Kakado or Kakadon't? We definitely think Kakado.

Well what a day we have chosen to move on.  We had a bad night sleep due to two kids ending up in our bed when it suddenly cooled down overnight.  It didn’t help that we had pretty much left all the windows open as it wasn’t cold when we went to bed.  It took us a while to get away from Coomalie Creek as we kept stopping to say goodbye to others and then met another travelling family just as we were hitching on.

The drive to Pussy Cat Flats campground which is just outside Pine Creek was not a long distance however it felt like it was taking forever.  We just put that down to the fact that we were feeling very tired.  The place use to be the town’s racetrack and rodeo grounds but it is obviously no longer used for that.  Once we were set up we just chilled in the van and did a bit of school, but most of it was spent relaxing.  It certainly helped that we had scored a site right next to a basic playground so Jason and I could sit outside and just watch the kids play.

Later in the afternoon we went to check out Umbrawarra Gorge but that was a disaster as even though it was an easy walk the kids were not keen on walking at all.  I think we were all over tired and should have just stayed back at the van and rested.  So after about 500m we turned around and headed back.  It wasn’t even really that spectacular so I don’t think we should have wasted our time with it as lately we have seen so many really impressive ones. 

A beautiful flower from our walk.

That evening we met another family from Wagga Wagga who have been travelling Australia for six months.  Their three children and our two had a great evening out running around the dusty campgrounds chasing balls.  It was nice to see them running around and just having fun chasing balls.  It also allowed us to cook dinner and do a few jobs without getting interrupted saying they were bored or wanting this or that.

I was spoilt with a beautiful sunrise on Tuesday morning, over Kakadu too, so it was like it was enticing us to come in and see what it had to offer.  First though we had to pack up and hitch back on, top up water tanks and say goodbye to the family we had met the evening before.  Oh and before we could leave the place we had to get the photo of the car towing the van in front of the finish post on the former race track.  I mean where else could we get this photo!  So off we went, heading the short distance to the Mary River Roadhouse which is just outside the Kakadu National Park but it seemed like the most logical place to leave our van for the day.

Kakadu was calling us.

And the winner is the Pajero!

Getting a site and setting up was easy.  We quickly grabbed a bite to eat and packed everything we needed into the car and made our way into Kakadu National Park.  We were all ready for the big walk at Gunloom Falls.  It isn’t far but it is very steep, and ideally I would have liked to have gotten there earlier to do it whilst it was cooler, but that is life.  First stop was the Information Centre to buy our park passes which is only $25 each per adult.  There we ran into the family who had also stayed at Pussy Cat Flats and they were unhitching their van and leaving it there so they could go into Gumloon Falls like us.

Jason's clean car is now no longer clean.

So we followed them in and the dirt road in was fine, I mean it seemed like a highway after the one into Purnululu National Park!  Once there we waited whilst the other family had lunch and then we made our way up.  Kayla stopped walking early on but that was easy to understand as the steps up were really way too big for her little legs.  Every now and then we would stop for a rest which was much needed but we made it to the top a lot faster than we thought we would.  I think having the other family’s three kids certainly helped egg on Hamish to walk it all.  Mind you we learnt a lot from the other family about being realistic about what we carry up and to remember our backpack.  We lugged up the pool noodles, but really we should have just kept it to the bare minimum.

Gee you would think the one that was carried up could smile.

At the top lookout part.

Yay I made it... worked off breakfast.

A family in the rock pool - Kayla wasn't too happy though.

Once at the pools we were rewarded with a beautiful view and refreshing swim.  It truly is a natural infinity rock pool with a nice view over Kakadu.  Getting a photo without fellow tourists in the background was quite hard however as they kind of don’t get the general etiquette that you take your photo and then move out of the way so others can get a good photo (without them in it).  Still it was nice to have the swim and relax.  Kayla was not keen at all about being in the water even though the water wasn’t that cold.  Jason had also said that when he hopped under the small waterfall it was like hopping into a warm shower, as the water seemed to be heated from the rocks.

Jason and Hamish trying to get a photo but too many tourists.

In another one of the pools.

