Our alarm blared us out of bed at 5:00 am. We were up late last night having dinner with new travel acquaintances. We got ourselves dressed, ate some cereal and yogurt, packed our bags, and checked out.
A New Crew and Revised Itinerary
The morning heat and humidity was thick, and our clothes dampened up as soon as we stepped out of the air conditioned hotel. The 4x4 bus with a new guide/driver Luke picked us up at 6:30 a.m. This was the smallest minibus we had been in yet, and it had no utility trailer. Not sure from the lack of trailer whether the roads would be too challenging or the need to carry as much equipment as we did to the outback. Turns out, that it was a bit of both.
Our Alice Springs to Darwin guide John, and trainee Tarynt, were on this tour as helpful passengers refreshing or in the case of Tarynt learning the ins and outs of guiding this particular tour. Three other passengers from our Alice Springs journey plus 5 new faces, 3 women from Germany, one from Estonia, and a young man from Canada joined the group. We totaled 13 plus our guide.
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| Our Top End Guide Luke |
To keep things fresh our Guide Luke decided to mix up the scheduled Itinerary. We would be doing day 10 on day 8, day 8 would be on day 9, and day 9 on 10. Got that? No Worries Mate. Fortunately, Luke had it under control, and we went with the flow. The trip itinerary was going to be reversed and we would be going to the Mary River National and Lichtfield National Parks today instead of day 10, then return to Darwin through Kakadu National Park the last two days. At our first rest stop, we changed into our swimming suits, as there were no changing rooms at the waterfall.
Way Outback Itinerary for Day 8 (originally scheduled for Day 10)
The Mary River Region is home to over 250 bird species and has the highest concentration of saltwater crocodiles in the Southern Hemisphere. Keep a look out for ‘crocs’ and other wildlife as you cruise along the tranquil Mary River. The remainder of today is spent exploring the waterfalls, spring-fed streams and rugged sandstone escarpments of Litchfield National Park. Discover intriguing cathedral and magnetic termite mounds and swim, hike and explore Florence and Wangi Falls (seasonal). We return to Darwin in the early evening.
- Mary River boat cruise
- Florence Falls
- Wangi Falls
Termites in Australia Build Big Homes While Eating Yours
Before reaching our swim destination we visited the giant termite mounds in Lichtfield National Park.
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| Wouldn't want to build a wooden house in this area! |
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| These mounds look like tombstones in the field. |
These particular termites live most of their lives under ground and feed on grasses and trees of course, burrowing up from their underground subterranean network. Apparently they are beneficial to the environment, keeping the soil loosened up for plant matter to grow, but they are also destructive to the trees and wooden homes. Some of these termite mounds were 15 feet high and decades old.
Florence Falls
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| Beautiful - No Croc Swimming Hole |
Our first swim of the day was in a beautiful rocky-cliffed pool fed by two Falls (Florence Falls). The water, falls, and swimming were a refreshing way to start the morning. I swam across the pool to swim behind the falls if I could. As I approached the base of the falling water, the wind and current challenged my swimming. I tagged the wall and worked my way behind the falling water looking for an indent in the cliff to tuck into. I couldn't find one, so I hugged the wall and swam out as the water pummeled my head and shoulders. I pushed back from the walls and floated on my back looking up through the splash of crystal waters shooting off the edge of the cliff. Wow and double wow. Spectacular.
Wangi Falls
Our second swim of the day was in a series of cascading pools dropping into a canyon (Wangi Falls). We found a shady one we liked and just enjoyed lounging around.
A large curious goanna lizard decided to join us. I didn't see him at first nosing around my stuff. They aren't aggressive, but just his size and his presence gave me a start.
He seemed both wary and curious about those of us who came close enough to him to take photos.
We only had a short drive to our campsite, gathering some firewood along the way, and oh what a treat! Behold! Green grass, and spacious - screened 2 person tents with real beds, lights, and a rotating floor fans greeted us. No swags tonight. We were really going to live large, and I for one was giddy with excitement.
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| Sunset from Inside Our Tent |
The cook/dining tent was large, clean, and screened. This time of the year, there aren't a lot of mossies (oz talk for mosquitoes), but afternoon thunderstorms and rain are common place, neither one happened while we were here, but this is the reason for the tents. We were in heaven.
After a tasty dinner of vegetable stir-fry, butter chicken and rice, we gathered around the campfire.
Our river guide Dave came by with his guitar. Luke had a collection of drums, sticks, and didgerydoos. We sang songs, and took turns tryIng to make some sounds on the didgerydoo. These instruments are not easy to play.
Little by little people started to drift away, taking showers and preparing for bed. We slept well throughout the warm night not needing any covering. Yep! It was nice to be on a bed in a screened and spacious tent. I think this was the "top-end" I had been expecting from the beginning.
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