We Love Australia Fair: Litchfield, Katherine, and Kakadu National Parks
Mar 1st, 2010, 10:13 AM
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We Love Australia Fair: Litchfield, Katherine, and Kakadu National Parks
This is the report on the first part of our visit to the Top End, Sept. 10-19, 2009. I will post a separate report on Darwin since this report on the national parks is already quite long. I sincerely thank the Fodorites who encouraged me to spend more time than I originally planned in this great area.
We arrived in Darwin on Thurs., Sept. 10, at 12:30 pm (via Adelaide; very early departure from Canberra) and picked up our Budget rental car at the airport (A$475 for 1,800 km + A$0.275 for ea. additional km, economy, manual – booked w. Vroom Vroom Vroom; we kept the car throughout our time in the Top End including in Darwin; we didn’t need to pay for any extra km.).
We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant near the airport and mentioned to the proprietor that we were going to go to the market to buy a small ice chest. He very kindly gave us a large styrofoam container in which he’d received a shipment of broccoli. This broccoli box, which took up nearly all the space in the small truck of our car, was very valuable to have. We stored drinks and some food in it, and replenished the ice nearly daily. (I had a funny experience one day when buying ice. I asked where the ice was and the clerk gave me a blank look. I said “cold,” and he said, "Oh, you mean “oice”.)
We then drove to Batchelor (98 km. south of Darwin), stopping along the way at Berry Springs for a dip in the hot springs pool.
We stayed two nights at Batchelor Butterfly Farm and Tropical Retreat. The room was full ensuite. There was a TV in the room, but TV reception was poor. There was also a DVD player, with movies available at Reception. The room was nice and roomy, but was a bit expensive at A$165/nt. The cost includes free admission to the butterfly farm, which is otherwise A$10 pp. The butterflies were nice to see, but I don’t know that it would be worth A$10. The rooms are surrounded by nice gardens, including some lily ponds. We ate both of our dinners in Batchelor at BBF&TR, and they were both very good.
We had planned to visit the Coomalie Cultural Centre in Batchelor, but it was closed indefinitely.
We spent Friday at Litchfield National Park. We saw the magnetic termite mounds, which are unique to the area. Since they all line up, you feel like you’re in the graveyard. Even more impressive were the HUGE cathedral termite mounds.
We visited a number of the waterfalls and pools in Litchfield (Wangi, Tolmer, Florence, Tjayera, Buley Rock Holes). By far our favorite was Wangi. Swimming there was wonderful. The pool is quite large (perhaps 100-150 yds. across). You can swim around the edge and look at the lizards and spider webs on the shore. The water was comfortable in temperature and was clear and sweet. We took a nice hike by Tolmer Falls; access to the bottom of the falls has been restricted to protect the habitat of colonies of ghost bats and orange horseshoe bats. Buley Rock Holes is OK for sitting, but you can’t really swim there.
On Saturday we left Batchelor and drove to Katherine. Along the way we stopped for breakfast at Mayse’s in Pine Creek (which features a life-size statue of James Dean and sells a lot of souvenirs); and we visited the lovely cemetery in Adelaide River, which includes not only the graves of soldiers who died during WWII but also a memorial to those who died in the bombing of the Darwin Post Office in that war. We also stopped at Edith Falls (Leliyn) NP (off the Stuart Highway 42 km north of Katherine then follow a sealed road for a further 19 km.). We took a hike to the Upper Falls pool and enjoyed swimming there (though it a rather rocky and slippery getting into the water), and had a wonderful swim in the large natural pool at lower Edith Falls. Unlike another poster, we did NOT find the water to be uncomfortably cold. There is a food kiosk there from which you can buy a cold drink. I found it useful to have reef shoes for the swimming holes.
We made a brief stop at the Katherine Art Gallery in Katherine to buy some souvenirs, and then went to the Springvale Homestead, where we spent the night.