I didn't dare get any closer as it was a long drop down.

Of course this tourist was brave.

Before long it was time to trek back down the mountain.  Jason carried Kayla again whilst I had the towels, water and pool noodles whilst encouraging Hamish to walk down.  He was quite slow compared to the others so we got left behind a bit but Kylie held back and kept us company.  Back down the bottom we quickly checked out the bottom pool before saying goodbye and making our way back to the Information Centre.  We were hoping to be able to book the Yellow River Cruise from there but unfortunately we can’t, so we just checked out their displays and left.

At least our car looks in better condition.

Another National Park for Jason to have his picture in front of.

Back at the van we enjoyed just chilling for the afternoon whilst the kids loved the baby emu chicks and the sunset was really pretty.  We had planned to try and get to the cruise in time to join the 9am one but we decided against setting any alarms as we needed to get some sleep as we were all exhausted so we just decided to see what time we woke up in the morning.

The male toilets sign.

and the females - can't get it wrong.

Hamish and Kayla saying goodbye to the emu chicks.

Trying to get a good photo of them was hard.

Well there was no way we were going to do the tour as we didn’t get up until 7:30am and we needed to have left by 7am.  Oh well we will just do it another day.  We eventually got on the road and decided to head straight to Jabiru and set up there and then work out what we want to do after that.  We joked that the drive was a bit like a safari of spotting all the animals.  We managed to see wild donkeys, water buffalo and a dingo.  So yes we spotted all the introduced animals and no native ones!

Sunset at the roadhouse.

One Buffalo.

One dingo.

When we arrived at Jabiru we went for a scenic drive of the town.  Reading between the lines our navigator took us to the address of the caravan park supposably but there was just vacant land.  So we reverted back to the phone navigator and used that instead which took us in the back way to the caravan park.  There we found out they were fully booked (hard to believe as they looked so empty) so we went across the road to the other caravan park that had heaps of vacancies.

Waiting to book in I had an older lady push in front of me but then when I was served first she gave a dirty look at me and said she was there to collect her mail.  Now if she had just used her manners and asked if she could possibly go first then I would have let her.  She certainly can’t complain about the rudeness of the younger generation – she was not leading by example!  Eventually we were checked in and could go and find our site.  It is another caravan park where you aren’t allocated a site, you can just pick whichever one you want.  We always struggle with this because we can’t make up our mind as to which one we want.  We did however eventually decide on one and pulled up and set up our camp.

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and doing a bit more school so we are way ahead when the school term does actually start.  I think we are really looking forward to the week fully off when we are in Singapore.  Kayla and I also ducked out to the shops to grab a few more food supplies which was not a cheap trip out.  I didn’t think it would be that expensive considering it isn’t that remote from Darwin!

Jason booked our tour on the Yellow Water Cruise so we are now on the 6:45am tour as apparently the sunrise tour is awesome.  We have both set our alarm clocks so that we don’t miss out on it.  That night we just stayed in our van to watch the State of Origin so that we could go straight to sleep afterwards.  Everything was all packed up and ready to go the next morning!

So Thursday morning we were up way too early really.  I mean when you need an alarm clock to wake you up it just doesn’t seem right.  Though we knew it was for a good reason and hoped that it would be definitely worth it.  We were on the road by 5:30am which gave us an hour to drive down to the Yellow Water Cruise.  It normally would not take that long in the daylight but we just wanted to be able to take it easy in case there was a lot of wildlife.  We arrived with plenty of time to get the kids dressed out of their pyjamas and cover ourselves in rid for all the mosquitos.  Ian and Gwen were on the same tour so they pulled up a little bit later and we made our way down to the boat to board.

How can you not want to see this.

I love these trees.

There were so many mini buses running people down that I was starting to wonder just how big the tour boat was going to be.  In the end you are divided up into four boats which is a lot better in my opinion.  Best of all it isn’t like you all follow each other around as each one went in their own direction to start with and you only crossed paths as you made your way back out of one area and into another.  The morning mist that hung over the billabong was just beautiful and you could be mistaken for thinking it is this wonderful peaceful spot to swim.  I mean it is peaceful but unless you want to feed the crocodiles you certainly don’t want to go for a swim.

