The starting point

The starting point

Monday 10 August 2015

Too much Rum , off to the cemetery & then the falls 8/8/15

What a difference a day makes , we wake refreshed after yesterdays activities , what a good nights sleep !! We are still up at 7:30 , and go through the packing process again - time to head south , dont get too carried away , we are only talking 200 klms - and no further than Katherine !!!
 Out the gate at the usual time , leaving Rum Jungle , finding the road quiet , we cruise into Batchelor , then out to the Stuart Hwy once more , it to was quiet with quite a few road trains carrying cattle going towards Darwin . Before much longer we had arrived at Adelaide River, and turned off to the left , heading off to the War Cemetery .


 Now , not being really into cemeteries , this one is one of the most manicured sections of grass & gardens we’ve seen , and is a commemoration of the victims of the Darwin bombings in 1942 - armed services personnel and civilian casualties . Hedges , shrubs & trees have been planted and are trimmed within an inch of their lives !!



 It was only 10:15 , so it was decided we’d head off further down the hwy - off we went . The scenery as we got closer to Pine Creek was interesting , with mountains in the distance to the right and in front - Pine Creek is 198 m asl , so I guess we had to climb that hill somewhere . It was intended to get some fuel here as well , which we did ! 
 Back to the hwy again , after dealing with an irate English tourist , who didn’t want to move his hired motorhome slightly , so we could move from the forecourt of the Service Station , so he could fill up also . 
 There are usually rest stops everywhere here , now that we’re looking for one , they’re as scarce as !! We kept going to Edith Falls , checked in for 2 nights , set up and then had lunch . 
 The lady at the kiosk / check in showed us the map of the walks , which we will do one of tomorrow - far too hot now !!!  
  Time to get the swimmers on again , and head down for a swim . The plunge pool here is huge - over 200m at its widest , and 100m across to the falls , we took our pfd’s with us  so we wouldn’t sink half way across . The water was refreshing - some would say brisk - it was cool , but by the time we’d swum across to the waterfall, we were a little tired and cold - goose bumps were the order of the day , so it was back to the steps and get out & warm up a little !!
  


 The falls are only about 5m tall at this point , but we’ve been informed that they’re higher a bit further around - we’ll let you know after tomorrows walk !!
 The plunge pool is fringed with pandanus , and makes a glorious sight . The Edith River flows from here , with some spectacular reflections .



 Back to the RV , we get chatting to the neighbours ( who have travelled an awful lot of Australias back roads & tracks ) . We chat to them for several hours , till darkness starts to set in , listening to stories about different locations . Turns out she went to SCEGGS girls high school in Moss Vale in the late 60’s - she was one of the boarders - small world !! 

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