Litchfield National Park

An early pick-up this morning for our Litchfield National Park Tour.

We were picked up at 7.30 by our tour bus and guide Brad, from ' Litchfield Dreams', and joined the other 15 travellers on the mini bus on the way to Litchfield.

But first we were to embark on 'The  Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise' crewed by an all girl crew. The only all girl crewed crocodile cruise in the top end.

On arriving at The Adelaide River we were offered toast and coffee before boarding, and we also had the chance to 'handle' a very large snake. We were all very brave and each took our turn - and yes we do have photos to prove it.

We then boarded for a one hour calm water cruise where the girls enticed crocodiles up to 6 metres long to jump for a meal.  The crocodiles put on a great show 'jumping' for large pieces of buffalo meat which was held out over the edge of the boat from a small platform.

We were fortunate to get to see about 20 crocs, but the girls informed us that for every crocodile you can see, there are 10 below the surface. So today there were an estimated 200 crocs in the section of water we travelled.

After the 'crocodile's performances' and on our way back to the jetty, one of the girls then began to 'feed' the Whistling Kites, large Hawk like birds. She stood on the little platform out the side of the boat and threw small pieces of meat into the air, enticing the large birds to swoop down and catch the meat in mid air with their feet/claws.  This was a spectacular site.

On to Litchfield -

Litchfield National Park is an aesthetically stunning landscape shaped by water and time, culturally rich and steeped in history.

Covering approximately 1500 sq metres, near the township of Batchelor, 100kms south west of Darwin. Each year the park attracts over 260,000 visitors.

Proclaimed a park in 1986, it is named after Frederick Henry Litchfield, a Territory pioneer and
member of the Finniss Expedition, who travelled from South Australia in 1864. This was the first
European expedition to visit to Top End of Australia.

Aboriginal people have lived throughout the area for thousands of years. It is important to the Mak
Mak Marranunggu people (Northern portion) and, Werat and Weray (Southern portion) Aboriginal
people, whose Ancestral Spirits formed the land, plants and animals, and are still present in the landscape today.

Wangi Falls - our first stop was one of the most popular places to visit in Litchfield and also the most easily accessible, hence it was very busy.

The waterfall descends from an elevation of 84 metres. The plunge pool at the base of the falls is a
popular swimming spot, however it is often closed after significant rainfall as crocodiles are often
spotted here. Today it was open and there were lots of people swimming.

Our guide Brad had set up a lovely picnic lunch for us here in a nice shady spot, so we chose not to swim at this spot, but to have our lunch and walk out to the lookout for some photos.

Buley Rockhole - are a series of rock holes and waterfalls that tier down the side of the escarpment, creating some wonderful pools to dip in, some large enough to swim in, some even large and deep enough for you to jump in from the surrounding  rock ledges.

We couldn't resist taking to these inviting bubbling waters.  Jeff, Laurie and I found a ledge a couple of metres high and tested our jumping skills. It was a lot of fun. The water in these rock holes is crystal clear.

We all had a great time cooling off in these rock holes, some easier to get into, and out of, than others, as the rocks were quite slippery in places.

Florence Falls - is a spectacular double waterfall set amid the monsoon forest and cascading down to
a large swimming hole. The waterfall descends from an elevation of 64 metres via a series of tiered ledges. There is a 160 step staircase down to the swimming hole, so we chose not to swim here, instead we viewed the falls from the viewing platform which gave us a panoramic view of the whole
area.

We then wandered further up the shady walk that would have taken us all the way back up to the Buley Rockhole if time permitted, so we just paddled in a few of the rock holes before returning to the bus.

The lovely shady walk

Our guide was very knowledgeable about Litchfield, telling us lots of stories about the history of the park, he had a passion about the whole area, its people, animals and plants, and imparted this
knowledge with a great sense of humour.

After our dip in the pool

With Brad our guide

 The last stop for the day was at the termite mounds.

These termite mounds were over 60 years old and as you can see about 6 metres high

Darwin Casino And Humpty Doo Hotel

Today Jeff had a plan - that is to fulfil his ambition to attend every casino in Australia, and so off to the casino we went.