So peaceful and calm.

Wetlands - imagine the number of crocs in there.

Trying to capture the flower but it was just too hard.

We made our way around the different parts of the billabong spotting an abundant amount of bird life (sorry but I can’t remember all their names but there were a lot of different ones), some brumbies and some very large crocodiles.  Some even swam alongside the boat which I found a bit daunting as I am sure they were just waiting for a tourist to fall overboard and make for an easy breakfast.  Especially when a crocodile was spotted and everyone would move to that side of the boat and the boat would just lean to that side!  I was more than happy to remain on my side until the guide turned the boat around for the other side to see.

Once the sun came up these guys were out.

Look at the lean on that boat just to get a photo.

 

The kids weren’t really into it but luckily I had come prepared and had some pens for colouring and playdough to make different animals/objects out of.  Even the little boy sitting behind us thought the playdough was fun.  His mum made a comment how it is funny we pay $70 for them to come and sit on a boat and play with playdough.  At least we can laugh about it as if you don’t you would seriously cry.  I had no unrealistic expectations that my two and five year old would find the tour fun.  I mean sitting on a boat spotting birds and enjoying the scenery isn't really their thing.  Yes the crocodiles got their attention but only for a while and then it was back to whatever they were doing.

Someone was following us.

I just couldn't get over the lily pads, they were huge.

Personally I think the sunrise tour would have to be the best as the scenery was stunning and it wasn’t too hot.  At the start it is too cool to see many crocodiles but by half way through there were heaps swimming around and out hunting their feed for the day.  After the two hours were up we headed back to shore and made our way back to the lodge.  Included in the price was a buffet breakfast and we were all starving and ready to eat.  They certainly didn’t let us down with a huge amount of cooked options and then of course the healthy options so you could eat them last and feel less guilty about the bacon, eggs, sausages and hash browns you started with!  Most importantly they had coffee and it was definitely something we were going to need that day.

After breakfast we said goodbye to Ian and Gwen as it was most likely the last time we will see them on our travels.  They are now heading south through the red centre and doing Victoria and Tasmania whilst we are going to finish the top end of the NT and then make our way back into QLD and maybe, just maybe if we can squeeze it in, do a last minute snow trip before having to return to reality in Brisbane. 

On our way out we decided to call into the Cultural Centre and see what was on the program for the day.  It was only 40 minutes until they did some weaving, making damper and cooking barramundi so we thought we would hang around for it.  We knew we were pushing our luck with such an early start with the kids but we were hoping they could hold out for a little bit longer.  The weaving was fun, but it was a bit too hard for the kids so they weren’t really into it.   Jason and I though continued to do it and finished off a bracelet for each of them.  We then watched as they ripped up the Pandanus Palm leaves and made the die to colour the strips, so they could be used for their weaving. 

Making Kayla a bracelet.

Showing us how they dye the leaves.

And there you have it, no longer green.

Now why can't we catch a fish that big.

Though eventually the kids were getting bored and started to play with sticks and rocks that were lying around, so we decided to get them out of there before it turned back and they got over tired.  Heading back we called into a lookout but it was not an easy walk and was way too long to consider doing it on our own.  We didn’t even contemplate attempting to do it with the kids.  So we continued onto some aboriginal artwork which Jason walked in and checked out.  Kayla was fast asleep in the car so I stayed with the kids in the air-conditioning.  Once Jason was back we hot footed it home so we could have a rest whilst Kayla napped, but it backfired and she was wide awake as soon as we pulled up.

Thankfully we have a TV in the van and could easily turn on the cartoons to keep them happy while I caught up on the blog and Jason tried to have a nap.  I say try because Kayla kept crawling all over him!  We then did a little bit of school which again wasn’t the smartest thing to do in the afternoon when we got up so early but we got there.  Then our reward was to go and chill beside the pool and have a drink whilst watching the kids have fun.  Jason joined them for a bit but it was quite cold.  I waited with Kayla who was not wanting to hop out whilst the boys went back for a shower and to start dinner.  Eventually I just had to grab her and convince her coming back to the van was a lot more fun!  At least it was an early night for us all.

