Wednesday was beautiful - the complete opposite of our disaster day. We headed to Litchfield National Park bright and early. First we walked into Florence Falls and went for a swim. There were some very cute wallabies hopping around - they were so miniature and some had babies!! SO cute! Anyway next we walked up to the Buley Rockhole for some more swimming. The trail was really nice, winding along creek beds and through a variety of habitats. I saw a bunch of new skinks and some birds. After swimming for a while we headed to Wangi Falls for lunch. After lunch we spent some more time swimming and relaxing on the rocks of the falls. I was bummed because the little walking track around the area was closed. Eventually the tour guide rounded us up and we headed for home. On the way we stopped and looked at some special termite mounds. We got back a little early and had a chance to swim in the hostel pool before heading to dinner (which was free!). Just so we are all on the same page - I was supposed to be on a 4- day tour of the Top End geared for the "tropical summer" season. Basically I do 3 days with adventure tours in Kakadu and Litchfield and then join a 1-day tour to Katherine gorge. I made a stop at an internet cafe and found out the email address for lodging a complaint about our disaster day. I was exhausted after dinner so I came home to get some shut eye.
Our Campground (2 beds per hut - I had one to myself)
Florence Falls
Awwww Wallabies!! That little guy was about as tall as my water bottle
So relaxing, we swam here
and here (Buley Rockhole)
The Rockhole got pretty crowded as it warmed up. Basically, it is a series of plunge pools all connected - very refreshing
Wangi Falls - apparently there are 'freshies' here but it is safe to swim with them
Magnetic Termite ( they all build there houses exactly North-South, and they are only found in Litchfield)
size reference
The mounds are flat to control heating from the sun - the temperature is constant on the inside
Cathedral Termite mound - They build the mounds out of grass and mud. Termites are extremely social (like ants). There little critters are crucial to the environment because they are nature's number one recycler; they break down dead plant material and put nutrients back into the soil. The macropods would never be able to keep up. People just get a bad impression because some species are non-selective about which dead wood to eat - ie they may eat your house.
1 comment:
Crazy termite mounds! Who would have ever thought they were so intelligent :)
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