Tag Archives: Swimming

Northern NT

Through The Forest Of Litchfield

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We only had a short 45 mins before finding ourselves crossing over into Litchfield National Park.  It was interesting that leading up to our arrival we hadn’t come across too many brochures of the NP but Nay had rummaged around to gather what we could.  The first small stop in the park was at the Termite Mounds.  Having seen so many grand variations of these on our journey up the Cape we were still impressed by the size Litchfield had to offer.  Even the crazy thin magnetic termite mounds were again a sight to see.

Needing to escape the arvo heat, we went looking for one of the many waterfalls ahead of us.  The tourist Parks must complete all their maintenance work just out of the dry season before the real wet season hits.  As a result, one of the two major attractions, Florence Falls, was closed but the look out was still spectacular.  Only a short 5 minute drive around the corner was endless entertainment at Buley Rockhole.  The car park was chock-a-block with tourists and we quickly discovered why.  A long series of waterfalls flowing into deep plunge pools allowed everyone to spread out and relax in their own space.  We still managed to find all the spots to take selfie bombies! 

We set up base camp at Wangi Falls (the most popular site) as the maintenance at Florence hadn’t given us many options.  We couldn’t complain as in the mornings, we had the most impressive ‘bath’ to wake us up.  Opening up from the bush, Wangi was a vast swimming hole with two cascading falls enclosed by lush vegetation.  We knew why this was popular but to our luck (until a school bus rolled up just as we left) there was never more than a handful of people swimming! 

We swam around to explore both waterfalls and found a deep little plunge pool 10m up the waterfall cliff.  A small climb gave us amazing views looking back from the falls – if only glass bottles were allowed!  We spent a lot of time floating around the base of the falls which to us, really put them into perspective, imagining what they would be like as Litchfield flooded in the wet.

One of the nights spent at Wangi Camp we enjoyed a fire with a few backpackers around the area.  The Dutch bloke that organised it explained to us how he was hitch-hiking around Australia – what an adventurous fella!

Once leaving Wangi, we backtracked a little through the park for some sightseeing.  With no access for swimmers, the Tabletop Swamp and Tolmer Falls were still great spots for lunch.  Fortunately for us we could escape from the main drag and went further south down a 4×4 track to Tjaynera (Sandy) Falls.  Along this path was the Blyth Homestead which was definitely worth visiting.  A couple of small 400mm deep river crossings (nothing like the Cape!) we came to the quaint homestead which seemed to be built for midgets as we had to duck as roof was so low!

There was a small display of old assorted tools and a ‘Family Album’ that was very well presented.  Reading through the book we learnt that the husband and wife had a total of 14 children!  The extracts through the album explained their hardships of growing up so remote and how they quickly improvised out in the bush.  One of the boys also had an entry that explained how he had a pet freshwater croc!  As it was hard to muster cattle in the wet, they also owned a Tin Mine a stones throw away to keep a steady income.  With an ore sample near the site, it was interesting how heavy a small clump of it could be!

When we arrived at the Tjaynera Falls camp ground, there was a 3.4km return walk to the swimming hole.  As soon as we left for the walk, the sun magically disappeared and it started bucketing down!  This didn’t ruin the experience but just kept us a little cooler.  The falls at the end were very rewarding with us both agreeing that it would have been one of the better spots at Litchfield.  The only downfall was that the population of march flies seemed to have quadrupled.  They were monstrous falls with sheer cliffs hugging the pools edges, Mark looked so tiny in the big picture. 

We crawled out from the 4×4 trail to enjoy a morning stroll to Tjaeteba Falls.  Litchfield was a gift that kept on giving.  Just as we rolled up a couple was leaving and we had the entire place to ourselves.  There were different levels with waterfalls of various sizes.  It started off with a small trickle through a paperback tree root system to a lower pool that flowed off to a sizeable waterfall.  In the larger pool we were shocked to see a goanna dive in the water with us!  We quickly shot out and went to another pool where he ended up following us!  He then put on a spectacular show for us as we watched him swim in the shallows chasing fish. 

