On our way out of the Northern Territory, we decided we needed to visit the national parks before leaving the Top End for good. We had heard great things about both Litchfield and Kakadu, although locals seemed to prefer LItchfield due to entrance and camping fees at Kakadu. We began our explorations at Litchfield and spent a night camped out in the bush off a 4WD track in its jungle wilderness. The environment was beautiful, but it was challenging to deal with both the thick humidity and the swarms of bugs that were drawn to our lights and dinner table. We had camped just a short distance from Florence Falls, and in the morning after packing up, we hiked the trail to the falls. Part of the appeal for camping at this location was that Florence Falls was safe for swimming - one of several croc-free pools in the park but one of very few in all the Northern Territory. As we rounded the corner to the falls, we were blown away by how magical it seemed. Twin waterfalls poured into a clear, deep pool with ancient-looking rock formations and tropical vegetation surrounding. Without hesitation we jumped in, and the water was blessedly cool. After checking for submerged rocks, Devin took this opportunity to leap from some rocky ledges and entertain the rest of the swimmers. After a good long swim at Florence we visited Buley Rock Holes, another swimming spot where the river had carved deep pools into the rock. Once we had had our fill, we took a 4WD track to the Lost City, a spot in Litchfield where great sandstone spires loomed overhead like crumbling ancient ruins. We truly felt like we had wandered into the Jungle Book. It was awesome adventure territory - our type of playground. Kakadu National Park (This picture for Adele) After Litchfield it was time to venture into the famous Kakadu. Upon entering the park, however, we began to understand why it has gained its reputation with the locals. The entrance fees ended up being $25 per person for a 14-Day pass, which would have been OK had we either been staying for 14 days or had an option to buy a cheaper, one-day type pass which is all we really had time for. But no. Ouch. It left a bitter taste in our mouths as we drove into the park. In addition, we discovered that many of the camping areas in the park, which on many official park maps were designated as free, had signs that asked you to pay extra fees for each person in your party per night. Either $10 for campgrounds with toilets and showers or $5 for basic bush camping. We determined that our camping fees were in our $75 that we had blown for a one day, one night stint. Particularly because the toilet at our bush camp where we spent the night was out of order due to a large, hairy monster spider that had rented out the toilet bowl. That night did not improve much either. As the sun set and the annoying black flies slowly departed, the mosquitoes came out with a vengeance. It got so bad that in the muggy, riverside heat of the evening, we had to put on pants and long sleeves and eat our dinner underneath our mosquito head gear (thanks for leaving those Adele!). Sadness. The park was redeemed, however, by the incredible bush walks we were able to take on our two days there. We were able to view some incredible Aboriginal rock art, followed by an intense long hike through a rapidly changing landscape of sandstone cliffs and gumtree forests. We had the trail all to ourselves which was fabulous. The second day, Ben got some required fishing time in and Devin and I had a walk through the wetlands. All in all some awesome adventures at Kakadu!
0 Comments
After Susanna’s hemp farm, we made our way north, back through the Atherton Tablelands towards Cairns. Since we had a few days before meeting back up with Devin and Emily, Mar and I decided to take advantage of what the Tablelands had to offer. Just down the road from Susanna’s we stopped at Little Millstream Falls, a short and sweet 700m walk that took us to the base of a beautiful swimming hole and waterfall. Though hesitant at first due to chilly air and chillier water, I finally took my man pill and took the plunge. As always -- totally worth it. Mar in the Cathedral Fig From there, we stopped by both the Curtain and Cathedral Fig Trees – two Lord-of-the-Rings-scale-enormous trees that are too astounding to do them justice via blog. Essentially, a tiny Fig seed takes root at the crown of another tree, then sends its roots down from there to the ground, in this case around 50 meters below. Once rooted, the sapling grows around the existing tree like a vine, eventually choking off and killing it. By the time the dead tree inside rots away, the fig stands free on its extensive root structure. Refer to pictures to have mind blown. Along the way we also stopped by one of the many volcanic craters in the Tablelands. Its true depth was hidden by water and floating duckweed, but according to the info placard, the crater was the outlet for an enormous steam vent that went deep into the roots of the mountains. Flipping incredible. It’s hard to judge the height of the crater walls by the pictures, so we threw a few rocks in, determining that it took a full 5 seconds before they hit the water. We also just wanted to throw stuff in the crater. To give this some scale, note the upside down tree lodged in the boulders... That night we stayed at a small, free campsite in Babinda, located next to The Boulders, a point of interest that featured massive rock formations carved through by a powerful river. Beautiful to look at, but we found it hard to fully appreciate due to the ongoing OzExperience tour groups moving