NT - Litchfield National Park

The beauty about this park is that it is small with most of the natural features easily accessible with a 2WD vehicle and it is only 129 klms south of Darwin.

The area is dominated by a huge sandstone plateau with numerous cascading waterfalls,
plunge pools, pockets of dense monsoon rainforest, termite mounds and interesting eroded outcrops.


We stayed here for three days. Each morning we would drive, and/ or walk to one of the many waterfalls, have a swim and then back to the caravan for lunch. After lunch we would spend the afternoon relaxing at Wangi Falls which has two spectacular waterfalls and a massive swimming hole ( crocodile free!) and only a five minute drive from our campsite. (We just found out that Wangi Falls has been closed for three days. . . . .they found a crocodile!!!)


Upon entering the park there is a valley with many gigantic termite mounds that stand up to two metres in height. The mounds’ thin edges point north-south, minimising their exposure to the sun and keeping the mounds cool for the termites. Fascinating! The area looks like a grave yard of large grey tomb stones.



I never get tired of seeing waterfalls. We saw six while we here and each has its own special beauty. We went on a couple of 4WD tracks and we crossed one stream that was about half a metre deep so that kept Mike happy as he drove us from waterfall to waterfall.

NT-Cahills Crossing

The East Alligator River forms the north eastern boundary between Kakadu National Park and Arnhem Land. The river is very dirty and full of crocodiles, barramundi and catfish.
Cahill’s Crossing is the only way to drive into Arnhem land from Kakadu and watching people crossing this river can be entertaining, especially at high tide when the water is running very quickly.



On the incoming tide the salt water and the barramundihead upstream. Towards the top of the tide the water rushes across the crossing and the crocodiles patrol the waters with their mouths open waiting for the unsuspecting barra. Occasionally cars and crocodiles are trying to cross and the same time. The crocodiles usually turn around and wait for the cars to pass.
Mike fished here once but was so concerned with the prowling crocs that he couldn't relax enough to enjoy the fishing.

NT-Arnhem land

Arnhem Land has restricted entry and the only two ways to get there is with a tour or by obtaining a permit. Its population is predominantly Aboriginal people, whose traditional culture remains largely intact. We spent one day on a guided tour and had a local take us to rock art sites and explain the paintings which were incredibly detailed, some dating back many thousands of years. We viewed a burial site which still had the bones intact but were not allowed to take photos in this sacred area.






Our guide Thomo is a lovely gentle man, as most of the Aborigines here seem to be. They are very shy and will only speak to you if you start the conversation. Thomo is also an artist and we were fortunate to be able to buy one of his paintings.



We enjoyed this visit to Arnhem land so much that we purchased a permit and drove in ourselves for a second visit. The permits are very strict, you must drive straight to your destination with no stopping on the way. We visited the art centre and watched some of the men painting, most of them sitting on the ground. In this region the men paint and each art work is a cultural story. The women weave baskets from grasses that they collect and colour with local dyes. They are so patient and their work is so detailed.

During the dry season the locals are busy burning off the scrub so the sky is usually a little hazy from the smoke. Arnhem land is a wonderful place, you can feel something special when you drive across the river and enter this area of wetlands, escarpments, lush green grasses and wildlife everywhere. The Aboriginees here still hunt and gather and are working at keeping their culture alive. The entire area is alcohol free as they know how destructive it is for their people. The closest place for them to buy alcohol is over two hundred kilometres away. We would love to visit more of Arnhem Land, maybe next time.