19th of June
We headed down to Litchfield from my cousins place for a day
trip. To be honest it deserved more. My favourite place was Wangi falls and
would have only been better if the place had a beach kind of entrance or my kids
were a bit bigger so they could stand up in the water without me having to
carry them everywhere.
Anyway here is my Favourite thing at Litchfield that’s right
back packers lol
enlarge this pic
Anyway on arrival at Litchfield we first stopped at Florence
falls with 130 steps to the bottom for our first swim of the day under a water
fall. We then drove around to Wangi falls for further swimming, followed by a
short bush walk and some lunch under a tree what a great place despite been
very popular and crowded. After lunch I had endure some backpacker dress sense as
shown above and walk the 300m back to the car with it in front of me. We then
headed over to Tolmer Falls. With the Baby asleep and mum and Jess keen to stay
at the car, Megan and I went for a brisk walk to the falls. On the way out we
called in to the termite moulds for a quick look before making a beeline for
the ice cream then back to Darwin.
Kakadu National Park 26th of July to 1st
of August
Some say Kakadu some say Kakadon’t lol I am on the fence glad I went but?
We had a week to spend out at Kakadu before My Uncle and
Auntie turned up in Darwin so we headed out to see as much as we could see. From
Darwin you head 200km south east to Jabiru where we based ourselves at Kakadu Caravan
Park and resort. First I have to say what a great place they have a Hugh pool with
a beach style entrance and a bar suppling beer and beverages with a happy hour
special also.
27th of July
The next day we head up to the info centre where I got the
slowest most unexcited person to ever work in an info centre. From what I force
from him it appears there is 2 places I can go on Bitumen these lead to
Aboriginal art work and all the main waterfalls and great things to see are on
dirt roads.
This info centre guy also told us we can go down to a place
called Nourlangie where there was aboriginal art work (one of the 2 places you
can get to to on bitumen) and it had a broad walk around that we could push the
pram. So thinking something easy to do before lunch we will head down the 30km
do this simply bush walk as we only had thongs on. Well on arrival we were
getting a pram out when a couple told us we won’t get far with that and after I
did a quick walk up to the start soon realised there is no way we were prepared
for the walk ahead. Back to the caravan Park for Lunch
After speaking to some people in the caravan
park we headed out to cahills crossing where at high tide (5pm for us) there is
a croc feeding frenzy as the barra appears to be forced to the end of the river
crossing where there is a weir and the fish can’t get over and this is when the crocs appear.
28th of July
Got up early to beat the heat and headed out to Nourlangie
again with our boots on and baby carrier at hand, with plenty of water and
food. The walk itself was about 1.5km but include rock steps and a couple of
steep sections. There was some great art rock with some impressive rock over hangs.
Part way around we caught up with a ranger that was giving one of the free
talks about the area. He talked about the age of the area and how it was
created. He also talked about the aboriginal art and dropped a small bomb shell
that some of the art work was drawn in the 70s and 80s. Upon finishing here we
got some recommendations off the ranger for some camp spots and he told us the
roads going to them will be getting graded today and tomorrow. All back in the
car and had made good time so we fed the kids lunch while we drove over to
Ubirr which is near Cahills crossing as there is more aboriginal art work on a
1km loop and a look out over the wet lands. The most impressive painting here
is the one called the dinner menu with one picture painted in spot so high and
so far out on a rock over hang it almost seems impossible to have been painted
by Human and there is a description there for it saying it was painted by the sprits,
I am thinking more likely a cherry picker in the 70s and 80s after what the
ranger said lol. We headed back to the caravan park for some well-deserved ice
cream. The Kids had a play in the pool with
some new found friends while I had a beer.
29th of July
Kate woke up Sick and we were going to leave today so we
ended up staying another night. Megan and I went and picked up supplies and
called into the bakery for some morning tea. The kids played with the kids
camped behind us in between fighting between themselves and with us.
30th of July
Headed out of the caravan park to the a campground called Maguk
as recommended by the ranger. There was 10km of dirt road in and even though
been told it was going to be graded it was twice as bad as any road I have ever
driven before the corrugations were so big I was thinking my dash was going to
leave my car. At the end of the drive we set ourselves up at the camp site,
before taking the 1km walk down to Maguk falls. The walk in was rocky and
natural with plenty of warning signs about crocs. At the end of the walk in we
were rewarded with a nice swim and a view of a water fall with very few people
around.
31st of July
Endured the worst road ever back out to the main road to
head down to the turn off to Gunlom falls this is 35km in with the first 20km
being a average out back road followed by another 15km of slow torture. After
setting up at the popular camp site we walked down to Gunlom falls for a swim.
There is a very rugged walk up the side of the hill which I decide to do by
myself and leave the wife and kids behind. The view from the top was great and
I had a swim in the ponds on the top of the water fall which they call the infinite
pool as your sitting in a pond of water just before it flows over.
1st of August
Pack up early to head to Darwin. We endure the 35km on the
dirt road back up to the main rd. Once arriving back at the bitumen I got out
of the car to do a check to make sure everything was held together. Walking past
the back axle of the caravan on the driver’s side I think to myself it appears to
be back about 30mm to much check the other side and that’s seems to be in the
right spot so go back and look under the van to find the leaf spring has broken
50mm from the back. The axle has forced itself back and the broken spring has
gone under the spring hanger where it had wedge itself with the weight of the
van on top. The problem is I need to get to Darwin to repair it if I leave it
how it is the van will rear steer all the way back to Darwin and the tyres will
wear out fast as they are trying to steer the wrong way. I jack the van up and
with a ratch strap pull the back axle forward using the front axle as an anchor
this strap I keep there for the trip back to Darwin to stop the axle moving
back again. I align the crack in the top leaf which is the one with the eyelet
that bolts the spring to the chassis, the 2nd leaf down is long
enough that’s it runs under the crack of the top spring and past where the leaf
bolts to the chassis and lower the van down a bit to put pressure on the leaves
again.
I only have some fencing wire and I start using this to tie
the top and 2nd leaf down together to try and hold it back to Darwin,
at this moment a gentleman turns up and asks me if I am ok. I tell the gentleman
my problem and
he replies “not much
I can do is there anything you need”
I reply ”I would love
a couple of 50mm hose clamps that I can flatten a bit and tie my leafs together”
His reply “I pinched a few from work last week there yours”
You beauty.
I strapped it altogether and got back on the
road I stopped 4 times on the 270km back to Darwin to make sure it was holding
up and it never moved. After placing the van back out the front of my Cousins I
removed the spring and went for a drive to source another and got it all back
together. These pics were taken after I was back at Darwin the van is jacked up and the spring pulled a part again
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