The kids enjoying the pool.

Friday came around way too fast and we opted to just do school and hang around the van in the morning.  It also allowed us to get some of the jobs done that needed doing.  I think all the walking and early starts are really starting to build up and we are going to need to just spend a few days in Darwin doing not much at all other than relaxing and getting our energy back.  Later in the afternoon we headed out to Cahills Crossing and Ubirr Rock to see the Aboriginal Rock Art and then watch the sunset from the vantage point.

Aboriginal Rock Art.

Pretty detailed.

This really didn’t go to plan as Hamish was not in the mood for any more walks or what he refers to as boring things.  Jason was also not in the mood for Hamish’s complaining so we were off to a great start and we were at that stage only driving there.

First stop was Cahills Crossing where Jason went by himself to have a quick look whilst I waited in the car with the kids.  He said that there were heaps of people fishing on the bridge right near the water’s edge, but apparently only a few small barra were being caught.  Water was even starting to go over the bridge as high tide was coming in.  Jason thought that the people were crazy as he had spotted two 3m crocodiles cruising along the river not far from them.  Even more frightening was the fact that we had found out that in 1987 a man was taken by a crocodile on this very crossing. 

Look who was hanging around.

Not a place I would want to fish.

Things did not improve with the kids moods when we got to Ubirr Rock but we did manage to do it and get up to the lookout.  It was a spectacular outlook over the wetlands below.  Our biggest mistake was that we had gotten there a tad bit too early really and had quite a wait for sunset. 

Kayla the rock climber.

Happy to have made it to the top.

Enjoying a moment with my kids.

So whilst Hamish was having fun playing on the rocks and exploring it was great but after a while that wore thin and he just wanted to go back to the car.  I wasn’t getting to enjoy it at all as I was having to come up with all different games to try and distract him like hide and seek, so eventually I just called it quits and took the kids back down to the car and waited for Jason to get his sunset photos and join us.  Yep I really think we need a few days of just relaxing and not pushing ourselves to do anything.

Not a bad view.

Jason's sunset photos.

There she goes.

Overall we really enjoyed our time in Kakadu and are certainly glad that we gave it a chance as it does have some beautiful spots.  

 

Litchfield and Adelaide River Regions

So back at our van after the night in Darwin we simply set up our site a bit better and just spent the afternoon relaxing and doing a bit of school.  It was nice not to go anywhere after a late night the night before and this campground/caravan park is very relaxing.  There also seems to be a lot of Queenslanders staying here and everyone is ever so friendly, stopping for a chat and letting the kids pat their dogs.  I think we will be extending our stay by a few more nights so we can see everything in the area at a little slower pace.  We have twelve days until our booking in Darwin and everyone has been asking how we will fill in it.  I mean if we see everything before that we will just simply chill in Darwin for longer, but there is certainly no need to rush around.

Friday saw us get up and start the day in our true form of trying to get out exploring at a reasonable time.  We are still adjusting to the new sunrise time as it means we are getting away later as we are waking up later, still not a bad problem to have really.  I did a school session with Hamish whilst Jason packed up the car and got everything organised.  Then we hit the road into the Litchfield National Park.  We only had a basic map of the park so our plan was to do a few little stops on our way to the main Wangi Falls where there was an Information Centre.  We weren’t going to push neither ourselves nor the kids as we had always planned to spend two days checking the place out so that way we could spread out some of the longer walks.

Our first stop was the termite mounds and there was certainly no shortage of them at all.  They were everywhere but there was one particularly large one that we could get up close to and take your photo against to help show just how tall they can get.  It makes you wonder how much bigger some of them get out in the wilderness.   There were a lot of people stopped there and it was just a sign of the day ahead.  Being school holidays I can imagine that the whole place is going to be busier than normal, still it wasn’t annoying or anything.

They look so little under it.

Hamish looks pretty proud.