The floating from waterhole to waterfall had come to its end as we took the northern road to Darwin.  We dropped into the Cascades and Walker Creek on the way out to have lunch and Nay nearly stepped on a snake while wading in the shallows!  A bit disappointed by National Parks for having no rubbish bins, we had to carry our rubbish with us for the better part of 5 days.   On the menu over this period included tuna, chicken, steaks and mouldy pumpkin.  You could imagine what the bin was smelling like!

On the way to Darwin we went to Berry Springs which was said to be a great place for swimming.  Upon arriving, the waterhole was closed because our croc mates had made a recent appearance.  Continuing along, it wasn’t long before making it to Darwin!  It is such a small capital compared to the others along the east coast.  We had planned our arrival for the Sunday arvo where we just made it to the famous Mindil Markets, the second last before they closed for the wet season.  This was a great evening watching entertainment, browsing the stalls and of course, watching the sunset as everyone gathered around – some even applauded once it slipped past the horizon!

The next days were spent around Darwin fixing up a few minor mishaps from past adventures and gathering everything together for the next two weeks.  Being budget smart, we found ourselves on the awfully cheap 1:40am red eye flight to Melbourne!  We’re going home to catch up with family and friends.  It will be interesting to see how we fare in the cold 18-20 degree max temperatures that Melbourne has to offer…

19/10/2016 – 27/10/2016

Northern NT

A Well Known Gorge And Her Relaxing Surrounds

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Having stayed just out of Mataranka, we were only a stones throw from the famous Katherine Gorge!  Once in the town of Katherine, we organised for the whooping cough vaccination as it was needed for the next big stint in our journey.  We then decided to browse through the Art + Culture Gallery in hope for some brilliant Aboriginal art.  Unfortunately there was minimal and instead, there was a series of ‘creative’ displays on.

We escaped from the heat that afternoon at Katherine Springs.  Similar to Mataranka, there were minimal people around as it was now the wet season and we were able to relax in the warm waters.  There was even a small flowing waterfall to add to the serenity.  We could have stayed there forever but instead thought it better to find camp.  Finding a cheap $10/pp camp out of town at North Bank Park, we were greeted by a very accommodating bloke and would highly recommend this hide-away in the Katherine area. 

We woke with excitement the next day to see what Katherine Gorge had in store for us.  When we came through the gates into Nitmiluk National Park, we were slightly disappointed on our arrival.  On numerous signs on the way in, we read the Gorge was closed for swimming due to the recent rainfall and increased chance of saltwater crocs.  As a result, we had to take the tough option of lounging around the pool for the arvo.

The staff at the tourist information had recommended a short 1km walk (with a couple of beers) to the Baruwei Lookout for sunset.  Listening to her advice we packed the backpack with the essentials.  By the time we arrived at the top we were buggered by the steep hill climb.  Luckily for us, the view was breathtaking and well worth it.  A group of backpackers also had the same idea and as we began chatting, we quickly discovered they had come from the W.A coast.  Many laughs were had in the exchange of stories from all of our adventures, as the sun slowly set over the Katherine River.  The full moon had also made an appearance at the same time as we returned to camp. 

Up at 5:30am to beat the heat, we decided on a walk to explore the Gorge as we couldn’t swim.  As the weather was averaging 39 degrees we wanted to be back by the pool early.  Hiking along the southern walks track we made it to two stunning lookouts, Pat’s Lookout and Jedda’s Rock.  These were outstanding views of gorges 1 & 2, only hitting the sides of a total 13!  Having some smoko at Jedda’s Rock Lookout as the sun was beating down on the river, we spotted the morning cruise returning from its adventure!

On the return trip we visited the Southern Rockhole.  This was still prohibited to swimmers due to a high risk of crocs but it was still a tranquil place to cool down and have a rest.  Back in the searing heat on the trail we couldn’t drink fast enough as the sweat dripped off our faces.  We had been 3 hrs and 43 mins, trekking for 12.2kms.  Nay even powered through the end as a gnarly blister was causing her serious grief!  Lucky we could retire to the pool and recover from the big morning.

We’ll be back to see Katherine Gorge in her entirety at full force, as we plan to return for a scenic chopper ride and experience her beauty during the wet season.

