The Top End: Litchfield to Darwin

Acknowledgement

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional owners of country throughout Australia. We recognise the continuing connection to land, water, language and community. We pay our respect to the cultures; and to Elders past, present and emerging.

We are committed to walking lightly on the land of your ancestors, only taking knowledge and understanding, only leaving footprints and the whisper of our spirits, breathing in the awe of this great land we are privileged to call home. 

We come from the land of the Yugara and Yumambeh peoples and have recently stopped to rest and learn in the lands of the Werat, Koongurrukun, Waray, Mak Mak Marranunggu and Larrakia people’s this last week.

En Route to Litchfield

We packed up and left Edith Falls after a quick swim in the lower pool. We couldn’t say goodbye to the RJs as they had left early to go on the boat cruise, but we knew we’d likely see them tomorrow at Florance. It was Aunty Kathy’s funeral today so that was on my mind. 

After the swim we were on the road with a relatively short drive ahead to Litchfield National Park. We felt for the RJs when Jade sent me a text letting me know they’d missed the boat!! Luckily they were able to be put on the next one a couple of hours later. 

It’s clear that we’re heading closer and closer to civilisation, there’s more traffic, which also means more road kill. More road kill means more birds on the road. We slow down for the bird, assuming (usually correctly) that the birds will fly away. We’ve learnt that wedgies take longer to lift, but most other birds get away reasonably quickly. 

Not this time. We hit a bloody crow. It was pretty awful. Not only knowing you’ve hit an animal, but the god awful thud. And the fact that it wedged in the bull bar and I had to watch its carcass flapping in the wind until we could pull over. Not a nice experience… especially for the bird. 

Arrival at Florance Falls

We made it to Litchfield and passed the Zebra Stone mine on the way in! I was a bit excited. We continued to Florance Falls campground to set up. It was hot, hotter than it has been. And still. After set up we walked the very short walk to the falls from the campground. Another spectacular little natural gem of a place. A large pool at the bottom of a twin waterfall that flowed into a tropical stream over rocks underneath a rainforest like canopy. Beautiful.

The pool had conveniently placed large rocks in it that we could rest in out in the otherwise deep water. There were also areas at the edges of the pool where you could cling to the rock walls or stand on ledges. These were also helpful to kickstart the swim to the waterfall. Joey and Malachi swap out with Leon to the waterfall and Joey underestimated the power of the water falling and swam straight under rather than around. He became very distressed out in the deep water. I swam out to help him and brought him back to one of the rocks to rest on. It took him a long time to calm down and feel like he could breathe properly again. He was distraught, ‘I basically drowned’.

Where the pool became the stream the water was shallow and calm, and full of sorry grunters! Some of them 20-25cm. We had a lot of fun watching them and decided to bring the snorkelling goggles the next time we went. We also hear a woman yelp. This is when we realised the fish weren’t afraid of taking a nibble!

We returned to camp and set up a fire. The mozzies were around so we used the advice of the tour guide from the Nitmuluk gorge tour, and put the leaves of the paper bark tree on the fire to keep them away… I’m not sure it helped. The fire was great for roasting marshmallows and squishing them between two finger nuts. Mozzies absolutely love me, and I couldn’t hate them more. I remind myself that they’re probably necessary for a balanced eco system or something, but I could really do without them. At one point I was so over them and exclaimed, probably not for the first time, ‘The bloody mozzies!’ Teddy, visibly upset, responds, ‘can you guys stop saying bloody?! There’s the bloody crow and the bloody mozzies, I feel like I’m going to start saying bloody because you guys say it so much, so can you please stop!?’ The poor kid. While I’m not missing work one skerrick, I may be missing child free conversation where I can be more creative with my expressive vocabulary.

It was hot that evening. By far the hottest night we’ve had and the first time the heat has effected my sleep.

Exploring Litchfield

Thursday morning we ventured to the falls again, this time snorkelling gear in hand, and we had a great time. I’m beginning to trust the Pelican phone pouch Mum bought me before I left and have used it for underwater shots which I’m getting better at each time.

Leon has a couple of minor wounds at the moment and was quite surprised when the sooty grunters decided to clean them up for him! 

Before too long we were over run by tour groups of young international travellers who were not about enjoying the serenity and rather climbing as high as possible, plummeting into the water to the roar of cheers and loud encouragement from their mates. They were having a great time and I was glad to have had my time before they arrived.