From there we continued on down the road and decided to pull into the Tolmer Falls lookout.  We were happy to see that it was only a 400m walk one way down to the lookout so a nice and easy one to start the day with the kids.  Getting there was easy as it was all downhill and then you were rewarded with a beautiful outlook.  Even looking down you could see how clear and tropical the rock pool was below.  I did make a point to Jason that it looked more like a Palm Valley then the other one we had visited outside Alice Springs.  So after a few photos and just admiring it for a while we headed back to the car.  Obviously now heading up hill the walk was harder and the kids were not too happy about having to walk.  With a bit of persuasion and bribing we managed to get them to walk all the way back to the car!  Small win for the day!

Tolmer Falls - the pool below was so clear.
 

Now it was time for a swim so we headed to the main Wangi Falls to check them out and swim in the pool below.  When we first got there though we decided to have some morning tea, so Jason set up the flask and everything whilst I took the kids to the shop to get some food and a little treat for completing the walk.  Of course they picked inflatable beach balls, so yes whilst the cheapest item, they were light and easy to pack down but now I knew we had these balls to take for a swim with us!  Whilst I was waiting for our food I overheard a tour guide use the café phone to let the rangers know a fresh water crocodile had just bitten someone.

Wangi Falls without many tourists in the photo.

Go a little to the left and this is what you get.

Of course this rings my alarm bells as I know they don’t eat us and will only attack if they feel threatened so I decide to chat to the guide to ask a few more questions.  She was lovely and reiterated what I knew, but just said how it is obviously already clearly upset and she was glad it wasn’t a kid that was bitten as it would have done more damage and she wouldn’t let hers in!  Right, that was the end of our swim here.  I passed on the message to Jason and he agreed that we would go somewhere a little safer.  The risk would have been so small but we just decided it wasn’t a risk we were willing to take. 

So we enjoyed our delicious scones and apple slice before making our way down to the Wangi Falls lookout.  They were beautiful and it would be so nice to see them first thing in the morning without the hundred or so tourists and holiday makers swimming around and climbing on the rocks.  Definitely worth a visit and I started to wonder if we were being a bit silly not hopping in for a swim.  Whilst Jason took some more photos the kids were keen to keep walking so I decided to follow them and we would head up to the treetop lookout which again was only 400m one way.  I told Jason where we were going and off we headed.  I was so impressed with the kids as even though it was an uphill walk the whole way ending with a lot of stairs they did it all without complaint, and I even had to tell them to slow down.

I think the major difference being was that this walk was through a little rainforest with a running stream so it was way more interesting for them.  I did find it odd that Jason hadn’t caught up to us by the time we reached the top and put it down to the fact he hadn’t really listened to me when I told him where we were going.  So we admired the view, but didn’t have cameras to take a photo.  After a little rest (for me) we headed back down and ran into Jason just at the bottom of the steps.  Of course he had been everywhere looking for us and looked quite worn out.  As the kids were keen to keep moving I let Jason finish the last bit of the walk and take photos whilst the kids and I slowly made our way back.  At the bottom we just waited at the rocks for Jason to come back down, so that way we didn’t miss him again.

The rainforest walk.

By now we were all keen to go for a swim so we piled back into the car and headed just down the road to the Cascade Falls.  However on arriving the sign said it was a 2.7km return walk to the falls and we thought that was probably pushing it a bit too much with the kids and all the gear we would have to carry.  So we opted out of that place and decided to head back around to Bluey’s Rockhole.  It was a bit of a drive but another family who had travelled rated it as her favourite pick in the park so we thought it was a safe bet.  Getting a park there however looked like it was going to be difficult, however we were in luck and managed to score one right out the front of the toilets.  Talk about luck. 

 

Jason and the kids in one of the holes.

Enjoying the bottom pool.

Looking down the creek.

Once Kayla was in she really enjoyed it.

So after a quick change into our togs we walked the 80m down to the rock pools.  They were beautiful and not too cold at all which was just what we were after.  I hopped in first with the idea to get some photos with the kids, but it took a lot of convincing to get the kids in so I told Jason to put the camera down for now.  Once we were in and swimming around the kids got over their initial scared phase and were happy to explore.  Kayla was still quite uncertain and was constantly clinging to us.  She used to love the water but it seems she has regressed a bit; either that or it is the different swimming holes we are going to.  They aren’t really the same as a pool.