Back on the Stuart Hwy was the only way from Katherine to visit Edith Falls (Northern Nitmiluk NP) where the waterholes were open to swim!  Once again, dripping with sweat, we took the 2.6km loop to the upper falls.  It was a fantastic refreshing swim when we jumped in, trying to avoid the blistering hot rocks.  With minimal shade around we didn’t hang for long and hiked back to the lower pools.  We spent over an hour snorkelling around, swimming 150m to the waterfall and to our suprise, saw a barramundi in the shallows!  With a solid day like this, we could only reward ourselves with wood fired pizzas in the camp oven that night!

Having a rough sleep due to the heat and woken several times by an unbelievable thunderstorm, we were up at 5:00am for another walk.  It sounds crazy but we hoped for an amazing reward!  Smashing through the first 4.6kms the weariness subsided and we arrived at a brilliant private swimming hole, Sweetwater Pools.  Being so early and remote, Mark may or may not have been one with nature before the 4.6km return walk for some lunch!

After exhausting the Nitmiluk NP waterholes, we were back on the Stuart Highway.  A quick stop at Hayes Creek lead us to the Butterfly Gap, compliments of WikiCamps .  Following the directions on the app we were suprised to find hundreds of butterflies fluttering around us in the secluded ‘cave’ system.  Arriving at a free camp at Robin Falls we had our own little swimming hole.  Relaxing in the waters we were stunned when we thought a snake was only 3m away from us, luckily it was just a goanna!  Only a week prior we had learnt that the little buggers could swim!

Feasting on leftover pizza, we chatted about our next destination and what it had to offer.  We had heard numerous opinions, seen many brochures and known it was a very famous location in the northern NT.  We were thrilled to be heading to Litchfield National Park…

13/10/2016 – 19/10/2016

Far North Queensland

A Great Mission To Thursday Island & Prince Of Wales

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Having to wake up at the crack of dawn to pack our bags, we left Buzz and Woody at the Loyalty Beach Campground – free of charge!  With only a $5 shuttle bus fee we met the Peddels Ferry at 8:00am that took us over to Thursday Island.  As other tourists went to meet their tour buses, we had Marko’s cousin Jess, her partner Steve and their beautiful boys Will and Ed meet us at the wharf.

Doing a quick drive-by down the small island’s mainstreet, we were shown everything we need to know, in particular where each pub was.  Arriving at their home we met Steve’s brother Mark, his wife Rach and their daughter Lily.  As we walked in their door at 10:30am, beers were flowing and there was plenty to catch up on.  After spending the day settling in, it wasn’t long before late arvo was upon us.  Agreeing to help Mark with a generator at their neighbours place on Prince Of Wale we headed out on the boat.

The plan was a quick trip to drop off a generator and show us around the place.  This however, ended up being an adventure of its own!  Before we knew it, we met their other neighbours Dirk and Tanya (along with their kids) and then a fire was lit up on the beach!  Becoming very comfortable we were lucky to share some Dugong ribs cooked on the fire and helped drink a couple of slabs with the crew.  As time flew by, it was 12:30am as we burnt back to T.I.  The night was so dark but as we gazed up to the night sky it was lit up by an abundance of stars.  We were even spoilt on our return as Jess had prepared and made us enchiladas for dinner!

Waking up a little sketchy the next day, we planned our return trip to P.o.W.  This time we were going to stay for a long stint with Jess & Steve joining us with the boys.  Thinking it was going to be a peaceful quiet rest from civilisation as we had the entire Collis Beach to ourselves, we were incredibly wrong as one activity flowed into another.

We pulled up on shore late arvo to do some unpacking and then headed straight back down to the couches where a fire on the foreshore became second nature.  Steve was quick to introduce us to fishing with hand reels from the bank.  We had three lines in and used a stick to stop them being pulled into the ocean.  After a few vb tins were consumed, we dropped them in the middle of the reel to make one hell of an alarm system.  Before we even had a chance to sink into the couches, the reels were going off!!  Beginners to this technique, I’m sure Steve had a laugh as we unsuccessfully pulled the first few in.  Snapping lines or the fish ‘blowing’ our bait was a common occurance.  Threading metal tracers on the end of our line to increase its strength, we were pulling in sharks before we knew it!  As they were only small, we didn’t bother keeping them but we were still having a blast. 

