Steve and I left Katherine and headed towards Kakadu NP. We’d planned a stop at Edith Falls for the morning and once we arrived there we decided to try our luck at getting a campsite for the night. We were lucky!! It’s first in first served.
So we set up camp and went to check out the lower pool of the falls. It was huge!! We took our newly acquired noodles and swam about 200m across to the waterfall. I’m glad I had my noodle.
After lunch we did the walk to the upper falls which was a 2.6km loop. It was beautiful!!
The rocks in the water were really slimy so you’d basically slide over and down them like a slippery dip! Steve went in behind the waterfall which was falling very fast and had a lot of water.
I’m not a fan of going through waterfalls but I thought I’d give it a go. Very bad move!!! Steve had to help me under because it was really strong. When I went through it caught my breath and I panicked!! Steve said I just stopped swimming and was grabbing onto him which was making him go under. So he swam out and then realised he needed to get me out. So he swam back in and pulled me out. I was hyperventilating!! I needed my noodle!! 😄 Steve floated me on my back and I calmed down. I’ve decided I’ll look at waterfalls from a distance unless I can walk under!
We swam for a while and then continued on the loop back to camp. On the way back there were some young adventurous kids who’d climbed out onto a very high ledge and were jumping off! Crazy kids!!
The loop back was beautiful. At the bottom we were hot so had another swim in the lower pool.
The next day we decided to go to Gunlom Falls in Kakadu. We were back on the dirt, it was a long, corrugated, dusty, fat wobbling road into the campground. We found a great site, set up, had lunch and headed up to the falls.
It was a very steep, rocky path and slippery due the sand on the rocks. It was totally worth the walk!! Stunning!!
You could swim to the edge of the pool to the waterfall. It was like an infinity pool. You could also walk out to look over the edge if you were game. The view was amazing. We could see our car and kayak and they looked tiny!
After a while swimming in the beautiful water we decided to head back down. As I mentioned it was steep, rocky and slippery. What I hadn’t mentioned was we were wearing thongs because I had blisters from the walk the day before. So I slipped on the dirt in my slippery thongs onto a large rock landing on my back. It was the most excruciating pain I’d ever felt!! ( yes ladies worse than labor!) I couldn’t move at first and felt like I was going to pass out. Some breathing and encouragement and assistance from the people below me I managed to get down to Steve. We were only a third of the way down a very steep, slippery and rocky 1km slope!!
The rest of the way was a blur of tears and awful pain. Steve had already blown a thong so was in bare feet! We decided I might have better grip with bare feet too. So here we are walking down a slope that was categorized as difficult both in bare feet, me crying and wincing with every step and Steve supporting my weight with every step. We were going very slow. A few comments and looks from people that said ‘Bloody idiots in bare feet!’
Anyway, we eventually made it down and because we were hot we had to have a swim in the bottom pool where the sign said ‘Although the rangers have cleared this swimming hole of salt water crocodiles you’ll be swimming at your own risk.’ At that point I hoped a croc would take me!!!
The evening was spent medicating around a campfire 😜.
As with all such things it was going to get worse before it got better. It did! I took every drug I could!! I even had my REALLY strong ones from when I had my bike accident 7 months ago. So I slept better than I thought I would.
The following morning was not good! Steve packed up! I tried!
We then headed further into Kakadu. We decided to turn off to Maguk (Barramundi Gorge) which was another walk (yes!) to a waterfall and swimming hole. It was 10km in on a really rough dirt road! If the walk wasn’t too rocky and steep we thought I’d manage. It was looking good.
We made it a fair way in and it became steep, rocky and slippery again! It didn’t look much further so we carried on slowly. It got worse 😳 but we’d come so far we thought we may as well keep going!!
We made it to the top of the waterfall!! Wow!! Magnificent view and also some Indigenous rock art.
We saw a bunch of people down the bottom swimming and soon realised we’d missed a turn because we’d ask one of the tour guides what the track was like and he said it was fairly easy and flat! We accused him of lying on the way up the steep, rocky slippery gorge!! No, we just missed the markers!!
We made our way down again very slowly with Steve supporting my weight on each rock! We found the right turn so Steve went for a quick look. I was March fly bait so I followed! I waited in a rock pool area. Steve went and took some photos. He said it was another amazing swimming spot. 😔 Oh well there will be more.
After climbing another mountain, this time injured, and after another 10km of dirt road, we drove along the beautiful bitumen Kakadu Highway to Coolinda Lodge.
We’d booked two nights here so no worries about getting a spot. It was actually a resort! Powered site, Two pools, bar, bistro and restaurant!! Heaven!!!!
We set up and of course went to check out the bistro for lunch, the pool to cool down and the bar for some refreshing beverages. It was perfect. Just what an injured girl needed.
An early night was a must!! We were exhausted after 4 walks in five days!! There was a bit of noise from some kids near our tent. They were killing cane toads. For every toad they killed there dad was going to give them 20 cents! They were up to $1. They were having a ball!! The noise they were making sounded like the cane toad was getting a real beating!! Gruesome!! Dad also came by to ensure the toad was getting a humane death! Our kids would’ve loved it!! It was a win win situation. Parents got rid of the kids and the kids had fun AND made money.
More night noises made it a bit difficult to sleep. Something was scratching around outside! ( I thought it was the sprinklers going- must have been my drug intake!) Not sure what it was. Eventually it had its fill and moved on.
After a restless sleep we were up and off on a 2 hour Yellow River wetlands cruise. It was an amazing two hours of birds and crocodiles!
We hadn’t seen a saltie yet so we were very excited by the number we saw! We saw a few females and Max!
He was 4.5m and it was his territory. The guide told the story that he’d seen with his own eyes Max take on and kill another 3m male croc that ventured into his territory.
We saw one of the female crocs with lunch in its mouth. It was a turtle. 😔 They’re very scary and sneaky hunters.
We also saw an eagle flying off with a big fish in its claws. Nature is brutal.
The cruise was a great way to see and learn about the Kakadu habitat.
After the cruise we went to the Aboriginal Cultural Centre. It was very well done with lots of information about how the local tribes lived. It covered everything about the local tribes including their weapons, tools, food, medicine, shelter and art. Steve and I both thought it was the best cultural centre we’d seen.
We then went back to camp. For lunch Steve had a crocodile salad. (He said it was revenge for the turtle😄) it tasted like chicken steak.
It was a lovely couple of days at Cooinda Lodge/Resort. A nice spot that felt like you were in the middle of nowhere. The resort was a little noisy but it was school holidays. We’re getting used to the quieter bush camping.
Enjoying your adventures!