Another beautiful national park! Ho hum...
So lovely. I really love National Parks, especially in the hot. Walks, swims and lazing about are the order of the day. Of course there is always cookng, cleaning up and washing clothes but in such beautiful places these chores are more easily relegated to mindfulness practice rather than endless chores!
We left Mataranka late on the day of our planned arrival to EFNP. We knew we may not get a place as there is no booking system – you just rock up and hope for the best. But it was just sooo lovely. We went for about a 6 k walk as a family and Dom only needed carrying for the last ½ to 1 k which was really great. Then of course we had to make time for just one more swim. So not surprisingly we did not find any room at the inn at the park. Not too concerned we grabbed some lunch and met up with the Spences at the Top Pool. It was pretty lovely but as always a little unnerving swimming over dark depths with wildlife a plenty! On arrival back at camp we ummed and aaahed a little about just camping in the carpark but in the end drove 20k down the road to a free camp. We landed on our feet there as we had already had dinner and just had to set up while watching the reflected sunset in a little billabong, put Dom to bed then watch a movie with the big boys! We packed up and were back at Edith by 8 am where we had breakfast and settled into a great site right next to the amenities and closest to the lower pool. The kids did a little (aka token amount) of school with Elijah. We waved farewell again.
We left Mataranka late on the day of our planned arrival to EFNP. We knew we may not get a place as there is no booking system – you just rock up and hope for the best. But it was just sooo lovely. We went for about a 6 k walk as a family and Dom only needed carrying for the last ½ to 1 k which was really great. Then of course we had to make time for just one more swim. So not surprisingly we did not find any room at the inn at the park. Not too concerned we grabbed some lunch and met up with the Spences at the Top Pool. It was pretty lovely but as always a little unnerving swimming over dark depths with wildlife a plenty! On arrival back at camp we ummed and aaahed a little about just camping in the carpark but in the end drove 20k down the road to a free camp. We landed on our feet there as we had already had dinner and just had to set up while watching the reflected sunset in a little billabong, put Dom to bed then watch a movie with the big boys! We packed up and were back at Edith by 8 am where we had breakfast and settled into a great site right next to the amenities and closest to the lower pool. The kids did a little (aka token amount) of school with Elijah. We waved farewell again.
That arvo was spent chilling and knitting (Izzys hat and cowl being “due”) and stretching out our meagre pantry with resourcefulness and creativity (ended up with soup and fresh bread rolls with chocolate rolls as dessert!).
Our second last morning we did part of a big walk up to another set of waterfalls. It was a very long way to Sweetwater, and we accidently didn't make it all the way. We stopped at Longwater (thinking it was pretty Sweet and it turned out it was sweet enough for us). It was hot and Sascha was VERY grumpy (about going at all, needing sunscreen etc etc). Nonetheless, after a good and thankfully foreshortened walk, and swim, he returned to a better state of mental health. Along the way we enjoyed licking the nectar off some ripe yellow grevillea flowers and spotting a couple of new birds.
A big swim to the main falls again in the afternoon left everyone suitably tired and ready for an early night and earlyish start to Darwin the next day, for a bit of "restocking" the van.
Our second last morning we did part of a big walk up to another set of waterfalls. It was a very long way to Sweetwater, and we accidently didn't make it all the way. We stopped at Longwater (thinking it was pretty Sweet and it turned out it was sweet enough for us). It was hot and Sascha was VERY grumpy (about going at all, needing sunscreen etc etc). Nonetheless, after a good and thankfully foreshortened walk, and swim, he returned to a better state of mental health. Along the way we enjoyed licking the nectar off some ripe yellow grevillea flowers and spotting a couple of new birds.
A big swim to the main falls again in the afternoon left everyone suitably tired and ready for an early night and earlyish start to Darwin the next day, for a bit of "restocking" the van.