Day 27 Litchfield National Park - Tolmer Falls, Berry Springs

 After having some rain overnight, when we stepped out of the bus this morning, you felt like you had stepped into a steamy shower. The almost dry washing from the night before, was wetter than it had been before I had last checked it, as it was almost but not quite dry. Grateful to be hooked up to power overnight, we were able to sleep at last. We headed to the Tolmer Falls this morning and along the way a water buffalo was on the road, so Matt had his ‘Croc Dundee’ moment with Bridget facing down this buffalo, before it conceded and got off the road; and we continued on.

 We went on a walk around the creek feeding the Tolmer water falls. We enjoyed the cicad ferns, and then came to the creek, where the cool water flowed down a couple of little falls, before it went down into a cave, then re-emerged to drop down the sheer cliff face. It was pretty spectacular. The walk continued and we pended up at the lookout facing the full waterfall. We headed back to the Clipper and kept it running to try and help charge batteries off the alternator, and did some finalising of the solar parts we have ordered and getting shipped to Darwin. 

We then headed out of the National park and towards Berry Springs. We stopped a short time later for lunch and for me to have a Teams meeting with the medical research that I am a consumer researcher and advocate in. We made it in time for Matt to enjoy a warm swim in the thermal Berry Springs. As I was connected to my IV nutrition, I dangled my legs in while Matt snorkeled around the water and spied off quite a variety of decent sized fish. It’s a very popular spot, as it’s so close to Darwin. We popped into the local shops to get some fresh fruit and other fresh items, before we found our camp spot for the night. There is an app called hipcamps and it’s like airbnb but for camp spots. So we are staying on a private property, on a small hobby farm, and have water and power and no one else is here, so perfect for us. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset, birds serenading us in the distance and had a bbq dinner for Matt, before escaping the biting bugs and catching up with his parents on the phone. So a better day.

Day 26 Litchfield National Park - day of things not going so well

 Last night was another hot and humid one, with no breeze and the bus was an oven. As we were camping at the National Park, generators weren’t allowed. So we had no way to cool ourselves down, other than wet wipes, and keeping hydrated. The fridges have been running constantly and the batteries simply couldn’t keep up with that demand, and the solar panels have not been working well. So we ran out of power again, before we had even gone to bed. Matt used the engine batteries to run them every few hours overnight, knowing how important keeping my IV nutrition chilled is. The young family camped next to us also had a rough night, and little sleep and the 4 little ones, that reminded us very much of our own brood, were up with the sun. So even though it had finally cooled a bit and we had just really got to sleep, we were awake again. Matt had given the eldest boy a magnet, as he had been fascinated with the iron in the rocks and gravel, and this made his day. So we got chatting with the family and they were reassured to know we had survived bringing up 4 kiddies and were still together!

After they had left, Matt tried to get the Clipper started but alas, the fridges had taken too much power out of the engine batteries, and she wouldn’t start. So we had to sit around as the day began to warm up again, and wait for the solar panels to produce some power. Fortunately, we saw a car about to leave the campsite and Matt flagged it and they happily stopped and gave us a jump start. This couple had been running into us on and off on this trip and were more than happy to help us out. After they left, Matt started the generator, so we could get the air con running and cool the bus a bit. So we found a stop to sit there in the sun, to charge the batteries and cool the bus down and look at options to solve this chronic problem, of not producing enough power for the fridges. One of the battery shops in Darwin said that unfortunately due to the climate up north, you use 50% more power than you would normally, so this explained why we keep running out. So we had to work out a solution to be able to do the rest of the trip, as we won’t always be able to have power or the generator running. Unfortunately, the solution is to upgrade our aging solar panels and get another battery into the system. So Matt researched and found a few companies that will ship these items to Darwin. So for those who are praying for us, if you can please pray that these items reach us by June 6, that would be huge.

We headed into Batchelor again to get more petrol for the generator, which ran out. But then it wouldn’t start again, and on closer examination, the starter motor has died in the generator.😔. So now we don’t have the generator to fall back on. We went and filled up on water, and Matt found a very cute little critter in the very hot boot of the bus, sitting on a piece of bubble wrap that he had out on the campsite the night before. We think it was a Roth’s tree frog or a laughing tree frog. So I took the piece of bubble wrap with the frog on it, with the intention to take it to a tree for it to be rehomed. But as I was leaning down to a branch, it hopped off the bubble wrap and into my hair and down my neck and shirt. Naturally, being a girl, I screamed like one; 😂 and Matt came to my rescue and removed it from my neck and placed it on a leaf on the tree. 

he was a friendly froggy, and was climbing over my hand before i gave it to Sal to release, i returned to filling up the water tank, then the screaming started, i turned around to see a frog crawling around  on the back of sals neck and trying to disappear down her shirt... it now has hearing damage.

