Litchfield

On my way from Humpty Doo towards Litchfield I got a phone call from some of the people I was with in Darwin. They were going to Litchfield for the day, something we’d talked about but I didn’t really expect to happen, they were looking for jobs and interviews etc. had already scuppered plans. Just as I got off the phone Shiru rode up behind me, having only stayed one evening in Darwin before turning around.

I rode with him the few km as far as Noonamah before saying farewell thinking that a day riding would put him too far up the road to catch. Dan, Jamie and Em had already left Darwin when I spoke so they picked me up at Noonamah, a pub/service station just past Humpty Doo.

I locked my bike up around the back of the station and climbed into the car. Jamie had a loan of it from family but I don’t think it was meant to hold four adults anymore. It had been lowered with bigger wheels so every time we hit a bump or went around a bend the rear tyres rubbed on the arches. By the time we got the Litchfield there was no logos left visible on the sidewalls. I was worried that the tyres wouldn’t last the trip back, they were taking a bit of a pounding.

Waterfall fun

Litchfield has lots of waterfalls and swimming holes so it is a popular destination for people from Darwin as well as the tourists. Late in the season as it was and in the middle of the week too there was still a steady stream of people so I can only imagine what it is like on weekends in the peak season. The water at all the holes we went to was lovely, cold but not too cold but there were no prime bombing spots. Lots of big rocks under the water so its not advisable to try. At Florence falls we met a few more guys from the mango farm. One of them climbed to the top of the falls and dived in. Not something I’m likely to try any time soon. My swimming skills are still not the best so I stay close to shallow water. The water at the base of the falls was pretty freakin’ deep so I stayed well away.

We went to Wangi Falls where there are supposed to be freshwater crocs resident all year long. Freshwater crocodiles are supposedly less aggressive than salties and not known to kill humans although they do sometimes bite. I didn’t see any although they can get pretty close without you knowing it. I can happily float on my back all day but turn me around and I’m struggling. Is there some secret to it that I’m not being told about? I am improving

When we got back to Noonamah where my bike was locked up it was around 8pm as there was no moon I pitched for the night there rather than try to make it to the rest area 20km down the road. I thought my luck was in too, Thursday nights at the Noonamah Tavern meant topless serving wenches and other treats so the rumours went. Judging by the crowds and cheering the rumours seemed to be true but they finished about 1 minute after we got there whilst I was still saying my goodbyes. Out the back of the pub there was a shower block which needed a key but beside that was a laundry room which was open with lights, a table and chair. It’s like someone knew exactly what I needed I moved in for the night entertained by a very active storm in the distance which I prayed would come over us and bring some relief from the heat and humidity. Sometime near 1am it was still 29 ° and I’m pretty sure the humidity over 90%. Not ideal conditions for sleeping, but I did manage to get through about 400 pages of my book. I got two in Darwin to take me to Broome, at this rate they won’t last to Katherine!

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 16th, 2006 at 10:14 pm by Ross and is filed under Australia, Northern Territory, Tropics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.