Adelaide River - Berry Springs - Litchfield National Park - Darwin
Northern Territory

We left Adelaide River around 10.30 on Tuesday April 30th. for the 50km drive north to check out Berry Springs as our base in the Darwin area.

There were two caravan parks at BS and both sounded good. We headed to the furthest one (Tumbling Waters) first and I went in and sussed it out while Brian and James waited in the car. It was right beside a river, shady and spacious with friendly staff so we checked in for one night planning to have a look at the other one (The Lakes Resort) that afternoon. It was about 10km closer to Darwin.

Once we were set up we had a chat to a long term camper (with 3 dogs) who filled us in on all the details of The Lakes and every other dog-friendly caravan park in Darwin. She had checked them all out and reckoned Tumbling Waters was the best by a mile. Not only that, but she offered to look after James for $15 a day which meant we could do day trips to Litchfield National Park as well as leave him behind when we went into Darwin Thursday. That way we could do the Casino and Mindil Markets after getting the Beast serviced.

In the afternoon we went for a drive to explore the area and ended up at the Litchfield Pub 5km or so up the road. We loved it - the locals and staff were so friendly and the atmosphere great. James was welcome and got heaps of attention. Scott (the owner??) took a real liking to him and spent ages with us talking about his bullock which was out of control and dangerous until it got really sick and he nursed it back to health, cradling its head in his lap. It now loves him.

Wednesday morning James was a little off colour and we realised it coincided with the sprinkling of ant dust outside around the van. In hindsight, when he was crook at Timber Creek we had used ant dust. On reading the packet we were horrified .... it went straight in the bin and Brian hosed the dust into the ground. Pretty toxic stuff! James brightened up with a walk and a good wash down in the river (in a wide, pebbly shallow bit where there was no croc activity) to remove any residual dust from his paws and coat.

                                                           Hurty tummy mummy!

                                                                    That's better!

While at the river we met up with a couple of locals who gave us some clues as to where to fish. Upon investigation we found some good (and safe) riverbank spots nearby. On our walk back to the van we had a delicious cappy at the park restaurant and paid for another 3 nights.

Berry Springs is situated at the bottom of the Cox Peninsula, only 70 km from Dundee Beach which looks out over Fog Bay and the Timor Sea. We decided to go driving after our coffee to check it out, thinking it would be a mangrove coast. Oh boy...how wrong! It is a stunning tropical beach with white sand and clear blue water. The Lodge of Dundee is a very rustic "resort" sitting right on the beach... indoor/outdoor pub, basic caravan park and boat ramp.

After a beer and wine we wandered over to the fish cleaning bench and chatted to a couple our age who were filleting a dozen or so BIG fish they had caught just off shore. They were in a little tinnie just like ours.....mmm....we were both thinking the same thing... next stop after Tumbling Waters could well be Lodge of Dundee!

We were in a driving mood so we kept exploring. We came across some very big termite mounds (photo opportunity) and after an hour or so we arrived at Mandorah which looks out over Darwin city from the western side of Darwin Harbour. There is a ferry service that runs across the mouth of the harbour between Mandorah and Cullen Bay to service the locals who live at nearby Wagait Beach. It also provides patrons for the Mandorah Pub which sits at the water's edge adjacent to the wharf. We had a lovely afternoon!

When we got home Brian unloaded the boat and had a play with Blackie's portable trailer that he had kindly left with us when we parted at Adelaide River. With a boat ramp nearby we planned to put the tinnie in the river and do some real fishing over the following few days.

Next day James was left in the care of our camp neighbour, Angie, while we headed into Darwin early, dropping off the small fridge at the repairer on-route to Mazda for the Beast's 10000K service.

Most of the day we spent on foot, walking 20 minutes from Mazda to the mall, then wandering all over the city precinct doing the odd bit of shopping, having coffee etc. We had a lovely lunch down at the new wharf and wave pool area before wandering back up the hill to the city centre to grab a cab to go back to Mazda. One of the most important missions of the day was to go to Gloria Jeans so I could replenish my stock of coffee beans. I was very disappointed to find the city store didn't have either Hazelnut or Italian Espresso...bugger! Next closest GJ's was at Casuarina, so we drove over there and while they didn't have a much as I wanted, at least I was able to grab a month or so supply.

Mid afternoon we went to Star City Casino to see if we could match our luck with our trip there in January last year when we inserted $15 and won $4500 on a 2c Pink Panther poker machine. Not to be, however. Our money kept us entertained for a good 90 minutes before we withdrew our original stake, coming out even.

Next stop on our Darwin Day Out was Mindil Market. This colorful market runs on Thursday nights and Sunday afternoons during the dry season. It is located by the beach and is famous for its local handcraft and diverse range of hot and cold food vendors. We had a bit of Asian, some Chinese and some mexican for dinner, followed by a freshly squeezed fruit juice. When we arrived back at the van around 7.30 James was beside himself to see us. Angie said he had a lovely time and went on a big walk with 6 other dogs, but the way he wailed when he saw us you would have thought he'd been shut in a box all day. Princess!