Roths tree frog, now known to us as a 'screaming neck frog'

 

We headed to a caravan park, as we decided a third night of no sleep and hot humid baking in the bus was not going to be fun, especially as I had become unwell and was feeling pretty awful. We booked in, and plugged into power and was able to get the air conditioning on and cool us both down. I was able to get some washing done, while Matt tried to see what was happening with the generator. (stripped starter gear or ring gear) Unfortunately, whilst under the bus, Matt noticed the front left shock absorber mount had broken. (second time this trip)  So another thing for him to repair, so he then had to rummage through his collection of nuts and bolts and make something fit. ( i grew up watching macguyver. ). He then came inside the bus and as we were doing my sterile hand wash, our foot pedal that we use to control the tap broke, so something else Matt repaired today. At least we didn’t have anything booked or planned for today, so we could do all these repairs and organise the new parts. And this is what comes with driving an old vehicle and all this equipment on board that we use. 

But at least we finished the day with a shower, dinner and a phone call with our daughter Juliet, who has a birthday tomorrow.

Day 25 Litchfield National Park - Cascade Falls, Walker Creek, Florence Falls

Last night was a shocker for us, with no breeze, and so much humidity, we didn’t sleep much, it was so hot in the bus, and then the batteries died at about 1am. At least sleep did eventually find us and in the morning we enjoyed a few very little wallabies bouncing around the campground. This morning our friends David and Brenda headed to Darwin, to spend time with their daughter. We headed off to explore Cascade Falls. Another steep walk that started going through a cool, tropical forest before out into the sun and walking past areas where there had been a recent hazard burn and there was no shade to speak of. We were well and truly hot and ready to cool off in the waters at the Cascades, which comprised of a series of very little waterfalls and rock pools, of varying sizes and depths. We enjoyed a long soak in the waters, and I was able to sit on a ledge that meant the water reached my chest and safe levels. I was able to watch the little fish flittering about in the shallows. Soon others joined us, including some brave families. It was a 3.5km round trip up and down some steep and rocky areas but worth the effort. We headed back to the carpark after an early lunch, and then ventured down the road to Walker’s Creek. The water was again so clear, you could see a few different species of fish in it. The creek wasn’t far from the car park, but despite the heat, neither of us felt like another soak just yet, so we headed back to the town of Batchelor, to empty tanks and fill up on water. I had a nap on the way.

Next stop was Florence Falls, where we are staying for the next couple of nights. We were ready to cool down again, the humidity is draining us. We had a short walk but over 135 steps down to the plunge pool at the bottom of Florence Falls. We discovered the pool was very crowded and busy. We scrambled our way across the slippery rocks, for a shallow spot for me, and then Matt went and had a swim. People were filming themselves, jumping off the rocks, floating with pool noodles, but if you looked closer into the water, there were black bream and if you sat still long enough, you would get a bite from little silver fish. They obviously don’t want people in their water, we both got bitten a few times. Quite aggressively.   After cooling down, we headed back to the Clipper to do my IV care. Fortunately it was more pleasant, and we were able to enjoy a cooler night

Unfortunately now it’s dark it’s 35 degrees in the bus no breeze and 120% humidity 

Ugh. 

Batteries aren’t holding up either. I think they’ll die again tonight they just can’t keep up with the fridges in the heat. I’ll have to post photos later as I don’t have enough power for the laptop . You’ll have to come back to it 

Update : yep the batteries died at 9pm then in a vain attempt to keep fridges running to keep fussy medical concoctions happy, jostled power around from the bus itself, (the bus house electrical and mechanical electrical are separate systems to prevent one draining the other ) i kept the fridges running every 3 hours for 2hours or so, and the cold stuff made it till dawn, but we were flat, the main batteries were flat and the bus mechanical batteries were also done. well i tried. 

 

