Swimming at Edith Falls

After visiting the war cemetery and saying a quick hello to Charlie the Water Buffalo we hopped in the car and headed toward Katherine.  We had spent several nights in Katherine on our way north and were happy to head back to the same caravan park.  On the way we made a quick stop at Edith Falls for a swim.  It’s part of Nitmiluk National Park, the same national park that Katherine Gorge is in.

We donned our new snorkels & masks and headed in to the warm water.  One thing about travelling this late in the season- the water is always warm!  No crocs here, but plenty of fish and some of them were feeling a bit nippy that day.

We hopped in at the first water access point we came across.  This put us in a shallow area next to a bit of an island.  In the first picture at the top of this post you can get an idea of how far away we were from the falls.  I think I read that it was a 100 metre swim to reach the falls.  The part we were in felt more like a river.  There were lots of fish around, even coming up onto the steps where you get in the water which made them easy for TurboBug (2) to spot.  A good place for snorkelling as long as you are careful not to disturb the sediment at the bottom or your view will become very murky!

TurboBug wasn’t interested in staying in one place for long, so we walked down to the next water access point to have a look.  We’d both had a swim and neither of us were that interested in getting back in.  He loved the steps but it was obvious the water was deeper here.  I was glad I didn’t have to go in after him.

I seem to have several somewhat identical pictures of the falls.  :)  I know it doesn’t seem so from these pictures but there were several people around.  A few were making that 100m swim out to the falls.  There was a grassy picnic area and as TurboBug and I walked back to meet the others we passed a rather large tour group headed that way.  We got out just in time!

We had intended to walk up to the upper pools at Edith Falls, but it was boiling hot when we arrived.  We had our hats and water ready, but really we only had to get out of the car to realise we couldn’t put ourselves through that.  I’ve seen some stunning pictures and was sorry to miss it but it couldn’t be helped.  The kids enjoyed the swim in the plunge pool and I think they were relieved we didn’t make them walk in that heat.  We stayed maybe an hour or so and then got back in the car to finish our drive to Katherine.  We only spent one night in Katherine this time around as we wanted to get moving and make our way to WA.  We made sure to have one more lovely swim in those hot springs before we left!

Florence Falls & Magnetic Termite Mounds at Litchfield

After our swim at Buley Rockhole we had two more places to visit in Litchfield National Park.  First we stopped to see Florence Falls, which we’d heard were gorgeous.  On the way we saw these green ants building their nest.  We’ve seen plenty of these nests in our travels and we’d recently seen a photo of the ants building the nest at the visitor centre at Kakadu.  We were happy to them in person, they were at the right level for us to observe them holding the leaf together.  So amazing!  Some of the ants stretch their bodies and hold the leaf in place while others do whatever they do to make it all stick together.  How’s that for teamwork?

The view of Florence Falls is really spectacular.  Just look at this waterfall!

We chose not to walk down to the plunge pool.  We’d already had our swim and none of us really felt like doing the walk.  From above the water looks plenty deep!

We watched as several swimmers made their way across the pool and climbed onto some of the rocks for a dive.  The guy on the right had been making his way down to this spot from above when we got there.  We wondered how long it had taken him to get to this position at the top of the falls.  We could see him gather his nerves and then watched as he jumped!  It seemed like he was in the air forever because the waterfall is so tall.

It’s hard to portray the feeling of being there, looking down on the treetops, seeing birds flying below us, hearing the waterfall plunging into the pool.  So lovely!

On our way out we obediently placed our butts ‘here’ as the sign requested.  Well, TurboBug didn’t have quite the right spot and actually lost his balance right after I took this and needed a cuddle to recover.  :)

Next we were off to see the magnetic termite mounds.  This is something I’d vaguely remembered hearing about but we’ve seen so. many. termite mounds that it was hard to imagine what was different about these.  Thankfully there was some signage to tell us everything we needed to know!  The kids are both pointing to the queen, she’s huge compared to the other termites.

These termites are different because they build their mounds to align with the Earth’s magnetic field.  The mounds are flat, like walls (or tombstones!) sticking up out of the ground.  They face north and south and are quite thin so that very little of the mound faces east and west.  This makes the temperature more stable since the mounds will only heat up to a certain temperature before the sun is directly overhead.  Termites are very vulnerable to the heat, so the less the mound heats up the more likely their survival.  This is the only place in the world where any termites do this!  According to this sign the worker termites are blind.  Scientists artificially changed the direction of the magnetic field and the termites started building repairs to their mound in the new alignment.

