Wangi Falls

Sunday 19th July 2009
We had Baked Beans for brekky to remind ourselves that today is Sunday.
Today's task was to explore the far end of Litchfield National Park where Wangi Falls, the main attraction, is located. On the drive in we passed a few tour buses as they do the near end first. There appear to be quite a number of tours buses running day trips out of Darwin into this fantastic park.
Wangi Falls (photo 1) is about 70km from Batchelor but the roads are all bitumen in excellent condition. We got to the Falls before the masses arrived and were suitably impressed by the high vertical rock walls and the two water falls cascading down into the pool. The whole area was like a suburban park with concrete paths, aluminium benches, good toilets and even a kiosk selling food and drink which is very rare in Australian National Parks. The pool was surrounded by lush green vegetation and many of the Pandanous Palms which grow everywhere near water in this park.
However, on the approach to the pool there was a big sign (in 5 languages) reminding people that Saltwater Crocs inhabit these waters and one has to be on the lookout at all times. I sent the kids (with goggles) into the water first to establish that are no crocs around before I entered the somewhat cold but clear pool. A bit further out, in the middle of the pool, there was a nice sand bank with shallow and warm water where people met for a chat. I joined into the activity and gained some more camping info from fellow campers.
During my long swim (chat in the water) the kids were busy looking for fish and anything else they could find. I ended up with a new pair of Adidas Sunnies from the bottom of the pool.
By lunchtime the place was swarming with people from both cars and buses and we couldn't even find a free picnic table. We did what we normally do, prepare sandwiches at the back of the car and eat them while standing around.
On the way out we stopped at Tolmer Falls (photo 2) to take a few pictures and arrived back at Batchelor in the early afternoon. The kids had a swim in the pool and we had a bit of a rest.
It appears the cold snap is over now. Last night was just under 20°C and today was 33°C. Even after sunset the temperature stays around 25°C which make living outside very pleasant.
Tomorrow we'll be in Darwin and it looks like we've got a lot more exploring to do and I suspect we'll have to do some fishing as well.