a drained pond. We continue for another 1.5K to the South Aligator River and again there's not much to see so we return to the camp site.
Putting on our swimmies we set off to walk to the top of the Gunlom waterfall and lookout. It's only 1K but it's straight up over rocks and a steep climb in very hot sunshine.
We get to the top and there are three plunge pools below the falls. A welcome swim after the climb. The water's lovely and cool and from the pools we get a wonderful view out into the bush and see just how remote our camp site is. We are in the middle of nowhere! It is a wonderful spot.
The climb down's not so tiring.
We then set off for the day. First back over 37K of bone jarring dirt road before turning towards Pine Creek. Our book says its got lots of interesting things to see but when we arrive it's tiny. A petrol
station and a convenience store. We get a few things but it's expensive! I don't know how the locals can afford the prices.
We drive on for another hour before turning off just past Hayes Creek for a camp ground that's been recommended to us. It's another 25 miles before we reach Douglas Hot Springs. It's another bush camp right by the river.
We arrive and go straight down to the river and see lots of people bathing in the really hot river water. We paddle. Unfortunately there's no explanation for the hot water.
There's only toilets and cold showers at the camp site. I decide to shower and after lathering up, I find there's no water! I scrape the soap off before getting a trickle of water to rinse down.
Diner is under the stars. It's another lovely site, I just wish there was more water.
Thursday 30
th July
Up early and set off for Adelaide River and arrive an hour or so later at the Railway Heritage Museum. A chap on a mobility scooter chases us for the entrance fee! We have a look around for half and hour as there's not
that much to see but it's quite interesting. AR turns out to be very small.
On we go for another hour and stop at Batchelor, another township. We stock up on a few things at the only convenience store before heading into Litchfield NP.
Eventually we pull into the Florence Falls camp site and go off to see the Falls.
It's an attractive Falls with a plunge pool at the bottom and we stop for a welcome swim. It's hot! The place is full of people as it's so nice.
Later we walk along the Shady Creek track and it's also very attractive with trees each side of a small stream and then leading out to a Savannah forest. We turn onto the Burley Rock Holes walk. It's 1.5K each way. There are many small rock holes along the way but we continue to the main area. It's packed with people and not as nice as some of the areas we've passed.
We make a quick return and stop off in one of the other rock pools for a very refreshing swim and cool off. It's a really lovely spot and empty!
We return
to our camp pitch only to find that two other vans have moved in on us. And then another one arrives!
Later we sit around our fire pit with two young German couples and have a good chat until late, nearly 9pm!
Friday 31
st July
An early start and we drive about 25K to the Wangi Falls to beat the day trippers. It's a wonderful waterfall and plunge pool. Really attractive with ferns and trees all around and flying foxes in the trees. It's still early and we don't feel like a swim.
So we drive back and pull onto a narrow 4 WD track to visit The Blyth Homestead but we've only gone a few hundred yards when we meet a river to cross. It's very wide and I'm not sure how deep the water is, so we turn around. I don't want to get stranded as there's no one about to pull us out.
A few minutes along the road we pull in at Tolmer Falls and walk to the look out. There's no water but a great view down the gorge and out over the land beyond.
Our next visit is
to the Lost City, a lot of sandstone rock that looks like a demolished city. It's down a 10.5K 4 WD track and I drive it satisfactorily. Except for stalling on a slope and sliding backwards! I get up it on the second attempt. It's fairly bone jarring journey each way but makes a nice challenge!
A few K's down the road we stop at the Magnetic Termite Mounds. An area of lots of termite mounds which have reach 2m high. It's a strange area.
We finally stop in Batchelor and park up for the day. We spend the afternoon around the pool cooling off as the temps. in the mid 30's. The pool's freezing!We get talking to some Australians who have been travelling for 11months and one couple who have stopped after 11 years.
Early evening the campsite owner feeds the birds. Hundreds of Rainbow Lorrakeets and Cockatoos. He runs a really nice site, one of the best we've been on.
Saturday 1
st August
A driving day today. We set off and our first stop is after one and a hour hours at Pine Creek. We fill up with diesel and then go to
a mine head look out point. The drive up's a bit scary as it's very steep and twisting and I'm worried our van may tip over.
The view from the top is really good and we look down into a large pool where the mine used to be.
We drive on and after another hour we reach Katherine our stop for the night. It's so hot we decide to sit round the pool for the rest of the afternoon and then late afternoon we go to the Katherine Hot Springs. Actually they're only warm.
The evening meal is a bbq steak done to perfection.
Sunday 2
nd August
A busy day. First we stop at the town museum. A really interesting place with info on the people who built Katherine, the bridges, ran cattle farms and grew peanut crops. Also Gypsy Moth flown by a local GP. An hour well spent.
We drive further up the road to the Nitmiluk NP and walk up to the gorge viewing point. It all used to be called Katherine Gorge until it was renamed in the original Aboriginal. It's a nice view of one of the gorges but
we have seen more impressive ones.
Later we collect our double canoe to paddle up to the top of one gorge to see another. It's really hard going as we are against the current and the wind. It takes us just over an hour and we're very hot and tired.
At the second gorge we disembark and Christine has a swim whilst I go off to try my luck at fishing for the first time this trip. I've got a white Squidgies all lined up. Casting out a few times, I suddenly get a tight line! All I've caught is the bottom. Reluctantly I cut my line and I'm one Squidgie down!
I go back to where Christine is and join her for a swim. There's always another time. We go and view the second gorge and it's much more impressive than the other one.
Our paddle back is less of an effort as we have the current and wind with us. Back in 45 mins with arms almost touching the ground.
Back at camp we have a restful evening. There's a country and western singer entertaining the camp site but it ends at 6.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.156s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 12; qc: 20; dbt: 0.0287s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
David Howell
non-member comment
Hi Steve & Christine. It actually seems like you might be having a good time. Keep it up! But I am glad to see the disaster have not abandoned you completely.Some excellent photos, Christine. I particularly liked the one of Steve - No 3!