G’day from Fabulous Journeys! I hope you enjoyed the last post on Darwin. I had a fantastic time there, and I love the laid-back feel of the city. It was all the more made special by the company of my great friends who showed me around and gave me a taste of the local lifestyle!

Litchfield Or Kakadu?

While I was in Darwin, I had been meaning to go and see Kakadu National Park. I’ve heard a lot of great things about the place from the media and other people that I thought it would just be fantastic to make a trip there. However, my friend Trixie told me that Litchfield National Park is much better than Kakadu, and is more accessible from Darwin itself. I thought about it, and decided that perhaps I should just do Litchfield National Park, as I only had a day to go outside Darwin on my schedule (which I only fitted in between my internet marketing sessions). I was in a dilemma on where to go, but I did consider Trixie’s recommendations, as Litchfield can be more manageable as a day trip than Kakadu, just because of the distance and size of the place. Kakadu is a much bigger place, and people recommend that you spend a few days exploring the area instead of just taking a day trip.

Trixie’s Tours

I was going to go with my friend Sharon on a tour bus from Darwin, and the day before we were supposed to go, we started inquiring about tour prices and availability. We completely ignored the fact that it was dry season in the Top End, and that it was tourist season! We tried one after another, but to no avail. There were no available seats for us on the tour bus! Our friend Trixie, who was our host, kindly offered to take us all the way there! It was a very generous offer from her, as we didn’t think she wanted to go. She was more concerned about her car getting through the unsealed road ahead! Well, the guy at the tour desk told us a lie about Litchfield Road being sealed all the way through, and we only found out when we got there! Well, lesson learnt, take your 4WD on Litchfield Road as part of it is still not sealed. So, that’s how Trixie’s Tours came about (featuring Steve, Trixie’s husband, as the coach driver.. LOL)!

So, on to the topic of Litchfield National Park. Here are some of the great things you can see in the National Park:

Termite Mounds

There are numerous termite mounds in the area, some small, but some are really massive! There is a specific type of termite mound that is unique in the area, and they’re called the Magnetic Termite Mounds. These mounds look more like tombstones of a graveyard. They’re flat and they have a roundish end. The reason they’re called magnetic is because of the way the termites designed these mounds. They all align from north to south! It seems like they have some sort of compass that makes them build these structures in that direction! It’s just fascinating how these creatures can build such structures, and they’re unique to the Northern Territory!

Buley Rockhole

The Buley Rockhole is a series of rock pools on the Florence Creek that cascade down like springs. It is spring-fed and has a good flow all year long. People can swim in the various pools on the different levels. This is one area that is croc-free and jellyfish-free, so people can enjoy them! I didn’t bring my swimming gear when I went there, as I didn’t think it would be tempting to go swimming. The water felt cool and refreshing, and  on a nice hot sunny day in the Top End, it’s worth jumping in!

Florence Falls

Florence Falls is one of the biggest falls in Litchfield National Park. You can walk 1.7kms from the Buley Rockhole to get to this waterfalls, or you can drive and park, and the lookout point for the falls is a few meters from the car park. The lookout point offers the best views of the falls. If you want to get closer and swim in the falls, you can take the 135-step staircase down to the lagoon and enjoy the falls itself. The view is not that great from below, unless you go and swim in the lagoon (which we didn’t).

Tolmer Falls

Tolmer Falls is another one of the 3 major falls on the Tabletop Range in Litchfield National Park. The lookout to the falls is also a few meter from the car park, and you can enjoy great views of the outback further afield. The rock formations and the gorge looks stunning. If you have more time, there is a walk you can take to Tolmer Creek.

Finniss River

One of the major rivers near Litchfield National Park is the Finniss River. You will come across it when you travel through the gravel road from Litchfield Road. It’s not one of the places that the tour buses stop, but we found a nice spot to stop and have a look at a typical river in the Northern Territory. It is known to be croc-infested, but at the time we stopped, no crocodiles were in sight. It was just nice to see the pandanus trees on the river and some native birds around.

Berry Springs

This is technically just outside Litchfield National Park, but was on our way back to Darwin from Litchfield National Park. Berry Springs is a series of springs that have been developed into a recreation park and is ideal for swimming. There are a couple of pools in the area that you can swim on, and it’s all natural pools, with some fish swimming along in the water. When we arrived at Berry Springs, there were already a few people swimming, but it was so calm and peaceful in the area. There’s also a small exhibit on how Berry Springs used to be, and where the source of the water is. One interesting display they have there is an original dunny, which is quite common in the remote regions in Australia.

Litchfield National Park is only an hour and a half’s drive from Darwin, and is much closer to Darwin than Kakadu. Kakadu, while it is be bigger, takes more than 2 hours from Darwin, and some people recommend that we see it from the air, as it is more spectacular that way. I’m planning to visit Kakadu next time when I have more time to spare in the Top End, and just do a 2 to 3 day tour there. I enjoyed my trip to Litchfield National Park, and I’m glad I took this option over Kakadu for a day trip.. You can cover more attractions to see in and near Litchfield, especially if you only have a day to spare.