That evening we went on the Crocodile Night Adventure, which departs from the Springvale Homestead. You ride in a boat spotlighting freshwater crocs on the banks (they give you flashlights to scan the shore looking for the red eyes of the crocs), and enjoyed a delicious BBQ dinner under the stars. The stars were amazing because there are no lights around. If you want to do this tour, book in advance as it does sell out. (http://www.travelnorth.com.au/t3-11-...er-cruise.html). The cost was A$59 per person. The food was very good, the wine flowed freely, and there was billy tea. It was a very pleasant evening. While we ate, we watched turtles in the water and crocs come to shore. It is good that this was our first (of several, as you will see, croc adventure), because these freshwater crocs were much smaller than the salties we saw subsequently.
Springvale Homestead was a very nice place to stay. It is 7 km from Katherine township on the banks of the Katherine River and was built in the 1880s; it is the oldest standing homestead in the NT. It was very handy to be able to walk to the Crocodile Cruise. The room was small and nothing fancy, but it was ensuite and included a coffee maker and fridge. At A$63/nt. it was a very good deal. The property is swarming with wallabies, and the homestead has some interesting historic displays.
Sunday morning we went on a 7 am breakfast boat cruise in Katherine Gorge (first and second gorges; about 2 hrs. long; booked through Nitmiluk Tours - https://www.nitmiluktours.com.au/tours). The cost of A$63 pp was only a bit more than the version that did not include breakfast. The breakfast was very good. We enjoyed seeing the multicolored walls of the gorge and the places along the shore where the crocs had buried their eggs.
After the breakfast cruise we took at hike to the top of the rim and had beautiful views down into the gorge; the trail is quite steep in parts. There are stairs in parts, with handrails.
We then rented a canoe and paddled to the end of the first gorge. You can’t reserve the canoes in advance unless you rent one for at least a half a day, but this turned out not to be a problem; there were plenty of them (and this was on a Sunday). There is a food kiosk near where you rent the boats and go on the boat tour.
Then I went for a great swim in the river. The section set off for swimming is supposed to be clear of crocs, and I didn’t see any.
We visited the Nitmiluk Visitors Center, which had some nice displays, and had a snack there.
We made a brief stop at the Katherine Museum as we left town; there are some nice historical displays. And we bought some groceries at the local supermarket.
We then drove to Cooinda, in Kakadu National Park, and spent the night at the Gagudju Lodge in an Outback Double. (Cooinda is about 3 hrs. [253 km] from Katherine.) Our room cost A$105 per night, and you had to walk about 150 feet to get to the bathrooms. It was another “shipping crate” room, like at the Springvale Homestead, but not nearly as nice. (What looks like a large shipping crate, about the size of a railway car, is divided into 5 units. There was just enough room to walk around the bed in our room at the Gagudju Lodge.) It was difficult to find the room after we checked in. We drove around the property several times looking for it. If you stay here, make sure that the front desk clearly shows you on a map where your room is. The lodge is supposed to have some nice activities, but unfortunately we didn’t have time to enjoy them because we had to get up early the next morning.
On Monday we woke up early to go on the 6:45 am Yellow Water Billabong Boat Trip. A bus picks you up just in front of the hotel for the short ride to the boats. The cost was A$92, which included a nice breakfast buffet at the lodge after the boat. The Yellow Water boat tour was as wonderful as everyone says. If you can only go on one boat trip in the Top End, make it this one. We left at sunrise and watched the mist lift over the landscape. We saw an amazing variety of wildlife, including whistling ducks, magpie geese, Jabiru storks, Bronga cranes, Kingfisher birds, herons, three kinds of egrets, and lots of saltwater crocs. We saw one croc try to get an egret, but he didn't succeed
We then visited the Warradjan Visitors Center, which is definitely worth a stop (interesting displays on aboriginal culture), and then took a hot walk over rocks to the Nawurlandja Lookout.