Could have stayed there all day.

Lucky I had a noodle to hold me up with those two holding on.

We stayed there for ages, checking out all the different little pools and getting quite a few photos.  Then we decided it was time to hop out and make our way back home.  We did a quick drive past Florence Falls carpark and it was just as busy but at least we could see the signs and it wasn’t a huge walk.  So we will be coming back here another day to enjoy this National Park a little more.  On our way home we stopped in at the town Batchelor and grabbed a few food supplies and checked email and Facebook.  We don’t have range where we are camping so make the most of it when we have it, then it was back to the van.

There we just relaxed and chatted to fellow campers.  We finished another school lesson and just did a simple dinner for the kids and us before putting them to bed.  We honestly thought Kayla would crash as she hadn’t had a daytime nap, but no, she wasn’t having any of that and just wouldn’t lie down and go to sleep.  Eventually she had a little cry that was more for attention than anything and fell asleep!   

Saturday morning we were in no rush at all as our plan was just to go down to Adelaide River area and check out the war cemetery, Robin Falls and the pub.  So really not too much on the agenda at all for the day.  So our usual start to the day with school, washing and packing up some morning tea occurred and we hit the road just before 10am.  It was weird seeing the car clock as Jason had actually changed them over to local time so now we can actually see the time and not work it out!  The drive down to Adelaide River is around 30km so we were there in no time and had morning tea before making our way into the war cemetery.

This is the third largest war cemetery in Australia and it is so beautifully kept but at the same time so sad, especially reading some of the tombstones with messages from loved ones and their ages.  We spent a bit of time looking around and Hamish picked little flowers from the garden to put on the tombstones and I was impressed about how much of it he took in and all the questions he asked.  Due to the evacuations that had occurred before the bombings the civilian loss of life was relatively small which is still sad, but it could have been so much worse.  Even seeing tombstones marked ‘unknown’ was the worst part.

A memorial to those whose bodies were never found.

So well kept and sad at the same time.

You could really spend ages reading them all.

A special memorial to the postal workers who died in the bombing.

From there we headed out to Robin Falls which was a short drive out of town.  There is a little campground along the creek there and it looks so peaceful and nice but not somewhere we could get our van into, more really short or pop top vans or of course tents!  The walk to the falls wasn’t really marked and all that the local brochure said was to walk along the creek.  Thankfully some locals were there and said it was only about a 500m walk but that it was quite rocky.  So off we headed but after about 200m we decided it was a bit tough for the kids so I left Jason and the kids behind and continued on.  I was glad we didn’t take the kids any further as it got a little bit harder so at least I got to go and enjoy it before making my way back to Jason and the kids and letting Jason go up and have a look.

The stream beside the walk to Robin Falls.

Hamish making his way over the rocks.

Robin Falls.

I in the meantime decided to walk the kids back to the car.  This was a bit more effort than I thought as Kayla refused to walk, so I had to carry her and Hamish got a paper cut on his hand so of course wanted a band aid which I said was back in the car.  The problem was when we got back to the car we didn’t have the car keys.  I was hoping Jason had put them in the backpack that he had handed over but nope, they were in his pocket.  So we just had to sit around and wait and poor little Hamish was getting upset by his cuts.  Thankfully it wasn’t too long of a wait for Jason to come back and it is amazing what a difference a band aid can make – instant healing!

By now we were all starving, probably because we had forgotten to put the normal snack bag in the car so were forced to wait for lunch.  So back into Adelaide River we headed and straight to the Adelaide River Inn where they have the water buffalo (stuffed) out of Crocodile Dundee.  We got ourselves sorted and ordered our lunch and then the process of doing quite a few jobs commenced.  See we actually had phone and internet reception here so wanted to get a few things done that we have been meaning to do.  So I got to work straight away trying to post a blog, then it was research into immunisations and visas for our holiday (can I just say some doctors are hopeless when you call them) and just the general Facebook post and download of emails.