through. We also had to stay on the walking track, so there was no scrambling to be had there. The warning signs were very effective, indicating that “many have died in this small section of creek” so we decided to keep our distance. Tropic Days Backpackers, Cairns The next day we drove up to Cairns to get the car serviced and to meet up with Dev and Em. Since it was a public holiday when we arrived, we were forced to wait through the weekend and stay at a local backpackers called Tropic Days before a mechanic could look at Alby. For the modest price of $11 p.p./ night we camped in the garden area behind the dorms. This would have been absolutely perfect if not for the near-constant rain that pelted our tent for the entire weekend. We tried to make the best of the situation by wandering around soggy Cairns and finding some cheap eats. It’s really the only thing you can do in Cairns without blowing $100+ on a guided tour of some kind. We really enjoyed the Night Markets, a daily flea market running from 4-11pm that offered fun stuff like wine tastings, python petting, Chinese massage and cheap trinkets all under one roof. Ben and Nico, Didge Artist We were able to resist the enthusiastic, solicitous advances of masseuses and Asian buffet girls, but were drawn in to a small trinket shop selling jewelry and didgeridoos. Despite my best efforts to resist, I couldn’t help but be drawn to one of the coolest didges I had ever seen. Unlike most of the other countless didges I had seen so far, this one was covered in intertwining grooves made by the watjuti grub. I simply had to have it, especially when I met the didge’s Aboriginal artist Nico who showed me how to really play. I was worried about damaging the didge since I’d be lugging it around Australia for the next 10 months. Nico just laughed at me and explained that it was a piece of solid, dead wood, and a drop off an airplane wouldn’t harm it. So now in addition to our pile of stuff (including Emily’s didge) already filling Alby to the brim, I’ve added another big dead log. Campside Lorikeet After saying goodbye to Blade the wonder dingo-mutt, we began our journey up the coast, breaking free of the tractor beam/black hole that is the Sunshine Coast (finally!). Since our stay at Gagaju had felt a bit luxurious, we decided to take advantage of the free roadside campsites dotted along the Bruce Highway. In Yaamba, we camped behind the local pub where we had a few beers to celebrate Erin’s first legal drink as a 19 year old. I think the barkeep took pity on our vagabond appearance and general lack of personal hygiene because he gave us a pile of day old meat pies and sausage rolls on the house. We were obviously thrilled to receive such a glorious bounty. Anyway, Marielle remembered hearing one of the Gagaju residents recommend another bush camp northwest of Mackay called Platypus, so we made it our next stop on the trip. Alby and Jucy at Platypus As we got closer to Platypus Bush Camp, located in the Finch Hatton Gorge of Eungella National Park, the landscape drastically changed from sparse scrubland with the occasional Eucalyptus forest to endless fields of sugarcane, encircled by misty mountains covered in lush rainforest vegetation. A few creek crossings later, we arrived at Platypus. The camp was set up as a half-camping area, half-jungle hut retreat. Nestled among the palm fronds were several open-air huts on 6 ft stilts. One of the coolest things at Platypus was the “jungle shower” – one-sided bamboo shower stalls open to the jungle elements. It’s a great idea if you’re comfortable being naked in the presence of a leaf-tailed gecko or 3 in. long huntsman spider. Australian Whistling Tarantula The camp was run by a small, very wrinkly, very beardy Aussie bushman in flip-flops and straw hat. He was really friendly and accommodating to us, right up until he thought we were trying to light his tiki-style dining area on fire when we were lighting a camp stove for dinner. Australians have the innate gift of profanity when the time is right, or when they’ve been drinking, or all the time. This was our first experience with real rainforest – dense, moist air, lush Kermit-green vegetation, and freaky looking insects. Did you know there’s such a thing as a crab spider? Spider that looks like a crab. Awesome. Our first night at Platypus we encountered the biggest spider Mar and I had ever seen – the Australian Whistling Tarantula. Don’t worry; I took about 300 pictures of it. This one was about as big as a grown man’s hand. Corey discovered it when it nearly ran over his foot. Needless to say, after a semester of entymology, he was pretty stoked by the find. I was less enthused when I saw how quickly the hairy monster scuttled across the ground when poked. Heebie. Jeebies. Ben, Erin, and Corey at first set of Pools 2 km up the dirt road from the camp was the Wheel of Fire hiking track in Eungella National Park. The track wound through the kind of rainforest that Fern Gully and biodomes aspire to be. We passed a 3 ft monitor lizard, some kookaburras looking for handouts, some skinks, and a small brown snake with a gold band across its forehead that Mar nearly squashed. The trail frequently ran alongside a series of mini waterfalls and beautiful rock pools. We of course took full advantage. We found the water cold enough to cause unintentional girlish screams, but definitely worth the chill. |
Marielle & BenWe're two people in the midst of severe quarter-life crises who decided to leave good jobs in a bad economy to travel to the other side of the world because, well, why not? Archives
April 2011
Categories
All
|