Exploring Litchfield – Zebra Rock

We had a quick lunch before heading out to see some other sights. We stopped at the termite mounds which were interesting to see up close, but it was especially hot so we didn’t stay long. We then ventured to the zebra stone mine which I found super interesting and carefully chose two raw pieces to have on display in our home. It’s important to be that we fully enjoy the experience of this trip and live in the moment, but I’d like the delicate balance of mindful experience and tangible mementos to enhance the memories. Part of it is for me, but it’s mostly for the kids. When I ‘remember’ my family’s tour of Oz in 1990, my memories are significantly more emotional than visual. My most vivid memories that I can visualise and not just feel, are the ones that have been frequent talking points, the ones accompanied by tangible mementos and the ones that were photographed and regularly revisited over the past 33 years. Fo our kids I want to keep the emotional memories as positive as possible, and the visual memories as vivid as I can which I’m hopeful will be easier with regular reminders.
The zebra rock has a fascinating background, or lack of background, as it has geologists stumped. The rock has rhythmic red bands and dots within a white base. We know that the red is iron, but there is no valid explanation for its origin. And this rock is only found in the East Kimberley. From what I can find there are three active mines. Two in WA, and this one in the NT. It is believed that the patterns were formed while the iron was still molten, and the stripes and spots are like bubbles or streams of molten iron that has then solidified.

We had a couple of scones while we were there, I called Uncle Phil to check he was happy to have us stay in the front yard of my cousins Alex and Bettina while he house sitted for them… Thankfully he said that’d be great! And Leon, unsuccessfully attempted to book (another) fishing charter for when in Darwin. Uncle Phil was also able to share with me the beautiful yet sad experience that was sending off Aunty Kathy yesterday.

Exploring Litchfield – Buleys Rock Pools

After battling the less than sufficient internet, we headed to Buleys Rock Pools. These are awesome. They are a series of very deep, small plunge pools joined by small waterfalls. We had so much fun here. There was one of the pools where the current created by the waterfall meant it was the perfect swim spa… you know, because I’ve been so committed to exercise on this trip. We frolicked and explored and relaxed in these pools for quite some time, before heading back to the carpark.

It was here in the carpark that Leon decided enough was enough and the exhaust needed a face lift. With two of the five brackets snapped, and it resting on the mudflaps, the extra large zip ties were out. We were grateful when a man pulled up next to us offering a couple of metal zip ties. We also got into a discussion about road conditions etc as their family was travelling in the opposite direction to us. They had come from Kakadu and we were disappointed to hear that many of the walks and falls and billabongs were closed and especially in the south they found it difficult to fill their time as very little was open.

Exploring Litchfield – Back at Florance

When we arrived back to camp late in the afternoon the RJs had arrived. Rob had done some research and had also found that much of Litchfield was yet to open. I didn’t mind so much. I was happy with Edith Falls and Buleys and was very happy to just relax a bit within a short walk to the falls.

Leon has begun to fall back into his natural state of pessimism, which he combats really well the majority of the time. The exhaust, the solar not adequately charging the camper batteries, the inability to book a fishing charter in advance, the attractions across Litchfield and Kakadu being closed, the trip slowly drawing to a close, decisions to be made back in the reality of home… all the things were weighing on his mind. But a gentle reminder and he was back in the land of the optimistic, grateful for the life we’re currently living and the opportunity to live it.

We had sausages for dinner and more marshmellows, before Leon and I went for a shower and left the kids in the camper, a whole 100m away. I would have been home for less than 15 minutes, however on my return Theodore was a blubbering mess and Joey exclaimed, ‘I feel like I want to cry on the inside, the tears just aren’t coming out.’ When I asked them what was the cause of all these emotions, Teddy says, ‘It’s the same temperature as Nanna and Pops and you always leave us alone at Nanna and Pops, so when you left us alone here at this temperature I just felt really alone!’ I had never known the temperate could evoke such a response in such a short time!

Lazy Last Day (with snakes)

In the morning we again headed to the falls, this time with the RJs which naturally means it’s more fun, and we did all the things; swimming to and jumping off the waterfall, exploring the wonderland of down stream, snorkelling with the fish. There was a moment of added excitement though. When swimming here, you are regularly brushing leaves away from your body as they float past. Sometimes it gets too frequent and you can’t be bothered and just ignore them. Malachi and Leon were sitting at the waterfall and Leon felt one such lead brush past his chest. He left it and didn’t brush it away… looked down and saw a snake slithering across the surface of the water inches from him and Malachi, and must have brushed past his chest. Needless to say they were away from the waterfall pretty swiftly proud of how calm they stayed. After some research we’ve determined it was a Keelback, a non-venomous fresh water snake, or an Olive Python.

When you’re visiting these places of significant natural beauty, there’s often a main attraction, in this case the falls. At weddings, while I love to watch the partner walking down the isle, like many other I’m so grateful for the times I remember to turn and watch the delight spread across the face of the partner waiting for them at the other end. Similarly, when visiting natural wonders, I’m so grateful when I remember to turn around and marvel at what’s in the other direction. The falls are pretty spectacular, but the view down stream is an etherial fairyland. When I was down there alone, it was almost spiritual. The kids skipped from rock to rock like little pixies in a dream. Especially Harriet and Charlie with their white blonde hair beautifully wild and carefree.

It was busy at the falls again today. You realise you’re only a couple of hours from Darwin when groups of people and families arrive with their lairy inflatables… literal lollipops and rainbows floating around. 