Before we knew it lunch had arrived.  It wasn’t cheap and now I could see why as the steak took up the entire plate!  We really should have ordered one between the two of us as neither of us could finish our steaks.  Even when the guy came to take our plates he looked worried and asked if something was wrong with the steak that we hadn’t eaten it all.  We of course set him straight and said they were fantastic, just way too big for us!  So we left and headed home with totally overfull tummies.  Back at the van it was just another relaxing afternoon of doing not much and another school session.  Kayla had fun playing with the piglet and dog at a nearby campground and Jason and I joined another couple from Logan for happy hour.  They sold up and left two months before us and have pretty much done the exact same path so it was cool swapping stories.

It is a tough life for some.

Local resident at the RV park.

Our last full day staying at Coomalie Creek had rolled around so fast and we had always planned to spend it going back into the Litchfield National Park and checking out the last few places that we wanted to see.  So off we headed to first see the Lost City as it was down a 10km or so dirt track that we weren’t so sure about.  In the end it was an easy drive, just a narrow road so if you passed anyone coming out you needed to make sure you were in an area to pull over.  So I was on the lookout for cars whilst Jason concentrated on the road in front.  The Lost City is just rock formations but is pretty cool and we are glad that we made the effort to come in and check them out.

Going into the Lost City.

Not so lost anymore.

Oh we also realised Kayla didn't have any shoes!

Someone found a little hole.

However we did realise that we hadn’t packed our big 10L water cooler in the car so of course only had our individual water bottles with water in them.  This wasn’t a big dramas as we hadn’t planned any massive walks that day, just the one down to the bottom of Florence Falls which was only a bit under 500m.  So once we had walked around the Lost City and had fun spotting different formations (i.e. a giant with no arms) we made our way back out onto the road and to Florence Falls.  The view from the lookout was spectacular, though like the waterhole the other day, it was really busy with a lot of tourists so you have to kind of line up and wait your turn to get a photo without other people in it.  That is unless you are our two kids who are short enough to duck under and get a front line position to check it out.

Humpty Dumpty.

Pretty proud of our efforts.

Hamish thought it looked like a city.

Now it was time to get our swimmers on and make our way down the 136 steps to the swimming area below.  No I did not count them all this time, there was actually a sign telling me that.  Talk about ruin all my fun!  Jason actually made it down to the bottom with the kids before I even caught up to them, so there was no hard work there on my behalf.  Kayla was not going to have a bar of hopping into the main pool area, instead opting to cling to me.  So Jason and Hamish went out for a swim whilst I scrambled over rocks with Kayla clinging to me and trying not to slip and drop the camera in the water.  I took some photos but Jason was a little disappointed I didn’t get the waterfall in the background!  Umm I just risked my life (okay slight exaggeration) and you were in the wrong spot!

The beautiful Florence Falls.

Down the bottom with Jason and Hamish in the water.

Looking back up to the falls from the creek area.

Kayla did not want to hop in.

After a while the kids were getting tired so we headed back up all the stairs.  Kayla was over it all and was not having a bar of walking back so Jason carried her up all the stairs!  Hamish and I had gone ahead and slowly made our way up, stopping for a break to wait for Dad and Kayla (really I needed a rest).  Then it was back in the car and out we headed.  As we were driving out we saw another family we had met so pulled over and had a quick chat to them.  Turns out the croc in the Wangi Falls had bitten the lady because there were three of them swimming after it trying to take a selfie!  Seriously some tourists are just dumb.

Looking downstream.

Kayla seemed more happy checking out the creek.

Such a little oasis.

The bottom of the falls.

It was nice to get back to the caravan in time for a late lunch with no other plans for the afternoon but to pack up a bit, do a school session and then just relax.  Some people had lit a campfire nearby and others were joining them for happy hour but I think I just didn’t have the energy to join them.  Then Darren and Peta rocked up so the kids were in heaven and running around having fun.  Of course this meant another night of cards once we got all the kids to sleep.  I did not actually fall asleep this time whilst putting the kids to sleep, though I think I was close.  As we sat outside we could see the orange sky in the background as more of the surrounding land was burnt off.  We assumed these are all controlled burns!

Jason had to get his photo.

The pet pig at the caravan park.

Kayla and Sarah's new friend.