Faced with our final weekend ever in Darwin (and figuring out that it was going to cost us $1600 to fly back to Sydney to go house-hunting - our original plan), we decided to make one last foray into Kakadu.
Not-unexpectedly, almost everything was closed for the wet season. On the up-side, at least it wasn't stinking hot, and the hordes of tourists were noticeably absent.
We decided to drive a little further down the Stuart Highway to see Edith Falls, which we had missed on our last trip to Kununurra. The main falls were a little uninspiring - a distant cascade feeding into a large pool. I think the main attraction there is swimming, but because of the volume of water going through, it was all closed.
So, true to form, we decided to go exploring a little further afield and followed a track up onto the plateau above the falls. We were rewarded with views back down over the main pool, as well as three other pools upstream with torrents of water pouring into them, throwing up clouds of spray. The wet season is magic!
So then, we headed into the southern end of Kakadu to Yurmikmik (reportedly boasting some of the best wet season walks in the park). The 20km 4WD-only road in wasn't quite as muddy as hoped (at least on my part), but did take us across one wide, fast-flowing causeway (no crocs :( )
We chose to walk the 7.5km track to Motor Car Falls - following the vehicle track of an old tin miner from the 1940's. His Chevrolet truck must have been a tough old beast...
Everything was abundantly green with a miriad of tiny creek-lets criss-crossing over the track which wound through grass as high as our (my) shoulders. Brooding grey clouds surrounded us as we walked up the gorge, and just was we got to the top of a lookout along the way, the rain hit (preceded by sudden gusting winds, a drop in temperature and a rapidly approaching curtain of water - dead giveaway that we were about to get very wet). I love walking in the rain (especially when it spells a respite from the humidity), not sure if Ryan quite shares the sentiment, though. At least it was short-lived, although there were intermittent spattering showers the rest of the way.
We heard the falls long before we saw them. A footpad branched off from the old road which soon had us rock-hopping alongside the creek. Then finally, to the falls themselves, which literally roared down from the escarpment above. Surprisingly, there was another family there who were brave enough to swim in the pool at the bottom (the water was still being smashed over the rocks 20m from the falls).
The creek downstream was beautiful - a series of clear green pools and cascades.
Then, we trekked back to the car. Did I mention that the track was slightly overgrown?
More storms threatened, but it was just as we reached the carpark that we were hit by water again (lucky).
Ryan's workmates (after hearing our plans to try out our new turbo tent) had told him that the only good type of wet-season camping is the type where you check into a motel. After spending most of the day in the rain, and with it bucketing down as we left Yurmikmik, we ended up taking the soft (sensible) option and staying in the Crocodile Holiday Inn in Jabiru - chosen purely because it is shaped like a giant crocodile (how could we (I) resist?). A 4-star room usually worth $420 cost us $119 - yay for the wet season!
A hot (albeit expensive) dinner, warm bed and indulgent sleep-in later, we hit the road again. We only made one detour on our way back - Fogg Dam (expecting to see plenty of water). We were rewarded with both kinds (falling from the sky, as well as filling the wetlands). There was an abundance of lush greenery, and glimpses of geese, ducks, finches and ibis. Didn't see any crocs (I'm sure they were there, though)(as evidenced by the signs declaring it unsafe to walk across the dam wall for fear of attack).
I managed to convince Ryan to brave the rain enough to do the boardwalk as well. At least the tree canopy kept out most of the water, although the boards themselves were slick with moisture and we both slipped multiple times (happily not into the water either side....)
Then back to Darwin to face our final week of work, packing and a weekends worth of still-damp washing. Love the wet season :)