After this, we then checked into our lodging for the next two nights – a bush bungalow at Lakeview Park in Jabiru (which is 55 km N. of Cooinda). This room was very nice -- a sort of tent on stilts, with a very high ceiling in the middle. There was a queen-sized bed and bunk beds, which were a handy place to put our suitcases. The unit has a sink and coffee maker and fridge. It was not air conditioned, but the ceiling fan kept us comfortable. The room did not include a bathroom, but we had our own private bathroom (which we could lock with a key) about 10-15 yards away. The bathroom was fairly roomy with separate sections for the toilet, sink, and shower. Cost was A$95/nt. There were BBQs nearby, but we did not use them. And there were washers and dryers in a building down the road, which came in handy.
There are a number of ranger-led walks and talks within Kakadu NP; a booklet you get when you enter the park lists the possibilities, and we tried to go to as many of them as we could. They take place in various parts of the park, so we made a number of trips up and down the main road that runs through the park.
On Monday at 3 pm we went on the ranger-led Monsoon Forest Walk in Mannagarre Rainforest, which was very nice. We tried eating green ants. (You bite off the bum; it has a nice tangy lime taste.) We went through an area with lots of (noisy) bats and saw some nice flora.
We then went to Urbirr for a ranger talk about bush tucker and another about the flood plains, just before sunset, which we (and many other people) stayed to watch.
We had an excellent dinner at the Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn, the hotel that’s shaped like a crocodile. We ate barramundi, kangaroo, and crocodile.
On Tuesday morning we went back to the Nawurlandja Lookout, this time on a guided walk. The walk also took us to the Anbangbang Billabong, which was teeming with birdlife.
Then to Nourlangie Rock for ranger talks about family and about dating the rock art sites, and we saw some good rock art in between. We thought the rock art at Nourlangie was better than that at Ubirr, but we may not have seen all there was at Ubirr.
We had lunch at the Kakadu Bakery. We sat outside, watching beautiful olive-green and blue birds flying around and stopping on the tables and chairs.
After this we visited the Bowali Visitor Centers, and saw several films there, and then went on the Guluyambi River Boat Tour, with aboriginal guides; A$30 pp for a 1-3/4 hr. cruise. We learned about aboriginal ways of life, saw a large number of crocs, and stepped on Arnhem Land. You pick up your tickets a short distance from the boat ramp at the Border Store.
We had a delicious dinner at Sunny’s Kitchen, at the Jabiru Sports and Social Club across the street from Lakeview. It’s a local hangout.
Up early on Wednesday. Drove to Mamukala and did the 3 km walking track. We saw a huge number of flying and water birds, especially by the billabong and in the bird hide. (There was a guided walk at 9 am, but we didn’t want to wait that long. It was already hot by then.)
We then drove toward Darwin, stopping along the way for the 11 am Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruise, which in right off the Arnhem Hwy; A$26 pp for a one-hour cruise. We again saw many crocs, this time jumping out of the water to get the pig-head meat that is dangled on a string from the top deck of the two-level boat. They also fed kites (a type of bird) and sea eagles, which came swooping by the boat.
We stopped at WOW (Windows on the Wetlands), which has a nice set of exhibits about the wetlands. However, no food is available at WOW, and we were hungry by then. We had lunch at the Humpty Doo Hotel. The food was good, but the place is a real dive.
We then arrived in Darwin. I will report on our 2+ days there in another post.
We arrived in Darwin on Thurs., Sept. 10, at 12:30 pm (via Adelaide; very early departure from Canberra) and picked up our Budget rental car at the airport (A$475 for 1,800 km + A$0.275 for ea. additional km, economy, manual – booked w. Vroom Vroom Vroom; we kept the car throughout our time in the Top End including in Darwin; we didn’t need to pay for any extra km.).
We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant near the airport and mentioned to the proprietor that we were going to go to the market to buy a small ice chest. He very kindly gave us a large styrofoam container in which he’d received a shipment of broccoli. This broccoli box, which took up nearly all the space in the small truck of our car, was very valuable to have. We stored drinks and some food in it, and replenished the ice nearly daily. (I had a funny experience one day when buying ice. I asked where the ice was and the clerk gave me a blank look. I said “cold,” and he said, "Oh, you mean “oice”.)