 

Brendan had told us about a deal they have on Monday's called 'Mad Monday' - well I think he must have told everyone else about it as well, because as we arrived there was this great long queue to get in.

So like sheep we joined the queue not really knowing what for. It ended up we were queuing for the Mad Monday buffet lunch. It was a pretty good lunch with a large selection of dishes, and the setting, looking out over the wide pool deck onto the palm lined lawns onto the beach and harbour, was well worth it.

As casino's go, this one was pretty good, the location was the best, we explored several of the bars and restaurants all with luxurious furnishings spilling onto the wide deck areas and all overlooking the amazing outdoors across the massive infinity pool.

'Tinny' Jude came out a winner again, and we made a generous contribution.

Back to the camp for a little rest before we welcomed Joy and Paula to our campsite for Happy Hour, as we were all heading out to the Humpty Doo Hotel for dinner.

Thr World Famous Humpty Doo Hotel
We were told this was an authentic Northern Territory Pub,  and we couldn't quite understand. On arrival we were a little disappointed, where was the history, the memorabilia etc. but walking into the place you can see what they mean, you are greeted with an open besser brick wall to let the breeze through, with an array of tables under an expansive roof.

The history is in the characters who inhabit the public bar, plus their cattle dogs. You can't show off  The-Territory-Bogan Style better than at the Humpty Doo Hotel.

The decor might be a bit rough and ready but the meals were first class. We had the trio of mini burgers, croc, barra and buffalo and they were delicious. Others had the grilled barramundi and said it was the best they had tasted.

Darwin Crab Day

The boys set off early this morning to go fishing with a local indigenous man which Brendan had organised for them.

It's just a tiny tinny - I thought he said we were going in a boat!!

Crabbing/fishing in the mangroves


Jude and I waited in-anticipation for the lovely barramundi we were going to have for dinner. Alas that wasn't to be. But they did return with a bucket of mud crabs!


Look at these beauties

Whose cleaning what!

The boys cleaned and prepared them and Jude quickly got into Masterchef mode and had those little beauties all cooked and on the table in no time.

Masterchef eat your heart out

A great feast was had by all - or nearly all - I don't even like crab, so I just joined in with the celebratory glass of champers.

Yumm! Yumm!

Cheers!

Previous Blog

For some reason some people didn 't get anything coming through on the previous blog.

It was a great blog about our first three days in Darwin, plus Lots of pics.

Please go directly to

helenandjeffstravela@blogspot.com

to view it if you didn't receive it.

More to come of our fabulous holiday.......................................

Darwin - Saturday, day 3

Up early to meet Brendan for yet another market, this one at Parap.

We met Brendan at 9.00 at his place of residence which was opposite the Parap Market. Brendan showed us around his 'digs' before we wandered around the market for an hour or so. This was a great food market very reminiscent of Thailand.

After enjoying some yummy food and fruit smoothies we drove around sightseeing for a few hours.

We visited the Museum, saw 'Sweetheart' the 780kg crocodile on display that was caught just out of Darwin. The Cyclone Tracey exhibit was very moving, especially for those like us who can remember it. Can't believe it was forty years ago.

We also visited Lake Alexander, a man made lake named after Alec Fong Lim who was Lord Mayor of Darwin from 1984 to 1990. The lake is now the main element that sets East Point Reserve apart from other picnic areas in Darwin.

Cullen Bay - is the boarding point for a number of popular harbour cruises. Just a little way out of the city there is an eclectic mix of restaurants, cafes and bars on the boardwalk around the busy marina. This seems to be the place to live if you have a boat. There is an extensive marina surrounded by beautiful waterfront houses and apartment blocks.

Fannie Bay -  is a middle/inner suburb of Darwin City.  Situated in the suburb is the famous Fannie Bay Gaol Museum, Fannie Bay Racetrack and a monument to Ross Smith captain of the Vickers Vimy, that in 1919 was the first aircraft to fly from England to Australia in less than 30 days. Just a bit of trivia for you.

and Pee Wee's at the Point - now a lovely restaurant and reception house with sweeping views from the terrace across the harbour.

