The Long Walk.. final installment

We followed the bottom of the ridge, finding some aboriginal sites along the way. The amazing rock formations made for great exploring… after scaring out a big pig that is! When we made it to camp we were all dying to get our wet clothes off and soak our weary bodies in the stream. After some relaxing I found the energy to explore up the gully that forms the start of Waterfall Creek. There was huge boulders to climb, followed by shady swimming holes… over and over again.



The next day we powered our of camp, keen to hit the sandstone and make camp early. The heat of the day made us finally appreciate the clouds and rain of the previous days – man it was sticky! We made it to the sandstone in record time and had set up camp by our own private pool and spa on a sandy bank. This left plenty of time to explore the amazing rocks high above camp before sunset. We saw some great cave drawings and views from above.



We enjoyed a great camp that night with Kristin sharing the last of her cocktail treats – an “Orgasm” for all! We had a campfire in the sand, relaxed in the spa, swam laps in our private pool and enjoyed a fantastic nights sleep minus the fly watching the stars.

The last walk out was not too far and we managed to enjoy a lazy lunch and swim en route. Once we descended Gunlom falls at the end we were all on such a high! Go the girls team!!

Simon has been calling me Wilma Smith for the last week as I’ve made these posts of our Kakadu National Park hiking adventure in referenced to how long and drawn out Wilbur Smiths writing is. While my photos can never capture the amazing surroundings, the spirit of camaraderie amongst us and the fun and sheer freedom we experienced – hopefully I’ve not bored you too much in wanting to share a taste of our trip.

Maguk to Gunlom, Barramundi Gorge to Waterfall Creek

Well we survived! I'll post some tales of our trip over the next few days.

Mum arrived Monday afternoon, just in time to stuff her pack full of goodies for the next 6 days. Despite her brave face, secretly I think it was heavier than she expected… An early night and we hit the road the following morning. As we were walking from one creek and gorge system, over a ridge to the next before coming out at Gunlom we did a bit of running around dropping cars off, before finally setting up camp by the side of the road for night one. Mum seemed a little shocked at the mud underfoot, “are we camping here?” We managed to set up a 5 star camp and have a bit of shut eye before farewelling the car and civilization for the next 5 days.


As it was still the wet season the road was closed so we started our hike on the road. It’s been a good wet season, the end of May and we had the boots off for a crossing before we even hit the bush! Not wanting to risk crocs, we had a steep climb before breaking for lunch and a swim. Our swimming pool was a cliff top pool looking back over the waterfall and gully we had just ascended. It was just like the horizon pools you see in 5 star resorts only so much better! You could swim further on, flanked either side by steep red walls and more pools. I’ve got a great feeling about this trip.

We dragged ourselves away from the pools and continued following Barramundi Gorge. It was pretty rough going so mum and Kristin had donned some gators. Just skirting a ledge before arriving at camp we had a near miss. Mum slipped and almost plunged down the bank. Needless to say, we all slept with visions of the moment skirting our dreams. Camp Day 1 was a perfect spot by the side of the creek with a waterfall spa on one side and a large swimming pool on the other. After setting up camp, Kristin and I headed up stream exploring some caves with aboriginal art.

Day 2 started with a relatively steep climb, before we followed the creek upstream. At times the going was so rough we left the creek and headed to higher ground. Unfortunately there was no escaping the long grass, pushing through this was like bending into gale force wind, and with a heavy pack your legs soon start to burn. This day was filled with long grass. At one point a helicopter dropped some incendiaries to burn it out but unfortunately for us this was too late.

Camp Day 2 was a small sandy strip beside a beautiful crystal clear pool fed by two falls. A scramble up a scree hill behind camp led to the most beautiful horizon pool where we enjoyed our precious store of cocktails watching the sun set.

What a top start – we are all getting along brilliantly, enjoying the countryside. Stay tuned for the rest of the hike.

Girl Power

Mum and I had been planning a walk on the Jatbula trail for weeks now – just us girls, hiking and camping for 66km’s over 5 nights. The plane trip was booked, we had bought borrowed and begged all the gear we needed when disaster struck. Katherine had the highest April rainfall in decades and the trail was going to be closed! After days of investigating alternatives, I finally plucked up the courage to tell mum. Luckily, when one door closes, plenty more always open and we were now embarking on plan B with a Darwin friend Kristin.

A 6 day hike between Barramundi Gorge and Waterfall Creek (Maguk to Gunlom) in Kakadu. An umarked trail, we set to brushing up on our navigation skills, buying topographical maps, seeking permits, asking locals for advice, downloading Google Earth images, dehydrating food, hiking around town with our loaded packs and questioning if we were doing the right thing. Just as we were experiencing doubts, Jessica Watson came to our rescue – us 3 girls were going to give it our best shot and who knows, we might just have a lot of fun along the way!

Only 2 sleeps to go, lists have been written and re-written, maps checked and re-checked, meals cooked, bags packed and re-packed and provisions reviewed over and over again. Mum arrives tomorrow and we head off on Tuesday, returning next Monday after 6 nights in the bush! Wish us luck and I’ll keep you posted on our adventures…

Southern Visitors

It had been over a year since I’d seen my parents and I couldn’t wait for them to arrive. I’d managed to wangle a few days off work and had an action packed week planned for them. We started on the evening they arrived with a movie on the lawn at the Darwin waterfront.

We hit the road bright and early, planning to explore Kakadu from the north to the south. The first day we started with Ubirr, which included a river crossing in the 4WD. It was a first for me and all the talk about bow waves was getting me nervous. I turned to my mum, “are you nervous”? She flippantly replied, “about what?” Oh well, if no one is worried maybe my concerns about getting stranded or washed down a croc-infested river are unfounded…




With the crossing safely behind I us, I kept a keen eye on the rain clouds in the distance as we explored Ubirr rock art and the scenic views across the wetlands. The artwork was amazing although it was a change being behind barricades with interpretive signs after the Kimberly’s. At least still being the wet season we had the place to the views, the peace and quiet and ourselves was amazing.

The next morning we headed to Gunlom for a hike to some freshwater falls. It was a top walk and well worth the effort in the heat. Luckily we had mum and dad to test for crocs before we braved the water!

The heat was almost unbearable, but we pushed on explored every trail, hill, lookout and art site around Gunlom and Nourlangie. By the end of the day we were all exhausted! Can we keep up the pace tomorrow?

After some discussion we decided we were all still keen and wanted to embark on the long drive south to Yurmikmik, followed by a 10km hike before driving back to Darwin. I was hoping being so far out of the way this was going to be the highlight of our trip and I was not disappointed. The walk was beautiful and scenic and once we reached motorcar falls the waterfall was in full flow with a beautiful clear pool at the bottom to cool our weary bodies. Here’s a little clip of our day.





Exhausted we limped back to Darwin. Mum and dad spent a few days cruising around town while I returned to work in an effort to appear dedicated. The following Friday, with another day off work scheduled we headed south to explore Litchfield this time. After the seclusion and isolation of Yurmikmik we had been spoiled and now found Litchfield a bit too pre-prepared.


Unfortunately dad had got too far into the spirit of the falls and had a fall himself on some slippery rocks. While he recovered I towed mum under Florence in a pool toy. Last I heard before she disappeared under the pounding water was something that sounded like, “I’ve just washed my haaaiiiirrrr!!!!” Eventually she popped out the side looking a little like a drowned rat with a huge grin on her face.

All too soon it was time to say Farewell. It was clear the bush-walking bug had bitten them both so I was trying to convince mum to come with me on the big Jatbula hike I was planning later in the year. She left keen but non-committal – watch this space.