Gorges and waterfalls - cruisin' around the NT

Well we've made our way up to Darwin, arriving last night at our city caravan park. We haven't made it into town yet as Suzy Q is up the road having her scheduled service today.

Florence Falls - Litchfield National Park:
probably the most spectacular so far and we
could swim at the bottom

On the way here, we got ourselves a bit more acquainted with the NT scenery. Stops at Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, Leilyn (Edith) Falls and Litchfield National Park gave us a good insight into the amazing river and gorge systems around here. We've had lovely walks and swims along the way.

Edith Falls - we swam in this lovely pool

Swimming at Buley Rockholes -
Litchfield National Park

Wangi Falls - we did a 3km walk here

Nitmiluk Gorge

Exploring the region has also given us a good insight into how many inviting rivers and waterholes we WON'T be swimming in, with the majority of places surrounded by very subtle signs:

We haven't seen any 'salties' in the wild as yet, just a few freshwater crocodiles which people keep telling us are harmless, but I think we'll keep watching safely from a distance. 

A day at Territory Wildlife Park was declared our best wildlife experience since Dubbo Zoo.

A beautifully presented park run by the NT Government where you can get an up close understanding of the Territory's varied natural environments.

Favourites were the jabiru, the jacana, watching barramundi feed and of course the big saltie.

The weather's hot but the overnights have started to cool down a little, providing some relief. And thank goodness, all has been good with the airconditioning since Broome!

Oh and a couple of random finds - I love these! In Batchelor, a tiny town just outside Litchfield National Park, we drove past this:

a replica of a 15th century Bohemian castle. It's cool because it's so random.

And who could resist photographing this in the pub at the town of Adelaide River:

it's the water buffalo that starred in Crocodile Dundee, stuffed and standing proud at the bar. Of course the kids have no idea what Crocodile Dundee is so I'll by them the DVD in Darwin and let them indulge in a bit of quality Australian cinematography(!) given that we've just been visiting the region in which it was filmed (I did the same with Red Dog when we were in the Pilbara, but I suspect they may find this one somewhat more kitsch!)

And so the chaotic adventures continue in the Top End.