Day 24 Litchfield National Park - Tjaetaba Falls and Greenant creek

 We headed off to explore Tjaetaba Falls and Greenant Creek before the day got too hot. We had a good walk up to the top of the falls, passing the Greenant Creek, where it was very shady and cool and had tropical ferns throughout. Greenants weave leaves together with silk to form their nests. They bite their vicitms and then they spray formic acid in the bite to make it sting. So we avoided them. The further we headed up the hill, the warmer it got. We were ready to relax in the cool water in the pools at the top of the Tjaetaba Falls. I was happy to sit by the water and have my feet in it, while the others went and sat in a deeper pool, near the edge down to the main falls. I was able to observe dragonflies forming a heart shape with their bodies as they mated, little fish darting through the reeds in the cool water, and after Matt had emptied some chip crumbs into the water, shrimp appeared to chase after the food and were fending off the little fish with their nippers. One shrimp only had one nipper, and it had become overdeveloped as it compensated for only having one. He was very feisty too. I was able to enjoy the views, as the smoky haze from the prescribed burn yesterday, began to clear. Being in the beauty and listening to the sounds of the waterfall, some mindfulness time and prayer reflection with my creator God. Then the crowds came and my peace and quiet went, and we eventually headed down the hill, and back to the Wangi Falls campground for lunch. But it was so hot and humid. I continued to enjoy reading Bono’s autobiography but had to wipe myself down and use the ice pack to cool me down. Matt was able to enjoy the cold watermelon from the farm we had been on a few weeks ago. So we headed down to the Wangi Falls and it was much cooler. There were some Monitor Lizards roaming around, unperturbed by the people walking around. So we enjoyed the falls, this time with a blue sky today, as the smoke had finally all cleared. There were fish jumping out of the water, and blue dragonflies busily flying around. No crocs to be seen. Dinner outside, and it was soon dark, and mozzie time, so we retreated back into the Clipper, back into the oven. We are melting in here as I write this, despite the cold shower. So very humid here. Can’t run  the generator here, so no air conditioning

 

Day 23 Litchfield National Park - Buley Rock Pools and Wangi Falls

Today we headed via Adelaide River, to Litchfield National Park. We stopped in at the Adelaide River War Cemetery, where those who lost their lives in the bombing of Darwin  in WWII are interred. It is an immaculately cared for and maintained place, with beautiful, colourful, tropical flowering plants between the headstones. There is a fair amount of historical information as well. For me, it was very interesting, as my Grandfather was a Captain in the army and served at Darwin, as well as other places across Australia to protect our borders. From there we headed to Batchelor, an entrance to the Litchfield National Park, and as we looked up information at the information centre there, we were drowned out by the noises of nearby flying foxes. The area was having controlled burns and it was quite smoky and hazy too.

We wound through parts of the national park, before stopping to see and learn about magnetic termite mounds, and eventually we made it to Buley Rock Pools. These rock pools were a series of little water falls and deep rock pools. They were very popular and it wasn't hard to see why. Being a warm 31 degrees outside, and our Clippers were getting quite warm on the inside, in the midday sun, we were happy to cool off in the refreshing, cold water. The rocks were extremely slippery however, and despite me wearing my water shoes, I still needed the help of others to get in as I was slipping too much. The rock pools were clear and clean, and we enjoyed sitting there and cooling down and relaxing. You could safely move on to the next rock pool through the small water falls, by sliding on your backside carefully and slowly ove the slippery rocks. If you wanted to be like Matt, you could sit in middle of the waterfall and it was as good as sitting in a spa pool, with the water bubbling up your back and all around you. It was a great way to while away the warm afternoon. Some of the rock pools were very deep, and you couldn't see the bottom, despite how clear the water was, but because it was so deep. We got chatting to a few of the other people also enjoying the rock pools. I was able to sit in the cool waters, up to my chest and keep my dressing out of the water as well.

From here we continued on, until we reached Wangi Falls, where we are staying for the next 2 nights. We parked up the Clippers and headed to the lookout to the Wangi Falls. There were 2 very high waterfalls, into a very deep rock pool. I am sure I've seen this place on TV or on an ad for the Northern Territory. It was spectacular. However, as a saltwater croc had been sighted there in the past 2 weeks, the pool is not open to swimming yet. We headed back to the Clippers for dinner, and another quiet evening of chatting and planning for the trip.

every day we are approached by other travellers saying "we saw you at Katherine" or Uluru, or Kings canyon etc,i guess we are pretty easy to spot. every caravan looks the same.

i have developed a hatred of the NT parks booking website that send me to random pages at the worst possible times, hang on, i'm staring to complain about technology, travelling and camping, i'm going grey, eeek  'your jouney to the dark side is almost complete' im turning into a grey nomad😐

think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts. 

 had a very nice afternoon sitting in a 4 metre deep hole filled with water. i'm pretty sure there were no crocs. unlike where we are camped tonight as Sal said.

we found a memorial to a RAAF pilot at the war cemetery  his name was Thomas Claude Smith. same name as my grandfather. the pilot died at 22 though, and i remember my grandfather being a lot older than that, but it did make me think of him, and that horrid yellow and black tablet that i was forced to take while sitting on his lap when i was three. i can still visualize it, and i can remember then throwing it up in his lap. 

not traumatized at all.  

