Nitmiluk National park – Edith falls & Katherine throat
Nitmiluk Park is only 2h30 from Kakadu National Park, our previous stop. We planned to stay there for three days at two different campsites. The days should be busy, Hiking, swimming at the foot of the waterfalls and canoeing on the Katherine River which may be a bit sporty.
Nitmiluk Park Lands (the house of the cicadas in Aboriginal dialect) have been returned to the Aboriginal people (The Jowyin) in 1989. To this day, they run it jointly with the Northern Territory government according to their sacred laws in connection with their creator god.
Edith falls – Leliyn campground
04 September
We arrive in the middle of the afternoon, It makes 36 degrees and we have only one desire, go and cool off in the small pool of Edith falls (Plunge pool) which is only a hundred metres from the campsite. In order to make swimming possible, the entrance to the river has been fenced off, preventing crocodiles from passing. The site being very frequented, the fangs would feast!
In dry periods, the waterfall has a low flow but enough to keep the pool level and swim a few strokes before the tourists arrive.
05 September
We set off all day to two other pools in Edith falls (Middle Pool and Upper Pool).
The path that climbs gradually is a succession of unstable stones and the walking poles are very useful to us. The route is not very shaded and once you get to the ridge the view of the gorge is magnificent.
First Rock Pool
We'd stay there for hours...
The various pools are surrounded by trees, pandanus and paperbark ( paper bark).
The landscape is surprising with the color of the reddish-orange rocks and the reflection of the trees on the water.
Philippe does a bit of climbing on the rocks to surprise this lizard (Martens' Water Monitor) relaxing quietly in the sun.
We continue on our way to the last swimming pool
There is little water but enough to swim to the waterfall and store some coolness before descending.
After this aquatic day we spend our second night in another campsite. The next day's program is the canoeing up the Katherine River
Before heading to the campsite, we make a brief stop at the supermarket in Katherine, the only town in the region that is very touristic and has a large number of Aboriginal communities and art galleries.
Katherine River – 06 September
There are many tourist activities on the river. Camp at one of the three campsites accessible by canoe, Take a boat cruise or helicopter tour and canoe up the river. We preferred the canoe-kayak option.
Early in the morning we board the shuttle bus that drops us off where the canoes are stored. We've got you covered: waterproof bag, Homemade sandwiches, fruit, 4 litres of water, sunscreen and especially the road map that shows us the distance between each throat, the degree of difficulty of the dry passages and the estimated time to pull the canoe over the rocks.
We paddle quietly enjoying the scenery for 2.5kms with short dry passages in places.
We arrive at the third gorge where Philippe has to drag the canoe. I'm filming :))) while he's building muscle.
We continue along the steep cliffs that provide us with some shade. There are a few small sandy beaches by the river, some of which are off-limits due to the presence of freshwater crocodile eggs (Freshwater).
We spotted one a little further on, with a few shrubs, which seemed perfect for a picnic.
Philippe will explore a possible passage under an arch
It's narrow and not very high but it's okay
Another rocky bar and this one is particularly long and difficult. It corresponds to the fourth throat. We won't go any higher knowing that we have to get back to base before 4pm and that pulling the canoe takes time.
Last swim before going back down the river.
The river is peaceful, only the song of cockatoos (White Parrot ) Reasoning in the cliffs
We've finished our expedition on the water, The shuttle dropped us off at the pier. On the way back to the campsite the trees are squatted by bats and you can tell that they smell very bad.
Tomorrow we have a bit of a road ahead, about 400kms to reach the Gregory National Park further west