We then drove to Batchelor (98 km. south of Darwin), stopping along the way at Berry Springs for a dip in the hot springs pool.
We stayed two nights at Batchelor Butterfly Farm and Tropical Retreat. The room was full ensuite. There was a TV in the room, but TV reception was poor. There was also a DVD player, with movies available at Reception. The room was nice and roomy, but was a bit expensive at A$165/nt. The cost includes free admission to the butterfly farm, which is otherwise A$10 pp. The butterflies were nice to see, but I don’t know that it would be worth A$10. The rooms are surrounded by nice gardens, including some lily ponds. We ate both of our dinners in Batchelor at BBF&TR, and they were both very good.
We had planned to visit the Coomalie Cultural Centre in Batchelor, but it was closed indefinitely.
We spent Friday at Litchfield National Park. We saw the magnetic termite mounds, which are unique to the area. Since they all line up, you feel like you’re in the graveyard. Even more impressive were the HUGE cathedral termite mounds.
We visited a number of the waterfalls and pools in Litchfield (Wangi, Tolmer, Florence, Tjayera, Buley Rock Holes). By far our favorite was Wangi. Swimming there was wonderful. The pool is quite large (perhaps 100-150 yds. across). You can swim around the edge and look at the lizards and spider webs on the shore. The water was comfortable in temperature and was clear and sweet. We took a nice hike by Tolmer Falls; access to the bottom of the falls has been restricted to protect the habitat of colonies of ghost bats and orange horseshoe bats. Buley Rock Holes is OK for sitting, but you can’t really swim there.
On Saturday we left Batchelor and drove to Katherine. Along the way we stopped for breakfast at Mayse’s in Pine Creek (which features a life-size statue of James Dean and sells a lot of souvenirs); and we visited the lovely cemetery in Adelaide River, which includes not only the graves of soldiers who died during WWII but also a memorial to those who died in the bombing of the Darwin Post Office in that war. We also stopped at Edith Falls (Leliyn) NP (off the Stuart Highway 42 km north of Katherine then follow a sealed road for a further 19 km.). We took a hike to the Upper Falls pool and enjoyed swimming there (though it a rather rocky and slippery getting into the water), and had a wonderful swim in the large natural pool at lower Edith Falls. Unlike another poster, we did NOT find the water to be uncomfortably cold. There is a food kiosk there from which you can buy a cold drink. I found it useful to have reef shoes for the swimming holes.
We made a brief stop at the Katherine Art Gallery in Katherine to buy some souvenirs, and then went to the Springvale Homestead, where we spent the night.
That evening we went on the Crocodile Night Adventure, which departs from the Springvale Homestead. You ride in a boat spotlighting freshwater crocs on the banks (they give you flashlights to scan the shore looking for the red eyes of the crocs), and enjoyed a delicious BBQ dinner under the stars. The stars were amazing because there are no lights around. If you want to do this tour, book in advance as it does sell out. (http://www.travelnorth.com.au/t3-11-...er-cruise.html). The cost was A$59 per person. The food was very good, the wine flowed freely, and there was billy tea. It was a very pleasant evening. While we ate, we watched turtles in the water and crocs come to shore. It is good that this was our first (of several, as you will see, croc adventure), because these freshwater crocs were much smaller than the salties we saw subsequently.
Springvale Homestead was a very nice place to stay. It is 7 km from Katherine township on the banks of the Katherine River and was built in the 1880s; it is the oldest standing homestead in the NT. It was very handy to be able to walk to the Crocodile Cruise. The room was small and nothing fancy, but it was ensuite and included a coffee maker and fridge. At A$63/nt. it was a very good deal. The property is swarming with wallabies, and the homestead has some interesting historic displays.
Sunday morning we went on a 7 am breakfast boat cruise in Katherine Gorge (first and second gorges; about 2 hrs. long; booked through Nitmiluk Tours - https://www.nitmiluktours.com.au/tours). The cost of A$63 pp was only a bit more than the version that did not include breakfast. The breakfast was very good. We enjoyed seeing the multicolored walls of the gorge and the places along the shore where the crocs had buried their eggs.