It was once the site of the first fixed defence point of Darwin, built in 1932 as a result of the need to protect the naval oil depot

On the way back to camp we called into the fishing co-op to get some fresh fish and oysters, yumm!

Darwin - Friday, day 2

A relaxing day around the camp today. Lots of reading and pool time. It's a hard life.

Jeff and I joined Joy and Paula for a 'Champagne Sunset Cruise' on Darwin Harbour.

We met at Cullen Bay and boarded our 'private' catamaran, The Sundancer' from Sail Darwin, at 5.00pm to enjoy a relaxing and leisurely cruise around the magnificent harbour.

It was a fabulous cruise the owners/skippers Dave and Paul were amazing hosts and very informative as they sailed around explaining where we were and pointing out the various landmarks and points of interest.

We had the most amazing night, just a private party of four, with a never ending supply of  very yummy tapas style food, prepared by Paul in the galley, and a never empty glass of champagne.

Dave and Paul were just amazing they gave us free roam of the boat and joined us on deck serving food and drinks while telling little stories of their travels on the sea.

We spent lots of relaxing hours out on the sea on a lovely balmy evening, with just the slightest breeze to keep the temperature down, lovely friends to share this magical night with, and our new friends Dave and Paul.

As we sailed back into the harbour under a magical sky there was a fireworks display on the shore - we were sure Dave had arranged this just for us, to top off the best night ever.

Joy, Helen, Jeff and Paula

But some spoilsport informed us it was for the car race that was here today. But we chose to ignore that and still believe it was just for us.

Darwin - Thursday, day 1

We spent the day walking around exploring Darwin City, a very pretty place. The Waterfront area was impressive,  lots of apartment buildings above shops and restaurants, surrounded by lush lawns and lovely gardens.

The Mall in Darwin City

There is an artificial beach as well as a wave pool and lots of walkways and boardwalks to take you right around the waterfront and pier area and some take you directly into the centre of town. 

The Deckchair Cinema also operates in this area 7 nights a week from April to November 

There is a lot of history in this area, ruins from Cyclone Tracy, The Bombing of Darwin, WW11 Storage Tunnels. 

The gardens along the Esplanade extend for kms around the edge of the harbour to East Point Reserve allowing sweeping views across Fannie Bay and the harbour to the city skyline. 

The city itself is a modern vibrant city, and with it's close proximity to South East Asia is well influenced by these northern neighbours. More than 50 cultural groups live and work together here to create a fantastic mix of cultures, this is very evident at the famous Mindil Beach market held on Thursday and Sunday evenings from end April to end October. 

Mindil Beach Sunset Market - Northern Territory's most visited tourist attraction. 

We were advised to arrive early to secure a parking spot, which we did fortunately, as the enormous
car park filled rapidly. We met up with Brendan, Jude and Laurie's son-in-law who is working up here for a few months, who arrived to say hello. 

The fine selection of food was extensive, lots of Asian as well as almost any other food you could imagine, you could enjoy the tastes of five continents, over 50 different food stalls, more than 1200 different menu items, plus lots of beautiful fresh fruit smoothies and lassies. 

There was a section of the market for arts and crafts, jewellery and clothing as well, but we were intoxicated by the flavours and aromas that filled the warm evening air as we wandered about. 

We settled on some fresh oysters and a serving of the most amazing looking paella then sat on the beach dunes to eat and enjoy this magical, vibrant and entertaining event. 

Look at the size of this paella, and it was delicious

At this stage Joy and Paula, our neighbours from Mornington, who are also working up here for a couple of weeks, joined us on the beach and we all sat and watched the sky transform into a kaleidoscope of colour as the sun set over the horizon.

Mindil Beach always draws a big crowd at Sunset

The sun is getting lower

How beautiful is this

Another fantastic evening, fantastic food, fantastic company.