Days 22, 23

DAY 22 – Saturday

We packed up camp and refuelled at Mataranka, before heading to Katherine.  The town was really busy because their show was on, so we decided that we would not stay, but would do it on the way back down after Darwin.  We went to a local pharmacy to get some decent cream for Mitchells bites, and then got the boys some shorts at the local shopping centre.  We went to McDonalds for lunch and an internet fix, and then headed for Edith Falls.

At Edith Falls, we got the last available site, which due to an error was already occupied by another caravan.  We made our own space alongside the van that was already there (luckily it was a really long and large site and there was heaps of room for both of us).  We set up camp, by which time we were all a little bit hot and bothered, and decided to go for a swim. 

The waterhole was a really large lagoon with the falls on the opposite side to the swimming entry.  Once again the kids put on their goggles and marvelled at the fish life swimming with them.  Darren, Mitch and I decided to swim to the waterfall (which was a bit far for Thomas).  We made it to the base and Darren and Mitch had a great time fighting the current to get under the waterfall, which they finally did.  Then we swam back to the swimming spot where Thomas was waiting.  The Andersons were there as well, and Thomas was playing with Lucas, James and Reece.  The water was really cold, so we decided to get out and lay on the grass area to dry off.  By this time the day had cooled a bit and we headed back to camp to organise tea.  We grabbed a couple of drinks and went over to the Andersons to catch up.  The adults sat and talked while the kids played UNO and chased lizards.  Then we went back to camp and put the boys in their swags.  Darren and I sat outside looking at the stars for a while before going to bed.

DAY 23 – Sunday

We had breakfast and pottered around the camp for a while before heading for reception to pay for another night.  On the way past we said goodbye to the Andersons who were leaving that day.  Once our site was organised, we decided to do the walk to the “upper” falls and the lookout. 

We made it to the lookout first and the view was magnificent, looking out over the Parkland.  Then we came to another area where we had a breathtaking view of the falls that we were heading to.  This put wind in Mitch and Thomas’ sails, and we didn’t see them for dust until we reached the swimming area.

The swimming area was a large pool at the base of a waterfall, and many other pools of different sizes and depths.  We all went for a swim in the large pool first, making our way to the base of the waterfall to have the necessary waterfall shower.  Then we swam around for a while taking photos underwater with the kids looking for fish-life.

After a while I got a bit cold (surprise, surprise!) and decided to get out.  Darren, Mitchell and Thomas swam over to a small cave in the rocks to explore.  They met some people over there who told them about an underwater tunnel that went from under the water outside the cave to come out inside the cave.  They then spent a heap of time swimming through the tunnel from one side to the other.

Once we had had enough swimming, we headed back to camp to have some lunch.  After lunch Thomas decided that he had to swim out to the bottom falls before we left, so we grabbed the swim ring and our towels and headed back to the water.  We all helped get Thomas to the falls and let him have a climb on the rocks around them.  We all had a waterfall shower, and then headed back to the grass area.  We spent the rest of the afternoon there, laying on the grass in the shade, reading and relaxing.  On the way back to camp, we called in at the kiosk for an ice-cream and Darren rang the park in Darwin to book our accommodation.  We had chicken surprise for tea, which was a chicken concoction that Darren made Chicken breast topped with a fried egg and covered in melted cheese.... (fresh food is getting a little low!), and sat out under the stars while the boys lay in their swags before heading to bed.