After the breakfast cruise we took at hike to the top of the rim and had beautiful views down into the gorge; the trail is quite steep in parts. There are stairs in parts, with handrails.
We then rented a canoe and paddled to the end of the first gorge. You can’t reserve the canoes in advance unless you rent one for at least a half a day, but this turned out not to be a problem; there were plenty of them (and this was on a Sunday). There is a food kiosk near where you rent the boats and go on the boat tour.
Then I went for a great swim in the river. The section set off for swimming is supposed to be clear of crocs, and I didn’t see any.
We visited the Nitmiluk Visitors Center, which had some nice displays, and had a snack there.
We made a brief stop at the Katherine Museum as we left town; there are some nice historical displays. And we bought some groceries at the local supermarket.
We then drove to Cooinda, in Kakadu National Park, and spent the night at the Gagudju Lodge in an Outback Double. (Cooinda is about 3 hrs. [253 km] from Katherine.) Our room cost A$105 per night, and you had to walk about 150 feet to get to the bathrooms. It was another “shipping crate” room, like at the Springvale Homestead, but not nearly as nice. (What looks like a large shipping crate, about the size of a railway car, is divided into 5 units. There was just enough room to walk around the bed in our room at the Gagudju Lodge.) It was difficult to find the room after we checked in. We drove around the property several times looking for it. If you stay here, make sure that the front desk clearly shows you on a map where your room is. The lodge is supposed to have some nice activities, but unfortunately we didn’t have time to enjoy them because we had to get up early the next morning.
On Monday we woke up early to go on the 6:45 am Yellow Water Billabong Boat Trip. A bus picks you up just in front of the hotel for the short ride to the boats. The cost was A$92, which included a nice breakfast buffet at the lodge after the boat. The Yellow Water boat tour was as wonderful as everyone says. If you can only go on one boat trip in the Top End, make it this one. We left at sunrise and watched the mist lift over the landscape. We saw an amazing variety of wildlife, including whistling ducks, magpie geese, Jabiru storks, Bronga cranes, Kingfisher birds, herons, three kinds of egrets, and lots of saltwater crocs. We saw one croc try to get an egret, but he didn't succeed
We then visited the Warradjan Visitors Center, which is definitely worth a stop (interesting displays on aboriginal culture), and then took a hot walk over rocks to the Nawurlandja Lookout.
After this, we then checked into our lodging for the next two nights – a bush bungalow at Lakeview Park in Jabiru (which is 55 km N. of Cooinda). This room was very nice -- a sort of tent on stilts, with a very high ceiling in the middle. There was a queen-sized bed and bunk beds, which were a handy place to put our suitcases. The unit has a sink and coffee maker and fridge. It was not air conditioned, but the ceiling fan kept us comfortable. The room did not include a bathroom, but we had our own private bathroom (which we could lock with a key) about 10-15 yards away. The bathroom was fairly roomy with separate sections for the toilet, sink, and shower. Cost was A$95/nt. There were BBQs nearby, but we did not use them. And there were washers and dryers in a building down the road, which came in handy.
There are a number of ranger-led walks and talks within Kakadu NP; a booklet you get when you enter the park lists the possibilities, and we tried to go to as many of them as we could. They take place in various parts of the park, so we made a number of trips up and down the main road that runs through the park.
On Monday at 3 pm we went on the ranger-led Monsoon Forest Walk in Mannagarre Rainforest, which was very nice. We tried eating green ants. (You bite off the bum; it has a nice tangy lime taste.) We went through an area with lots of (noisy) bats and saw some nice flora.
We then went to Urbirr for a ranger talk about bush tucker and another about the flood plains, just before sunset, which we (and many other people) stayed to watch.
We had an excellent dinner at the Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn, the hotel that’s shaped like a crocodile. We ate barramundi, kangaroo, and crocodile.