NT drivers don't know what double white lines mean.  and ive been told by a tourist coach driver that they don't know what red lights are either

Buley rock hole

Buley rock hole

Buley rock hole

magnetically orientated termite mounds all face north south

magnetically orientated termite mounds all face north south

Wangi Falls

Wangi falls

 

Day 22 Edith Falls (Leliyn)

 We headed into Katherine and did some errands, before moving on to Leliyn, which is still part of Nitmiluk National Park. We set off to check the rock pools out and headed on the trail that led us to the upper pools and  waterfalls. Again, we were spoiled with some amazing views, as climbed up all the steps on the rocky path. We then had a steep descent to the upper pools, that had quite a few people and young families enjoying the pools and icy cold water. We had got quite hot going up and down the steps, and it was almost midday by the time we had arrived, so we all happily climbed into the water that was very clean, clear, and inviting.  Matt, David and Brenda went and swam around to explore the pools and waterfalls, while I stood in the cool waters, up until the point of the central line dressing, that can't be submerged. It was better than not being in the water at all. Grateful for the water shoes that we had brought, I was able to cope with the rocks and sand beneath me. Eventually, I was able to climb some rocks to reach where Matt, David and Brenda had swum to, and we sat on rocks while our legs dangled in the flow of a little waterfall. It was very relaxing, until they decided they were hungry after the long walk and it was lunchtime, and we headed back to our belongings and they had lunch and we dried off. We continued on the loop trail and up over the other side of the small gorge that the rock pools were in, and down over the gorge, and back to the camping ground. I crashed and had a nap, while the others pottered about doing chores.  Matt arranged the camp sites for the next few nights, as these spots tend to book up quickly now the peak season is starting to take off.

Another restful afternoon chatting, and we enjoyed watching a 'Great Bower' bird that was on the hunt for items. It was very busy and not shy of us at all. These birds go after white and green things and got game and Matt found it trying to get into the Clipper boot to get things for its nest. I cooked Matt a roasted pumpkin risotto, and after dinner and after the sun had set, we heard some rustling in the bush nearby and out came a Curlew. We would later hear the Curlew, joined by a few others, in their haunting scream-like calls. A cloudy night, but a few stars were visible between them. Matt is working on installing another battery charger in the boot, as I write this. Still having a few water pump issues as well, that he is also trying to resolve.

Day 21 Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge)

 Awoken in the middle of the night by Curlews with their haunting almost screaming call, followed by disturbed teens from the nearby school camp, presumably because of the birds' call scaring them; we started the day with a cruise on the river through 3 of the gorges, with 30 of these year 8 kids. We had a good tour guide, sharing the Dreamtime stories and geological history of the gorges. After we reached a rocky area, we hopped out of one boat and then a short walk away, we got into another boat, after enjoying a little Indigenous rock art on the gorge cliffs. From there we were taken down a second gorge, and heard how the 1955 film 'Jedda' had been filmed there. We again got out and a short walk away into a third boat for the third gorge. After we explored the gorge, we were taken to a sacred women's site, where they went to birth, the Lilypad rockpool. Surrounded by sheer cliffs, with a waterfall and some rock art high up on the cliffs, the cold, green water was inviting but too cold for us, but all the teens and a few brave oldies on the tour had a swim. Matt was able to take photos of the rock art with the zoom lens on the camera, so we could get a better view of the art. We eventually headed back to the boat and returned to the second boat and gorge, spying a few freshwater crocs on the return trip. 

 

saw our first multi toothed chompy log

We headed to the Clipper, and I had a rest, before we started doing some research for some future activity options in Kakadu. Matt and I then headed back to the gorge, and did a steep walk to the lookout to enjoy the sunset.We got there in good time and were able to briefly enjoy the views to ourselves and there was no boats whirring about on the water, and we could enjoy the beauty and nature that we were surrounded by. We were then joined by a couple of others to watch the sun set behind the smoke haze from fire management, and some beautiful clouds, which brought more colour to the skies. It was really quite spectacular, and well worth the effort, as I was carrying my heavy IV nutrition at this time of night.

 On our return trip, we spied our first live Kangaroo (as in the first live kangaroo we have seen in almost 6000km . we've seen a lot of overnight road kill kangaroos, all of them modified by road trains, emus pigs and eagles, but no live bouncy kangaroos.) and as we headed on, and it was getting dark, we heard a rustle in the leaf litter, and spied the back half of a snake, which we saw disappear down the hill, and it was about 1-1.5m long and we suspect was a Northern brown snake (AkA Danger Noodle). We returned to the Clipper for me to cook dinner and watch a bit of Football (soccer) with David and Brenda, as their daughter was playing in the NT premier league series, and it was being broadcast. The curlews came out again and serenaded us with their cry, before I retired to my nightly routine of writing this blog.