As we used the torches to light up the horizon, Steve spotted two glowing red eyes.  Unsure at first, he quickly determined that it was a croc!  Only 100m from us we slowly walked along the beach to get a better look.  As we were about 20m from him we had a decent view.  As he picked up on our scent, he popped up for one last viewing before shooting away.  Fortunately we didn’t see him again.

The next day Steve showed Mark how to use the casting net and was lucky enough to catch some small bait for that nights hand reels.  We had to drop back to T.I to grab some necessities left behind (frozen pies and dim sims!)  As we exited the boat at P.o.W, Mark totally misjudged the depth and face planted into the ocean with the esky and shopping bags.  Regathering ourselves, we went out on the boat for a short fishing venture.  Steve with his rod and the rest of us with hand reels, the tally was Steve 5 (including a coral trout), Mark 1 and Stu & Nay unfortunately 0, although they had heaps of nibbles.  On our return, we were greeted with some delicious varieties of homemade sushi that Jess had whipped up!

That afternoon Mark went for a walk at low tide along the rocks and spotted dozens of Blacklip Oysters.  Coming back with Steve, a hammer and large screwdriver, they began chipping them off.  Jagging enough for a good feed, we threw them on the bbq that night until they just popped open.  After enjoying an oyster entree, we cooked up the smaller fish from the catch earlier that day.  We couldn’t of eaten them any fresher!

The next animal on the menu was the tasty, yet elusive, mud crab.  Steve, keen for a feed, took us out to go hunting on low tide at Friday Island.  Creeping through the mosquito infested mangroves, we looked for freshly hollowed homes and went digging and lifting logs.  After about 1000 mozzie bites, we came out the other side successful!  With 5 crabs and a dozen snail shells (an interesting delicacy) we returned to P.o.W.  Just as we seemed to be running low on petrol, the tide still hadn’t had time to rise and we found ourselves jumping out and pushing the boat as Steve sat on the side.  Still a successful mission, we shot past the pearl farm on the way back before having a feast of crab on the foreshore.

That night with our steel tracers still on the hand reels, we had a serious bite as the tins went rattling.  Mark jumped on the hand reel and began pulling it in.  Giving one hell of a fight, the unknown of what was on the other end had everyone is suspense.  As it came closer to shore we discovered it was a dirty big shark on the end of the line!  Pulling him onto the beach for a photo, he was much too big to worry about filleting.  Mark pulled him back into the water by his tail and our shark mate sped away to live another day!  After this big boy was caught, Nay and Stu were next to catch two smaller sharks that also had the Rex Hunt treatment. 

Jess, Steve and the boys departed us after these action packed days.  Leaving us here for another couple of lazy days where we fished (a little successful), lounged on the deck and generally relaxed.  Their neighbour Dirk had a suprise for us and dropped by one night with some beers and crayfish!  He joined us around the fire as we threw them on the hotplate.  Before we knew it, another exotic seafood creature was being consumed!  Somehow the goon came out as Mark was napping on the couch.  Once Stu flashed this in front of his face, a second wind came about and we all partied until 3:30am!

Heading back to T.I for the football finals of Geelong vs Hawthorn, we also caught a glimpse of the Cultural Day of the local primary school.  We watched the students parade down the mainstreet and dance at Anzac Park.  Retiring to the Jardine Hotel for a meal meant we could use their pool as Jess and the boys joined us for an afternoon swim!

As Saturday rolled by again, we lazed around Thursday Island and checked out the historial Green Hill Fort along with the old cemetery (home of very impressive tomb stones of old japanese pearl divers).  After a week had flown by so quickly on this magical little island, we thought we’d stay for a second…

03/10/2016 – 10/10/2016

Far North Queensland

A Final Beach Bypass Before The Next Epic Saga

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Waking up in our dust bowl of a camp site at Palm Creek, we waved goodbye to the start of the southern section of the OTT.  We dropped back to Bramwell to get stung at the bowser for $2.05 for diesel (least it wasn’t as bad as $2.20 at Archer!)  Bypassing the southern section meant visiting a remote destination on the east coast, Captain Billy’s Landing.  This was a long draining 45 min drive with continuous large speed humps every 100m.  It was a sigh of relief when the road opened up and we’d made it to the lookout of our greatest beach camps ever!