On Tuesday morning we went back to the Nawurlandja Lookout, this time on a guided walk. The walk also took us to the Anbangbang Billabong, which was teeming with birdlife.
Then to Nourlangie Rock for ranger talks about family and about dating the rock art sites, and we saw some good rock art in between. We thought the rock art at Nourlangie was better than that at Ubirr, but we may not have seen all there was at Ubirr.
We had lunch at the Kakadu Bakery. We sat outside, watching beautiful olive-green and blue birds flying around and stopping on the tables and chairs.
After this we visited the Bowali Visitor Centers, and saw several films there, and then went on the Guluyambi River Boat Tour, with aboriginal guides; A$30 pp for a 1-3/4 hr. cruise. We learned about aboriginal ways of life, saw a large number of crocs, and stepped on Arnhem Land. You pick up your tickets a short distance from the boat ramp at the Border Store.
We had a delicious dinner at Sunny’s Kitchen, at the Jabiru Sports and Social Club across the street from Lakeview. It’s a local hangout.
Up early on Wednesday. Drove to Mamukala and did the 3 km walking track. We saw a huge number of flying and water birds, especially by the billabong and in the bird hide. (There was a guided walk at 9 am, but we didn’t want to wait that long. It was already hot by then.)
We then drove toward Darwin, stopping along the way for the 11 am Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruise, which in right off the Arnhem Hwy; A$26 pp for a one-hour cruise. We again saw many crocs, this time jumping out of the water to get the pig-head meat that is dangled on a string from the top deck of the two-level boat. They also fed kites (a type of bird) and sea eagles, which came swooping by the boat.
We stopped at WOW (Windows on the Wetlands), which has a nice set of exhibits about the wetlands. However, no food is available at WOW, and we were hungry by then. We had lunch at the Humpty Doo Hotel. The food was good, but the place is a real dive.
We then arrived in Darwin. I will report on our 2+ days there in another post.
Mar 1st, 2010, 12:22 PM
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An excellent report, judilie! The Top End of Australia is one of my favorite places and you did so many of the things that we have done on our visits there--swimming in the upper pools at Edith Falls; Crocodile Night Adventure; Wangi Falls (did you see the flying foxes?), canoeing in Katherine Gorge, visiting the cemetery at Adelaide River, etc. But, you also did a lot of things we didn't have a chance to do, so I just guess we'll have to go back!
Mar 2nd, 2010, 12:40 PM
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thanks for your report we stayed at lakeview also in one of those bush bungalows. great deal imo and great service from sue who was manager at the time. i have fond memories of our dinners at the sports club and also swimming in the huge and virtually empty community pool.
we spent a day in arnhemland and saw fabulous rock art courtesy lord's tours. the density of the art in a series of low caverns was tremendous and the condition quite good. it exceeded any rock painting we saw in kakadu np imo
we spent a day in arnhemland and saw fabulous rock art courtesy lord's tours. the density of the art in a series of low caverns was tremendous and the condition quite good. it exceeded any rock painting we saw in kakadu np imo
Mar 3rd, 2010, 06:46 AM
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thanks for your report judilie!
My husband and I are palning a trip to Australia that includes 10 days in Kakadu/Katherine/Alice, so your trip report really helped us plan what we're going to do while in and around Darwin. Obviously, we can't do as many things as we will only be spending 6-7 days in that area, but will definitely "steal" parts of you itinerary!
My husband and I are palning a trip to Australia that includes 10 days in Kakadu/Katherine/Alice, so your trip report really helped us plan what we're going to do while in and around Darwin. Obviously, we can't do as many things as we will only be spending 6-7 days in that area, but will definitely "steal" parts of you itinerary!
Mar 13th, 2010, 11:21 PM
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Yes, great report. It's a been a long while since I've been to the Kakadu and Litchfield. I liked it so much the first time, that I went back a few years later. Your trip report makes me want to go back for the third time.
What a wonderful trip.
What a wonderful trip.
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