On Friday Brian put the boat back on the Beast, sorted his tool boxes, checked out the crook 240 volt element in the fridge and sold an aeroplane. During the day we got talking to another travelling couple, Doug and Dione from Mornington. They were camped across the track from us. Brian and Doug made plans for launching both their boats the next morning on the Blackmore River, which runs into Darwin Harbour.

Late in the afternoon we decided to ride the bikes to the Litchfield Pub. We had discovered a shortcut along a dirt track so we only had a few hundred meters along the bitumen road. Doug and Dione took their car and we got to know each other better over a couple of beers and wine. Then just before dark we went down to the waterhole beside the caravan park and put 4 cherubin pots in before enjoying a spag bol dinner.

At first light next morning we took James for a brisk walk to the billabong and collected 3 cherubin out of 4 pots - rather poor haul. By 8am we were on our way to the boat ramp at Southport, 12km down the road. It took the best part of an hour to get the tinnine off the Beast, assemble the trailer, put the motor on, put in all the fishing gear and get the tinnie onto the trailer. By this time Doug and Dione had arrived with their boat. 

There was a problem however. The tide was out and the bottom third of the concrete ramp was covered in thick black mud. Brian tied a rope from the bull bar on the Beast to the trailer and walked it down the ramp while I slowly drove forward. It worked fine and it was quite entertaining watching Brian trying to maintain his balance while sliding along beside the boat. Doug and Dione decided against launching at that spot and went off to find another ramp.

The fishing wasn't too bad.In the 4 hours we were on the water I caught a big Flathead and a good sized bream, both of which we kept and cooked for dinner. Aside from that we hooked into 3 or 4 really big ones but didn't manage to land them. It was high tide by the time we came in so there wasn't a problem with mud on the ramp.Given our success Brian left the boat on the trailer so we could repeat the exercise next day with much less hassle getting set up. By launching a couple of hours later on a higher tide we would be able to avoid most of the mud as well.

Our cherubin harvest on Sunday amounted to all of one, so we bought some squid. The supplier in Darwin is "Masterbait" and their advertising boards at boat ramps read "Good things come to those who Masterbait". For some reason we both remembered that ad....effective eh!

High tide was at 2pm so we launched the boat on the rising tide. The Beast managed the ramp even though it was still a little muddy. It was a much quicker operation with the tinnie already on the trailer. It would have been quicker still if we had remembered to load the tackle box. We didn't notice till we were heading downstream, so that required a return to the ramp. Memory loss in old age is a bugger!

Despite being the usual Darwin hot, sunny day it was very pleasant on the water as there was quite a stiff breeze. The vegetation on the river banks is thick and fairly tall so we were also able to find shade in the many little creek inlets along the Blackmore River. Without some respite from the sun I doubt if any of us, particularly James, would manage more than an hour on the water. We fished for four hours but with no real luck. All we managed to catch was a few catfish and an undersized cod so for dinner we headed over to the Litchfield Tavern where there was a band playing out in the beer garden. It was a pretty average band but they played our kinda music so we kicked back with a few drinks, had a delicious roast pork dinner and enjoyed a great night.

On Monday we left James home alone while we went into Litchfield National Park.

Berry Springs is located just north of Litchfield and the various attractions are dotted along a single road that runs through the park. The quickest way in from Tumbling Waters was on a dirt road that became sealed as we neared our first stop, Bamboo Creek Tin Mine. The abandoned mine which is now in ruins is tucked away deep in the bush. It's hard to imagine how, in 1906, pioneers would have located the ore let alone set up a mining operation there. It would have been an incredibly hard life - particularly in the Wet.

Next we visited the Cascades. The water in the deep stream we followed was unbelievably crystal clear. The walk to the Lower Cascades was only about 1.5 km but as we got further upstream the pathway became pretty tricky and we stupidly were only in thongs so we abandoned the trek and headed back to the car.

Wangi Falls was a much shorter and easier walk. It was very pretty. Two waterfalls cascade into a deep rock pool surrounded by tropical vegetation. Normally you can swim there but apparently it hasn't been de-crocked since the wet so was closed.

Tolmer Falls, a further 10 km along the route was equally spectacular. The viewing platform not only looked down over the falls, pool and caves below but out over the horizon. What a view!

I've been to Litchfield a couple of times before, though only to Florence Falls and the Buley Rockpools. Buley is my favourite spot in the park and I was really keen for Brian to see it and go for a swim. It didn't occur to me that, being a public holiday in NT (May Day), the place would be literally swarming with day-trippers from Darwin. Bugger - we could just as easily have gone there last week or later this week. Anyway, we did have a swim and Brian loved it. We might have to go back there on a school day when it is more peaceful.

We left Buley around 2 pm, deciding to skip Florence Falls and head home as James had been in the van for a while (albeit with the air-con on). It was quicker from the Buley end of Litchfield to go home via Batchelor and the Stuart Hwy, which we did, completing our tour loop in 5 hours. So we have now done Litchfield National Park - another box ticked!

Today is our 8th at Tumbling Waters. It's a lovely spot and we are really enjoying it. The plan (I use this term very loosely) is to go on to Dundee Beach for a couple of nights and do some fishing in Fog Bay. We will need to head toward Darwin to stock up first and we are hoping to get the little fridge back from the repairer in the next day or so. We think we'll need the extra cold storage for all the fish we are going to catch at Dundee.