We drove straight past the official camp ground, down a cliff and onto the beach.  Technically we weren’t allowed to camp past the designated area but when hide tide came in, we were all alone!  Being lazy at first lead to Buzz quickly becoming stuck in the soft sand.  Taking the time to deflate the tyres to 16 psi we were cruising.  Doing laps of the beach with no one around was freeing.  Nay went for a burn as well loving every minute!  Stopping under some palms we had some lunch before finding a more permanent camp.  Disappearing into the dunes under some trees, we dropped into 2WD to bog our rear tyres to level out.

We spent the afternoon using the bait we caught at Brown’s Creek to try our luck at fishing.  With no success it was still enjoyable to throw a line in.  We’d heard the fish ‘didn’t like’ Captain Billy’s Landing and we’re sticking with that excuse.  Even though we set up the gazebo for some shade on the beach, Stu still managed to find the sun while the radio was nicely protected!

Being so remote, a fire on the foreshore was a necessity.  Kicking around the flames telling stories as the sun disappeared over the horizon, it wasn’t long until the stars came out.  There were some great skies in the NT and we’d have to say this was right up there, absolutely stunning!  Discovering plenty of small crabs along the beach another NMBWE was in order.  This time after a few beverages, we ran rampage and chased after these little guys.  Trying to catch them only lead to them nipping us.  Relentless in our unknown goal, Mark even dropped his torch in the ocean to not let one escape.  Finally grabbing the crab the torch then failed to work – a little drying out and it was back in business!

Departing this coastal paradise, we made way toward the northern section of the OTT.  Arriving at Fruitbat Falls was the beginning of this adventurous 4WD track.  Spending a couple of hours here, it was fantastic to cool off in the freshwater as we couldn’t swim at the croc infested ocean.

Before setting up camp for the night, we had one final river crossing to achieve, Scrubby Creek.  We knew we were in for a challenge as the people before us had water lapping over their bonnets.  With Woody leading the charge, the engine died about three quarters of the way, with water filling the car at a rapid pace.  After a fair amount of cursing, we were lucky to have the blokes in front of us unhitch their trailer and pull him out!  Watching water drip from his car and later Stu explained ‘My thongs were floating around my knees!’ showed how much water entered the beast.  The same blokes that helped him explained tarping the front of his car and using WD40 on the spark plugs will stop this problem on future crossings.  A gift of VB cans as a thanks left our saviours with cheers as they departed.

After what had happened, Mark was becoming very nervous as he was next with Buzz.  With Nay’s head out the window there were frequent updates relayed to Mark and at one point the water was an inch from the window as we slipped into old ruts.  Keeping momentum and a bow wave in front, Buzz kept powering through to the other side!  

Finally making it to camp we set up next to Canal Creek.  As it was a great spot, we spent a couple of nights here and went for a day trip to Elliot, Twin Falls and The Saucepan.  These were amazing waterholes that could be walked to from the main carpark.  Swimming up the main waterway at Elliot, we had torrents of water smashing on us, giving a great massage.  At The Saucepan we did countless bombies in the ridiculously deep river.

Back at Canal Creek as night came, we all went on another Nocturnal Marine Biology Wildlife Expedition (NMBWE).  This time discovering dozens of smalls yabbies and bucket loads of cane toads!  Helping the Australian Wildlife, the cane toads did’t last too long with the shovel we had in tow.  On our woodfire trip that evening we had goosebumps after peeling back some bark from a big log to discover a couple of scorpions!  Back around the fire, Mark pulled a chisel out and carved a face and shredded rig in the log of Big Red, he was now a real boy!

After our two nights here, we continued through the infamous OTT.  Hearing cars have been towed out in previous years on the final crossing at Nolan’s Brook, gave us anticipation of what was to come!  Our goal to conquer this track would then lead us to the Jardine River where just on the other side, was the tip of Australia…

25/08/2016 – 29/08/2016