Litchfield National Park & Darwin



October 2012

Reptiles and Ratbags

 

After 4 weeks of rugged, remote landscapes, we left the relative quiet of the Kimberley and ventured to the picturesque, waterfall-laden Litchfield National Park on our way to Darwin....and we weren't alone.

 

Florence Falls in Litchfield National Park - so tranquil, so serene....

Craigy and all of his friends. Same spot five minutes and four bus loads later - not quite so tranquil or serene.

The ants take their hill building very seriously out here.

Nature's graveyard....the termites create some spooky scenes out in the Litchfield bush

Hold on tight Riley

Tolmer Falls - not quite as hectic

Surprise falls....the slippery rocks here surprised us with a big lump to Riley's head and Paul flattening Archie. Luckily he's a tough nugget...not down for long.

Darwin - party time for the Rowdies

After 5 months on the road, we cruised into laid-back, steamy and fun-filled Darwin to wash off the red dust, regroup and repair. As luck would have it, our good mate Belly had just moved to town and was living in a conveniently-sized four bedroom house all by himself.....but not for long. Stand aside belly, the Rowdy roadtrip is moving in!!!

Ka-ploosh....the free water parks at Leanyer and Palmerston in Darwin were fantastic.

 Belly and Craigy getting friendly with an albino carpet python at the Territory Wildlife Park

 

 

Aww...c'mon baby, give us a kiss.

 Tank swimming with the big crocs - not for the faint-hearted.

Who are you calling a puffer fish......lizard face?

 

The Good: Spending 3 glorious weeks in a house with separate bedrooms and air-conditioning...we owe you Belly. We also managed to reclaim a bit of our social life, catching up with our travel buddies Johan and Lara and going out for drinks with Karen's best buddy Pam and having a great meal with the most relaxed corporate high-flyer we know, Moults, and Paul's old Athelstone footy club mate John Moulds. Leanne even managed a night out and a groove with Belly when the band Gomez came to town.

The Bad: Losing Archie in suburban Darwin within 1 hour of our arrival. After keeping tabs on our little Houdini in the bush for 6 months, we were foiled by our escape artist opening the front door, taking off through the front gate and doing a bit of local sight-seeing. It's the first time I have called 000 and you can imagine my embarassment when he was spotted on the next block and I dragged him back to an awaiting small army of police vehicles and the Swat Team....oops.

The Bad (part 2): There was little risk of a repeat escape, as within 10 minutes of his return Archie locked himself in a bedroom that couldn't be unlocked from the outside. After 45 minutes of attempting to coerce him into unlatching it, we called an emergency locksmith who, for a hefty call out fee, released the little bugger. All of this within our first 2 hours at Belly's place. I don't think Belly quite knew what had hit him!!

The Ugly: Paul's snapped fishing rod after a gruelling 45-minute battle (probably with a lemon shark) in Darwin Harbour. 10 hours of fishing with Belly and Johan and lots of lost lines, lures and bait...but nothing to show for it...except a good day out for the blokes.

 

 Dawn fishing in Darwin Harbour....about the only thing Paul will get out of bed early for.

 A day out on the picturesque Corroborree Billabong with Mouldsy and Belly. Still trying to catch a bloody barramundi. Afew crocs and great bird-life, but no fish for dinner.

 Cigars and beers in the plunge pool on our last night at Belly's place.

Poor Belly - after 3 weeks he was soooo sad to see us go!!!!

 

 

Next stop Kakadu and the Savannah Way through the Gulf country....