We went back to camp to relax and the RJs went out for the day, and we headed back to the falls in the afternoon when the crowds have left. Another snake encounter on the way in when Joey spotted a snake that was a deep orange with the brightest of yellow underbelly. We believe this was a tree snake of some description.

We had a relaxing afternoon, but it’s not as pretty when the water so shaded by the walls of the gorge. The RJs arrived to the falls, back from their day out, just as we were leaving… much to the disappointment of all the kids.

The Last Supper

This was to be our last night with the RJs, likely until we run into them when they reach Brisbane. So the plan was to have one last supper together and enjoy marshmellows around the fire. Joey became overwhelmed with the number of people at our camp and chose to retire into the camper solo to watch a movie, and after all the other kids had finished their marshmellows roasting they went into the camper to watch an episode of something before bed, and Joey then came out to enjoy his dessert. 

We all went to bed having thoroughly enjoyed our last supper; however, acutely aware that the solar had not charged all day and the batteries were in a very vulnerable state.

Boh boh

We awoke in the morning to the batteries at 9V and the fridge not running. Ugh. We’re leaving today we we hitched up early and connected to the car… still not charging. What the heck? Something weird is going on with the charger. It eventually kicked in, but still a concerning conundrum.

Neither Harriet or Teddy were happy about having to say goodbye. Another thing we learnt on the Nitmuluk cruise was the Jawoyn (traditional owners) word ‘boh boh’ which is closer in meaning to see you later or u til we meet again, then goodbye. This reminder has Harriet more willing to be in one last photo, but didn’t seal the deal for Teddy. So we said boh boh to the RJs and headed to Darwin and Uncle Phil. 

Heading to Darwin

On the way to Darwin we learnt that Wangi Falls had recently opened so we could have visited, but opted to stop in at Berry Springs instead. This was a beautiful spot, but so extreme busy, and not as beautiful as other places we’ve been. The water was lukewarm though which was welcomed. We swam from one swimming area to the next but didn’t stay for too long before getting back in the car and continuing the journey.

We stopped in at Palmerston for a spot of groceries before arriving at Alex and Betina’s and being greeted by Uncle Phil. We parked the camper on the front lawn and set it up, and before I knew it the kids had made themselves at home, getting to know the dogs and swimming in the pool, and playing a game of ‘I’ll slap you on the bum with my thong’ with Uncle Phil. Soon after we arrived Uncle Phil took the kids to walk the dogs and they came home super excited with how many golf balls they had collected. It was like Christmas!

Leon was also able to secure a fishing charter for the following day that he and Malachi would go on together… Once Malachi came to terms with being on a boat where salt water crocodiles could be.

In the afternoon we sat down to watch the Broncos play. The kids thought this was so much fun, but they were significantly more entertained by Uncle Phil’s antics than the on field action. Their take away saying that I’m sure I’ll be hearing for years to come was what Uncle Phil yelled as Corey Oats took off; ‘Turn it on ya big heap!’ They been continually in hysterics since hearing it. The best!

Having bought some groceries today and the luxury of a full kitchen, we had a great meal of steak and sausages with mushroom sauce; the works! Delicious!

Darwin Day One

Malachi and Leon left fairly early for their fishing charter, and the little two and I stayed home with Uncle Phil. Joey and Ted swam and played with the dogs and went on walks with Uncle Phil, they watched movies and laughed a lot (mostly at uncle Phil’s comments/reactions). I spent the day catching up on all the washing that needing doing!

Malachi and Leon arrived home early afternoon and we lazed around until we headed to the sailing club for dinner. We had a great evening and were privileged to another spectacular sunset over the water.

After dinner we visited the Mindil beach markets which we loved browsing and bought some art and photographs (again, tangible mementos), before heading back to the house.

The kids have their own money that they can choose to spend (or not) on this trip. So far they’ve bought an item of significance or two each, and a whole lot of lollies! Joey wanted to buy something at the markets, but his indecisiveness, the anxiety that he may later not be happy with this decision, has potential to lead to meltdowns of epic proportions. Tonight, said meltdown was narrowly avoided. 

Darwin Day Two

We decided to spend our last day here relaxing and frequenting the shops to get somethings we’ve been needing for a while. Because Malachi got to join Leon on the fishing charter, we told Joey and Theodore they could spend about $30 each on something… Cue indecision related meltdown. We got past it, but boy does he hate the pressure of a decision! 

We got home for lunch and relaxed the afternoon away. Malachi is incredibly homesick, in a horrible mood, isolating the camper, crying, sketching him and his best mate. It was cute, heartwarming and heartbreaking, and frustrating all at the same time. After a couple of hours of alone time he came inside for a shower which must have helped make him feel better and he was much more himself again. 

We had the last of the Exmouth fish for dinner, accompanied with a great salad, we watched a movie with more entertaining commentary from Uncle Phil, and put the kids to bed. Leon and I enjoyed a few beers and conversation with Uncle Phil long into the night which was an awesome way to end our stay here.

In the morning, we packed up after breakfast and headed to Kakadu, our last major destination before making the trek home.