Entry 7 – 5th to 21th Sept., Litchfield National Park, Northern Territory.
Leaving Kakadu, two days later and about 300 kilometres up the road we arrived at Wangi Falls campground in Litchfield National Park. It was about 11.30 am and the campground was only at about 25% capacity, indicating the extreme heat of the last few weeks had taken its toll on the normally crowded campground.
Our preferred solar friendly camp site was vacant but we still walked around the campground to view all the other vacant camp sites. We decided to try another campsite, with enough solar access to satisfy our battery power supply needs, including a tree which offered some shade for a couple of hours during the day, providing some personal shady comfort.
Shortly after our arrival we were in the refreshing falls waters enjoying a cool down in the cool but not too cold water. With further cool down dips during the progression of setting camp.
The 7-day weather forecast predictions showed one day at 36 C which ironically, we were looking forward to, with the rest 37 – 39 degrees. Thankfully the fire risk was declared to be high without the mention of the very scary word, catastrophic enabling us to feel comfortable with our surroundings.
Our daily ritual started, when we woke near sunrise, usually between 7-8 am with a refreshing morning dip and swim out under the fall’s waters, breakfast, followed by several dips, on need during the day, concluding with a final night time dip at bed time regardless the hour. Our night time dip just as refreshing as any other with the bonus of a star filled sky providing wonderful karma vibes for sleep time.
Our bodies seemed to be acclimatising, more accepting of the hot conditions. We primarily lingered around our camp with our fans providing air movement tingling our damp skin and the other half of the day in the fall’s waters. We exercised splashing about in the falls water with the added exertion of a 500-metre walk to the falls = about 5 kilometres plus, walking each day, though at a sedate rate due to thong footwear. We also partook in some Pilates workouts under the awning during the coolness (27 degrees) of the early mornings.
The setting provided by nature was a bit different for each visit to the falls. One morning the air just above the lake surface was awash with dragon flies, some red, blue, green and brown. Some evenings we timed it right for viewing many hundreds of overhead flying foxes launching from their nearby daytime tree residence in search of food over the night.
Some days it would be windless at camp but the falls area would be quite windy from the air movement created by the fall’s waters and visas versa other times. The sky above the falls would have a variety of birds enjoying the updraft winds formed by the fall’s water. Often, we would have different coloured dragon flies enjoying rest time perched on our hats or on our floatation noodles. Then there was the visiting human factor and their different antics. At times when people were blocking access to the water with no consideration of other people nearby, Steve would push his way through the stair entrance into the water and launch into the water, trying to produce a big belly flop wetting people standing at the entrance, resulting in some form of comments. Most times it did clear a path for Mary to follow.
It was true euphoria on the rare occasion we had the unspoilt waters to ourselves. Each time we were in the fall’s pool one of us would exclaim “this is so nice!”, what a wonderful oasis we have here.
It had been 9 days since we had last used the tow tug, as we had chosen to stay put, close to the cooling waters of Wangi Falls. The latest seven-day weather forecast was looking better without the severe energy sapping 37 to 39-degree temperatures of the last few weeks with the latest forecast prediction of about 34 – 36-degree maximums. We started discussing options to explore some other locations in Litchfield National Park. We picked out the first 34 degree predicted day time temperature to drive up the road about 10 kilometres to explore the Tolmer Creek falls walking trail. We woke that morning to see the weather forecast had been changed with temperatures from that day of 36 to 38 degrees over the next 7 days. We still did the walk enjoying the exercise but felt a bit flat the rest of the day, possibly due to a bit of heat exhaustion.
Most other people were staying 1 to 3 nights at the campground with regular comments, “we’re moving because it’s too hot.” Over the following week there was the regular bureau of meteorology warnings to enact your bush fire survival plan due to extreme weather conditions. A couple of times the campground was shrouded with smoke and we semi packed up camp in-case of the need for a quick getaway. While we also checked the web for the fire location – not too close to us hopefully.
It was such a wonderful relaxing environment. We had no pressing set timelines, choosing to be enchanted by the Wangi Falls atmosphere for as long as we were able. One day on our way to the falls water Mary stopped at the loo. Once seated she pulled at the paper from the dispensing cassette and a large gecko tumbled out landing on her leg. There was the mandatory screaming with some laughter and more screams. She did appreciate the cooling waters to settle down her heart rate.
The caravan windows were wide open during the daylight and night-time hours allowing free flow of air movement for its cooling effects. Bed time we would leave the curtains open, waking in the morning, watching the sun rising on the horizon from bed, admiring our beautiful green surroundings.
Day 12 at Wangi Falls and the bureau of meteorology changed the long-range weather forecast again! This was around the fourth change to the predicted weather forecast since our arrival. Now they were predicting rain for six days straight ranging from 10% chance of rain to 40% with daily rain fall up to 5 millimetres, still with daytime high temperatures of 35 to 38 degrees.
A couple of days later it did rain with Steve getting out in the rain to help clean the outer dirt layer from the caravan. The temperature was around 34 degrees making for a comfortable working environment and he could see the dirt being washed away.
After 18 nights at Wangi Falls campground we decided to start travelling south putting a bit of distance between us and the nearby city of Darwin, primarily due to the start of school holidays in a couple of days.
The Wangi Falls environment for us was a paradise, providing much delightful pleasure.
We hadn’t felt the need, to move on to explore elsewhere at any time. The only fallout from staying so long, it had been, 3 ½ weeks since our last shop with no fresh food left. But interestingly, we assessed we had enough other long-life food to sustain us for at least another week. Sadly, Mary needed to retire a pair of thongs after experiencing a blowout walking to the falls.
Unfortunately, we then had a reality check. Above was to be the final draught describing our Litchfield National Park experience.
After Steve had finished scrubbing the outside of the caravan in the rain we decided to go for another dip as it had stopped raining. Mary got to within 3 metres of the falls lake when she slipped with one leg travelling horizontal away from her and the other crumpling inwards under her. Resulting with a lacerated knee, a chunk of skin missing, another chunk of skin missing off her foot and several tiny rock granules stuck in the palms of her hands.
Steve put Mary in the campground shower to wash her wounds and raided our first aid kit, patching her up. A phone call to the hospital help line and it seemed we had patched her up satisfactory and was recommended to follow up the following day with a medical assessment.
Thus, we left Litchfield National Park at 7 am the following morning, two days earlier than planned. We attended the Katherine Hospital emergency section waiting for three hours watching too many people come in after us being seen, most coming out within a few minutes and leaving. It was decided that Steve should go to the shops to get some food and return to sit with Mary. He hadn’t been gone for a minute when Mary was attended to by a doctor. Evidently Steve should have gone much earlier.
Mary had her wounds rewashed, poked and new bandages applied, which came loose within a short time, nowhere near as good as Steve’s bandaging. We booked into a caravan park, turned on the air-conditioner and Mary lay on the bed and went to sleep.
It was time to rethink our plans, discounting a week of planned water activities around Mataranka, no longer an option for Mary. Mmm more research.
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