What are they?  Oh, termite mounds.  Okay.  But my monster truck is so cool.

See how thin they are?  Each mound is made by thousands and thousands of worker termites. 

I was disappointed that the walkway didn’t go a bit closer to some of them.   The placement seemed a bit odd since there were so many mounds to be seen.  I didn’t have my zoom lens so couldn’t get a great picture.  In hindsight maybe we should’ve strayed from the walkway.  ;)

Across the carpark were the more familiar cathedral mounds.  These were certainly the biggest we’d seen.  This one is estimated to be about 50 years old according to the sign (but who knows how old the sign is!).  It’s about five metres tall. 

There were two huge ones not far apart from each other, the second was fascinating since we could see termites going in and out of it.

This looks like a good place to drive my monster truck.  What do you mean the sign says to touch the termite mound gently?  I’m gentle, see?

There’s plenty to see in Litchfield, it’s one of those places you could spend two or three days exploring with all the different walks and falls.  Worth the stop if you are headed near Darwin.  After this we happily climbed into our air-conditioned car and drove back to Adelaide River for the night.

FInch Hatton Gorge

After spending a week in Townsville it was time to head to Mackay.  We had a lovely visit with some relatives who we’d last seen in Tasmania! It is exceptionally nice to see someone you know after months on the road.  This lifestyle offers continuous opportunities to meet new people, but those relationships are fleeting.  Life on the road can actually be quite lonely despite being surrounded by other travellers, so meeting up with someone you know is both comforting and rejuvenating.

While we were in the area I was desperate to see a platypus in the wild and the best place to do that is Eungella National Park.  We made a day of it and spent the afternoon at Finch Hatton Gorge.  After about an hour’s drive we then had a 1.5km walk to the Araluen Falls.  You can do a longer walk to more falls, which I am sure are worth seeing, but that would have been too much for us.  Look at these falls, aren’t they gorgeous?

Did I mention the waterhole?  The one you can swim in?  Awesome.  The hope of a swim at the end of the trail kept the kids moving.  The water was cold and deep but that didn’t stop them!

The only downside was the lack of an area for this little guy to play in.  There was no shallow entrance where he could safely play.  I found a spot where he could put his feet in but I couldn’t let go of him the whole time.  He enjoyed himself anyway, he found a puddle to play in and a stick to put in the puddle.  What more could a toddler need?

Hard to make out, but there’s Dad and the two boys at the very right of this picture.

There were a couple of big rocks to stand on, but none in the middle next to the cliff.  (Do you see where I’m heading?)

Look at the lichen clinging to the cliff face, so colourful!

Looking the other way there were giant rocks to climb and more water to play in, but the kids seemed to prefer the main waterhole.

I think I’ve mentioned I’m a wimp when it comes to cold water, so this was as far as I went that day.

Remember the cliff?  The kids decided to play a nice game of ‘Let’s Scare Mama!’.  Actually, it was Dad that went first.  Let’s blame him.

When we’d first arrived at the waterhole a young couple was jumping off this cliff into the water so I prayed told myself it must be safe enough despite the nearby ‘no jumping off the cliff’ signs.

One of the boys was hesitant the first time around and one barely paused before jumping right in.  I’m sure anyone who knows them could never guess who was who!

Then there was the poor 5yo who we wouldn’t let jump.  She really, really wanted a go.  But she hadn’t been quite comfortable enough swimming in the waterhole, she really clung to Dad so the jumping was a no.  She’s quite at home on a 5m diving board, though!  Never fear, she made friends, as she does, with the young couple that was there so she soon forgot her sorrow and cheered her brothers on.

As we were leaving the light had changed and the falls looked just beautiful.

Someone was tired and quickly resorted to clinging to my legs for a cuddle.  Is this not a familiar sight to any parent of a 2yo?

We had a long walk ahead of us, with no waterhole waiting for us. 

That little 2yo got his cuddle and we were off.  On the way out I took another look at those ‘no jumping’ signs and discovered there would have been on-the-spot fines if anyone had been checking.  Ooops.

On the way back I made sure to grab a pic of the mohawk rock.

At the car we had a snack while these hungry birds looked on.  These innocent-looking creatures  stole the lunch of a couple at the next car.  We were reminded of the sausage steeling kookaburra we’d met earlier in our adventures.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen four lined up like this, and there was another one in a different tree.  Someone walking by suggested that these were the mum and babes while dad was in the other tree.

What a lovely way to spend an afternoon!  The kids would have been satisfied to go home after that but we had more to see that day.  I still hadn’t seen that platypus….