It’s a long road to Litchfield

About 80k off the Stuart to the campsite, parks here, just like the country itself, are huge.

By the time we got there it was late afternoon, even with the aircon in the car it was very hot and humid, and we sweated profusely. It is a burden to set up camp, particularly the roof tent, as we had to cut the zip to get the cover off.

So when we finally finished setting up we were drenched with sweat, and very ready for a dip. About 300mtrs away from our pitch was Wangi Falls. You might well say “what-yet another waterfall”! For us however it was a godsend. There are two falls into the pool, around 70mtrs high, and the pool is circular and around 200 mtrs across.

This area has been developed, and although the pool bottom was rocky in places there were easy steps to get into the pool. So for the first time we were able to swim without sandals on. Sheer bliss!

The following day was a consolidation day, getting ready to enter civilization for the first time in 18 days. As it was we spent half the day in the pool, back and forward to try to cool off. But in between we managed to repair the zip, at least we hope so!, and change things round ready for Darwin.

Over the past few weeks we had come across quite a few small groups consisting of maybe two three or even four girls with just one boy escorting them on their travels.

Tonight was no exception, next door to us was a couple of girls and one guy in a camper. It always amused us trying to work out their sleeping arrangements, but invariably we got it wrong!

During the night we were visited by a wild boar, Anne woke me to show me him grazing just outside our tent. Glad we are six foot off the ground!

 Around here there are cane toads, highly poisonous, and we have to be careful not to step on them in the dark with just our sandals on. They move among the dead leaves aside the path, and can give you quite a fright on the way to the toilet at night.

Another day, and ready to move, and as we were on our way out of the park we took the time to visit a few more sites of interest, including a series of rocky pools just a few miles nearer the exit, which by that time were absolutely packed so we moved on to the Magnetic termite mounds.

That name does not adequately describe them as they are not mounds as such, they are tall slim constructions, around two metres tall, maybe over a metre wide, but only around 20 cms thick. But what is extraordinary about them is that  the thin edges are all aligned exactly north and south.

It is thought that they are this way in order to keep the themselves cool, many termites go underground when it is very hot, but as these are built on a flood plain these termites cannot. Fascinating!

So- on to Darwin, and what awaits us there?