Til the next Fabulous Journeys!

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G’day from Fabulous Journeys! I have just returned from my 2-week trip out of town and had the great opportunity to visit Australia’s Northern Territory. I was at Darwin to catch up with some friends I made through internet marketing, and I had a chance to also explore Darwin city itself.

Flying Into Darwin

It’s difficult to get into Darwin without flying. Unless you are seriously wanting to take the long drive across the long empty stretches of the Outback, flying is the best way to travel into Darwin. I flew into Darwin from Singapore and booked it on Zuji, as they had great special offers to Darwin. The flight took roughly 4 hours, and arrived really early in the morning at 4:40AM. I found it interesting that it is much quicker to fly to Darwin from neighbouring countries than to some of the Australian capital cities!

My friend Trixie met me at the airport, and had to travel 30 minutes to get there. I felt so special that she would wake up at that time of the morning (well, even earlier than that!) just to pick me up and have me stay at her and her husband Steve’s lovely 5-acre property in Howard Springs. If you’re reading this Trixie, thank you so much for your great hospitality!

Top Attractions in Darwin

Before arriving in Darwin, I didn’t know much about what to see in the city. I only knew that it was at the northern tip of Australia, and that there are a lot of crocodiles in the rivers and the sea. I heard from my friend Trixie of the Crocosaurus Cove, which is something like an aquarium of crocodiles in the city, but that was about it. My friend Sharon, who came from McKay and also stayed with Trixie, is also a first timer to Darwin, so we both relied on our good host to take us around and show us the highlights of Darwin.

Here are some of the top Darwin attractions:

Darwin Waterfront

The Darwin waterfront used to be a very industrial area that included the main port of Darwin (Stokes Hill Wharf), where both cargo and cruise ships would dock. More recently, the Darwin waterfront has been redeveloped to include Darwin’s first convention centre, a nice boardwalk along the shore, a new wave pool and restaurants along the Stokes Hill Wharf. There are a few apartment complexes that are being built around the area, which would offer great views of the harbour and sea. There is also a small beach that is protected from the crocs and other dangerous creatures and is considered safe for swimming.

I had lunch with my friends Allen, Sandra and John at the Stokes Hill Wharf and had a fantastic time catching up. The location itself being by the harbour makes for a nice refreshing place to have a meal with friends. There are a few food stalls to choose from, mostly seafood, Chinese, Western and Greek stall. I had a local Barramundi and it was delicious!

Mindil Beach

Mindil Beach is known for its magnificent sunset. Locals and tourists flock to this beach to watch a spectacular sunset. During the dry season, the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets open on Thursdays and Sundays. The sunset market is a great place to sample some local food, find local products, get a Chinese massage, tarot card reading and other quirky stuff. There are numerous aboriginal artwork and items like the didgeridoo, boomerang that you will find as you walk around, as well as Asian items. Live music is also available in various parts of the area.

By the time the sun is about to set, the crowd in the market would slowly go to the beach to watch the sun go down into the sea. The sunsets are apparently much more spectacular during the wet season, when the sun’s colour turns red, and the sky is all red. Nevertheless, I saw one of the best sunsets by the beach here at Mindil Beach.

Eastpoint

Eastpoint is a nature reserve not far from the city centre of Darwin. The area has forests, picnic areas and a man-made lake called Lake Alexander. Lake Alexander is a saltwater lake that is safe for swimming all year round. There are also military facilities in the area. Dudley Point is an area in the Eastpoint reserve that offers a great view of the Darwin skyline and Fannie Bay. This is also another great spot to watch the sunset. Locals and tourists come here to enjoy the views and have a picnic.

Casuarina Beach

Casuarina beach is roughly 20 minutes outside Darwin CBD, and has a decent stretch of beach for people to walk on and enjoy. Some people come here for a picnic or to do some watersports. There is a surf lifesaving club on the beach. My friends and I had a takeaway lunch and sat on one of the picnic tables here. This is where we saw some people kite surfing along the coast, which was a pretty cool sight to see!

Crocosaurus Cove

The Crocosaurus Cove is one attraction you will find in the city centre of Darwin. It is located on Mitchell Street, which is the main street in downtown Darwin. You will find numerous crocodiles that were captured due to misbehaviour (i.e., attacked a human or done some harm on some people’s properties). For thrillseekers, you can get into this glass cage that will be submerged into the crocodile’s pen, and you can experience the aggression and strength of these creatures. My friend Trixie has put out a more detailed post on this, so do check it out!

Darwin is an up and coming city. It may still be very small for a capital city, but it sure has been growing over the past few years with the boom in tourism and mining. It is evident in the amount of construction happening at the moment. Darwin has been known to be the gateway to the beautiful Kakadu National Park, and the closer and more stunning Litchfield National Park. I will be writing about Litchfield National Park on my next post.

Til the next Fabulous Journeys!

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