Day 26 Litchfield

We plan an early start today. Litchfield is only an hour from Darwin and so it is serviced as a day trip by several local tour companies. We have heard stories of hordes of tourists in the most popular areas and the message is to get there early and avoid the rush. The most popular spot in the park is Wangi Falls, about 50km from our caravan park. The falls are visible from the road as we approach and the pool itself is only a short 100m walk from the carpark. The pool is one of the largest we’ve seen, about 100m square and there are actually two waterfalls cascading into the pool from a height of about 200m. There is a trail which climbs to the top of the falls and then loops back around to the falls. We walk the trail first. Unfortunately, there are several bushfires in the area and an otherwise majestic view is spoilt by enormous plumes of black and grey smoke reducing the visibility to the West and North. We complete the 1.7km loop walk and quickly ready for a swim in the pool. It is cooler than previous pools but very refreshing. Thankfully, the tourist busses fail to materialise and we enjoy a trouble-free swim. Lunch is approaching so we decide to drive to nearby Sandy Creek for a picnic and another swim. The creek is only accessible by 4WD as the road is unsealed and bumpy. The highlight of the trip is a river crossing of about 20 metres at a depth of about .5m. The ‘Social Butterfly’ has received a new moniker- ‘Handbrake’ and she is not too sure about the river crossing. The depth indicator in the middle is reassuring and so we are allowed to cross. I stop about halfway across and open the door to show the kids the water moving past, just below the door. Of course I failed to properly scan for crocodiles and am quickly admonished by Handbrake. We survive the water crossing and set off on the 1.7 km walk to the creek. Again, we are greeted by a waterfall of about 100m into a beautiful, clear pool. We have the picnic and then another swim. Jake and I swim about 100m to the base of the fall and scale the rocks for a better look. We’re far enough from Handbrake to escape scrutiny so we get in a few jumps before we’re caught by the scowling eye. On the way out we stop off at an abandoned old homestead. It’s a one-room shack that was once used by the owners of the station, a family with 14 children, as a temporary house near their tin mine. Jake is fascinated by a book there containing vivid tales of what life was like in the early twentieth century. Handbrake is fascinated by how the mother coped with having 14 children in 27 years and didn’t throttle at least one of them! Tomorrow, you guessed it, more waterfalls and swimming!