After Kakadu, Litchfield Park is the most recommended natural tourist spot, in no small part because it’s just over an hour from Darwin(more of that a bit later). Distances between destinations can be eye-watering up here, so it was a no-brainer to take a quick detour to do some exploring and hopefully cool off. We knew we’d be back again sans Jayco, so we chose spots that were easily accessible for the rig. Litchfield Park is a 4WD hotspot with trails and tracks crisscrossing this tropical plateau and, with the dry season looming, we wanted to chance our arm.
Florence Falls was our first stop. Wow. Whoever designed this free camping area is a legend and a template should be sent to every National Parks in the country. Generous, discreet van sites each with it’s own fire pit, easy manoeuvrability and great facilities. After lunch I headed down to the falls, and I mean down. Tamika’s video paints the picture. Of course, down is never a problem..right?
The inevitable climb back out was put to the back of our minds when I crossed the little bridge and 30 seconds later arrived at a large rock pool filled by two gushing waterfalls. Aaaaah….finally! It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful swimming hole. Tamika joined me a little later and we lazed around in the cool waters for an hour before heading back to the van. Man, the climb nearly killed us. By the time we got to the van we were sweating as much as before we left. It didn’t take much convincing to send us back down later in the afternoon for another swim. The climb back was a little better second time around.
The next morning we treated ourselves to a fire pit breakfast packed the van and headed down once more. There were always a few people sharing the cool waters, but that morning the tourist hordes descended like locusts and within minutes this idyllic slice of paradise had become a Japanese communal bath complete with (pool) noodles. Luckily, there was bonhomie all round, enjoying this as much as we were. And then, they disappeared as quickly as they had appeared, herded back up to the waiting bus, tranquility restored. We lingered for as long as we could, then clambered back up and headed to the other main attraction, Wangi Falls.
Crocodiles get around. You’ve got the fresh water ones, the salt water ones and the ones that swim both ways. Wangi Falls is on a plateau 70klms from the sea but during the wet season becomes an all-you -can-eat buffet for these man eaters. The rangers move them on when the dry season arrives, so we could only admire the view from behind the fence this time. Tamika had picked up some info about a place called The Cascades a little further along the road and we decided to stay the night at Wangi and then head to the Cascades the next morning.
Teamwork is essential for ‘happy trails’ travelling. Task sharing evolves over time. Tamika basically covers the inside maintenance and I’m responsible for the set-up and pull down of the van while we’re on the road. Whoever cooks, the other cleans up and we share things like shopping, washing etc. The porta loo and waste water disposal falls to Tamika. Those who know Tamika would be truly amazed(video proof can be provided to the incredulous).
The Cascades are divided into Upper and Lower. The lower were nearby and an easy walk…and of course, closed due to crocodiles (AGAIN, the crocs). The upper were nearly 2klm’s away, a hard climb and of course, open. Fellow travelers had raved about them, so, with the benefit of much doubt we set out. This was not a happy trail experience. The blazing sun and our ever increasing thirst whipped us along past the point of no return into desperation territory, a rocky and a continuous climb for well over a kilometre then a scamble down to the cascades.
After that effort, Tamka was clearly expecting a combination of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and Niagra Falls, so clearly, this was going to be a hard sell. It was cute and pleasant without being overly “Wow”. But it was cool, wet and refreshing. Grumpy pants soon settled nicely in her little grotto, but still kept her eye out for the “unwelcome guests” (what do rangers know anyway). On our trek back we were heartened by those late starters sweating up the trail, eyes darting our way for reassurance or at least how long the pain was likely to endure. Of course we lied. “Not far now. it’s worth it” we cooed. And for us, it was literally downhill all the way. So much more to see and do here. We’ll be back. The air-con in the Jeep got another work out as we hit the road to Humpty Doo and our first house sit.