If a dawn wake up call wasn’t bad enough this morning, I had to go rummaging through the cupboards to find a pair of long pants and a long sleeved jumper to don, for an early morning walk with the dogs. With the warm embrace of the sun yet to be realised, it was positively chilly out and about during our walk through the park, with the babies in tow. I don’t think that even they are overly impressed with the direction the overnight weather has taken.

Our early morning start was all for a good cause however, as we readied ourselves with a warming cup of steaming hot coffee, then drove through Katherine and in the direction of the Katherine Gorge National Park. Well, that is what it was previously known as, until such time it was handed back to its traditional indigenous owners, and reverted to its original name of Nitmiluk National Park.

This national park is where we have organised a boat tour along the first 2 of 13 gorges, which are known collectively as Katherine Gorge. It was the fact that our tour was due to depart at 9:00AM that we were up so early, so I was hoping beyond belief that it would all be worth the effort. If it was of any indication, at least the temperature had risen to a reasonable level by the time we parked ‘The Beast’ and taken the longer than I would have thought necessary walk to the boat ramp. I wouldn’t have thought that it was too much to ask for the river to have been routed closer to the car park.

Like clockwork, at 9:00AM we were ushered down the jetty to the waiting wide, flat bottomed punt of similar size and description as that we had floated through Kakadu in. Along with about 60 other eager participants and a funny Kiwi guide we boarded and took up a position close to the bow as we pushed out into the first gorge. With the sun just poking its golden orb above the lofty escarpments that created the gorge walls, the water sparkled like a jewel encrusted satin ribbon wending through the landscape.

Spectacular scenery.

The constant click of camera shutters accompanied the narrative spieled out adlib by our guide as we slowly meandered along this natural wonder, until before we knew it, we had come to an impassable rift of rocks the width of the watercourse. In order to continue on through the second gorge, we all disembarked our faithful punt, and proceeded to walk the several hundred metres to where a second craft was awaiting us. The march provided us with ample opportunities to take even more photographs as we marveled at the raw forces of nature that must certainly have been in play to create such a phenomenon.

On foot.

During our travels, we learned that the rock is a variety of sandstone, which over the last millennium has fractured and subsequently been eroded by the flow of the river, leaving it in its current state. Being that we are travelling in the dry season at the moment, we weren’t seeing the area at its best. During the wet season, you can expect the water to be raging at a level many metres higher than it is today, with the added marvel of waterfalls around every corner as tens of thousands of square kilometres of catchment area feed into the main stream.

Through…

…the…

…Katherine…

…Gorge.

The return trip was a bit of an anti-climax, as we cruised by already admired vistas. Our guide was prepared for this, as he switched from pointing out the natural wonders and began to give us a run down on the flora and fauna that is found in the area. The only issue I have with his commentary is that as a result of his New Zealander accent, I was left wondering if the pronunciation of the park name is ‘Nitmiluk’ as it is spelt, or ‘Nutmuluk’ as he pronounced it.

Just as we were about to dock, a shout went up, that chorused down the pews of the boat like a vocal Mexican wave. A crocodile had been spotted. Our guide congenially backed the craft up, to give us a closer look at the 3 and a bit metre fresh water crocodile. Having seen menacing ‘Salties’ in the wild, hell, having swum with a hungry ‘saltie’, this ‘freshie’ didn’t even register on our excite-o-meter. We sat unmoving and uninterested as the majority of the passengers rushed for a glimpse of the reptilian. Go ahead, say what you will, but we’ve turned into right crocodile snobs.

Returning to the visitor centre from which we had departed, we had a few options. There were a few walks through the park, one of which is a multi-day affair, although we decided that having seen the views from water level, it would be difficult to beat what we had witnessed by viewing it from above. So walks were out of the question. A swim was discussed, but croc snobs or not, I don’t think either of us relished taking a dip only a stones throw from the dominant male in the river system, ‘freshie’ or not. Rather, a better idea was forming in our minds.

First, we stopped in the car park to fill our stomachs with a cut lunch we’d brought from home, then headed back in the general direction of the caravan park. It was between Nitmiluk National Park and the van that we would stop at the Katherine Thermal Pools. A natural aquifer spilling from the earth at a balmy 32^oC, we decided that this would be a safer bet than the swimming hole at the gorges, for a relaxing dip. And we weren’t wrong.

Selfie at the springs.

Casting off all but our swimmers, we threw ourselves into the tepid, rejuvenating waters. Much like the springs we had swam at in Mataranka, the water is crystal clear and flows with a current strong enough to float you downstream although, sans noodle or any ability to maintain my own buoyancy, I was relegated to wading through the chest deep flow. It was just what the doctor had ordered though, as all of my recent muscle aches just seemed to melt away into oblivion. It was bliss, leaving me sorry we hadn’t stopped here yesterday.

Bec floats downstream.

We eventually dragged ourselves from the water, to make our way back to the van in a state of relaxed delirium. Such was our state of mind that it felt much later than the 1:30PM that it was. A walk with the dogs and a shower was all it took, before Bec was napping blissfully, leaving me to endure what she would call ‘heavy breathing’ and I would term as window rattling snoring. I guess she has to get her own back every now and then.

Napping featured heavily in our schedule this afternoon, as we struggled to get ourselves fired up enough to complete some chores and prepare dinner. An early night would seem to be on the cards.

Until next time, stay safe, have fun and don’t forget to write.